Set in Sri Lanka, A Disobedient Girl
tells the story of two women, Latha and Biso. Latha is raised in the priviledged household of the Vithanages. As a young child, her role is that of a friend to their only child, a daughter named Thara. As young girls, their status appears to be the same, but as Latha grows older she discovers that her destiny is that of a servant. She sees and experiences the difference in class and must come to deal with this painful realization. Biso is a mother of three, desperately attempting to get her and her three children away from her alcoholic and abusive husband. The reader follows Biso on her several day long journey to her mother's family in the north.
Freeman's writing is vivid and honest. The characters come alive on the pages of this debut novel. Freeman introduces us to two extremely strong women, attempting to survive in a world that attempts to oppress them. I have to strongly disagree with other reviews that indicated these two characters aren't deserving of sympathy, that they deserved the lives they were forced to live. They couldn't exactly rise up and overcome their oppressors. The lives they were leading were once forced upon them. They were born into this horrid system of ranking. The lengths they went to and the sacrifices they were forced to make earned them my undying respect.
In reading A Disobedient Girl I viewed a side of Sri Lankan culture that I hadn't ever before. Freeman dealt with difficult issues that many are afraid to delve into. The journey the two women take is a painful search for independence and respect in a culture that restricts privileges due to class. A Disobedient Girl is a painful and devastating glimpse at this culture. I highly recommend this novel to any reader interested in learning about different cultures. It will open your eyes to these differences in cultures, and the plights that women are forced to deal with based purely on their sex. It also brings up a lot of points of discussion and would be the perfect book club joice as well. Reading this made me appreciate even more the rights I am afforded as a citizen of a democratic nation. This novel was set in the 1980s and 1990s and it is terrifying that situations like this existed in my lifetime. So rush to your local bookstore and pick up a copy; you won't regret it.
Thank you to TLC Book Tours for giving me the opportunity to review this book, and to the publisher for providing me a review copy.
You can enter to win a copy of A Disobedient Girl! Thanks to the publisher, I have an extra copy to give away. To enter, comment on this post. For extra entries, tweet and/or blog about it. Your comment must contain your email address. Entries without this contact information will be authomatically deleted. Contest open to U.S. and Canada only. The winner will be announced on Monday, August 24. GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!
Following are additional stops on this tour.
Tuesday, August 18th: Worducopia
Thursday, August 20th: My Friend Amy
Monday, August 24th: Maw Books
Tuesday, August 25th: Lost in Books
Thursday, August 27th: Bibliophile by the Sea
Tuesday, September 1st: A Sea of Books
Tuesday, September 8th: Wordlily
Monday, September 14th: Shhh I’m Reading
Wednesday, September 16th: Savvy Verse and Wit
Thursday, September 17th: Ticket to Anywhere
Tuesday, September 22nd: Musings of a Bookish Kitty
Thursday, September 24th: Fizzy Thoughts
Monday, September 28th: Book Addiction
Wednesday, September 30th: Caribousmom
This book totally interests me. I would love to be entered in your draw. Thanks.
wandanamgreb (at) gmail (dot) com
I have read great reviews about this book. I find reading books about other cultures, especially those that involve how women were and are treated, consistently convince me we are not the "weaker" sex. Would love to win this book!!
cyeates AT nycap DOT rr DOT com
Your review is the first review I have seen of this book. It looks absolutely fascinating. I am always interested in seeing the different sides of lives in various cultures. It is shocking to think that in this day and age, a person can still be so restricted by nothing more than their sex.
Please enter me in your giveaway.
kalea_kane(at)yahoo(dot)com
Thank you for the entry.
Looks like a good book.
freda.mans@sympatico.ca
I love books that give me a glimpse into another culture, so please enter me.
joannelong74 AT gmail DOT com
blogged giveaway
http://www.fredamans.blogspot.com
tweeted contest
http://www.twitter.com/fredalicious
I love to read about other cultures, so please enter me! milou2ster(at)gmail.com
Thanks for such a thoughtful review, Jenn! This book sounds great and I'm thinking I might recommend it to my book club for next year...
Jenn..first of all your review is amazing. 2nd of all... no need to enter me as I am over "booked" so to speak. Happy Monday.
This sounds like an awesome book
pattifritz2000@yahoo.com
This looks really good. Thanks for sharing it.
s.mickelson at gmail dot com
Wow! I think this one will have to be added to my Wish List. Please count me in. Thanks so much!
nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com
I tweeted:
http://twitter.com/nfmgirl/status/3366514932
nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com
I blogged it:
http://cerebralgirl.blogspot.com/2009/08/book-giveaways-in-blogworld-08-15-09.html
nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com
This is the 1st I've seen of this book. The book sounds very interesting. Please enter me.
Thank you
sharon54220@gmail.com
Please enter me in the draw..thank you.
oops...forgot to leave my email addy..and..I neither tweeted nor blogged..also..is this available outside of the US?
novasea@gmail.com
This book sounds really interesting, haven't read a book set in Sri Lanka!
delilah0180(at)yahoo(dot)com
This looks interesting! Please enter me!
BethsBookReviewBlog AT gmail DOT com
I would love to win.
I blogged: http://www.morbid-romantic.net/2009/08/17/book-giveaways-08-17-08-23/.
Valorie
morbidromantic@gmail.com
I would have loved to have been in the running for this book as I am from Sri Lanka. Such a paradox as I have not even heard of this author here so they would not have done any kind of promotion in this country.
Mystica
Sounds like a good one for me. Very nice and thoughtful review. I'm going to pass on the giveaway (I have too much here already).
Sounds fascinating. Please enter me.
whitreidsmama at yahoo dot com
This book sounds really good! I would love a chance to read it :)
adw7984 at gmail dot com
My reading goal for this year was to read as many foreign authors as possible. I have this book on my list and would love to read it sooner. Many of the books I have read tell a similar story of how women are treated in different cultures and how little freedom they have to choose their own destiny.
rebecca[dot]cox[at]charter[dot]net
http://twitter.com/ccqdesigns/status/3385171551
Here's my tweet.
rebecca[dot]cox[at]charter[dot]net
I'd like to enter.
bjhopper(at)me(dot)com
tweet
http://twitter.com/bridget3420/status/3397448225
bjhopper(at)me(dot)com
One of my goals for this year is to learn more about other cultures. This book fits into that group of books. What also makes it extremely interesting is how then interplay of the role of women within the culture.
bstilwell12 AT comcast DOT net
I tweeted about this giveaway:
http://twitter.com/pine1211/status/3398830707
bstilwell12 AT comcast DOT net
This sounds like an interesting read. I'd visited Sri Lanka in 1983 and found it a fascinating place.
Please count me in.
gaby317nyc AT gmail DOT com
Ah, what a wonderful review. I can't wait to read this. It's been on my list since it was first announced. Please enter me:
iwriteinbooks @ gmail dot com
Mary D
zenrei57 (at) hotmail (dot) com
Please count me in to win this one, I know it would be educational and informative!
This book sounds awesome!!!
Please enter me.
RJB
loki304[at]tds[dot]net
This book sounds fabulous. The way you describe their roles and relationship reminds me a bit of The Kite Runner, which I loved. Please include me!
melacan at hotmail dot com
I blogged about the contest here.
joannelong74 AT gmail DOT com
Sounds like an awesome read, would love to enter!
nataliew2(at)gmail(dot)com
Great review! count me in
Thanks
dcf_beth at verizon dot net
Thanks for reviewing this! I'd love to be included in your giveaway.
Thanks-
Amanda
fitz12383(at)hotmail(dot)com
I love learning about other cultures and would love to read this book! Thanks! jacquecurl1@gmail.com
I would like to win this. I love learning about other cultures.This would be interesting
Please include me in your giveaway.
Thanks
Debbie
debdesk9(at)verizon.net
This sounds good-I like books set in Asia.
chocolateandcroissants at yahoo dot com
tweeted:
cococroissantsRead a book set in Singapore http://bit.ly/3keiRL
chocolateandcroissants at yahoo dot com
Please count me in...thanks.
karen k
kmkuka(at)yahoo(dot)com
Shawna Lewis
weloveourdogs@juno.com
Thanks so much for this chance to win this book.
Shawna Lewis
weloveourdogs@juno.com
Thanks so much for this chance to win this book.
Shawna Lewis
weloveourdogs@juno.com
I twetted http://twitter.com/theblindcupid/status/3499363527
This sounds like such a wonderful read. Please count me in for your giveaway I would love to win.
jessica(at)fan(dot)com