SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORANGE PRIZE FOR FICTION
There were people on the banks of the river.
Among the tangled waterways and giant anacondas of the Brazilian Rio Negro, an enigmatic scientist is developing a drug that could alter the lives of women for ever. Dr Annick Swenson's work is shrouded in mystery; she refuses to report on her progress, especially to her investors, whose patience is fast running out. Anders Eckman, a mild-mannered lab researcher, is sent to investigate.
A curt letter reporting his untimely death is all that returns.
Now Marina Singh, Anders' colleague and once a student of the mighty Dr Swenson, is their last hope. Compelled by the pleas of Anders's wife, Marina leaves the snowy plains of Minnesota and retraces her friend's steps into the heart of the South American darkness, determined to track down Dr. Swenson and uncover the secrets being jealously guarded among the remotest tribes of the rainforest.
What Marina does not yet know is that, in this ancient corner of the jungle, where the muddy waters and susurrating grasses hide countless unknown perils and temptations, she will face challenges beyond her wildest imagination.
Marina is no longer the student, but only time will tell if she has learnt enough.
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'The best book I have read all year. It made me laugh and weep and left me in a state of wonder: perfect from first page to last ... a masterpiece' EMMA DONOGHUE
'A triumph ... Pachett's best book yet' GUARDIAN
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
ISBN: 9781408881507
Number of pages: 400
Weight: 272 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 mm
The best book I have read all year. It made me laugh and weep and left me in a state of wonder: perfect from first page to last ... a masterpiece - Emma Donoghue
A triumph and Pachett's best book yet - Guardian
Written with a wry grace and irony that reminded me of The Poisonwood Bible (another favourite). I like Patchett's Bel Canto - but I loved this - Joanna Trollope, Sunday Telegraph
An absorbing novel, intelligent yet magical, that will keep you wondering until the very last page - Sunday Telegraph
It pulls you into the book, has you standing in the jungle in the heat and sweat, as realistic as any computer-generated trickery, genuinely wondering what might happen next ... Just read it and be happy that such a writer as Patchett exists - The Times
Something special and worth considering for all the literary prizes, festivals and reading groups going this year ... exhilarating - Daily Telegraph
I loved this book, read in a heartbeat because I could not put it done. I had not read anything by Ann Patchett before, but I have read almost everything now because of this book! Bel Canto (als by Patchett) was... More
I had mixed feelings about this book. The first half of the book seemed a bit bizarre with random characters and events that seemed disconnected, purposeless and sometimes as if there was something else underlying... More
I loved this book, read in a heartbeat because I could not put it done. I had not read anything by Ann Patchett before, but I have read almost everything now because of this book! Bel Canto (als by Patchett) was... More
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