{"title":"Leah Franqui","description":"\u003cp\u003eDelve into the vibrant and witty novels of Leah Franqui. Exploring themes of family, identity, and cultural clashes with a sharp, humorous eye, her stories are perfect for fans of Monica Ali and Zadie Smith.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"mother-land-book-leah-franqui-9780062938855","title":"Mother Land","description":"In this quiet but engaging debut novel, an American teenager spends the summer with her relatives in southern India and gains new insight into her past, her family and her heritage. Born in Kerala, Maya spent the first four years of her life there, cared for mainly by her grandmother, Ammamma, until she was sent to live with her parents in New York. At 15, with her parents' marriage undergoing a rough patch, she is sent back to India to stay with her Aunt Reema and Uncle Sanjay, their 10-year-old daughter, Brindha, and Ammamma at their house in the tea hills above Coimbatore. It's been years since Maya came to visit, and this time she is keenly aware of cultural differences: the different spheres of men and women and the persistence of the caste system. She feels stifled by the attentions of Ammamma and resentful of the time she must spend with the old woman. When Maya suffers an accident while most of the family is away, she and Ammamma grow closer, and Maya learns a hidden family fact. But only when Ammamma falls ill and the entire family gathers, including Maya's parents from New York, does Maya begin to comprehend more deeply the complexities of relationships.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49526973464849,"sku":"GOR011782127","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50480871309585,"sku":"CIN0062938851G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50761396453649,"sku":"CIN0062938851VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":50999162077457,"sku":"NIN9780062938855","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":51758434517265,"sku":"CIN0062938851A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52687134785809,"sku":"NLS9780062938855","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ LIKE_NEW \/ SBYB","offer_id":52817348100369,"sku":"CIN0062938851LN","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53177019105553,"sku":"GOR012072245","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0062938851.jpg?v=1751355573"},{"product_id":"mother-land-book-leah-franqui-9780062938848","title":"Mother Land","description":"“Lively and evocative, Mother Land is a deftly crafted exploration of identity and culture, with memorable and deeply human characters who highlight how that which makes us different can ultimately unite us.”—Amy Myerson, author of The Bookshop of Yesterdays and The Imperfects    From the critically acclaimed author of America for Beginners, a wonderfully insightful, witty, and heart-piercing novel, set in Mumbai, about an impulsive American woman, her headstrong Indian mother-in-law, and the unexpected twists and turns of life that bond them.  When Rachel Meyer, a thirtysomething foodie from New York, agrees to move to Mumbai with her Indian-born husband, Dhruv, she knows some culture shock is inevitable. Blessed with a curious mind and an independent spirit, Rachel is determined to learn her way around the hot, noisy, seemingly infinite metropolis she now calls home.   But the ex-pat American’s sense of adventure is sorely tested when her mother-in-law, Swati, suddenly arrives from Kolkata—a thousand miles away—alone, with an even more shocking announcement: she’s left her husband of more than forty years and moving in with them. Nothing the newlyweds say can budge the steadfast Swati, and as the days pass, it becomes clear she is here to stay—an uneasy situation that becomes more difficult when Dhruv is called away on business.   Suddenly these two strong-willed women from such very different backgrounds, who see life so differently, are alone together in a home that each is determined to run in her own way—a situation that ultimately brings into question the very things in their lives that had seemed perfect and permanent . . . with results neither of them expect.  Heartfelt, charming, deeply insightful and wise, Mother Land introduces us to two very different women from very different cultures . . . who maybe aren’t so different after all.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49584951034129,"sku":"GOR012028577","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49921960673553,"sku":"CIN0062938843G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50117219287313,"sku":"CIN0062938843VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":51330246508817,"sku":"CIN0062938843A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53132374081809,"sku":"GOR014762888","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0062938843.jpg?v=1751322894"},{"product_id":"america-for-beginners-book-leah-franqui-9780008229139","title":"America for Beginners","description":"Sometimes you have to go a long way to find what youre looking for. 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But her twenties are aimless and lacking in connection. Something has always been amiss in her life: her father, the brilliant but deeply troubled Santiago Vega. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBorn in rural Puerto Rico, Santiago arrived in New York as a small child. His harsh, mercurial father returned to the island, leaving Santiago to be raised by his mentally ill mother and his formidable grandmother. An outstanding student, he followed scholarships to Stanford, then Yale Law, marrying Elena's mother along the way. Santiago is the shining star of his migrant family--the one who made it out and struck it rich. But he is a haunted man, plagued by trauma, bipolar disorder, and alcoholism. He's lost contact with Elena over the years and returned to San Juan to wrestle his demons alone.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThen Hurricane Maria strikes, and Santiago vanishes. Desperate to know what happened to the father she once adored, Elena returns to Puerto Rico, a place she loved as a child but hasn't seen in years. There she must unravel the truth about who her father is, crisscrossing the storm-swept island and reaching deep into his family tree to find relatives she's never met, each of whom seems to possess a clue about Santiago's fate.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA compelling mystery unfolds, as Elena is reunited with family, and with a place she loved and lost--the island of Puerto Rico, which is itself a character in this book. It's a story of connection, migration, striving, love, and loss, illuminated by humor and affection, written by a novelist at the height of her gifts.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49646512668945,"sku":"CIN0063204592VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50304990413073,"sku":"CIN0063204592G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":51330732654865,"sku":"CIN0063204592A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0063204592.jpg?v=1750842655"},{"product_id":"america-for-beginners-book-leah-franqui-9780008229160","title":"America for Beginners","description":"Sometimes you have to go a long way to find what you’re looking for. And sometimes a little beginner’s luck is all you need…                                   • Welcome to the First Class India USA Destination Vacation Tour Company• • One fixed itinerary, one fixed price• • All levels catered for• • No refunds•                         Beginner Recently widowed Pival Sengupta has never travelled alone before and her first trip to this strange country masks a secret agenda: to find out the truth about her long-estranged son.             Intermediate Satya, her guileless and resourceful tour guide, has been in America for less than a year – and has never actually left the five boroughs of New York.             Advanced An aspiring\/failing actress, Rebecca signed up for the role of Pival’s modesty companion; it might not be her big break but surely it’ll break her out of the rut she’s stuck in.             As their preconceptions about each other and about America are challenged, with a little beginner’s luck, these unlikely companions might learn how to live again.             A big-hearted, hilarious tale of forgiveness, hope, and acceptance, reminding us that there is no roadmap to life.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49663124734225,"sku":"GOR010393612","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49727094522129,"sku":"NGR9780008229160","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52507484979473,"sku":"NLS9780008229160","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0008229163.jpg?v=1751131717"},{"product_id":"america-for-beginners-book-leah-franqui-9780062845733","title":"America For Beginners","description":"\u003cp\u003eRecalling contemporary classics such as Americanah, Behold the Dreamers, and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, a funny, poignant, and insightful debut novel that explores the complexities of family, immigration, prejudice, and the American Dream through meaningful and unlikely friendships forged in unusual circumstances.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePival Sengupta has done something she never expected: she has booked a trip with the First Class India USA Destination Vacation Tour Company. But unlike other upper-class Indians on a foreign holiday, the recently widowed Pival is not interested in sightseeing. She is traveling thousands of miles from Kolkata to New York on a cross-country journey to California, where she hopes to uncover the truth about her beloved son, Rahi. A year ago Rahi devastated his very traditional parents when he told them he was gay. Then, Pival's husband, Ram, told her that their son had died suddenly--heartbreaking news she still refuses to accept. Now, with Ram gone, she is going to America to find Rahi, alive and whole or dead and gone, and come to terms with her own life.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eArriving in New York, the tour proves to be more complicated than anticipated. Planned by the company's indefatigable owner, Ronnie Munshi--a hard-working immigrant and entrepreneur hungry for his own taste of the American dream--it is a work of haphazard improvisation. Pival's guide is the company's new hire, the guileless and wonderfully resourceful Satya, who has been in America for one year--and has never actually left the five boroughs. For modesty's sake Pival and Satya will be accompanied by Rebecca Elliot, an aspiring young actress. Eager for a paying gig, she's along for the ride, because how hard can a two-week \"working\" vacation traveling across America be?\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSlowly making her way from coast to coast with her unlikely companions, Pival finds that her understanding of her son--and her hopes of a reunion with him--are challenged by her growing knowledge of his adoptive country. As the bonds between this odd trio deepens, Pival, Satya, and Rebecca learn to see America--and themselves--in different and profound new ways.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA bittersweet and bighearted tale of forgiveness, hope, and acceptance, America for Beginners illuminates the unexpected enchantments life can hold, and reminds us that our most precious connections aren't always the ones we seek.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49809612472593,"sku":"CIN006284573XG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/006284573X.jpg?v=1761386812"},{"product_id":"america-for-beginners-book-leah-franqui-9780062668769","title":"America for Beginners","description":"\u003cp\u003eRecalling contemporary classics such as Americanah, Behold the Dreamers, and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, a funny, poignant, and insightful debut novel that explores the complexities of family, immigration, prejudice, and the American Dream through meaningful and unlikely friendships forged in unusual circumstances.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePival Sengupta has done something she never expected: she has booked a trip with the First Class India USA Destination Vacation Tour Company. But unlike other upper-class Indians on a foreign holiday, the recently widowed Pival is not interested in sightseeing. She is traveling thousands of miles from Kolkata to New York on a cross-country journey to California, where she hopes to uncover the truth about her beloved son, Rahi. A year ago Rahi devastated his very traditional parents when he told them he was gay. Then, Pival's husband, Ram, told her that their son had died suddenly--heartbreaking news she still refuses to accept. Now, with Ram gone, she is going to America to find Rahi, alive and whole or dead and gone, and come to terms with her own life.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eArriving in New York, the tour proves to be more complicated than anticipated. Planned by the company's indefatigable owner, Ronnie Munshi--a hard-working immigrant and entrepreneur hungry for his own taste of the American dream--it is a work of haphazard improvisation. 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Pival's guide is the company's new hire, the guileless and wonderfully resourceful Satya, who has been in America for one year--and has never actually left the five boroughs. For modesty's sake Pival and Satya will be accompanied by Rebecca Elliot, an aspiring young actress. Eager for a paying gig, she's along for the ride, because how hard can a two-week \"working\" vacation traveling across America be?\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSlowly making her way from coast to coast with her unlikely companions, Pival finds that her understanding of her son--and her hopes of a reunion with him--are challenged by her growing knowledge of his adoptive country. 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