-
The Elephant Chaser's Daughter
- Narrated by: Deepti Gupta
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $17.49
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Color of Our Sky
- A Novel
- By: Amita Trasi
- Narrated by: Zehra Jane Nacqvi, Sneha Mathan
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
India, 1986: Mukta, a 10-year-old village girl from the lower-caste Yellama cult, has come of age and must fulfill her destiny of becoming a temple prostitute, as her mother and grandmother did before her. In an attempt to escape her fate, Mukta is sent to be a house girl for an upper-middle class family in Mumbai. There she discovers a friend in the daughter of the family, high-spirited eight-year-old Tara, who helps her recover from the wounds of her past.
-
-
Fast moving ,gripping ,emotional ,well depicted.
- By Amazon CustomerAmeeta Adur on 10-09-17
By: Amita Trasi
-
The Secret Keeper of Jaipur
- A Novel
- By: Alka Joshi
- Narrated by: Sneha Mathan, Ariyan Kassam, Deepa Samuel
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s the spring of 1969, and Lakshmi, now married to Dr. Jay Kumar, directs the Healing Garden in Shimla. Malik has finished his private school education. At 20, he has just met a young woman named Nimmi when he leaves to apprentice at the Facilities Office of the Jaipur Royal Palace. Their latest project: a state-of-the-art cinema. Malik soon finds that not much has changed as he navigates the Pink City of his childhood. Power and money still move seamlessly among the wealthy class, and favors flow from Jaipur’s Royal Palace, but only if certain secrets remain buried.
-
-
Re-tells the first book
- By Erica Howard on 06-27-21
By: Alka Joshi
-
The Story Hour
- By: Thrity Umrigar
- Narrated by: Sneha Mathan
- Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An experienced psychologist, Maggie carefully maintains emotional distance from her patients. But when she meets a young Indian woman who tried to kill herself, her professional detachment disintegrates. Cut off from her family in India, Lakshmi is desperately lonely and trapped in a loveless marriage. Moved by her plight, Maggie treats Lakshmi in her home office for free, quickly realizing that the despondent woman doesn't need a shrink; she needs a friend.
-
-
Beautifully woven story of friendship, marriage, & culture
- By Jessica on 08-11-15
By: Thrity Umrigar
-
The Storyteller's Secret
- A Novel
- By: Sejal Badani
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
- Length: 13 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nothing prepares Jaya, a New York journalist, for the heartbreak of her third miscarriage and the slow unraveling of her marriage in its wake. Desperate to assuage her deep anguish, she decides to go to India to uncover answers to her family’s past. Intoxicated by the sights, smells, and sounds she experiences, Jaya becomes an eager student of the culture. But it is Ravi - her grandmother’s former servant and trusted confidant - who reveals the resilience, struggles, secret love, and tragic fall of Jaya’s pioneering grandmother during the British occupation.
-
-
Loved this book!
- By Jim L. on 12-09-20
By: Sejal Badani
-
The Girl with Seven Names
- A North Korean Defector’s Story
- By: Hyeonseo Lee, David John
- Narrated by: Josie Dunn
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a child growing up in North Korea, Hyeonseo Lee was one of millions trapped by a secretive and brutal communist regime. Her home on the border with China gave her some exposure to the world beyond the confines of the Hermit Kingdom and, as the famine of the 1990s struck, she began to wonder, question and realise that she had been brainwashed her entire life. Given the repression, poverty and starvation she witnessed surely her country could not be, as she had been told, 'the best on the planet'?
-
-
Did not like narrator
- By Linda H. Andreae on 10-09-19
By: Hyeonseo Lee, and others
-
Three Daughters
- A Novel
- By: Consuelo Saah Baehr
- Narrated by: Karen Peakes
- Length: 23 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born in rural Palestine, just before the dawn of the 20th century, Miriam adores her father and is certain his love will protect her, but she soon finds that tradition overrides love. Uprooted by war, Miriam enters a world where the old constraints slip away with thrilling and disastrous results. Miriam's rebellious daughter, Nadia, is thrilled with the opportunity for a modern life that her elite education provides. But when she falls in love with an outsider, the clan reins her back with a shocking finality.
-
-
3 Generation Saga of three women - so captivating
- By Marie on 11-05-15
-
The Color of Our Sky
- A Novel
- By: Amita Trasi
- Narrated by: Zehra Jane Nacqvi, Sneha Mathan
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
India, 1986: Mukta, a 10-year-old village girl from the lower-caste Yellama cult, has come of age and must fulfill her destiny of becoming a temple prostitute, as her mother and grandmother did before her. In an attempt to escape her fate, Mukta is sent to be a house girl for an upper-middle class family in Mumbai. There she discovers a friend in the daughter of the family, high-spirited eight-year-old Tara, who helps her recover from the wounds of her past.
-
-
Fast moving ,gripping ,emotional ,well depicted.
- By Amazon CustomerAmeeta Adur on 10-09-17
By: Amita Trasi
-
The Secret Keeper of Jaipur
- A Novel
- By: Alka Joshi
- Narrated by: Sneha Mathan, Ariyan Kassam, Deepa Samuel
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s the spring of 1969, and Lakshmi, now married to Dr. Jay Kumar, directs the Healing Garden in Shimla. Malik has finished his private school education. At 20, he has just met a young woman named Nimmi when he leaves to apprentice at the Facilities Office of the Jaipur Royal Palace. Their latest project: a state-of-the-art cinema. Malik soon finds that not much has changed as he navigates the Pink City of his childhood. Power and money still move seamlessly among the wealthy class, and favors flow from Jaipur’s Royal Palace, but only if certain secrets remain buried.
-
-
Re-tells the first book
- By Erica Howard on 06-27-21
By: Alka Joshi
-
The Story Hour
- By: Thrity Umrigar
- Narrated by: Sneha Mathan
- Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An experienced psychologist, Maggie carefully maintains emotional distance from her patients. But when she meets a young Indian woman who tried to kill herself, her professional detachment disintegrates. Cut off from her family in India, Lakshmi is desperately lonely and trapped in a loveless marriage. Moved by her plight, Maggie treats Lakshmi in her home office for free, quickly realizing that the despondent woman doesn't need a shrink; she needs a friend.
-
-
Beautifully woven story of friendship, marriage, & culture
- By Jessica on 08-11-15
By: Thrity Umrigar
-
The Storyteller's Secret
- A Novel
- By: Sejal Badani
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
- Length: 13 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nothing prepares Jaya, a New York journalist, for the heartbreak of her third miscarriage and the slow unraveling of her marriage in its wake. Desperate to assuage her deep anguish, she decides to go to India to uncover answers to her family’s past. Intoxicated by the sights, smells, and sounds she experiences, Jaya becomes an eager student of the culture. But it is Ravi - her grandmother’s former servant and trusted confidant - who reveals the resilience, struggles, secret love, and tragic fall of Jaya’s pioneering grandmother during the British occupation.
-
-
Loved this book!
- By Jim L. on 12-09-20
By: Sejal Badani
-
The Girl with Seven Names
- A North Korean Defector’s Story
- By: Hyeonseo Lee, David John
- Narrated by: Josie Dunn
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a child growing up in North Korea, Hyeonseo Lee was one of millions trapped by a secretive and brutal communist regime. Her home on the border with China gave her some exposure to the world beyond the confines of the Hermit Kingdom and, as the famine of the 1990s struck, she began to wonder, question and realise that she had been brainwashed her entire life. Given the repression, poverty and starvation she witnessed surely her country could not be, as she had been told, 'the best on the planet'?
-
-
Did not like narrator
- By Linda H. Andreae on 10-09-19
By: Hyeonseo Lee, and others
-
Three Daughters
- A Novel
- By: Consuelo Saah Baehr
- Narrated by: Karen Peakes
- Length: 23 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born in rural Palestine, just before the dawn of the 20th century, Miriam adores her father and is certain his love will protect her, but she soon finds that tradition overrides love. Uprooted by war, Miriam enters a world where the old constraints slip away with thrilling and disastrous results. Miriam's rebellious daughter, Nadia, is thrilled with the opportunity for a modern life that her elite education provides. But when she falls in love with an outsider, the clan reins her back with a shocking finality.
-
-
3 Generation Saga of three women - so captivating
- By Marie on 11-05-15
-
Well-Behaved Indian Women
- By: Saumya Dave
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
- Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Simran Mehta has always felt harshly judged by her mother, Nandini, especially when it comes to her little "writing hobby". But when a charismatic and highly respected journalist careens into Simran's life, she begins to question not only her future as a psychologist, but her engagement to her high-school sweetheart. Nandini Mehta has strived to create an easy life for her children in America. It isn’t until an old colleague makes her a life-changing offer that Nandini realizes she's spent so much time focusing on being the perfect Indian woman, she’s let herself slip away.
-
-
Very rich and well-developed characters
- By B Shah on 07-26-20
By: Saumya Dave
-
Trail of Broken Wings
- By: Sejal Badani
- Narrated by: Karen Peakes
- Length: 12 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When her father falls into a coma, Indian American photographer Sonya reluctantly returns to the family she'd fled years before. Since she left home, Sonya has lived on the run, free of any ties, while her soft-spoken sister, Trisha, has created a perfect suburban life, and her ambitious sister, Marin, has built her own successful career. But as these women come together, their various methods of coping with a terrifying history can no longer hold their memories at bay.
-
-
What a powerful story!
- By gitty on 09-27-15
By: Sejal Badani
-
Paper Wife
- A Novel
- By: Laila Ibrahim
- Narrated by: Nancy Wu
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Southern China, 1923. Desperate to secure her future, Mei Ling’s parents arrange a marriage to a widower in California. To enter the country, she must pretend to be her husband’s first wife - a paper wife. On the perilous voyage, Mei Ling takes an orphan girl named Siew under her wing. Dreams of a better life in America give Mei Ling the strength to endure the treacherous journey and detainment on Angel Island. But when she finally reaches San Francisco, she’s met with a surprise. Her husband, Chinn Kai Li, is a houseboy, not the successful merchant he led her to believe.
-
-
Just okay..disappointed
- By Donna Smith McG on 11-03-18
By: Laila Ibrahim
-
The Book Woman's Daughter
- A Novel
- By: Kim Michele Richardson
- Narrated by: Katie Schorr
- Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the ruggedness of the beautiful Kentucky mountains, Honey Lovett has always known that the old ways can make a hard life harder. As the daughter of the famed blue-skinned Troublesome Creek packhorse librarian, Honey and her family have been hiding from the law all her life. But when her mother and father are imprisoned, Honey realizes she must fight to stay free, or risk being sent away for good.
-
-
Wonderfully written.
- By Marjorie on 05-05-22
-
The Space Between Us
- By: Thrity Umrigar
- Narrated by: Purva Bedi
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling author Thrity Umrigar won the Nieman Fellowship and earned a finalist spot for the PEN/Beyond Margins award with The Space Between Us. Set in modern-day India, this evocative novel follows upper-middle-class Parsi housewife Sera Dubash and 65-year-old illiterate household worker Bhima as they make their way through life. Though separated by their stations in life, the two women share bonds of womanhood that prove far stronger than the divisions of class or culture.
-
-
A Story that stays with you
- By gardener97 on 04-25-15
By: Thrity Umrigar
-
Love Marriage
- A Novel
- By: Monica Ali
- Narrated by: Ayesha Dharker
- Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Yasmin Ghorami is 26, in training to be a doctor (like her Indian-born father), and engaged to the charismatic, upper-class Joe Sangster, whose formidable mother, Harriet, is a famous feminist. The gulf between families is vast. So, too, is the gulf in sexual experience between Yasmin and Joe. As the wedding day draws near, misunderstandings, infidelities, and long-held secrets upend both Yasmin’s relationship and that of her parents, a “love marriage”, according to the family lore that Yasmin has believed all her life.
-
-
I loved everything about this book!
- By Mary Ann Ayres on 05-21-22
By: Monica Ali
-
The Return of Faraz Ali
- A Novel
- By: Aamina Ahmad
- Narrated by: Homer Todiwala, Nina Wadia
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Not since childhood has Faraz returned to the Mohalla, in Lahore’s walled inner city, where women continue to pass down the art of courtesan from mother to daughter. But he still remembers the day he was abducted from the home he shared with his mother and sister there, at the direction of his powerful father, who wanted to give him a chance at a respectable life. Now Wajid, once more dictating his fate from afar, has sent Faraz back to Lahore, installing him as head of the Mohalla police station and charging him with a mission.
-
-
Awful narration
- By Anonymous User on 04-09-22
By: Aamina Ahmad
-
The Tattooist of Auschwitz
- A Novel
- By: Heather Morris
- Narrated by: Richard Armitage
- Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (German for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners. Imprisoned for more than two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism - but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive.
-
-
Very uneven performance. Read this one instead.
- By telekelley on 08-05-19
By: Heather Morris
-
Stolen
- A Memoir
- By: Elizabeth Gilpin
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Gilpin
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At 15, Elizabeth Gilpin was an honor student, a state-ranked swimmer, and a rising soccer star, but behind closed doors, her undiagnosed depression was wreaking havoc on her life. Growing angrier by the day, she began skipping practices and drinking to excess. At a loss, her parents turned to an educational consultant who suggested Elizabeth be enrolled in a behavioral modification program. That recommendation would change her life forever.
-
-
Insightful, heartbreaking look into abuse of the TTI
- By Queen City Mom on 08-02-21
By: Elizabeth Gilpin
-
The Girl with the Louding Voice
- A Novel
- By: Abi Daré
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The unforgettable, inspiring story of a teenage girl growing up in a rural Nigerian village who longs to get an education so that she can find her “louding voice” and speak up for herself, The Girl with the Louding Voice is a simultaneously heartbreaking and triumphant tale about the power of fighting for your dreams.
-
-
A must HEAR!
- By Michelle on 03-09-20
By: Abi Daré
-
Orphan Train
- A Novel
- By: Christina Baker Kline
- Narrated by: Jessica Almasy, Suzanne Toren
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Penobscot Indian Molly Ayer is close to "aging out" out of the foster care system. A community-service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping Molly out of juvie and worse.... As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly learns that she and Vivian aren’t as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance.
-
-
Moving story of sharing and transformation.
- By Kathi on 04-03-13
-
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
- A Novel
- By: Kim Michele Richardson
- Narrated by: Katie Schorr
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The hardscrabble folks of Troublesome Creek have to scrap for everything - everything except books, that is. Thanks to Roosevelt's Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project, Troublesome's got its very own traveling librarian, Cussy Mary Carter. Cussy's not only a book woman, however, she's also the last of her kind, her skin a shade of blue unlike most anyone else. Not everyone is keen on Cussy's family or the Library Project, and a Blue is often blamed for any whiff of trouble.
-
-
Narrator ruined it for me....
- By T214T1987 on 01-07-20
Publisher's Summary
The human drama captured in this memoir is nothing short of amazing - a young woman's struggle between the two worlds of her existence.
Saved by her grandmother from being killed at birth for being a female, and abandoned by her mother at a young age, Shilpa faces the formidable constraints placed on her by her family and the village elders.
The values with which she is being brought up in a school for poor children started by a philanthropist come in conflict with those of her family, tearing each other apart. Just when all seems settled, an unforeseen death under mysterious circumstances shatters whatever stability remains in her life.
Pulled in opposite directions, and torn between despair and dreams, Shilpa finally makes a choice for her escape. But is she strong enough to stand up to the people she loves, and pursue what she wants?
At its heart The Elephant Chaser's Daughter is about hope, when all seems lost. Written with raw honesty and grit, this is a deeply moving memoir of a young woman confronting her "untouchable" status in a caste-based society, and her aspirations for a good future.
More from the same
What listeners say about The Elephant Chaser's Daughter
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Big
- 01-20-20
Beautifully written!
Shilpa’s story introduced me to a world I knew nothing about. She expertly describes her feelings, environment, struggles in a life fractured by being selected to attend a special school for the extremely poor. I could feel her pain and joy and wish her well on this journey we call life.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Emily
- 04-27-22
must read- great book! loved it
I couldn't stop reading well listening. I love documentaries and this story is amazing!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- wendyfromhome
- 01-03-22
Elephant Chaser’s Daughter - insightful
I’d watched the Netflix documentary so I was interested in learning more about these girls. This book was incredibly well-written. It was thought-provoking and informative while keeping me yearning for more. I highly recommend this book and hope there’s a book two in the works.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jamie Fairchild
- 11-06-21
A very moving story
This is a very deeply moving story of a young untouchable girl in India who has the opportunity to go to school and get an education. It is beautifully narrated. Heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. I would recommend this book to anyone. And now I am very interested in watching the Netflix series about the school.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Vikram
- 06-19-21
Inspiring story
The story is very well told. Shilpa's story is amazing: she sets the scene very well and describes her family and their issues in depth. However, I don't really care for the narrator. She does one voice for Shilpa, and one for all female characters, and one for all male characters (which is only slightly different from the female character voice). I prefer a single voice for everyone or recognizably different voices for all main characters, but that may just be my preference.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kate McKenna
- 04-25-21
I SIGNED UP
After reading this book and watching Daughters of Destiny on Netflix, I signed up for a monthly contribution to help a child at Shanti Bhavan. Thank you for your work, Shilpa Raj, and thank you Dr. George.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- ChristinaB
- 04-01-21
Beautiful
A beautiful story! I saw the Netflix documentary “Daughters of Destiny” and was amazed by the compassion and triumph in it. Thank you so much for writing your Truth!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 12-28-20
The extraordinary memoir of a brave woman from the “untouchable” caste
The heroic, thought provoking memoirs of Shilpa Raj labeled and “untouchable” in her Indian culture. Full of inspiration even through the most troubling events of the author’s life it speaks to the struggles and plight of many children trapped in poverty and hopeless despair. Ms. Raj’s ability to capture in her recollection her transformation as a long time student at Shanti Bhavan, a school that rescues and educates thousands of children in Tamil Nadu, 1.5 hours southeast of Bangalore, India. I look forward to reading much more from Shilpa Raj who has a voice in her writing and a powerful life mission to impart to the world
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer-Okierican/Boriokie
- 07-28-20
Well written!
Fantastic and very moving. it kept my interest all the time. Perfect read after watching her at the Netflix documentary
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kay
- 07-11-20
Loved it!
After watching Daughters of Destiny on Netflix, I was touched by Shilpa’s story as well as the other girls. I immediately researched to see what the girls were up to and was so excited that Shilpa had written a book. I loved every bit of it. Thank you for sharing your story with the world. I enjoyed everything even the narration. I hope to hear more from you. God Bless
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Dolly McLaughlin
- 07-23-19
Beautiful, fascinating, heartwarming and breaking.
This beautifully written and expertly narrated true story of a young girl plucked from poorest Indian village life for a different and better future, delights and moves the reader by turns. The unique insight into village life from Shilpa, the first of her family to gain entry to University, is second to none. As featured on BBC iplayers "daughters of destiny" we also see in this book, the uplifting work of Dr George, in his giving an education to those otherwise destined to do the lowliest and toughest work and in giving a home to some that had none.
I cannot recommend this highly enough. Well done to Shilpa Raj. I look forward to your next book when it comes.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- C M JONES
- 03-27-22
beautiful, candid took me into another world
I bought the paperback after listening to the audible version, she deserves to become world renowned
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- arup roy
- 01-31-22
Excellent content and narration
I saw "Daughter's of Destiny" on Netflix, and was motivated to buy this book.
It hasn't let me down. A must listen.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Nurdan
- 05-22-21
lovely
wanted to read this book for a long time and was happy to be able to listen to it.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- chimneyman
- 07-01-19
Very hard to find an answer
I struggled to get to the end of this very unhappy story and I remain as confused as the main character.
Are all families in thirld world India as dysfunctional as Shilpa's? Were any of the problems really addressed by parachuting Shilpa and a tiny number of others into an alien world?
I daresay the school's intentions were entirely honourable, but I'm not at all convinced that the experience will have made much difference to the sum total of Shilpa's lifelong happiness (or lack of it).
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- SD
- 01-23-22
One of the most beautifully poignant narratives from India
I grew up in India and the trials and tribulations of the vast sections of underprivileged people is all out there from everyone to see. Shilpa through her sheer destiny of being the first in her family to attend a great residential school and through her singular determination was able to rewrite the story of misfortune and trauma to one of overcoming and thriving.
However, her family and her village community still face the familiar struggles of injustice, violence, crime and addiction. Economic changes in India haven’t yet helped children and women achieve an equitable life.
Shilpa highlights these inequalities through a beautiful narrative that is sad and also lucid. It is great to hear first hand the voice from the other side of the developmental divide. I hope she goes on to do great things and helps to uplift many children and women in her community!!