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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'Cinnamon Gardens Nursing Home is nestled in the quiet suburb of Westgrove, Sydney – populated with residents with colourful histories, each with their own secrets, triumphs and failings. This is their safe place, an oasis of familiar delights – a beautiful garden, a busy kitchen and a bountiful recreation schedule.
'But this ordinary neighbourhood is not without its prejudices. The serenity of Cinnamon Gardens is threatened by malignant forces more interested in what makes this refuge different rather than embracing the calm companionship that makes this place home to so many. As those who challenge the residents’ existence make their stand against the nursing home with devastating consequences, our characters are forced to reckon with a country divided.
'Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens is about family and memory, community and race, but is ultimately a love letter to story-telling and the relationships we form through the stories we tell.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
Notes
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Author's note: For Ellora, Kailash, Hari and Siddharth
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Sound recording.
- Large print.
- Dyslexic edition.
- Braille.
Works about this Work
-
Best of 2023 in Australian Reading
2024
single work
review
— Appears in: Meanjin Online 2024;
— Review of Shirley 2023 single work novel ; Praiseworthy 2023 single work novel ; Search History 2023 single work novel ; Green Dot 2023 single work novel ; Songs for the Dead and the Living 2023 single work novel ; Notes on Her Colour 2023 single work novel ; Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens 2022 single work novel ; Crossing the Line 2023 single work autobiography ; Anam 2023 single work novel -
Shankari Chandran Wins 2023 Miles Franklin Award for Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens
2023
single work
column
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 25 July 2023; -
Shankari Chandran Wins Miles Franklin Literary Award for 'Trojan Horse' Novel That Explores the National Identities of Sri Lanka and Australia
2023
single work
column
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , July 2023;'When Shankari Chandran sent the manuscript for her first novel to Australian publishers, it was unanimously rejected, on the grounds that her story was not sufficiently "Australian" to succeed in the local market. This was despite the fact that its author was Australian and its protagonists are three generations of Australian Tamil women living in Sydney.' (Introduction)
-
Shankari Chandran Wins the Miles Franklin with a Sophisticated Take on Racism, Cultural Erasure and What It Means to Belong
2023
single work
column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 25 July 2023;'“Race and racial identity and what it means to be Australian and who gets to decide that … that has been a part of my life here, for my entire life …,” says Western Sydney author Shankari Chandran. “I’ve thought about it a lot but never had the courage to write about it.”' (Introduction)
-
Miles Franklin 2023 : A Guide to the Shortlist of Australia’s Biggest Literary Prize
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 25 July 2023;
-
Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens Review – a Culture War in a Nursing Home
2022
single work
review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 8 February 2022;
— Review of Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens 2022 single work novel'Set in both modern-day western Sydney and the Sri Lankan civil war, Shankari Chandran’s latest novel is sprawling but unbalanced'
-
Nursing Home Plays Host to a Migrant Tale
2022
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 5 February 2022; (p. 14)
— Review of Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens 2022 single work novel -
Queer Disobedience, Cultural Erasure and Uncomfortable Truths : Your Guide to the 2023 Miles Franklin Shortlist
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 24 July 2023;
— Review of Iris 2022 single work novel ; Cold Enough for Snow 2022 single work novel ; Limberlost 2022 single work novel ; Hopeless Kingdom 2022 single work novel ; The Lovers 2022 single work novel ; Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens 2022 single work novel -
Best of 2023 in Australian Reading
2024
single work
review
— Appears in: Meanjin Online 2024;
— Review of Shirley 2023 single work novel ; Praiseworthy 2023 single work novel ; Search History 2023 single work novel ; Green Dot 2023 single work novel ; Songs for the Dead and the Living 2023 single work novel ; Notes on Her Colour 2023 single work novel ; Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens 2022 single work novel ; Crossing the Line 2023 single work autobiography ; Anam 2023 single work novel -
Miles Franklin Award 2023: Shortlist Revealed for Australia’s Prestigious Literary Prize
2023
single work
column
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 20 June 2023; -
Miles Franklin 2023 : A Guide to the Shortlist of Australia’s Biggest Literary Prize
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 25 July 2023; -
Shankari Chandran Wins the Miles Franklin with a Sophisticated Take on Racism, Cultural Erasure and What It Means to Belong
2023
single work
column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 25 July 2023;'“Race and racial identity and what it means to be Australian and who gets to decide that … that has been a part of my life here, for my entire life …,” says Western Sydney author Shankari Chandran. “I’ve thought about it a lot but never had the courage to write about it.”' (Introduction)
-
Shankari Chandran Wins Miles Franklin Literary Award for 'Trojan Horse' Novel That Explores the National Identities of Sri Lanka and Australia
2023
single work
column
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , July 2023;'When Shankari Chandran sent the manuscript for her first novel to Australian publishers, it was unanimously rejected, on the grounds that her story was not sufficiently "Australian" to succeed in the local market. This was despite the fact that its author was Australian and its protagonists are three generations of Australian Tamil women living in Sydney.' (Introduction)
-
Shankari Chandran Wins 2023 Miles Franklin Award for Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens
2023
single work
column
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 25 July 2023;
Awards
- 2023 winner Miles Franklin Literary Award
- 2023 longlisted APA Book Design Awards — Best Designed Commercial Fiction Cover designed by Jessica Cruickshank.
- Sydney, New South Wales,