Climbing the Stairs

I read this very quickly, within just a couple of hours.The author very often sounds like they are trying to teach more than tell the story. While I enjoyed this aspect, it's not something that may have worked in a separate book or style.I really loved and related to Vidya and loved that she wasn't a perfect protagonist. She was rash and angry and entirely able to be so, even in a place and world that tried to deny her that anger. Her anger at Raman was refreshing, her relationship with her brother a nice turnaround from the usual spoiled brother/abused daughter we usually see in books. Perhaps on the front of relationships, I would have loved to see more intersection between Vidya and Rifka. Maybe more letters, more time before hand? With so much anger towards the other women in her life, it would have been a good balance to have Rifka more prevalent.But my biggest complaint is honestly the way Vidya spoke of her father, even after her revelation at the end. She spoke of him as if he was dead, and Kitta is the only one to out and out challenge her and still she doesn't change her mind. Vidya's distance and disdain for her father's state is hurtful to read. That she referred to him as "the man/shell who was once her appa" and "dead" and even "idiot" and is ashamed of non-profit even in the end we don't see much reconciliation of this thread of the story.It really made me struggle to sympathize with one of the biggest struggles in the book. I heard Vidya say to others "he's not an idiot!" And thought "but he's dead to you, you call him an idiot yourself." It really muddied up that part of the storyline. It didn't read as her guilt mAking her feel that way. It read mostly as her being ashamed he was no longer the bright and shining doctor.It was unsettling that the author's treated him as dead.But I feel as if the rich exploration of Hinduism and their philosophies and the many ways that can be interpreted was just really amazing. Learning about the rituals and holidays and the different ways they prepare for things in such a natural and well told story was really a gift.if the author reads this, I would like to say: Thank you for writing this book. Despite my complaints, I enjoyed it immensely.

Vidya is an Indian girl in the 1940's with a close knit family. Vidya's father is a doctor and she has a mother and a brother. It is during a march when her father helps a woman who has been thrashed by the British soldiers that he is in turn, viciously beaten and is no longer a vibrant doctor but dependent on his family for his every need. Vidya's family must go live with her father's family, work long hours and endure insults and slurs. Vidya once wanted to attend school and even though this seems impossible now, she longs to get an education, which leads her to get permission from her grandfather to "climb the stairs" and spend time reading in the library. Vidya also brings her baby neice while she pores over the many wonderful books. She also meets Raman who seems to like the same books and leads to many long conversations. Her brother decides to go into the army and fight and is banished from his grandfather's home. Vidya can't understand why he is forsaking her and the family. Will Vidya be able to hold onto her dream of becoming educated and bettering the world like her father, or will she be married off in an arranged marriage?

I teach at an American curriculum high school in Cairo, Egypt. At my school, the 10th grade curriculum for English is geared toward world literature, but when I moved to Egypt I had never taught a course like this. Finding materials that were written by authors from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America was very difficult, and more importantly, finding texts that teenagers could relate to and critically read was even more difficult. This text is not only relevant to the Egyptian teenager, but it is relevant to all teenagers and asks the kind of questions that my students ask in there everyday lives. It was a pleasure to read as an adult, and the buy-in I observed in my classroom was well worth it.

This book turned out to be better than I expected. I enjoyed the main character young adult telling a historic and personal story. For Americans an understanding of India's World War 2 time period is not often heard. The book blends well the Hindu culture and problems of extended family, a young adult maturing,the freedom fight, the British, the tragedy of her father and more to make an interesting tale. Vidya's refuge in the library as well her personal struggles are touching. Plus her connection to Raman develops in a very satisfying manner. Good read.

I shared the book with my mother(Usha) and my daughter(Arathi). All three of us found the plot very engaging and could not put the book down till we finished it. Each of us could identify with Vidya in different ways. The author's narration is so vivid and spontaneous that the characters come to life. The experience of growing up in a 'joint family' is described most realistically. It brought back memories, good and not-so-good, of summer vacations when a whole host of cousins, uncles, aunts would descend on us. The covert hierarchy that exists in extended Indian families is also portrayed very well. In my own family, the more 'successful' and prosperous members were accorded more respect and treated better than the others. They also tended to be about as nasty as Vidya's periamma.I look forward to reading more books by Padma.

I bought this for my girlfriend, and she says it is one of the best books she has ever read. Even if you do not enjoy reading. This book will make you want to keep reading and reading. 11/10 also we got a free book with it too.

I like the story. There are a lot of culture things that I can learn from this novle. I can also learn from the girl Vydia, she is great. Though she has to face a lot of problems come from life, she still hold her dream until it becomes true. Also, for an ESL reader, this book is easy to read and understand. After I read this book, I still sank in the story for very long time. When I face something in my life, I can think about Vydia.

This book is an excellent for young readers.It is well written in an easily accessible language for people from all cultural backgrounds. The book gives a unique glipmse of India and its struggle for freedom.

This is a fascinating and well-written story of the clash of traditional and modern values in the changing world of India under British rule at the time of WWII. The protagonist is an often selfish teenaged girl whose philosophical and intellectual growth is challenged by the harsh realities of the less liberal world around her. The reader learns many interesting things about life in India, the Hindu religion and colonialism as the protagonist matures physically and mentally.The only thing I didn't like about this book was that the author ensured that all the narrow-minded, cruel and foolish characters were overweight and then dwelt on these attributes - but I guess it's really acceptable, after all, everyone hates fat people, right?