A Time to Dance

In this novel in verse set in India, Veda is a Bharatanatyam dancer; her father and beloved grandmother Paati support her, but her mother wishes she would study harder and become an engineer. On the way home after winning a competition, Veda is in a car accident; when she wakes in the hospital, she discovers her right leg has been amputated below the knee. Veda grieves the loss of her leg, but heals and learns to walk again with crutches and a temporary prosthetic while a visiting American doctor makes her a better one. The new prosthetic is better, but Veda's old dance teacher won't take her back; determined to dance, Veda finds a new teacher (and her assistant, handsome Govinda). As Veda relearns her dancing skills and rebuilds her show more life, she comes to a different, deeper understanding of dance than she had before.

Quotes

God's grace moves the mute to eloquence
and inspires the lame to climb mountains. (43)

"Some things you never get used to being without." (Paati to Veda, 51)

"To me, Karma isn't about divine reward or retribution.
Karma is about making wise choices to create a better future.
It's taking responsibility for your actions.
Karma helps me see every hurdle as a chance to grow
into a stronger, kinder soul." (Paati to Veda, 98)

"Your strength...reminds me of the demon
whom Shiva fought,
the demon whose strength doubled
whenever he fell to the ground." (Govinda to Veda, 186)

"Inside you, Veda, I sense the flame of extraordinary courage,
but not enough compassion." (Akka to Veda, 197)

"For me that feeling
of wonder, of awe, of mystery,
of being in touch with something larger,
is as close as God comes." (Govinda to Veda, 240)

She is a pebble skipping
over the surface of a lake.
As I once was.
Not a deep sinking stone that leaves widening ripples behind
after it's disappeared.
As I hope to be. (288)

"There are three kinds of love, Veda.
A healthy love of one's physical self,
compassion for others,
and an experience of God." (Akka, 296)

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Veda has been studying classical dance with a master in Chennai India. She lives and breathes dance. She is dedicated and works hard, but her mother feels she should be applying herself to a goal of being an engineer or doctor. When a devastating injury requires the amputation of her leg Veda is at first defeated and angry, but soon vows to learn again how to use the gifts she has. With renewed determination she begins again, following her dream to become the best interpreter of the Bharantanatyam style.

This is a novel, told entirely in verse, about personal growth, courage, resilience, and the power of art. Venkatraman packs a lot of emotion into a few words. It is an inspiring story of one young woman’s courage, grace and spiritual show more awakening. Veda is a wonderful heroine. Yes, she is young and given to the usual self-absorbed anxieties of teens around the world. But over the course of the novel she comes to realize the true meaning of friendship, love, and sacrifice. She comes to value the gifts she has and learns to share her gifts generously.

I really liked how Venkatraman portrayed the relationships Veda had with family, friends, and teachers. The cultural framework may be very different, but the interpersonal dynamics are universal. I especially loved her grandmother, Paati. I recognized my own contentious relationship with my mother in the way that Veda and Ma interacted. I was reminded of the way my best friend and I would obsess over boys or fashion, or would squabble and make up. I also appreciated that Venkatraman showed us Veda’s self-realization and growth, rather than simply tell us about it. show less

Reading A Time to Dance felt kind of like a breath of fresh air to me. Even though the topics Venkatraman addresses aren't light and breezy ( disabilities, spirituality) the book itself reads in an almost ethereal way. It's written in verse ( a favorite genre) so it reads quickly but it's more a testament to the author's crafting of the story than the genre in this case. Instead of the author telling you about the character and who she is, she lets you read and draw your own conclusions. I I also appreciate Veda's strength and the way she transforms from a young person who has always been the best and received validation for her talent into someone who pursues dance for deeper , more spiritual reasons. This book was also extremely show more informative to me, I love reading about India and I knew nothing at all about the bharatanatyam dance form so I learned a lot. show less

This is not a book that you plop in bed with and read in one sitting, but one that you read in short increments, savoring each chapter, reading and appreciating stanzas over and over again. Padma Venkatraman is an experienced writer and her previous novels have been very good as well. But this one…this one is special. I felt it as soon as I read the prologue. Oh that prologue, so spine-tinglingly wonderful. I tweeted about how much I loved this book before I even finished more than forty pages. (A dangerous thing to do but I just *knew* this one was going to be wonderful.) So good. If you're intrigued by the idea of a novel about bharatnatyam in verse, then you will definitely enjoy this one.

I read this entire book from start to finish in a little less than 3 hours. This was honestly one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. The writing style was simple yet done in such a way the scenery and characters came to life in my head. I adored all of the characters and felt myself feeling their emotions and sympathizing with their struggles. Even though I knew next to nothing about the Hindi culture I still found all of the characters relatable and realistic. I'm probably going to read all of the other books this author has written.

Veda loves to dance and wants to be a Bharatanatyam dancer. When she wins a dancing contest she can hardly contain her joy. But on the way back from the competition, the bus she is riding in is in an accident and Veda loses the lower part of her right leg. She meets Jim, an American who is working in India to collaborate with a team to make cost-effective prosthesis and is going to make Veda one which will allow her to dance again.

This book is written in verse form which I thought was a little odd at first for a YA book. But it works very well and the book is very readable. It contains subtle emphasis on topics which young girls can relate to - body imagery, perseverance after disappointment, and even a little bit of romance. A 5 star show more read for me. show less

A lot of the time when reading about a different culture it can become overwhelming or frustrating when you don’t understand what the characters are talking about or doing. Thankfully, author Padma Venkatraman found a way to immerse me in India’s culture without completely confusing me. I did have trouble picturing Veda dance because I had never heard of the bharatanatyman dance style before. Since Veda spends a large portion of the book dancing, I wanted to be able to see her dance in my mind, so I went on Youtube and watched a couple videos of the dance style which really helped.

Veda was a strong main character whom I admired. It would have been so easy for her to get lost in a downward spiral of depression or self-pity after the show more accident but not Veda. No. She only feels sorry for herself for about two minutes before deciding that she will dance again no matter how hard it is. Her fighter’s spirit and passion for dance were inspiring.

Along Veda’s road to recovery she meets two guys, Jim, the handsome doctor in charge of making her prosthetic and Govinda, also handsome and her new dance instructor. Although we were never given Jim’s age, it was obvious he was much, much older than Veda. Like 30s or 40s, so I found the whole concept of her having a crush on him and asking him out to be a bit uncomfortable. Govinda on the otherhand, was the same age as Veda and became the friend that she needed. Not only does Govinda help her learn to dance again, but he also helps her discover the true meaning of dance.

Overall, this was a beautiful story about a girl who refuses to give up on her dreams, who works hard to overcome the obstacles life has handed her, and once again finds the passion of dance within herself. show less