Shiva's Fire

by Suzanne Fisher Staples

Book Overview

Newbery Honor author Suzanne Fisher Staples turns to India for her newest novel, published to starred reviews, about a young girl whose destiny calls her to dance. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374368244
• ISBN13: 9780374368241
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.9" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

this book is AWESOME

I like the storyline of this book very much, but the thing that astounded me the most was the accuracy. I, like Parvati, am Indian, and I take Bharatanatyam classical dance as well. Everything in the book was completely accurate, and my dance teacher read it as well. If you like learning about other cultures, buy this book TODAY.

Interesting story, Great setting

Our family of four (mom, dad (me!) and two daughters - 10, 13 yrs) listened to the audio casette version of this book on a long long car ride - driving from Minneapolis to Mt. Rushmore this summer. Being from India, it was wonderful to have the sights, smells and flavors of our country observed and transmitted with so much realistic detail in the book. Often, we found ourselves at a rest stop and with none of us wanting to get out of the car as we were at a critical juncture in the development of the story. The story itself is pretty simple, Parvati is a child born with magical powers that puzzle, intimidate and scare people in her village. The family goes through tough times after her father dies and the wonderful bond between Parvati and her mother as well as her brothers are treated with extreme sensitivity. I must confess that there were occasions when I was driving looking straight ahead to keep my family to see that I was crying. Parvati is discovered by a leading dance guru, leaves her family to live in the gurukulam (school) near Madras and grows up to be an extremely accomplished dancer. The final denouement occurs when she returns to the town as a famous dancer.However, I do have some quibbles with the author. While she has set the story in contemporary India, as someone who is familiar with the context, I can say that there are details that don't quite add up. For instance, the ex-maharaja of the province is described as distributing his weight in gold to the public on his birthday - a practice that to the best of my knowledge really stopped in the early part of the century - around WWI. Also in present day India, the local government and the civil service play an important role in managing rescue and rehabilitation efforts after major calamities like the devastating storm in the book. The reliance on the resources of the local maharaja, again is more characteristic of earlier times such as the later part of the 19th century or the early 20th century. However, in my view, the beauty of the narrative and the power of the story are not really diminished by this 'time shift' and it is a masterfully spun tale set in India and generally true to the context. My daughters who are both learning to be dancers from my wife (who is a dancer herself) really identified with Parvati and enjoyed the book enormously.

Shiva's Fire

Shiva's Fire Shiva's Fire, by Suzanne Fisher Staples is an exciting and mysterious book that takes place in the South of India. The book is full of fact and fictional traditions and places. In the story the main character Parvati goes to the gurukulam and school with intensive dance and god/goddess worship study. There she meets her first friend, Nanlini, who gets kidnapped by a band of thieves. After her friend was kidnapped she concentrated only on her dance. After a month the dance instructor told her she was ready for her first performance, which other have to wait at least 5 years to do. In the end Parvati is asked to come and teach at the gurukulam with her own dance instructor, since she has completed the student life of becoming a dancer whom worships the gods. I would recommend this book because it is a thrilling adventure and it shows a different point of view of Indian life style. The author's way of writing the book makes you feel like you are part of the main character going through all of her journeys. One example of a journey is when Parvati is staying at the King's palace and the prince invites her to go wander the palace halls at midnight, but Parvati know she will get into trouble if anyone sees her. In that part of the book the author makes you feel like you are Parvati and wandering the halls at midnight with the handsome prince. You also see a different view of the Indian way of life. Normally when people hear the country India they automatically think of the Taj Mahal. Here you learn that the way of life is much different. A lot of the homes are clay or straw huts and that going to school is a very valuable thing that costs a lot of money. So those are only two of the great reasons of why this book is being recommended. Even though this story was mysterious and exciting some of the words are in Indian which make it confusing. There are at least 10 words in each chapter that are in Indian. This makes it confusing to read sometimes. In the back of the book though, there is a glossary of all the words. So that is why this reason is not a good enough reason to not read this book. If you read it you, you will read the best 270 pages of your life!

Fantastic!

Reading this book I was struck by the vivid images that Staples painted. Parvarti's rich world was wonderful and fanciful. I loved the story and the characters!

A well-written, very descriptive novel. Recommended.

A new novel from the author of Shabanu and Haveli. Parvati is born the same day a cyclone devastates her village in Nandipuram, India, and kills her father. The beginning of the novel tells of her mother's experience as a widow with small children forced to live with a loving uncle and bitter aunt, and of watching her unusual daughter grow up. Parvati is concious of her surroundings from the day of her birth, and remembers everything. Her aunt and the villagers are suspicous and treat her as an outcast, so Parvati grows up without friends. At twelve, a traveling guru seeking students for his traditional Indian dance academy offers Parvati a scholarship. Unsure of leaving her family, she accepts because the "dowry" the academy will pay for her will afford her mother and brothers to move into their own house and land. Once at the school, Parvati does make one friend, but she is again ostracized by the other students for the unusual occurrences that accompany her. Her natural affinity for dancing accelerates her pace through the school, and after only two years of study, she is invited to perform at the birthday party of the Maharaja of Nandipuram. This allows her to visit her family for the first time since she has been away, and to spend a few days in the luxury of the Raja's palace. The contrast between palace life, her impoverished childhood, and the almost monastic existence at the dance academy are stunning, and this is one of the few books I wish was a movie instead because the descriptions of the countryside, the dancing, and opulence of the palace, complete with trained elephants, would be a sight. Staples writing is superb, as usual. Unlike Shabanu, however, the character development is not as strong. The focus of the story is the setting and culture of India, rather then Parvati, or even her mother. This does not necessarily lessen it's value, but makes it a little bit less accessible. Fans of well written novels will enjoy it greatly, but those looking for a traditional main character to empathize and connect with will be disappointed.