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Published May 2008
256 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Information
During World War II and the last days of British occupation in India, fifteen-year-old Vidya dreams of attending college. But when her forward-thinking father is beaten senseless by the British police, she is forced to live with her grandfather's large traditional family, where the women live apart from the men and are meant to be married off as soon as possible.
Vidya's only refuge becomes her grandfather's upstairs library, which is forbidden to women. There she meets Raman, a young man also living in the house who relishes her intellectual curiosity. But when Vidy'?s brother decides to fight with the hated British against the Nazis, and when Raman proposes marriage too soon, Vidya must question all she has believed in.
"Starred Review. [T]his novel vivifies a unique era and culture as it movingly expresses how love and hope can blossom even under the most dismal of circumstances." - Publishers Weekly.
"This is a poignant look at a young woman's vigilance to break from expectations and create her own destiny amid a country's struggle for independence." - School Library Journal.
"The novel excels in its detailed depiction of a Brahmin girlhood and family life during a time of intense social and political change." - Kirkus Reviews.
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