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gmamartha's review against another edition
4.0
Set in colonial India... don't know if the kids will appreciate all the small acts of courage that adults can identify in these characters...
alidottie's review against another edition
4.0
Another book I listened to on our trip. This book is about a very likable 15 yr old English girl raised in India in the early 20th century. My daughter pointed out that the description on the book really is like a preface to the actual story which covers quite a bit for a short book.
hayleybeale's review against another edition
3.0
A competent but unthrilling read: the only minor point of interest is the setting - post-WWI India.
jwinchell's review against another edition
2.0
I'll be the first to admit I overuse "amazing" as a descriptor; it's just so easy. I use it even though it smacks of laziness, but I think I have a right to leverage that as a complaint when an author uses it in a title. It strips meaning--I had to start skimming this one because I couldn't figure out what was amazing about these little acts of courage--Rosalind, Aunt Louise. I get it: in our daily lives, we have to take baby steps to make good on our hearts. And I guess there needs to be some fiction with Gandhi as a central character, but it felt too convenient. This novel was chaste and impersonal; Rosalind felt very generic to me. This review is harsh, and I realize I was probably stuck too much in my own experience.
lmellott97's review against another edition
4.0
So I read this way outside of the intended audience range after harboring it on my bookshelf for years. Regardless, I loved this little story and think that it is especially applicable in context with the current black lives matter movement. It’s a different fixture of justice, but nonetheless, an important lesson for all.
barbarianlibarian's review against another edition
2.0
A totally contrived, feel-good, fictional history lesson about late British rule in India. No excitement, nothing that interesting happens the entire book. Only finished it because it was super short. Listened to the audio - the reader was good at least.
librariandest's review against another edition
4.0
15-year-old Rosalind is the smart and sympathetic narrator of this lovely story about a British girl coming of age in India during the push for Indian independence. The book has the feel of an old-fashioned classic, making it suitable for readers as young as 5th grade, even though it's technically YA. It's full of very interesting questions about identity (how can Rosalind follow her heart and also please her father?) and compassion (even though she's supposed to be loyal to the British crown, Rosalind understand why Indians want their independence).
I thought Rosalind's maiden aunts, Ethel and Louise, were a bit flat and stereotypical, but, as devices, they contributed nicely to the themes being explored in the story. Ethel is so firmly attached to her identity as a frugal, upright British citizen that she's unbending and unsympathetic. Louise is practically Ethel's ward, though she has the ability to strike out and follow her heart.
Some small acts of amazing courage that stood out for me: Rosalind trying to save the baby, Rosalind going to see Gandhi speak, Aunt Louise standing up to Aunt Ethel, and the young Indian boy Ravi braving cold England for his education.
I thought Rosalind's maiden aunts, Ethel and Louise, were a bit flat and stereotypical, but, as devices, they contributed nicely to the themes being explored in the story. Ethel is so firmly attached to her identity as a frugal, upright British citizen that she's unbending and unsympathetic. Louise is practically Ethel's ward, though she has the ability to strike out and follow her heart.
Some small acts of amazing courage that stood out for me: Rosalind trying to save the baby, Rosalind going to see Gandhi speak, Aunt Louise standing up to Aunt Ethel, and the young Indian boy Ravi braving cold England for his education.
nanapanko's review against another edition
5.0
Such a fun read! I enjoyed the depth of the characters as well as the various dynamics between Rosalind and her family. The way Whelan depicts Rosalind's world amidst 1918 India is both beautiful and enticing, and she touches upon social and political issues just enough to inform her younger audience but not overwhelm. As an adult reading this book, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Rosalind's journey but wished for a much more intricate novel in order to find out more about the characters and setting. I definitely recommend this book as well as its sequel, ALL MY NOBLE DREAMS AND THEN WHAT HAPPENS. I hope there will be more books to come!
wiseowl33's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book. It was a bit simplistic in the way it began the heavy topic of Gandhi, but then really never finished that portion of the tale, only to how it related to Aunt Louise, which was great! But still left me wondering how the quest for freedom affected her family in the end. Here she LOVED India, but her desire for Indian self-rule could require her to leave the country she loved. The book was good though.