The Book of Everlasting Things

A Novel

De: Aanchal Malhotra

Narrado por: Deepti Gupta

FOR FANS OF ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, A LUSH, SWEEPING LOVE STORY ABOUT A HINDU PERFUMER AND A MUSLIM CALLIGRAPHER, SET AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF PARTITION

"Narrator Deepti Gupta captures the deep emotional connection between the two young people, making listeners feel hopeful that, in some way, Samir and Firdaus will find a way to be together. As listeners follow the pair through the decades and see the long-term effects of the partition, Gupta's performance complements this sweeping story, dazzling with every new chapter and plot twist." - AudioFile Magazine (Earphones Award Winner)

"The excellent audio production uses Indian music to open and close the epic, and narrator Deepti Gupta speaks with a lovely Indian accent that listeners will acclimate to easily." - Library Journal

On a January morning in 1938, Samir Vij first locks eyes with Firdaus Khan through the rows of perfume bottles in his family’s ittar shop in Lahore. Over the years that follow, the perfumer’s apprentice and calligrapher’s apprentice fall in love with their ancient crafts and with each other, dreaming of the life they will one day share. But as the struggle for Indian independence gathers force, their beloved city is ravaged by Partition. Suddenly, they find themselves on opposite sides: Samir, a Hindu, becomes Indian and Firdaus, a Muslim, becomes Pakistani, their love now forbidden. Severed from one another, Samir and Firdaus make a series of fateful decisions that will change the course of their lives forever. As their paths spiral away from each other, they must each decide how much of the past they are willing to let go, and what it will cost them.

Lush, sensuous, and deeply romantic, The Book of Everlasting Things is the story of two lovers and two nations, split apart by forces beyond their control, yet bound by love and memory. Filled with exquisite descriptions of perfume and calligraphy, spanning continents and generations, Aanchal Malhotra’s debut novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.

©2022 Aanchal Malhotra (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Mesmerizing…At the heart of Malhotra’s sweeping debut novel is an indelible love story…A transcendent study of the blurring of personal and political, as ordinary people deal with catastrophic historical events.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A long and luxurious tale of love, loss, memory, and place, told against a backdrop of tumultuous historical events…It will be difficult indeed to forget this exquisite story.” —Library Journal (starred review)

"At once sweeping and intimate. With gorgeous prose and careful research, Malhotra brings to life a world rich with Indian perfumery, Urdu calligraphy, and a romance that defies time and space. A stunning book that reminds you of what it is to fall in love." —Jenny Tinghui Zhang, author of Four Treasures of the Sky

Excellent narration

The narrator did a phenomenal job and the story is beautiful. A little long in parts but overall very well done and I didn’t love the ending.

Book touches your heart, will be liked byevery one

I have gone through pain of portion
This reminds me beauty of Lahore
where I lived for a year before partition. How the love of two soul was shattered, so touching.

My favorite this year

I seldom leave a written review but had to for this book. It was absolutely beautiful. The author’s writing is beautiful, descriptive and transported me to a time that I have craved to learn about- as a Indian American.

One of the many beauty of books is how they can speak to each of us differently… how our memories and experiences can help us appreciate times in history.

Beautiful… simply beautiful.

The narrator’s performance was outstanding. Very vibrant, in character and spell bounding.

Overall an excellent story told from the inside out and then the present. Descriptive and captivating. However, at times very slow moving with too much redundancy of the perfuming process, smells etc.

Loved it!

Deeply moving storyline , brilliant writing. Loved the narration that did complete justice to a well written book!

how deep is Love

admire the writer so..much and wish it could be made to a movie. thank you so..much one of the top tier books all time

I want to read it again

This story is so rich on so many levels. The story was engrossing and the narrator was wonderful.

lovely story but some political bias

i didn’t like the anti pakistani take on this but it was done well. i liked the details about perfumes and the craft

Wonderful narrative and narration.

I enjoyed the historical context, the rich cultural descriptions of Lahore and France as well as the unique storyline. Excellent writing.

Stunning, Devastating, Beautiful

The detail of this story is unparalleled. I learned so much about Partition and memory and love