Here is my review
A Daughter’s Courage is a touching and unforgettable novel. This story takes place mostly in India, during the 1920’s, but also fast-forwards to the twenty-first century.
Gowri loved school. Her goal was to become a teacher just like the woman she admired, Vandana Ma’am. But at the tender age of fourteen, Gowri’s dreams and choices were stripped from her. She was given over by her parents, to the Goddess Yellamma. Gowri would be bound to the Goddess and to the man who owned the land where the temple was built, for the rest of her life. She would spend her days worshipping the Goddess, and her nights, prostituting herself to the landlord and to any man whom the landlord deemed worthy of her. Gowri’s family cut all ties with her, except for the money they received from her services.
Lucy had disgraced herself and her family. She knew that she’d have to start over somewhere far from England. So when James Bell, a coffee plantation owner, proposed to Lucy, she accepted. She didn’t love him and hated to keep secrets from him, but James was her ticket to India and a new life. So Lucy heeded her mother’s advice and kept her ugly sin to herself. Lucy sincerely hoped, though, that James would never discover what she was hiding; she didn’t think he could ever forgive her if he found out.
There are many likable characters in this book. I loved Gowri, James and Market Boy. These three characters cared more about others than they did about themselves. The character, Lucy Bell, however, took me awhile to warm up to. She had grown up privileged and was quite spoiled and selfish. Kavya and Sue, are present day likable characters who play an important role in this book.
A Daughter’s Courage is a powerful story about love, sacrifice, and survival. After turning the last page, I sat in silence, reflecting on the extraordinary journey that I’d just taken. This emotional book will linger in your thoughts long after you’ve finished it. It is unfortunate, that although the practice of sacrificing young girls to the Goddess Yellamma, was outlawed in 1988, this terrible atrocity still takes place in today’s modern day world.
Thank you, Bookouture and NetGalley, for my advanced review copy. I loved it!
~5 out of 5 stars~ Review by Peg Glover
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