Amal Unbound
Amal’s dream of becoming a teacher were put on hold when she must stay home and tend to her mother, who has not recovered since giving birth to her fourth child. Amal waits with anticipation for the day when she can return to school but an incident with a rich landlord/politician takes her even farther from her dream. Yet, through it all, Amal continues to keep reaching for that dream.
Becoming one of his servants to pay off the debt, Amal works at his lavish estate and believes that she’s working off the debt, that the incident triggered. This is a whole new world for Amal and I enjoyed how Amal handled herself. Locating a library within the estate, Amal begins “borrowing” material until someone spots her and tries to stop her. When she located the library, the first thought that went through my head was Belle from Beauty and the Beast. I imagined her reaction and amazement to be the same and that brought smiles to my face.
Amal is wise and clever, which I feel gives her an edge. She does what’s expected of her and she tries to stay out of trouble. She just wants the debt to be paid off so she can return home and return to her studies.
I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was a fast read and I really liked the character of Amal. She was a bright individual, a character who matured in the novel and someone that I cheered for throughout the whole book.
3
