Tuesday, March 12, 2013

ARE YOU LISTENING? WAVE: A REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

WELCOME TO BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S" 
ARE YOU LISTENING? DAY"
I AM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE TODAY'S
AUDIO BOOK CHOICE....
GIVEAWAY ENDED 
WAVE

BY SONALI DERANIYAGALA
READ BY HANNAH CURTIS
ABOUT THE AUDIO BOOK:
On the morning of December 26, 2004, on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, Sonali Deraniyagala lost her parents, her husband, and her two young sons in the tsunami she miraculously survived. In this brave and searingly frank memoir, she describes those first horrifying moments and her long journey since. She has written an engrossing, unsentimental, beautifully poised account.
The audiobook opens and we are inside the wave: 30 feet high, moving at 25 mph, racing two miles inland. And from there into the depths of the author's despair: how to live now that her life has been undone? Sonali Deraniyagala tells her story without artifice or sentimentality, in the stark language of unfathomable sorrow, anger, and guilt. She shares her struggles through the first months following the tragedy--someone always at her side to prevent her from harming herself, her whole being furiously clenched against the reality she can't face; and then reluctantly emerging and, over the ensuing years, slowly allowing her memory to function again. She then recalls the rich and joyous life she's mourning, from her family's home in London, to the birth of her children, to the year she met her English husband at Cambridge, to her childhood in Colombo, learning the balance between the almost unbearable reminders of her loss and her fundamental need to keep her family, somehow, still with her. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
SONALI DERANIYAGALA teaches in the Department of Economics at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. She is currently a visiting research scholar at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), Columbia University, New York, working on aspects of post-disaster economic recovery. The author lives in New York.

PRAISE FOR WAVE:
“An amazing, beautiful book.” --Joan Didion, author of The Year of Magical Thinking

“Wave is a haunting chronicle of love and horrifying loss. The heartfelt writing manages to render the absence of the loved ones—the void, and the pain of it—in such a beautiful way that what was lost emerges as a new life form, one whose flesh and sinew are memory, sorrow, and undying love.”
--Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone

“An indelible and unique story of loss and resolution written with breathtaking refinement and courage . . . In rinsed-clear language, Deraniyagala describes her ordeal, surreal rescue, and deep shock, attaining a Didionesque clarity and power. We hold tight to every exquisite sentence as, with astounding candor and precision, she tracks subsequent waves of grief . . . But here, too, are sustaining tides of memories that enable her to vividly, even joyfully, portray her loved ones.”
--Booklist

“Out of unimaginable loss comes an unimaginably powerful book. Wave is unflinching as it charts the depths of grief, but it's also, miraculously, a beautifully detailed meditation on the essence of happiness. I came away from this stunning book with a new appreciation of life’s daily gifts. I urge you to read Wave. You will not be the same person after you've finished.”
--Will Schwalbe, author of The End of Your Life Book Club

“The most powerful and haunting book I have read in years . . . Sonali Deraniyagala has brought back to life in this stunning memoir all those she lost, so much so that we will never forget them or their lives.”
--Michael Ondaatje, author of The English Patient

“A devastating but ultimately redemptive memoir . . . The craft and control reflect an exceptional literary command . . . Excellent. Reading Deraniyagala’s account proves almost as cathartic as writing it must have been.”
--Kirkus Reviews (starred)

“Rarely are we given a story of such narrative force and poetic simplicity . . . Being spared, Deraniyagala seems doomed to spare herself nothing. Wave is a beautiful offering to readers. Bravissima.”
--Mary Karr, author of Lit
MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW:
WAVE is an intensely heartrending memoir in which Sonali Deraniyagala openly shares her agonizing life journey. The journey began on December 26, 2004, in Sri Lanka, following the loss of her husband, her two young sons, and her parents in the tragic tsunami that she somehow physically survived.

Deraniyagala’s family was one moment celebrating the day after Christmas, with her boys playing and her parents in their nearby hotel room, when the unfathomable happened. Told in such a precise and painful narrative, your mind is barely able to create the extreme mental images she describes from the first sight of the unusual wave action seen from their hotel window. In what seemed like seconds, they go from vacation to disaster as they rush to flee the inconceivable approaching water. The tsunami not only destroyed everything in its path but it also took away everyone from Deraniyagala. Fighting through the waters and debris, she finally starts to realize what has happened.

How Sonali Deraniyagala deals with this loss is difficult to contemplate and yet she does. Readers will physically feel her pain as she tries to just survive what life has left her. Attempting to drink away the memories, she turns to alcohol for a while. How her heart and mind is able to only take in small pieces of reality one bit at a time becomes very understandable. I thought it almost had to be fiction I was listening to even though I knew it was a memoir. Deraniyagala slowly discovers small ways of finding the real meaning of happiness. As she learns to appreciate each day to its fullest, she almost seems to heal a little bit more with each painful experience she has to work her way through. With the lessons she learned from her tragedy, Deraniyagala imparts to readers what is really important in life. I could not stop listening to this once I started and recommend you set aside enough time yourself as you won’t want to stop once you begin WAVE.

  GIVEAWAY 
 THANKS TO RICHARD AND THE GOOD PEOPLE
AT RANDOM HOUSE AUDIO BOOKS, I HAVE
ONE COPY OF THIS AMAZING AUDIO BOOK
MEMOIR, WAVE, TO GIVE 
AWAY TO A LUCKY FOLLOWER
  
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES, PLEASE
--INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS IN COMMENT
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE IN
 

ORDER TO COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE ENTRY

 
HOW TO ENTER:
+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FOUND INTERESTING ABOUT WAVE THAT WOULD MAKE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS AUDIO BOOK 

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND LEAVE A LINK I CAN FOLLOW IN THE ENTRY

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FOUND INTERESTING BY VISITING AUTHOR SONALI DERANIYAGALA 'S WEBSITE HERE 

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE OTHER CURRENT GIVEAWAY YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU CAN COMMENT ON EACH ON SEPARATELY AND GAIN MORE ENTRIES THAT WAY

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY
  
GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
 6 PM, EST, MARCH 28
  GOOD LUCK!

101 comments:

debbie said...

What a tragic thing to have happened. I would like to see how she deals with such a loss.
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debbie said...

I am a email subscriber.
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debbie said...

I entered assualted pretzel.
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debbie said...

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Anonymous said...

I can't imagine going through something of this magnitude and then to have the inner strength to relive the painful journey through pen and paper. Great post Bingo! I am very interested.

Steven.capell@gmail.com

Carol N Wong said...

The author has had an enormous loss, it would ne an inspiration to read how she copes.

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I tweeted:

http://t.co/92jtXJGxZe

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I could connect with the link to her website but I found this interesting intereview with by NPR:
http://www.npr.org/2013/03/05/173419255/wave-tells-a-true-story-of-survival-and-loss-in-the-2004-tsunami

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

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traveler said...

An inspiring and lovely giveaway. Many thanks. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

I learned from a newspaper article about her suffering and the aftermath. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

I am an e-mail subscriber. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

I entered The Sunshine when she's gone. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

I entered Eleanor and Park. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

I entered Assaulted Pretzel. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

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traveler said...

I entered Six Sisters. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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I entered Reconstructing Amelia. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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I entered Tarot. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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I entered Alex Cross. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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I entered International Cookbook. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

Tea said...

I would want to read WAVE simply because her pain seems insurmountable. I can't imagine losing my children, husband all in one day. How did she ever make it through?

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Tea said...


@topazshell http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/2013/03/are-you-listening-wave-review-and.html …

http://twitter.com/topazshell/

petite said...

This would be sad and difficult but fascinating as well. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

petite said...

What hell this woman has lived through and has triumphed. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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Entered Assaulted Pretzel. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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Entered Bowled Over. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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Entered The Sunshine. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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Entered Reconstructing Amelia. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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Entered Eleanor and Park. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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Entered Six Sisters Stuff. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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Entered The Girl in the Wall. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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Entered International Kids Cookbook. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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Entered Trouble in the tarot. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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Entered Alex Cross Runs. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

Sue Farrell said...

I remember the television reports of that horrible day---and find it hard to imagine what happened. This book would bring it to life---and tell of the horrible ordeal after surviving and trying to cope.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

Sue Farrell said...

I am an email subscriber.
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Sue Farrell said...

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Sue Farrell said...

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Unknown said...

I can't imagine living through that and losing your family. Please enter me in contest. I am a follower and email subscriber. Tore923@aol.com

Margie said...

Such a tragedy to lose your family. This must be a very emotional read. Thanks for the giveaway.
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Margie said...

entered Girl in the Wall
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entered Louder Than Words
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Margie said...

entered Reconstructing Amelia
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Tina said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tina said...

I was unable to access her webpage from your link, but will definitely be googling or otherwise to find her.
tbranco24@gmail.com

Tina said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tina said...

I follow (for now anyway) on Google Reader

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Tina said...

I have an email subscription
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Tina said...

I am always interested in listening to a good memoir. The audio format often makes the story even more compelling

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Tina said...

Enter the giveaway for
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Pamela Keener said...

I cannot imagine this occuring and then to survive without your loved ones.
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entered When She Was Gone
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entered Week in Winter
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MRWriter said...

This sounds like an inspiring tale of survival and healing from loss

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Margie said...

entered Exposure
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