Sunday, April 27, 2008

Keeping Corner by Kashmira Sheth


Set amid the social unrest of Mahatma Gandhi's India, Keeping Corner is the story of Leela, a pampered girl from a loving family. When her young husband dies, Leela discovers that the life of a child widow is neither easy nor fair. Part of her culture's strict mourning procedures require her to keep corner, which means not leaving the house for a year. During this time she is tutored privately and, as social unrest spreads from the cities into the countryside, the newspaper stories she reads of Gandhi's struggle begin to give her hope for the future and cause her to question her own role in society.


MY REACTION:
I enjoyed this book as a historical novel but would have liked there to be slightly more focus on the political aspects of the time period. The characters and setting are well-evoked and the ending is uplifting.
This book may be good for anyone interested in historical settings, India or Indian and Brahman culture or anyone who is looking for something a little different from the usual coming-of-age novel.

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