HAVELI [Hardcover]

Suzanne Fisher Staples (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 10, 1993

In the sequel to the Newbery Honor-winning Shabanu, Shabanu, now an eighteen-year-old mother, faces daily challenges as she struggles against the harsh customs and ancient traditions of Pakistan and falls in love with a forbidden man.

Editorial Reviews

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. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 259 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (August 10, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679841571
• ISBN-13: 978-0679841579
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,962,285 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW! (really the best word for it!), June 16, 2002

By 

"liaden" (Somewhere Over the Rainbow) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Haveli (Mass Market Paperback)

Shabanu, Staple's first novel, was simply enchanting and fascinating. The sequel, Haveli, was certainly no disapointment. Readers may rejoice at Ms. Staples' excellent storylines and tale: it is well-balanced and brings us back to the small, hard world of Shabanu.

In this book, 18 year old Shabanu is married to a man almost twice her age and has a small daughter whom she devotes her life to. Shabanu must deal with the every day challenges of her harsh life in Pakistan without the family that she has always relied on. The other, older wives of her husband are cruel to her and her daughter, jealous of the young girl whom their husband loves so dearly. Shabanu fears that they might try to harm her and her daughter, and therefore is relieved when they are offered the opportunity to go into the city dwelling of Haveli. There Shabanu finds both peace and a forbidden love. While she battles with her concious, she makes plans for her daughter's education and upbringing. A truly magical tale of real life and of a culture that no one understands.

This book is different from all others. It brings us into a culture we don't understand and, especially in times like these, helps us accept and realize how much like us they really are. I reccomend this book to children ages 10 and up, and adults everywhere who have a love of good books.

One of the best books I have read. As an 8th grader, I read a lot and this book deserves the highest praise. This book will make you rethink your philosophies, and wring your heart. I beg you to read this book!

Happy reading! -Lia

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Different Kind Of Love Story, January 5, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Haveli (Mass Market Paperback)

The book Haveli by Suzanne Fisher Staples, is a poignant sequel to Shabanu. This book is very exciting and poignant and includes a lot of information about the Pakistani culture. Basically imprisoned by her polygamist husband, Rahim, and ridiculed by the other wives, Shabanu and her 6-year-old daughter, Mumtaz, long to return to the Cholistan Desert. But Shabanu has Rahim mesmerized by her mysterious self-confidence and inner beauty. A trip to Rahim's house in the city of Lahore brings Shabanu and Omar together. Omar is also trapped by ingrained traditions. Can Shabanu and Omar free themselves from ancient custom and be able to love one another without restriction? Read this excellent book to find out.

I recommend this book because the reader can learn a lot from reading it. This book is set in the present time but in a totally different half of the world from America. Shabanu practices Islam and lived a nomadic life. In this book there is a lot of description of Islamic customs and you find out what it's like to be a Camel Herder in the Cholistani Desert. Also it thoroughly explains how young women are treated in this culture. Arranged marriages, polygamy, a female's position in a household, and the lives of nomads, are all topics covered in this book. Another noteworthy point about Haveli is that the reader will most definitely find that this is a very compelling love story. There have been other books and movies with the same kind of plot none of which take place in Pakistan or have much to do with the beliefs of the Muslims. This book will touch your heart when you read about two lovers that are forbidden to be together and open your mind when you learn about the nomadic way of life that is practiced in the Middle-East.

One reason why I wouldn't recommend this book is because the author gets off topic and talks about past experiences a lot making it hard to decipher past from present. It is very confusing when the author switches from previous incidents and the current time so quickly. You must read very carefully or continually reread. Although this one flaw makes the book a bit harder to comprehend, once you get into the book, (which is very easy to do) the reader will get used to the author writing style and understand what is being said perfectly. This book is really a riveting tale that gives its readers a lot of insight into this unique culture.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Sequel to Remember, August 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Haveli (Mass Market Paperback)

Many Sequels fail to exceed the stories they follow.....This is an exception. When I first Read "Shabanu Daughter of The Wind" I was without words because the book was so amazing. I even thought Haveli would not be as good as the first book, but I was wrong. It is very rare to find a book where you are always feeling the characters struggles, pain and spirit.(To the point where you may cry or laugh out loud!) Shabanu is a very strong willed girl and when you read this story you will know what I mean. When I put myself in her place I kept thinking how hard it would be for me to do the things she was doing. The things she goes through, the many choices she must make, and the sacrafices are breathtaking. Although "Haveli" fails to pick up where Shabanu left off you are not lost on what has happened because you are given a lot of the background that you missed between the 2 books. The closing line will always stay with me for it shows yet again how she must sacrafice to survive under the circumstances of the world she must live in. I really do wish there were more books to follow these powerful stories....maybe there will be someday. But all we can do is cherish these two books, and hope for coming sequels!