Railsong by Bhattacharya, Rahul

Railsong

"Magnificent . . . I would follow Miss Chitol to the ends of the earth." -Kamila Shamsie"Profoundly...
$47.34 USD
$89.99 USD
$47.34 USD
Please hurry! Only 1278 left in stock
Author: Rahul Bhattacharya
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Subtotal: $47.34
Railsong by Bhattacharya, Rahul

Railsong

$89.99 $47.34

Railsong

$89.99 $47.34
Author: Rahul Bhattacharya
Format: Hardcover
Language: English

"Magnificent . . . I would follow Miss Chitol to the ends of the earth." -Kamila Shamsie

"Profoundly tender [and] vigorously alive to the currents of national change
." -Megha Majumdar

A breathtaking novel about a woman forging a life for herself on the railways, Railsong is the heartwarming story of an individual coming of age amid the social and political upheavals of twentieth-century India.

In a newly independent India charged with national vigour, Charu, the motherless daughter of a railway worker, pines for freedom from the shackles of her impoverishment and meagre prospects. As diesel engines replace steam and the calamitous churn of drought, famine, and a great strike engulfs her town, Charu dares to imagine a different future for herself. She boards a train and flees westwards, leaving behind the oppressive domesticity of her childhood for the alluring modernity, and apparent opportunities, of Bombay.

Unfazed by the everyday discriminations around her she becomes an unlikely hero: a railway woman and census enumerator who keeps her heart open-sometimes guilelessly-to her nation's vast possibility. Sweeping, elegiac, and at times wonderfully comic, Railsong is a powerful portrait of grit, optimism, and the force of character that enables one remarkable woman to live on her own terms in a country full of contradictions.

Author: Rahul Bhattacharya
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 02/17/2026
Pages: 416
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.38lbs
Size: 9.41h x 6.43w x 1.45d
ISBN: 9781639736225


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 01/01/2026
Publishers Weekly 12/15/2025
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/2026

About the Author
Rahul Bhattacharya is a writer, journalist, and editor. His first novel, The Sly Company of People Who Care, won the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize and was shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize. Pundits from Pakistan, his first book, was a Wisden Cricketer top ten cricket book of all time. He was born in Bombay and lives in Delhi with his wife and two daughters.

Returns Policy

You may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).

You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).

If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the "Complete Orders" link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.

Shipping

We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.

When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.

Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.