Back to the Classics - Bjergenes datter

A classic travel or journey narrative, fiction or non-fiction

 Bjergenes datter, in English Daughter of the Mountains, is written by Louise Rankin in 1948.

It tells the tale of a Tibetan girl, Momo, who dearly wants a golden Lhasa apso dog. When she finally gets one, it is stolen from her, and she sets out to get Pempa, as the dog is called.

The first time I read this story, I was very young, 7 or 8. But the story was still good, I still felt the magical transformation of the countryside from Momo's beloved harsh mountains to the verdant lowlands, from the serenity of Tibetan mountain life to the bustle of Indian Calcutta. Also the different, and to Momo as well as to me exotic dishes are described so well you could almost taste them. And the grown up me still shivered at the thought of butter tea.

The contrast between mountains and cities are mirrored in the contrast between Momo and the people, she meet. She's steadfast, trusting,  and sure that she will eventually find her Pemba, even as almost everybody she meets are callous scoundrels or dishonourable and all of them try to make her turn back and forget about Pemba.

I love happy endings. I love this book still.