About this ebook
Shortlisted for the 2016 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing It is 1554 in the desert of Rajasthan. On a rare night of rain, a daughter is born to a family of Hindu temple dancers just as India’s new Mughal Emperor Akbar sets his sights on their home, the fortress city of Jaisalmer, and the other Princely States around it. Fearing a bleak future, Adhira’s father, the temple’s dance master—against his wife and sons’ protests—puts his faith in tradition and in his last child for each to save the other: he insists that Adhira is destined to “marry” the temple’s deity and to give herself to a wealthy patron. Thus she must live in submission as a woman revered and reviled. But Adhira’s father may not have the last word. Adhira grows into an exquisite dancer, and after one terrible evening she must make a choice—one that will carry her family’s story and their dance to a startling new beginning.
Ratings and reviews
5.0
6 reviews
Niloufer Moochhala
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December 29, 2016
I had an opportunity to read this book when it first came out, last fall, and could not put it down. The evocative descriptions of place and time, the buildup of the character's personalities, and the way the story ebbed and flowed was gripping and mesmerizing. I had no idea about the roots of kathak dance, and this book was not only informative in that regard, but wove the story of Adhira into a fictional but yet imaginable landscape of that time period in Rajasthan. I would highly recommend this book!
Deepak Singh
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December 15, 2016
Because of my work, I often go to India and Rajasthan in particular. Duva's "Faint Promise" allowed me to put in place what I have been seeing. The temples, however pretty, now have a depth behind them. The stone has a story. I now see an Adhira, a Girija, a Hari Dev, a Padmini when I look into the eyes of the folk I meet. Thank you Anjali for this exotic story which has made my travels so much more real. Gorgeous!
lillian
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December 22, 2016
What a wonderful first novel. I was able to transport myself to ancient India & imagine the scenes- the architecture, the dancing, the feel of the hot dry air. So many themes run through the novel & most apply to modern times: wanting the best for our children, wanting to please our families, wanting to change outdated rituals. I wished for more focus on Hari Dev as his character was so compelling. The narrator's voice changes from character to character & his voice felt almost like the main protagonist. Hari Dev shared the spotlight with his sister, Adhira.
About the author
Anjali Mitter Duva is a writer who grew up in France and has family roots in Calcutta. She is a co-founder of Chhandika, an organization that teaches and presents India’s classical kathak dance. Anjali graduated from Brown University and completed her Master’s in city planning at MIT. She lives near Boston with her husband and two daughters. FAINT PROMISE OF RAIN is Anjali’s first novel. She is working on the second, set in 19th-century Lucknow.
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