Memories from Afar: A NovellaMemories from Afar follows the lives of two young men in Burma - one of royal blood and one commoner - whose lives, while separated by some 60 years in time, are linked by shared custom, traditions and beliefs. Both are forced to struggle against and eventually to flee from oppression; on the one hand that of court intrigue and violence, and on the other, the harsh effects of poverty and a broken home. The parallels continue into their senior years, lived in exile far from their homeland. O'Hara's novella is a whimsical and nostalgic view of growing up in troubled times, of finding the strength to endure and eventually, in one way or another, to prevail. Along this journey, the author introduces us to the sights and sounds of life in traditional Burma. |
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abbot asked assigned astrologers attend became began boat boy's British Buddhist Burma carriages ceremony Chapter chief companion chilli choir clothes coloured court dacoits daughter dawn broke decided dinner discovered dusk everywhere eyelids felt heavy father feast of Sondawgyi festival finger floor foreign power friends grandfather greeted happened happy Hlutdaw hospital house on stilts kauyingbaung King kite kite flying knew leave lived longyis looked Lord Buddha Mandalay meal monastery monks morning mosquito nets moved Myothuggi nearby neighbourhood night noise open ground paan pagoda palace party passed play prince and princess Queen Dowager Rangoon rattan mat retinue rice river bank rumoured Sadhu sail sleep sometimes soon sound spiced salt stay steamer story string Tawadeintha terraced house told tonga took trolley walked washed Western powers whilst young man noticed Young Master young novice