Synopses & Reviews
Padma Venkatramans inspiring story of a young girls struggle to regain her passion and find a new peace is told lyrically through verse that captures the beauty and mystery of India and the ancient
bharatanatyam dance form. This is a stunning novel about spiritual awakening, the power of art, and above all, the courage and resilience of the human spirit.
Veda, a classical dance prodigy in India, lives and breathes danceso when an accident leaves her a below-knee amputee, her dreams are shattered. For a girl whos grown used to receiving applause for her dance prowess and flexibility, adjusting to a prosthetic leg is painful and humbling. But Veda refuses to let her disability rob her of her dreams, and she starts all over again, taking beginner classes with the youngest dancers. Then Veda meets Govinda, a young man who approaches dance as a spiritual pursuit. As their relationship deepens, Veda reconnects with the world around her, and begins to discover who she is and what dance truly means to her.
Review
"This 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, starred review
"In her first novel, Venkatraman paints an intricate and convincing backdrop of a conservative Brahmin home in a time of change." - Booklist, starred review
Review
"Venkatraman has created a rich, exotic, and fully human world that dazzles and delights. Her way with prose reflects Veda's with dancing: 'Nothing else fills me with as much elation as chasing down soaring music' This novel accomplishes exactly that."--
Providence Sunday Journal
"[A] powerful depiction of a teen girl struggling to recover from an accident."--The Chicago Tribune
* " Set against a cardamom, melted butter, and semolina sojji-wafted landscape, the novels emotional expression and accompanying music impel the reader to share Vedas belief that “Shiva dances everywhere. In everyone. In everything.”--Booklist, starred review
* " A beautiful integration of art, religion, compassion and connection.”--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* “ Told in verse, this story is magnificently strong as Vedas determination dances off the page and into the readers heart.”--VOYA, starred review
* “This exceptional novel, told entirely in verse, captures beautifully the emotions of a girl forced to deal with a number of challenges and how she overcomes them on her way to becoming a confident young woman. It is sure to appeal to readers who are also trying to find their place in the world.”--School Library Journal, starred review
Synopsis
Read Padma Venkatraman's posts on the Penguin Blog.
Fifteen-year-old Vidya dreams of going to college— an unusual aspiration for a girl living in British occupied India during World War II. Then tragedy strikes, and Vidya and her brother are forced to move into a traditional household with their extended family, where women are meant to be married, not educated. Breaking the rules, Vidya finds refuge in her grandfather’s library. But then her brother does something unthinkable, and Vidya’s life becomes a whirlwind of political and personal complications. The question is, will she be strong enough to survive?
Watch a Video
Synopsis
Set during World War II and the last days of British occupation in India, this remarkable debut poignantly depicts a young girl struggling to find her place in a mixed-up world, and tells a powerful story about love and loss set against a fascinating historical backdrop.
About the Author
Padma Venkatraman (www.padmasbooks.com) is an oceanographer by training and a writer by choice. Her critically acclaimed novels Climbing the Stairs and Islands End were both ALA/YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, Booklist Editor's Choice BBYAs, Amelia Bloomer list selections and CCBC choices, in addition to winning several other honors and awards (such as the South Asia Book Award, Paterson Prize, Julia Ward Howe BAC award, NYPL Book for the Teen Age, Kirkus Best Book of the Year, Booksense Notable, and PW Flying Start). Padma was born in India, but is now an American citizen and lives with her family in Rhode Island.