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Utopian dream's human cost unraveled poignantly.
"Better to Have Gone" could be a meaningful exploration for you if you're intrigued by the intersection of human idealism and its consequences. Akash Kapur presents a deeply personal narrative that doesn't just recount the formation and struggles of a utopian society but examines the poignant and deeply human tales intertwined with it. It provides a narrative that is as much an ode to human aspiration as it is a cautionary tale of extreme idealism, all woven into the fabric of real, lived history.
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.
Sale
Better to Have Gone: Love, Death, and the Quest for Utopia
Regular price
₱600.00
Now ₱200.00
Save 67%
Compare to estimated retail price: ₱1,200.00 PHP
- Unit price
- / per
The item you've got your eye on is secondhand. You probably already know that, but just in case!
The estimated retail price shown next to any listed item represents the first-hand prices we've seen elsewhere, or the estimated original retail price of a comparable item of the same quality, construction and material offered elsewhere in new condition.
Save 57%
Save 67%
Save 67%
Save 60%
ISBN: 9781501132520
Related Topics:
Social Justice,
Microhistory,
Biography Memoir,
Personal Development,
Biography,
World History,
Memoir
Description
Named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, New Statesman, Air Mail, and more A “haunting and elegant” (The Wall Street Journal) story about love, faith, the search for utopia—and the often devastating cost of idealism.It’s the late 1960s, and two lovers converge on an arid patch of earth in South India. John Walker is the handsome scion of a powerful East Coast American family. Diane Maes is a beautiful hippie from Belgium. They have come to build a new world—Auroville, an international utopian community for thousands of people. Their faith is strong, the future bright. So how do John and Diane end up dying two decades later, on the same day, on a cracked concrete floor in a thatch hut by a remote canyon? This is the mystery Akash Kapur sets out to solve in Better to Have Gone, and it carries deep personal resonance: Diane and John were the parents of Akash’s wife, Auralice. Akash and Auralice grew up in Auroville; like the rest of their community, they never really understood those deaths. In 2004, Akash and Auralice return to Auroville from New York, where they have been living with John’s family. As they reestablish themselves in the community, along with their two sons, they must confront the ghosts of those distant deaths. Slowly, they come to understand how the tragic individual fates of John and Diane intersected with the collective history of their town. “A riveting account of human aspiration and folly taken to extremes” (The Boston Globe), Better to Have Gone probes the underexplored yet universal idea of utopia and portrays in vivid detail the daily life of one such community. Richly atmospheric and filled with remarkable characters, spread across time and continents, this is narrative writing of the highest order—a “gripping…compelling…[and] heartbreaking story, deeply researched and lucidly told” (The New York Times Book Review).
Author: Akash Kapur
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: 2022
Condition guide
Book Condition Guide
Books in Like New Condition
This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!
*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.
Books in Very Good Condition
This book has been used, but it is still in a clean condition. There should be no foxing or annotations of any kind on the inner pages, but a sparse amount may be present on the cover, title pages, or outside edges of the book. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be light crease marks on the spine.
*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.
Books in Good Condition
We do our best to ensure the quality of our books, but there is no escaping the wear and tear that comes with time. Slight foxing and some annotations may be present on the pages and the cover. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be several crease marks on the spine.
*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.
Books in Well Read Condition
This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.
*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.
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Utopian dream's human cost unraveled poignantly.
"Better to Have Gone" could be a meaningful exploration for you if you're intrigued by the intersection of human idealism and its consequences. Akash Kapur presents a deeply personal narrative that doesn't just recount the formation and struggles of a utopian society but examines the poignant and deeply human tales intertwined with it. It provides a narrative that is as much an ode to human aspiration as it is a cautionary tale of extreme idealism, all woven into the fabric of real, lived history.
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.
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