Homeless Bird is an excellent novel by Gloria Whelan. I enjoyed all of it, from its trueness to life, to its well built plot. Not all authors can paint such vivid pictures. This book exposed me to new insight of a small part of India culture, and is one of the best recommended on a summer reading list.
The story takes place several decades ago, in an small Indian village, where thirteen year old Koly is frightened to learn she is to be married off to Hari Metah. Unfortunatley, shortly after her marriage, she learns Hari is nothing but a sickly boy close to her age. Her dowry (payment for marriage to Hari) is really just so the Metahs can take him to the Ghanges river, in hope that Hari just might be healed. Soon after, he dies, and Hari's mother puts Koly to work at her home. Knowing she would shame her family if she returned to them, she makes the best of her new miserable life. Things get worse when Chandra, Hari's little sister and her only friend, gets married to a rich man, and her father in law dies. With the only joys in her life taken, her wicked mother in law abandons her in the city of Vrindavan. Hungry and sad, a rickshaw boy, Rajh leads her to a home for widows, where she starts her new life, getting a job at a sari making shop.
I won't spoil the ending for you, because it will only be good if you read it yourselves. The best part about this book is how Koly never gave up hope, and prevailed through her hardships, despite the stumbling blocks in her path. I especially recommend this book to girls, age doesn't really matter on this one. If you're looking for a book with great morals, that's easy to read, and has a powerful message, read Homeless Bird, by Gloria Whelan.
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