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A Time to Dance

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
Padma Venkatraman’s inspiring story of a young girl’s struggle to regain her passion and find a new peace is told lyrically through verse that captures the beauty and mystery of India and the ancient bharatanatyam dance form. This is a stunning novel about spiritual awakening, the power of art, and above all, the courage and resilience of the human spirit.
 
Veda, a classical dance prodigy in India, lives and breathes dance—so when an accident leaves her a below-knee amputee, her dreams are shattered. For a girl who’s grown used to receiving applause for her dance prowess and flexibility, adjusting to a prosthetic leg is painful and humbling. But Veda refuses to let her disability rob her of her dreams, and she starts all over again, taking beginner classes with the youngest dancers. Then Veda meets Govinda, a young man who approaches dance as a spiritual pursuit. As their relationship deepens, Veda reconnects with the world around her, and begins to discover who she is and what dance truly means to her.
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  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 3, 2014
      Venkatraman (Island’s End) again follows the maturation of a passionate and serious young woman, this time in a verse novel set in contemporary Chennai, India. After teenage classical dancer Veda loses part of her right leg, her teacher doesn’t believe she can succeed even after Veda is outfitted with a prosthesis. Veda joins a new studio, where her perfectionism and determination clash with her instructors’ philosophy of emotional and religious expression. “You dance like a demon,” her attractive young tutor tells her, envying Veda’s strength while inadvertently highlighting her spiritual shortcomings. Aided by a cast of stock characters—a supportive grandmother, a disapproving but loving mother, and a wise older mentor—Veda sets aside her longing for applause and develops the “three kinds of love.... A healthy love of one’s physical self,/ compassion for others,/ and an experience of God.” Veda’s questions about the nature of God, her growth as an artist while performing a Buddhist tale of grief and acceptance, and her transcendent experiences linked to Shiva, often portrayed as a dancer, lend depth to her spiritual journey. Ages 12–up. Agent: Rob Weisbach, Rob Weisbach Creative Management.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Padma Venkatraman narrates her novel-in-verse depicting a young dancer's struggle and resilience after a devastating accident. Sitar music and Venkatraman's lilting accent orient listeners to the exotic Indian setting. Veda passionately studies the classical Indian dance Bharatanatyam, until a car accident leaves her a below-the-knee amputee. Listeners hear Veda's anguish gradually turn to mature, spiritual acceptance as she overcomes her challenges and learns to dance again with a prosthetic limb. Venkatraman's breathy voice and slow pacing capture the rhythm of the lyrical verse and reflect the meditative, sacred space that Veda inhabits when she dances. S.C. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

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  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:720
  • Text Difficulty:3

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