Well, Ms Godden's style is almost exactly that -- she introduces a topic from the point of view of one person and then the theme is taken up by others or is about others so a complete multi-sided picture forms of a situation or, more commonly with her, of relationships. It is not an easy style of writing and can become repetitive and boring once the novelty wears off; however she uses it successfully in most of her books. In one of them -- China Court -- which is about the successive generations of a family who have lived in the same house for centuries even the house has a voice and a point of view! She also employs the devise of the "flashback" extensively and sometimes it becomes difficult to keep track of a character's flashback and present events but concentration pays off and one gets the point in the end.

Kingfishers Catch Fire, The Battle of the Villa Fiorita, The Greengage Summer, An Episode of Sparrows, Breakfast with the Nikolides, Black Narcissus are just a few of Rumer Godden's books. A complete range has been published by Pan Books and is quite widely available. I would not advise reading them all in succession because she deals with similar subjects in many of her books -- the growing pains of adolescence and the interaction between young people and their adult relatives -- so it can become boring.

A child of the Raj, Rumer Godden set many of her books in India and they feature some stereotypical "types" -- the obsequious and devious Indian retainers, the British Sahebs and their Memsahibs and so on. However her descriptions of English families discovering new and unfamiliar cultures and the life lessons they learn is sensitive and insightful.

There is also charm in her portrayal of relationships -- the intense strains that families undergo as marriages, love affairs and adultery affect established family patterns that give comfort and security to children and the uncertainties of changing selves and perceptions that face adolescents. I enjoy the subtlety of her characterization

because there is always a headstrong heroine with great qualities of love and loyalty, faith in the goodness of others, that she sees as a reflection of her own steadfast tenacity to keep the faith, even against odds.

These are stories of a classic cultural clash -- attempts to "civilise" or change the natives with the particular cultural insensitivity that is often displayed by well meaning do-gooders. Of course neither side ever wins and the outcome is but another step in understanding the complexities of human relations.

Perhaps one of her most subtle stories is the tale of a nun In This House of Brede, first published in 1969. I found this story of human frailties -- of jealousy, love and despair strangely moving although so far removed in life experience from ourselves. Philippa Talbot leaves her successful career in the Civil Service to join an order of Benedictine Nuns. Of the world and yet away from it, she faces each crisis, internal or external, with compassion and intelligence, surrounded by the beautiful garland of faith that protects the world of these dedicated women. There is a tender love story at the heart of it and passion, betrayal, deceit and intrigue in plenty. Most of all, there is a seldom found glimpse into the life of these contemplatives who step away from the world and reach deep into their souls to find God.

Another book on this theme was A Nun's Story by Kathryn Hulme (Little Brown & Company, 1956). It was a much more dark but equally compelling book and was later made into a memorable film with Audrey Hepburn in the title role.

To return to Rumer Godden, with her lesser known sister Jon, she wrote Two Under the Indian Sun -- An evocative memoir of the days of the Raj (Macmillan, 1966). It may have a special appeal for us because the family lived in Narayanganj where the father worked as a steamship agent. In fact the house they lived in was inhabited by the manager of the steamer company until the early eighties and as far as I know stands there still. The book starts in 1914 with the two sisters returning to live with their parents in East Bengal. They had spent a year in England living with maiden aunts but with the beginning of the World War the Zeppelins were expected and so they were sent back -- sent home, as the sisters tell it, to be safe. This is an account of the next five years told with humor and a winsome delight in life.

Obviously their memories are bright with the golden light of their Bengali childhood. But this is more than a memoir. It is a love letter to the times and culture that they grew up in -- a British childhood in Imperial India, remembered with nostalgia tinting the memories with soft sepia colours that cannot quite hide the grim reality of colonialism. When I first read the book in the sixties I remember enjoying it thoroughly but at a recent re-reading it seemed to grate. I am perhaps being harsh because of my adult perspective that has been shaped by years of nationalistic pride so that I cringe at remembrances of imperialism and the stereotyping of Indians that was inevitable for the time.

Rumer Godden went on the write two more volumes of memoirs -- A Time to Dance, No Time to Weep and A House with Four Rooms (Macmillan, 1987 and 1989). These are very honest accounts of her later life, hard years eking out a living as a writer, the tragedy of a failed marriage and the comfort she derived from her eventual success as a writer. Good reads all, for those who take an interest in all subjects South Asian.

Yasmeen Murshed is a full-time bookworn and a part-time educationist. She is also the founder of Scholastica school.