From Publishers Weekly
In a starred review, PW praised the "eloquent, unpretentious language" and "intoxicating blend of heart-pounding adventure and social issues" of this sequel to Shabanu. Ages 12-up. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
In a follow-up to Shabanu (1989, Newbery Honor), the fourth wife of wealthy Pakistani landowner Rahim is still in her teens; her only child, Mumtaz, is nearly five. Though Shabanu is Rahim's favorite, she comes second to his political duties and must guard vigilantly against the scheming of his jealous older wives, suspicious of her desert origins and independent spirit; their plots go beyond cruel pranks to false accusations and threats of serious harm. While Rahim plans to consolidate family holdings through two marriages--of his spiteful daughter Leyla to her cousin Omar, just returned from the US with a graduate degree; and of his only son Ahmed, a foolish, slobbering idiot, to lovely Zabo, Shabanu's dear friend, daughter of Rahim's vicious brother Nazir (villain of the first book)--the intrigues against Shabanu and Mumtaz escalate. The two find temporary sanctuary in the haveli (mansion) of Rahim's widowed sister in Lahore, where Shabanu helps Zabo hide, in hope of escape, much of the money Nazir has given her for a trousseau; and where Shabanu falls in love--poignantly, without hope--with Omar. Again, Staples imbues Shabanu and her beautiful, brutally repressive world with a splendid reality that transcends the words on the page. The betrayals, violence, and richly sustaining loyalties she invokes in the gripping final events have a convincing inexorability tempered with hope at the tantalizingly open conclusion. A sequel isn't promised, but admirers of the intelligent and courageous Shabanu will thirst for more. Map, list of characters, glossary. (Fiction. 12+) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Review
“Again, Staples imbues Shabanu and her beautiful, brutally repressive world with a splendid reality that transcends the words on the page. Admirers of the intelligent and courageous Shabanu will thirst for more.”—Starred, Kirkus Reviews
“Engrossing . . . a swiftly moving adventure story, set in modern Pakistan.”—School Library Journal, Starred
“Staples brews a potent mix here. . . . Haveli will hold readers with rapt attention.”—Booklist, Starred
“Staples’s portrayal of Pakistan is remarkably even-handed: she acknowledges the society’s inequities while celebrating its beauty and warmth. Intoxicating.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred
Review
?Again, Staples imbues Shabanu and her beautiful, brutally repressive world with a splendid reality that transcends the words on the page. Admirers of the intelligent and courageous Shabanu will thirst for more.??Starred, Kirkus Reviews
?Engrossing . . . a swiftly moving adventure story, set in modern Pakistan.??School Library Journal, Starred
?Staples brews a potent mix here. . . . Haveli will hold readers with rapt attention.??Booklist, Starred
?Staples?s portrayal of Pakistan is remarkably even-handed: she acknowledges the society?s inequities while celebrating its beauty and warmth. Intoxicating.??Publishers Weekly, Starred
Book Description
The world of Newbery Honor book Shabanu is vividly re-created in this
novel of a young Pakistani woman's heartbreaking struggle against the tyranny
of custom and ancient law. Shabanu, now a mother at 18, faces daily challenges
to her position in her husband's household, even as she plans for her young
daughter's education and uncertain future. Then, during a visit to the
haveli, their home in the city of Lahore, Shabanu falls in love with
Omar, in spite of traditions that forbid their union. "Again, Staples imbues
Shabanu and her beautiful, brutally repressive world with a splendid reality
that transcends the words on the page. Admirers of the intelligent and
courageous Shabanu will thirst for more."--(starred) Kirkus.
Card catalog description
Having relented to the ways of her people in Pakistan and married the rich older man to whom she was pledged against her will, Shabanu is now the victim of his family's blood feud and the malice of his other wives. Sequel to "Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind."
From the Inside Flap
The world of Newbery Honor book Shabanu is vividly re-created in this novel of a young Pakistani woman's heartbreaking struggle against the tyranny of custom and ancient law. Shabanu, now a mother at 18, faces daily challenges to her position in her husband's household, even as she plans for her young daughter's education and uncertain future. Then, during a visit to the haveli, their home in the city of Lahore, Shabanu falls in love with Omar, in spite of traditions that forbid their union.
From the Back Cover
"Again, Staples imbues Shabanu and her beautiful, brutally repressive world with a splendid reality that transcends the words on the page. Admirers of the intelligent and courageous Shabanu will thirst for more."--(starred) Kirkus.
About the Author
Suzanne grew up in Pennsylvania, and was a liberal arts major in college. After graduation, she had various jobs, all having something to do with writing and research. Eventually, she landed in Hong Kong, where she became a reporter for United Press International. For six years, Suzanne lived and worked in China, and in 1979, UPI offered Suzanne her own bureau in South Asia. Several extraordinary events happened during her tenure there, including the taking of American hostages in Iran, and the Civil War in Afghanistan. Suzanne also traveled extensively with Indira Gandhi during this time. In 1985, Suzanne went to Pakistan to conduct a study on poor rural woman. It was during this time that she was inspired to write her first children's book, Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind . A sequel to Shabanu , Haveli , soon followed.
Currently, Suzanne Fisher Staples lives with her husband, Wayne Harley, in Mount Dora, Florida, where she continues to write.
Haveli ANNOTATION
Having relented to the ways of her people in Pakistan and married the rich older man to whom she was pledged against her will, Shabanu is now the victim of his family's blood feud and the malice of his other wives. Sequel to "Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind."
FROM THE PUBLISHER
The world of Newbery Honor book Shabanu is vividly re-created in this novel of a young Pakistani woman's heartbreaking struggle against the tyranny of custom and ancient law. Shabanu, now a mother at 18, faces daily challenges to her position in her husband's household, even as she plans for her young daughter's education and uncertain future. Then, during a visit to the haveli, their home in the city of Lahore, Shabanu falls in love with Omar, in spite of traditions that forbid their union.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
In a starred review, PW praised the ``eloquent, unpretentious language'' and ``intoxicating blend of heart-pounding adventure and social issues'' of this sequel to Shabanu. Ages 12-up. (June)
Publishers Weekly
In a starred review, PW praised the "eloquent, unpretentious language" and "intoxicating blend of heart-pounding adventure and social issues" of this sequel to Shabanu. Ages 12-up. (Jan.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Children's Literature - Susie Wilde
Haveli shows us the Pakistan of the upper class and the social constraints that bind the women. It is a tale of a woman's survival against incredible odds. According to the author, every story, every character, every detail is based on real things that happened to real people. Staples wrote her books to push aside the myths that exist in the West about Islamic culture and to expose the richness underneath. There is a haunting quality that invites women of all ages to think about the value systems of different cultures. Due to the material that is sometimes sexual and complex, the book is recommended for mature young adult readers. School Library Journal Best Book.
BookList - Ilene Cooper
"Shabanu": "Daughter of the Wind" (1989), with its wholly realized characters and its glimpses into another culture, had a presence not easily found in young adult books. It is often difficult for a sequel to generate the same excitement evoked by a first novel from a talented, fresh voice, but that is not the case here. "Haveli" will hold readers with the same rapt attention as its predecessors, and their involvement with the young Pakistani woman, Shabanu, her friends, and family will linger. The story picks up five years later. Shabanu, given in marriage to an elderly, powerful man, has now presented him a daughter, Mumtaz, who means everything to her mother. Though her husband adores Shabanu, he has neither the time nor the inclination to protect her from the various cruelties and intrigues that occur in a household where there are three cultured senior wives who look down on Shabanu as a desert interloper. To protect her daughter, Shabanu is constantly making plans for their safety should her husband die, but when Shabanu becomes involved in a plan to save her only friend from a disastrous marriage and begins having feelings for her husband's nephew, her situation becomes increasingly perilous. Staples brews a potent mix here: the issue of a woman's role in a traditional society, page-turning intrigue, tough women characters, and a fluidity of writing that blends it all together. Staples has some very strong things to say about the lack of power some women have over their own lives, but the reader never hears preaching. Rather, as in the best stories, the message comes through the characters, their anguish and their triumphs.
Art & Photography
Book Info
