REVIEW: A Time to Dance

Time for another review!  I read this book back over the summer, but I'm finally cranking out a review for it (isn't it crazy how life can just put things on the back burner?!).  Today's review is on A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman.

 

• Realistic fiction/Multicultural
• Standalone novel 

The Gist: 
Veda is a dance prodigy in India and defines herself by her dance ability.  After being elated at winning a competition, she is in an awful accident and loses a leg.  Veda must now learn to adjust to her new life and learn how to dance all over again.

What I Loved:

• This book showed me a side of a culture that I had never seen before.  I felt like I was learning as I was reading.
• Veda's feelings for her therapist (and his lack of feelings in return) was very real.  I've seen this happen in school settings before and found this representation to be spot-on.
• This book wasn't just about preparing for a competition; it was about learning to readjust your life and loving something so important to you.
• I loved Veda's grandmother.  A great role model in a fictional character! 

 What I Didn't Love:

• As much as I enjoyed learning, there was a LOT to take in with this book.  I did have to do some research (especially on bharatanatyam) to make sure I was following the story correctly.
• Veda's recovery seemed REALLY fast.  From reading Josh Bleill's nonfiction book One Step at a Time, I learned a lot about recovery from losing a body part.  I think Veda should have had more recovery time before dancing so soon.

My favorite quote:
"I love that he's such a gentleman.  I hate that he's such a gentleman."

A fairly enjoyable read for me, but one that I had to focus on in order to fully follow.  Three stars from me!

 
I'll have an outfit for Veda this week so come back to check it out!