A Disobedient Girl, Ru Freeman
A Disobedient Girl, Ru Freeman
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A Disobedient Girl
A Novel

Author: Ru Freeman

Narrator: Anne Flosnik

Unabridged: 16 hr

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 09/07/2009

Categories: Fiction, Women


Synopsis

Set against the volatile events of the last forty years of Sri Lankan history, A Disobedient Girl traces the lives of three characters whose interwoven fates and histories force them to answer life's most difficult questions. Beautiful, haunting, alive, and brimming with truth, it is, above all, a novel about extraordinary circumstances that change life in an instant and the power of love to transcend time and place.

The story begins with two little girls, mistress and servant, one with every luxury and opportunity that money can buy and the other with nothing but her yearning for a better life. Together, they grow up bound by love, betrayal, resentment, and an impossible secret.

Then there is Biso, a devoted mother of three, who risks everything to escape from the hands of her tyrannical husband. But her journey, which begins with such hope, takes her on a disastrous path that ultimately leads her to give her life over to strangers she never imagined she would have reason to know, binding her story with that of the girls in the most unexpected and heartbreaking of ways.

A Disobedient Girl is a compelling exploration of personal desire set against the volatile backdrop of class and prejudice, as three women journey toward their future, united by a shared history but separated by different fates. A bold and deeply moving account that spans three decades of love and loss, it is a tale about the will to survive and the incredible power of the human spirit to transcend the unforgiving sweep of tragedy.

About Ru Freeman

Ru Freeman is a Sri Lankan writer whose political journalism and fiction has been published internationally. She lives in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jsiva on February 16, 2025

What a heartwrenching book....Ru does not let you go easy... she layers the sorrow, the fear, the loss, she makes you feel her characters... she makes them stay with you and all their misfortunes, their determination, their hope, their need to be human, respected, accepted... but also you fear their......more

Goodreads review by Emily on May 16, 2016

2.5 stars. The writing was good enough, but I found the story progression difficult. By that I mean I didn't like the way the last 1/3 or more of the book went. Also, I feel like the author made the book really authentic with all of the Indian language, but unfortunately I couldn't understand it. I......more

Goodreads review by Moniqa on March 27, 2015

Freeman's imagery is breathtaking; I fell in love with this book two minutes in. Her narrative and characters are compelling and dynamic. Universal themes and heartbreaking commentary on life as a woman are brought to life in every scene. I adored every minute and strongly recommend the audio book n......more

Goodreads review by Lauren on June 01, 2009

This novel tells the story of Latha and Biso in alternating chapters. It begins with Latha as an unloved little girl, rationalizing her stealing of soap from her employers in order to maintain the hygeine habits of the rich. Latha works as a servant and desires the luxuries that her employers, the V......more

Goodreads review by Karen on January 04, 2014

The writing style, which was circuitous and poetic, was not for me. It took me several chapters to get into the story. The storyline was not bad and the depiction of life in Sri Lanka was interesting even though the writing style made it difficult to enjoy.......more