No Title
Serena Shah
STRONG AS FIRE, FIERCE AS FLAME by Supriya Kelkar Scholastic, 2021, 315 pp., 395.00
November 2021, volume 45, No 11

This story is set in 1857 in British India. It is centred around 13-year old Meera, who, at the age of 4, was married off to a 4-year old boy named Krishna. Sadly for Meera, her teenage husband is killed during a trip to Delhi when he is caught in the middle of gunfire during the Mutiny, also known as India’s First War of Independence. This rebellion was a major turning point for British rule in India. Meera’s life is entangled in these historical events as she is caught up in cultural expectations that she does not agree with. Her father expects her to die on her young husband’s funeral pyre, but Meera chooses her own path by running away.
The book’s themes, which entwine history, courage, struggle and freedom are gripping. The story charts Meera’s journey and the people she meets along the way. Fierce characters like Bhavani and Charan, and villains like Captain Keene, the Collector and the cook, make the story come alive. The plot shows the reader how terribly Indians were treated by the British, and how acute gender inequality was back in the 1800s. The reader is gripped by Meera’s determination to forge her own path and write her own destiny.

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