"A stunning first novel…. Intensely atmospheric - an artistic
triumph."
-Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"[She] displays the gifts of a first-rate social observer [and]
passionately records the longings, losses and compromises of her
characters'' lives."
-Winnipeg Free Press
"The characters shimmer with life, their predicaments grab the
reader by the throat, their fate has the reader on the edge of the
seat-. An enthralling read [that] offers a glimpse of humanity that
is both intimate and universal."
-The Times (UK)
"An impressive debut."
-The National Post
"…a shining new novel-What the Body Remembers
heralds the arrival not only of a significant new talent, but also
of a fresh perspective on history, rarely experienced
before."
-The Readers Showcase
"Shines-an ambitious debut."
-Entertainment Weekly
"Wonderful! Wonderful! I just finished What the Body
Remembers - what an amazing novel! I
feel it has expanded my understanding of the world vastly. And as a
writer, I feel nourished, replenished. I drink your words!"
-Sandra Gulland
"An epic of heartbreak and honour set in Northwest India in the
dying light of the Raj…. Painstakingly researched, its characters
frankly convincing, and set against a rich backdrop of gods,
politics and tradition, this novel earned its Montreal-born author
the Commonwealth Writers Prize 2000 for Best Book in Canada and the
Caribbean."
-National Post, Dec. 30/2000
"I very much admired the strength and control with which the author
keeps her complex story going, and at the same time keeps it clear,
and true to the spirit of India."
-Penelope Fitzgerald
"If you're one of those readers of novels who likes to think ahead,
you might want to clear some space on the bedside table for
What the Body Remembers… It's not going to be out
for another year, but already the buzz is stuff of the highest
voltage…. The Next Big Thing."
-Stephen Smith, "Grub Street", The Globe and Mail
"Engaging."
-The Globe and Mail
"Baldwin describes the scenes of the Independence movement
with great verve. For the subcontinent, Partition was the most
momentous event of the 20th century. But men who were affected by
it…have written most of the literature. This is a woman's
perspective. And because women suffered most when their homes were
uprooted, this book becomes a more intimate account."
-India Today
"While What the Body Remembers will be read as a
story of familial relations, it will be remembered more as social
history - the customs, traditions and mores of rural Punjab, many
still unchanged."
-India Today, September 1999
"an impressive first novel, hype or no hype. Baldwin's passion for
re-membering her dis-membered homeland, and her desire to tell
women's version, propel the last half of the novel and make it
particularly potent."
-Quill & Quire
"A richly textured often poetic story … Newcomer Baldwin's theme -
the grueling uses to which women's bodies and spirits are put, and
their abuses at the hands of men - combines with the political
analogue of India's struggle for independence to produce a lush,
sensuous drama."
-Kirkus
"What the Body Remembers is an engaging story of
life in pre-partition India, and a compassionate look at the lives
of its two protagonists - Sikh women who are practically voiceless
within their own culture…History is merely a background to the
domestic story, but its intimacy is what makes this novel
work…What the Body Remembers is a worthwhile
read."
-Edmonton Journal
"…a shining new novel…What the Body Remembers
heralds the arrival not only of a significant new talent, but also
of a fresh perspective on history, rarely experienced
before."
-The Readers Showcase.
"…Baldwin both overwhelms and educates as she takes readers on this
crowded and eventful ride through the complexities of life in 20th
century India."
-Monday Magazine
"Shimmers with life…An enthralling read."
-The Times (UK)
From the Trade Paperback edition.