Beautiful Thing
Inside the Secret World of Bombay's Dance Bars
by Sonia Faleiro
Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
Black Cat
Pub Date
Description
"A small masterpiece of observation . . . Sassy, sensitive, and
deeply moving . . . Beautiful Thing opens up a hidden world with
startling insight and intimacy, and strangely is both a tragic monument to the
abused bar girls of Bombay and a celebration of their amazing resilience
and spirit." -William Dalrymple, author of Nine Lives: In Search of the
Sacred in Modern India
Already published in India to great acclaim and named a Time Out Subcontinental Book of the Year and an Observer Book of the Year, Beautiful Thing is a stunning piece of reportage that offers a rare firsthand glimpse into Bombay's notorious sex industry.
Sonia Faleiro was a reporter in search of a story when she met nineteen-year- old Leela, a charismatic exotic dancer. Leela introduced Sonia to the underworld of Bombay's dance bars: a world of glamorous women; of fierce love, sex, and violence; of gangsters, police, prostitutes, and pimps. When an ambitious politician cashed in on a tide of false morality and had Bombay's dance bars wiped out, Leela's proud independence faced its greatest test. In a city where almost everyone is certain that someone, somewhere, is worse off than he is, Leela fights to survive-and to win.
Sonia Faleiro has crafted one of the most original works of nonfiction about India in recent years. Unforgettable for its artistry and intimacy, Beautiful Thing is a vivid portrait of one reporter's journey into the dark, damaged soul of Bombay.
Already published in India to great acclaim and named a Time Out Subcontinental Book of the Year and an Observer Book of the Year, Beautiful Thing is a stunning piece of reportage that offers a rare firsthand glimpse into Bombay's notorious sex industry.
Sonia Faleiro was a reporter in search of a story when she met nineteen-year- old Leela, a charismatic exotic dancer. Leela introduced Sonia to the underworld of Bombay's dance bars: a world of glamorous women; of fierce love, sex, and violence; of gangsters, police, prostitutes, and pimps. When an ambitious politician cashed in on a tide of false morality and had Bombay's dance bars wiped out, Leela's proud independence faced its greatest test. In a city where almost everyone is certain that someone, somewhere, is worse off than he is, Leela fights to survive-and to win.
Sonia Faleiro has crafted one of the most original works of nonfiction about India in recent years. Unforgettable for its artistry and intimacy, Beautiful Thing is a vivid portrait of one reporter's journey into the dark, damaged soul of Bombay.
Advance Praise
"A gripping and intimate portrayal of the lives of the women who work in
[India's sex industry]. She manages to evoke shock, rage, and laughter. . . .
The book is a moving testament to girls who deal with the brutal hand fate has
dealt them by capitalizing on the gifts they do have: beauty, an inner strength,
and each other."-Edna Fernandes, Literary Review
(UK)
"Astonishing, gripping, immersive." -Time Out (India)
"Unforgettable . . . Faleiro has transformed a door, studded with rusted nails of truth, heavy with the strange and disturbing secrets it hides, into a jeweled curtain, and she has drawn that curtain aside with an artist's hand." -Gregory David Roberts, author of Shantaram
"Faleiro writes her way into the bloodstream with this mesmeric book, fashioned with heart and enviable acuity. A shocking, funny, and memorable ride." -Nikita Lalwani, author of Gifted
"Compelling . . . Faleiro has captured a world many refuse to acknowledge and shown it in a delicate, nonjudgmental and touching way." -GQ (India)
"Detailed, disturbing, admirable. A big achievement." -The Indian Express
"A small masterpiece of observation . . . Sassy, sensitive, and deeply moving . . . Beautiful Thing opens up a hidden world with startling insight and intimacy, and strangely is both a tragic monument to the abused bar girls of Bombay and a celebration of their amazing resilience and spirit." -William Dalrymple, author of Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India
"Without question a brilliant, unforgettable book by a writer who is one of the best of her generation . . . One of the most intimate and gripping books written about Bombay in a very long while." -Business Standard (India)
"A rare glimpse into dismissed lives. Faleiro brings a novelist's eye for detail and a depth of empathy to her work. A magnifi cent book of reportage that is also endowed with all the terror and beauty of art." -Kiran Desai, author of The Inheritance of Loss
"Astonishing, gripping, immersive." -Time Out (India)
"Unforgettable . . . Faleiro has transformed a door, studded with rusted nails of truth, heavy with the strange and disturbing secrets it hides, into a jeweled curtain, and she has drawn that curtain aside with an artist's hand." -Gregory David Roberts, author of Shantaram
"Faleiro writes her way into the bloodstream with this mesmeric book, fashioned with heart and enviable acuity. A shocking, funny, and memorable ride." -Nikita Lalwani, author of Gifted
"Compelling . . . Faleiro has captured a world many refuse to acknowledge and shown it in a delicate, nonjudgmental and touching way." -GQ (India)
"Detailed, disturbing, admirable. A big achievement." -The Indian Express
"A small masterpiece of observation . . . Sassy, sensitive, and deeply moving . . . Beautiful Thing opens up a hidden world with startling insight and intimacy, and strangely is both a tragic monument to the abused bar girls of Bombay and a celebration of their amazing resilience and spirit." -William Dalrymple, author of Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India
"Without question a brilliant, unforgettable book by a writer who is one of the best of her generation . . . One of the most intimate and gripping books written about Bombay in a very long while." -Business Standard (India)
"A rare glimpse into dismissed lives. Faleiro brings a novelist's eye for detail and a depth of empathy to her work. A magnifi cent book of reportage that is also endowed with all the terror and beauty of art." -Kiran Desai, author of The Inheritance of Loss
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9780802170927 |
| PRICE | $15.00 (USD) |
