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Homeless Bird (Paperback)

by Whelan (Author) "Koly, you are thirteen and growing every day," Maa said to me ..." (more)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (141 customer reviews)
Price: CDN$ 7.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details
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Product Details

Product Description

From Amazon.com

"What if I don't like him?"
"Of course you will like him."
"But what if I don't?"
Maa impatiently slapped at a fly. "Then you must learn to like him."

But Koly never gets a chance to find out if she does care for her intended groom. Married and promptly widowed at 13, Koly finds herself in the grim position of being cast out by a society that has no place for girls like her. With a seemingly hopeless future in India, this courageous and spirited young woman sets out to forge her own destiny. Through perseverance, resourcefulness, and sheer luck, she manages not only to find a niche for herself, but even to find happiness again.

Gloria Whelan's tale of a remarkable girl in an extraordinary situation will linger with the reader long after the last page is read. The shaping of Koly's life, as anyone's, is in her own hands, as well as the hands of the society in which she lives. Her ability to express herself--and ultimately support herself--with her exceptional skill in embroidery is a symbol of the creative ingenuity that will serve her well throughout her tribulations. (Ages 8 and older) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.



From Publishers Weekly

Whelan (Miranda's Last Stand) blends modern Hindu culture with age-old Indian traditions as she profiles a poor girl's struggle to survive in a male-dominated society. Only 13 when her parents find her a husband, Koly can't help feeling apprehensive about leaving home to live in a distant village with her in-laws and husband, none of whom she has met. The truth is worse than she could have feared: the groom, Hari, is a sickly child, and his parents have wanted only a dowry, not a wife for him, in order to pay for a trip to Benares so Hari might bathe in the holy waters of the Ganges. Koly is widowed almost immediately; later, she is abandoned in the holy city of Vrindavan by her cruel mother-in-law. Koly, likened to a "homeless bird" in a famous poem by Rabindranath Tagore, embodies the tragic plight of Hindu women without status, family or financial security. She is saved from a dismal fate by her love of beauty, her talent for embroidery and the philanthropy of others--and by Whelan's tidy plotting, which introduces a virtuous young man, a savvy benefactress and a just employer in the nick of time. The feminist theme that dominates the happily-ever-after ending seems more American than Indian, but kids will likely enjoy this dramatic view of an endangered adolescence and cheer Koly's hard-won victories. Ages 8-12. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.
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Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
"Koly, you are thirteen and growing every day," Maa said to me. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

141 Reviews
5 star:
 (81)
4 star:
 (42)
3 star:
 (6)
2 star:
 (5)
1 star:
 (7)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (141 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most helpful customer reviews

 
5.0 out of 5 stars homeless bird, Mar 29 2006
By kimberly (montgomery al) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Homeless Bird (Hardcover)
i think this was a very good story and its very interesting.Once you get to reading it you don't ever want to stop.
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5.0 out of 5 stars The best book I have ever read!, Jun 26 2004
By Joyce S (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
this book is the best book i have ever read! the author is such a magnificent writer! finished this book in about an hour..easy to read and very enjoyable..this book is both heartwarming, sweet, sad, nd a happy book about a girl who gets abandoned by her mother-in-law.
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5.0 out of 5 stars traditional view, May 12 2004
By hawa (Maryland,MD USA) - See all my reviews
The homeless bird is about an only daughter in a family named Koly . She is thirteen years old and got married to someone she doesn't know or heard about.
The person she got married to was suffering from flu. And they had to take him to Varanasi a holy city in India so he will get better, but he died at varanasi because the flu was getting worst every day .Her sass [mother in law] hated, and always scolded Her to do her house work. Sass has her husband who is Koly's sassur [father in law]
But he liked Koly so much that he sometimes taught her to read, because she doesn't go to school. But later he died. According to the tradition of India, a girl who has lost her husband will never get married or return to her parent again.
Will she ever gets married ? will she ever return to her parent? If she gets married is her husband going to die ?To know the answers to this questions read the homeless Bird.
The Homeless Bird is my favorite book because it has lot of details about the
Experiences of life. The homeless bird is a good book for teenagers to read especially girls, because it talks about some experiences a girl go through during her teenage
Age.
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 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book for young people
In the book HOMELESS BIRD is talking about a girl whose name was Koly and who had a hard life. She got married when she was thirteen years old. Read more
Published on May 12 2004 by samira

5.0 out of 5 stars Homerun for Homeless Bird
Homeless Bird is about a thirteen year old, Indian girl named Koly, who experiences many terrifying situations. Read more
Published on April 21 2004 by Hannah

5.0 out of 5 stars Response to Literature
In this book Homeless Bird, The setting is in India. In India you get married at the age of 13 to a man your parents have picked for you. Read more
Published on April 19 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars road trip!
Homeless Bird is about an Indian girl, Koly who is getting married--to a man she's never met (an arranged marriage. Read more
Published on Mar 22 2004 by Tower of Books

5.0 out of 5 stars Surviving a Different Life
Koly didn't want to be married. Her parents did. So they arranged a marriage for her. The parents of her future husband wouldn't even let her see him until their wedding. Read more
Published on Mar 21 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars Homeless Bird
Heading:Homeless Bird
By: Gloria Whelan
Review by: J. Bae
Period: P. Read more
Published on Mar 19 2004 by J Bae

5.0 out of 5 stars Angel
This story is about a girl named Koly. She is thirteen and her parents have already picked a husband for her. She finally gets to meet him when they are getting married. Read more
Published on Mar 17 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars A bird who is homeless
it's a great book to read because it teaches you how to stand up to people who can really be mean. i like it because it's cool!

by roshy

Published on Mar 17 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book!!!!
This book is the best book i've ever read!!! I love it so much. Usually, I finish a book in five to six days, but this book, I finished in two days. Read more
Published on Feb 8 2004 by D. Patel

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating voyage to India
I'm reading this to my kids right now (age 8 and 10).
We are REALLY enjoying this book. It takes you right into her life which is so far from my own children's experiences... Read more
Published on Dec 7 2003 by Carol Cohen

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