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sana98's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mellabella's review against another edition
4.0
Latha is a servant who wants to be independent. The family she works for is horrible. With, the exception of the father. It also seems strange to say she "works" for them. She doesn't have much of a choice. She is also a companion for their daughter Thara. They are the same age. Latha was brought to the family very young. Biso is a young mother fleeing an abusive husband with her three children. She is going to stay with an aunt she hasn't seen in a while and, who doesn't even know she's coming. We alternate between Latha and Biso's stories. Latha's spans three decades. Biso's just a few days. I really liked Biso's character. She was a woman just trying to do what's best for her and her children. One of whom (the youngest) is the result of an affair. Things go horribly wrong. Latha was not as likeable. BUT she was a sympathetic character. The two stories tie together and you see how they connect. It didn't really matter to me that there was a sliver of hope at the end. When you read what happens to Biso and how Latha is mistreated yet again... It just lends to a sad ending.
alodhia1's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely beautiful intertwining of two stories, could not put it down! Breaks your heart but still leaves you with hope
marie_gg's review against another edition
4.0
I've read countless books about India and Pakistan, but this was my first Sri Lankan author. I was particularly interested because I have a friend from high school and a sister-in-law who are both Sri Lankan.
As a debut novel, this book is amazing. Freeman beautifully sets the stage and pace of the story. Latha and Thara grow up together, although one is servant and one is mistress. This is a complicated story of caste, class, and culture, with deep-seated anger and resentment and secrets. Interwoven with their story is another tale, of a woman named Biso who is fleeing an abusive husband with her three children. She is a deeply dedicated mother and wants the very best for her children, although she seems to be terribly unlucky. It's clear how disadvantaged a single woman is in rural Sri Lanka without the support of a man.
During one of the last chapters, I was about to give up on the book. It was so terribly sad. It seems that I've been reading one sad book after another. In the end, though, the book redeems itself.
As a debut novel, this book is amazing. Freeman beautifully sets the stage and pace of the story. Latha and Thara grow up together, although one is servant and one is mistress. This is a complicated story of caste, class, and culture, with deep-seated anger and resentment and secrets. Interwoven with their story is another tale, of a woman named Biso who is fleeing an abusive husband with her three children. She is a deeply dedicated mother and wants the very best for her children, although she seems to be terribly unlucky. It's clear how disadvantaged a single woman is in rural Sri Lanka without the support of a man.
During one of the last chapters, I was about to give up on the book. It was so terribly sad. It seems that I've been reading one sad book after another. In the end, though, the book redeems itself.
asrazaidi2's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jennaw's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
heatherinjapan's review against another edition
I'm reading through my backlist of my huge tbr and this one just didn't stand out to me. I know theres more recent Sri Lankan literature that will hold my attention too and I'd rather get to those.
vrop's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bettyjowerthmann's review against another edition
Gave it about 100 pages but just couldn’t get into the story.
stories_by_sharanja's review against another edition
5.0
I don't think I will ever recover from reading this book. I've never read a novel that had as many tragic female heroines as Ru Freeman's "A Disobedient Girl".
The story alternates between the lives of two Sri Lankan women, one being the young mother, Biso, and the other, Latha, a servant girl who wishes to be more than that.
Biso is running away with her three young children from an abusive husband. We learn that her youngest daughter is also a product of an affair that Biso had with a fellow villager, Suri, who was the love of her life. Suri was murdered by Biso's volatile husband, and this is one in many factors that leads to Biso's leaving of him. She decides to head up-country to her mother's sister's house, where she hopes that she and young ones will be welcomed. But she does not know that this journey will be wrought with tragedy and hard-learned lessons.
Running alongside Biso's story, is the story of Latha, who we meet as a young servant girl in the home of the Vithanages. She is the same as the their daughter, Thara, and growing up they are very close friends. But Vithanages treat Latha like she is an object mean to slave for them, and Latha secretly despises them and their privilege. After discovering that the Vithanages have not been paying her for the years of work she has committed to them, and among other slights, she indulges in a betrayal that will haunt her for the rest of her life.
"A Disobedient Girl" deals heavily with the status of women in Sri Lankan - Sinhalese culture. It was interesting reading about their views on promiscuity, adultery, and social status. It was a little heart breaking at times seeing that regardless of what the main characters did, one of these things would always follow and affect their journey negatively.
When compared, I actually thought Latha's chapters were a bit more exciting to read, if only because her chapters had a lot more mobility going on. Most of Biso's storyline involved her sitting on a train and analyzing each of her children, with the exception of a few traumatic events.
This book also dealt with themes concerning wealth and privilege. One of the key things Ru Freeman seems to state is that the wealthy are careless, and have extreme disregard for those who serve them. This message rings true when applied to the relationship between Thara and Latha, the former only paying attention to Latha when it suits her own purposes.
I have to say that this book did surprise me in terms of plot. When reading Biso and Latha's story lines at first, you would think that the two weren't linked at all, but there is a reason why there perspectives are woven throughout the story. Their journeys are not only mirrored because of their tragedies, but because of the connection these women have between them.
All in all, I enjoyed reading this book very much. I was very satisfied with the ending, especially when Latha finally got herself out of the toxic situation she was in. This book was both liberating and sad for me.
The story alternates between the lives of two Sri Lankan women, one being the young mother, Biso, and the other, Latha, a servant girl who wishes to be more than that.
Biso is running away with her three young children from an abusive husband. We learn that her youngest daughter is also a product of an affair that Biso had with a fellow villager, Suri, who was the love of her life. Suri was murdered by Biso's volatile husband, and this is one in many factors that leads to Biso's leaving of him. She decides to head up-country to her mother's sister's house, where she hopes that she and young ones will be welcomed. But she does not know that this journey will be wrought with tragedy and hard-learned lessons.
Running alongside Biso's story, is the story of Latha, who we meet as a young servant girl in the home of the Vithanages. She is the same as the their daughter, Thara, and growing up they are very close friends. But Vithanages treat Latha like she is an object mean to slave for them, and Latha secretly despises them and their privilege. After discovering that the Vithanages have not been paying her for the years of work she has committed to them, and among other slights, she indulges in a betrayal that will haunt her for the rest of her life.
"A Disobedient Girl" deals heavily with the status of women in Sri Lankan - Sinhalese culture. It was interesting reading about their views on promiscuity, adultery, and social status. It was a little heart breaking at times seeing that regardless of what the main characters did, one of these things would always follow and affect their journey negatively.
When compared, I actually thought Latha's chapters were a bit more exciting to read, if only because her chapters had a lot more mobility going on. Most of Biso's storyline involved her sitting on a train and analyzing each of her children, with the exception of a few traumatic events.
This book also dealt with themes concerning wealth and privilege. One of the key things Ru Freeman seems to state is that the wealthy are careless, and have extreme disregard for those who serve them. This message rings true when applied to the relationship between Thara and Latha, the former only paying attention to Latha when it suits her own purposes.
I have to say that this book did surprise me in terms of plot. When reading Biso and Latha's story lines at first, you would think that the two weren't linked at all, but there is a reason why there perspectives are woven throughout the story. Their journeys are not only mirrored because of their tragedies, but because of the connection these women have between them.
All in all, I enjoyed reading this book very much. I was very satisfied with the ending, especially when Latha finally got herself out of the toxic situation she was in. This book was both liberating and sad for me.