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Book Cover for: The Road to Urbino, Roma Tearne

The Road to Urbino

Roma Tearne

In this 'finely crafted novel' [The Independent], Roma Tearne tells the story of a Tamil exile awaiting trial for art thievery.


'Accomplished ... painterly' New York Times


A story of obsession, love and art set in Tuscany, Sri Lanka and London.


Ras, a Sri Lankan who fled his country as a child following the violent death of his mother and his father's disappearance, has committed a crime. Dogged by his past and unable to come to terms with the killing of his mother, he struggles to make a new life for himself in the UK.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Aardvark Bureau
  • Publish Date: Jan 14th, 2020
  • Pages: 350
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 7.80in - 5.10in - 1.00in - 0.55lb
  • EAN: 9781910709481
  • Categories: Cultural HeritageComing of AgeLiterary

About the Author

Tearne, Roma: - Roma Tearne is a Sri Lankan-born, Oxford-based artist, film-maker and writer. She trained as a painter, completing her MA at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, Oxford. Her debut novel, Mosquito, was shortlisted for the 2007 Costa Book Awards First Novel Prize and LA Times First Fiction Prize. The Swimmer was longlisted for the Orange Prize in 2011 and Asian Man Booker in 2012.

Praise for this book

Praise for The Road to Urbino:


'Accomplished ... painterly' New York Times


'Tearne layers the stories of these men like paint on canvas, sometimes providing contrast, sometimes shading, and sometimes filling in blank parts. Once completed, the painting that emerges is one of loss, assimilation, and the lingering, generational effects of war' Booklist


'An original literary experience that begs consumption in moments of quiet relaxation in which it may fully cast its spell--and it will cast that spell' Foreword Reviews, starred review


'Rich and insightful' Huffington Post


'Tearne charts the patterns of love and loss with beautiful prose' Sunday Times


'A finely crafted novel of art, memory and migration' The Independent


'Tearne's training as a painter shows in the subtle descriptions that fill each page with lyrical power, and the beautiful detail that provides a respite from the emotional desolation each character struggles with. This could be devastating, but in Tearne's skilled and sensitive hands the effect is softened, almost redemptive, making the novel a satisfying read' Independent on Sunday


'Roma Tearne has created a masterpiece of personal catastrophe, shot through with desperation and love' John Gimlette, author of Elephant Complex: Travels in Sri Lanka


'Beautifully written and observed, a richly woven plot. Roma Tearne leads us seamlessly between the intensity of art, love in a warm climate, and acute human suffering' Jon Snow, presenter of Channel 4 News


Praise for Brixton Beach:


'Tearne ... writes with cleareyed love for the country of her childhood and depicts its lush decay in painterly detail ... Hope, love and history collide with an unsparing force that resonates into the contemporary world' New York Times


'Tearne's layered novel is fresh and relevant' Library Journal (starred review)


'Heartfelt and timely' Chris Cleave, New York Times bestselling author of Everyone Brave is Forgiven


'Rich and satisfying, and written with a painter's instinct for the beautiful' The Times


'Tearne is a vividly sensitive writer who spares her readers unnecessary sentiment and hones in on raw emotions just below the surface' The Independent


'Richly characterised and deeply moving' Daily Mail


'An exquisite writer and captivating storyteller' Aminatta Forna, author of The Memory of Love


Praise for The White City:


'Her prose reflects the icy beauty of the snow... a thoughtful exploration of what it is to be a migrant' The Guardian


'Tearne's sensitive tale of love amid the ruins of a Western civilization attempts, mostly successfully and always passionately, to tie the plight of Muslim immigrants to the suffering of all victims of modern totalitarian regimes' Publishers Weekly


Praise for Bone China:


'[Tearne] gives the Tamil diaspora a recognizable face in this plainly told yet engaging tale' New York Times


Praise for Mosquito:


'Beautifully crafted ... Tearne captures the desperation, fear and hope of love during wartime' Publishers Weekly


'Offers a moving May-December love story set against a conflict in which the warring parties ultimately become Violence and Art. Wholly satisfying' Kirkus Reviews


'In her moody, painterly depiction of the encounter turned love affair between a Sri Lankan novelist and his neighbor's daughter, Tearne links her love story to national politics with a vengeance' NPR, All Things Considered