From Publishers Weekly
Holeman (The Linnet Bird) explores the fate of a willful Muslim girl in this exotic and expansive coming-of-age historical romance. Growing up in 19th-century Afghanistan where women are expected to be obedient and subservient, young Daryâ dreams of adventure and freedom. "I could not be obedient," she laments and is consequently cursed by her father's second wife and sold to an abusive nomad. Fearing for her life, she runs away and is rescued by David Ingram, an enigmatic Englishman. He's the first man to show Daryâ kindness, and during a long, perilous journey to Bombay, she falls in love with him. Suppressing his own feelings, David arranges to leave Daryâ behind in India while he returns to England. Desperate to rejoin David, Daryâ agrees to travel to London as the companion of the shady Osric Bull, though he has sinister plans for her. The narrative falters when the setting shifts to London, but fans of the genre will appreciate the vivid rendering of tribal life and the sobering look at what it means to live where it's believed "[m]en are created to enjoy; women to give enjoyment to them."

This story is set in the mid 1800s in Afghanistan, India and England. Darya is born a Muslim Tajik in Afghanistan. She is taught to be obedient and know her place in life (women are seen as little more than slaves). She does try but is curious and intelligent and consequently is continually physically abused by her father. Her father's second wife curses her and her life might as well be over as the village shuns her and she has no prospects whatsoever.

Her father sells her into marriage with a nomad. When Darya fails to provide him with an heir, he also starts to abuse her and finally forces her to run away in fear of her life.

This starts a very perilous journey from Afghanistan to Bombay and then further to England and more abuse.

This was such a sad story. The difference and segregation between the natives and the English colonists is frankly disgusting but common for that period. The naivety of the hero and his supposed good deeds is just so sad. The fact that there are people so willing to take advantage of unfortunates is also sad and has not changed throughout the centuries.

I found this book a little slow to begin with but once the reader gets into the book it is very hard to put down. I wanted to applaud Darya for her courage and strength and had to read to the very end hoping she would finally achieve a better life.

This book is with me now.

Darya is a young Muslim woman growing up in a small town in Afghanistan around the 1850s. She is strong willed, even though this is not appreciated in young women of her culture. She feels that her father does not love her very much and is really only close with her grandmother, who passes away shortly after the story starts. Her grandmother travelled and fell in love with a European man and believes the same fate is waiting for Darya, which helps Darya get through all the upcoming troubles of her live.

After her father decides to take a second wife, who is then found to be cheating with someone from her tribe, the second wife blames Darya and puts a curse on her. After this, no one will wed her, making her have to join a tribe that travel around the country. It's a completely new way of life for her and she knows she will miss her family, but she thinks this is the start of the life her grandmother spoke of.

This is just another example of literature that shows how oppressed females in parts of the Middle East are. Interestingly enough, despite the time frame of the novel being in the 1850s, I felt like it could have been modern day. I'm not sure if this indicates that not much has changed for that region of the world in the past 150 years?

The novel moved well and I got quite engaged with it. There were times where I questioned what Darya was doing and didn't feel as sorry for her as she felt for herself.

My mom, AceofHearts, passed away from breast cancer on September 17, 2013. Aside from being one of the best people I know, she was an avid reader and took immense pleasure in Bookcrossing, her book club, and reading many great books.

Before she passed, she showed me all of her owed books and the books she wanted to give away as RABCKs, making sure that I would send everything on should anything happen. This book was marked for Lauraloo as a RABCK.

Sent today.

What a lovely lovely surprise. Thank you. I will think of AceofHearts fondly. :)

It took me a while, but I did finish this book. I agree with AceofHearts (RIP). A sad story. A disappointing look at humans at times. A good read. Held my interest. It was a slow start, but once I got into it I had to finish.

Sending to the winner of the Canadian Literature Sweepstakes 2020. Congratulations!

The book has safely arrived. Thank you, lauraloo29. I haven't yet read any book by Linda Holeman.

Canada Days Release Challenge 2021