Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan

Homeless Bird

By Gloria Whelan

Koly is only thirteen when her parents manage to scrape together a dowry and arrange a marriage for her to a young man, Hari.  Her father is a man of words, writing letters for others who do not know how, but it pays little.  There is simply not enough food for everyone in the family. 

Her Maa and Baap arrange a marriage for her and take her to her new family’s village, but Hari is younger than they were told and very ill.  The marriage was only arranged so Hari's parents could use the dowry money to take their son to the Ganges, hoping for a miracle cure.

When the boy dies, Koly becomes little more than a servant in the house to her shrewish mother-in-law.  Life is difficult but her new sister-in-law and her father-in-law are very kind to her.  He actually teaches her to read.  When he dies of a heart attack, though, her mother-in-law takes her to the city of widows, Vrindavan. 

After, a few long days and nights, Koly is lucky to be given a place in a home for widows and a job stringing marigolds.  Her talent for embroidery, learned from her mother, enables her to build an even better life for herself and, eventually, the young man who falls in love with Koly.

Gloria Whelan captures the voice of Koly beautifully and tells an intriguing but simple tale in this book.  It provides a window into a changing world, where one young woman uses her talents and a bit of luck to thrive. 

I will admit that this is a young adult book, it won the 2000 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, but I highly recommend it for anyone interested in an easy way to learn about an aspect of another society.  It is a quick read filled with beautiful prose and a little romance.