From: HUMMINGRK at aol.com <HUMMINGRK>
Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2000 09:21:50 EST

I have been copying names and authors for my reading list--looks like 2000 was a good year, doesn't it?

One of my favorites, not yet mentioned, is Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan. The narrator's voice drew me into the tale right away, and the portrayal of a world far from my own kept me reading. The story takes place in present day India, though in the beginning I thought it was the middle ages... If I related the plot of a young girl married to a stranger and widowed at a young age, you would think the book sounds completely depressing. I actually found it full of hope, as the main character overcomes huge odds through her own creativity and resourcefulness.

Gloria Whelan created a world for me to visit that seemed more real than fictional. I wonder if she lived in India at one time or interviewed women from the villages there. The descriptions of everyday life are so vivid and so well woven into the story. The elegant text was written simply and directly; the narrator's voice is perhaps a tad too educated for the character, but it didn't bother me as I read.

I believe Homeless Bird has been nominated for the National Book Award--hope it wins. It is a story that shares another kind of reality with readers who live in relative affluence here in the United States.

Lee Sullivan Hill Clarendon Hills, IL
Received on Thu 07 Dec 2000 08:21:50 AM CST