From the Booker Prize finalist author of Rosarita is a richly diverse story collection Upon the recent publication of Fasting, Feasting , critics raved about Anita Desai: "Desai is more than smart; she's an undeniable genius" ( Washington Post Book World ). The Wall Street Journal called Fasting, Feasting "poignant, penetrating . . . a splendid novel, " while the Boston Globe celebrated Desai's "beautiful literary universe." Now, in this richly diverse collection, Desai trains her luminous spotlight on private universes, stretching from India to New England, from Cornwall to Mexico. Skillfully navigating the fault lines between social obligation and personal loyalties, the men and women in these nine tales set out on journeys that suddenly go beyond the pale -- or surprisingly lead them back to where they started from. In the mischievous title story, a beloved dog brings nothing but disaster to his obsessed master; in other tales, old friendships and family ties stir up buried feelings, demanding either renewed commitment or escape. And in the final exquisite story, a young woman discovers a new kind of freedom in Delhi's rooftop community. With her trademark "perceptiveness, delicacy of language, and sharp wit" (Salman Rushdie) in full evidence here, Anita Desai once again gloriously confirms that she is "India's finest writer in English" ( Independent ). Originally hailing from Delhi and presently living in Cambridge, MA, Desai here demonstrates why she has been chosen as a Booker Prize finalist not once but three times. Desai continues her remarkable career with another short story collection. Whether living in a small town in Mexico or on a Delhi rooftop, her array of characters traverse cultural and class boundaries like seasoned veterans. Desai's greatest strength is her accurate depiction of the postcolonial reality of Indian life for Indians, especially evident in two of the nine stories, "The Rooftop Dwellers" and "Winterscape," both of which portray Indian women negotiating nontraditional roles. In "Winterscape," two sisters who have shared mothering responsibilites for the same child visit their Americanized son in the United States. In "The Rooftop Dwellers," Monya, a member of Dehli's rooftop community, confronts outmoded notions about single working women. Desai's exquisite descriptions of settings, her perceptive insights into human nature, and her bountiful humor make this book a valuable addition to a multitude of library collections.DFaye A. Chadwell, Univ. of Oregon Libs., Eugene Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. This scintillating collection of jewel-like short stories follows the triumph of Desai's last novel, Fasting, Feasting . As before, Desai, an impeccable craftsman with a keen wit and a profound sense of place, unerringly exposes the many ironies of daily life. In each tale, her characters are enmeshed in and shaped by their immediate surroundings, be it a family compound in Mexico, a precarious and charming rooftop apartment in New Delhi, or a Massachusetts suburb. Each setting is gorgeously rendered, and each character struggles against his or her circumstances like flies in a spider's web. Desai specializes in long-term marriages, unbalanced friendships, and brilliant variations on the theme of the stranger as a catalyst for change. In the title story, a New Delhi bureaucrat's wife and colleagues look on in dismay as he gives himself over to his love for a devilish dog he calls Diamond. In "Royalty," an old friend easily dominates his friends' lives, and in "The Artist's Life," a young girl discovers that art does not provide protection from hate. Donna Seaman Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved A collection of new stories from "a superb observer of the human race." - The New York Times "Desai's books are illuminated by the author's perceptiveness, delicacy of language, and sharp wit." - Salman Rushdie ANITA DESAI is the author of Fasting, Feasting, The Art of Disappearance, TheZig Zag Way , Clear Light of Day , Diamond Dust and Rosarita , among other works. Three of her books have been shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Desai was born and educated in India and now lives in the New York City area. Royalty All was prepared for the summer exodus: the trunks packed, the household wound down, wound up, ready to be abandoned to three months of withering heat and engulfing dust while its owners withdrew to their retreat in the mountains. The last few days were a little uncomfortable - so many of their clothes already packed away, so many of their books and papers bundled up and ready for the move. The house looked stark, with the silver put away, the vases emptied of flowers, the rugs and carpets rolled up; it was difficult to get through this stretch, delayed by one thing or another - a final visit to the dentist, last instructions to the stockbrokers, a nephew to be entertained on his way to Oxford. It was only the pros