'It would be difficult not to be seduced by ... the intriguing mixture of myth, religion and superstition ... there is a freedom and freshness in the manner in which the author explores the interior life of her characters whose idiosyncrasies and many failings are sympathetically and sometimes humorously observed ... It possesses a genuine intimacy and passionate involvement.' -- Elizabeth Buchan, Times Play 'You'll struggle to find a more powerful, moving read this year.' -- Glamour 'Emotionally satisfying, complex books like this are harder to find.' -- Heat 'I simply didn't want it to end ... The characters themselves, with their resolute individualism, ultimately seem larger than either the superbly drawn historical background or the novel's exotic setting' -- Image Magazine 'A vivid storyteller ... Unfolding over four generations like a Greek tragedy, it's a compulsive and often harrowing tale.' -- In Style 'Echoes of Memoirs of a Geisha in this exotic family saga' -- Daily Mirror 'Powerful' -- Sunday Mirror 'Drips with local colour ... wonderful.' -- Daily Mail 'A vividly atmospheric novel of tragedy, superstition, belief and hope.' -- Woman & Home 'Rich in domestic detail essential for a convincing family saga ... this novel transcends its genre ... she has created a novel with its own strong flavour.' -- Times Play 20030405 'You'll love Rani Manicka's first novel.' -- New Woman 20030405

Rani Manicka was born and educated in Malaysia. An economics graduate, she now divides her time between Malaysia and the UK. The Rice Mother won the South East Asia and South Pacific Region 2003 Commonwealth Writers' Prize, has been translated into 22 languages, and gained international acclaim.