Gloria Whelans National Book Award–winning novel chronicles the breathtaking story of a remarkable young woman who dares to defy fate. Like many girls her age in India thirteen–year–old Koly faces her arranged marriage with hope and courage. But Kolys story takes a terrible turn when in the wake of the ceremony she discovers shes been horribly misled; her life has been sold for a dowry. In prose both graceful and unflinching this powerful novel relays the story of a rare young woman who even when cast out into a brutal current of time–worn tradition sets out to forge her own remarkable future.Inspired by a newspaper article about the real thirteen–year–old widows in India today this universally acclaimed best–selling novel characterized by spare lyrical language and remarkable detail transports readers into the heart of a gripping tale of hope. Ages 10+
