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Temple Dancer
On a crowded train in southern India, a mysterious encounter between two women-one an older elegant Indian, the other a young American artist-leads to the exchange of a dusty red book, and an appeal: You must show the world how we danced with God! Years later, on reading the lost diary, Wendy is transported on an unforgettable journey into the ancient and erotic world of the revered devadasi, a world of dance and devotion, music and mysticism, restraint and release, shame and disgrace. The diary opens a connection across time and space between two parallel lives that include affairs of the spirit and the flesh manifest through sacred practices, through the making of art, the making of love, and most of all through love itself.
Author Amy Weintraub takes readers on a richly atmospheric journey deep into the history and magic of female sacred sexuality and spiritual transcendence. The tragic yet triumphant stories of both women are enriched by the foundations of yoga philosophy and the divine enigma that entwines the lives of two unlikely souls.
Author Amy Weintraub takes readers on a richly atmospheric journey deep into the history and magic of female sacred sexuality and spiritual transcendence. The tragic yet triumphant stories of both women are enriched by the foundations of yoga philosophy and the divine enigma that entwines the lives of two unlikely souls.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 8, 2020
22 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Amy Weintraub
16 books22 followersAmy Weintraub is a pioneer in the yoga and mental health field and the bestselling author of Yoga for Depression, and Yoga Skills for Therapists. She is the recipient of the Allen Tate Memorial Award for the Short Story and a finalist for the William Faulkner Award for the Novel. Amy is proud to be both a teacher and student of yoga. A sought-after speaker, she's been interviewed on radio, podcasts, and television.
Her first novel, TEMPLE DANCER, is a provocative, rich tale of love that raises compelling concerns, and will tap the flow of your senses.
"I was once a television producer suffering from depression. When I began to practice yoga, my writing aligned with my life’s purpose, and I began to write articles and books and founded the LifeForce Yoga Healing Institute®, which today serves clients and trains yoga and mental health professionals around the globe. I'm passionate about the healing powers of yoga, and also the power of art—music, dance, visual art, poetry and most especially the writing of fiction."
Stay tuned for her Yoga for Depression and Anxiety Card Deck coming out from Sounds True in the spring.
IG: https://www.instagram.com/amylifeforc...
FB: https://www.facebook.com/amyweintraub...
YT: https://www.youtube.com/c/AmyWeintrau...
GR: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
AZ: https://www.amazon.com/Amy-Weintraub/...
TW: https://twitter.com/AmyWeintraub2
Her first novel, TEMPLE DANCER, is a provocative, rich tale of love that raises compelling concerns, and will tap the flow of your senses.
"I was once a television producer suffering from depression. When I began to practice yoga, my writing aligned with my life’s purpose, and I began to write articles and books and founded the LifeForce Yoga Healing Institute®, which today serves clients and trains yoga and mental health professionals around the globe. I'm passionate about the healing powers of yoga, and also the power of art—music, dance, visual art, poetry and most especially the writing of fiction."
Stay tuned for her Yoga for Depression and Anxiety Card Deck coming out from Sounds True in the spring.
IG: https://www.instagram.com/amylifeforc...
FB: https://www.facebook.com/amyweintraub...
YT: https://www.youtube.com/c/AmyWeintrau...
GR: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
AZ: https://www.amazon.com/Amy-Weintraub/...
TW: https://twitter.com/AmyWeintraub2
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
May 19, 2020
This book drew me in from the start and I couldn't put it down. Written at a great pace and filled with beautiful scenery, it captured my heart and made me hold my breath on several occassions.
A chance meeting on a train takes the reader back to 1940's India and the centuries old tradition of temple dancers.
Meditation, yoga and Hindu religion are the main themes, as well as the bond and separation of mothers and daughters.
The chapters travel between modern day USA and historic India, giving an indepth account of the lives of both women on the time scale.
The end has a surprising twist, but also pulled me right back into the modern world, which was quite a shock after spending such an amazing time in the old country.
Temple Dancer is an astonishing story of karma and dharma, love and loss and the strength of women in a patriarch society.
Thank you Netgalley and Tumamoc Press for the ARC.
A chance meeting on a train takes the reader back to 1940's India and the centuries old tradition of temple dancers.
Meditation, yoga and Hindu religion are the main themes, as well as the bond and separation of mothers and daughters.
The chapters travel between modern day USA and historic India, giving an indepth account of the lives of both women on the time scale.
The end has a surprising twist, but also pulled me right back into the modern world, which was quite a shock after spending such an amazing time in the old country.
Temple Dancer is an astonishing story of karma and dharma, love and loss and the strength of women in a patriarch society.
Thank you Netgalley and Tumamoc Press for the ARC.
September 8, 2020
A striking work in its ferocity, honesty and depth. I was transfixed by the embodied devotion expressed by the devadasi, Sarasvati. whose courage and esteem informs the experiences of the characters across time and bloodline. I met myself on some level in each character, so hungry was I for the voice of Sarasvati as it resonates through the hearts of all women seeking truth and dignity. This work is a soaring accomplishment, rich in cultural detail and grounded in feminine resilience.
September 9, 2020
After reading Temple Dancer, I was immersed in gratitude for this story that blessed Amy Weintraub’s world 26 years ago. Amy has now blessed her readers with a glimpse into this sacred aspect of Indian culture that has been lost. I was fascinated to meet Saraswati and follow the evolution of her societal status as she left her family to become a revered devadasi (“servant of god”), whose art of dance was an essential part of temple worship. When she prepared to dance in ecstatic union with god, I felt the exquisite fabrics of her saris, saw her gleaming gold jewelry and smelled the rich fragrance of oils applied to her braided hair. All this, juxtaposed with the contemporary story by the narrator Wendy, whose life evolved through her own yoga and her daughter’s passion for dance, produce a novel that weaves together two splendid tales.
December 5, 2020
The Divine Feminine is alive and well! A wonderfully imaginative, intriguing read. Two women who are worlds apart are mystically united through love, devotion, tragedies, shame and supreme redemption. Some scenes are intense, albeit beautifully written; the twin stories provocative, thoughtful, and the research into the devadasi culture is solid. Stays with you!
September 17, 2020
This narrative carried me along quickly as it wove back and forth between two women in different times and culture. The historical story of the Indian temple dancer captivates the imagination and ultimately, the healing of the contemporary narrator. I found the plunge into the Devadasi culture compelling. There is a mystery around how one narrator discovers and tries to understand the other. Both characters struggle with trauma, loss and the historical events that surround them. The story raises important questions about what it means to love, to be empowered sexually, to mother and remain loyally connected to those we love despite disconnection and trauma.
I found the novel to be thought provoking and some of my questions were answered by the Author's Note. Curious readers may find it helpful to refer to this section during the reading of the novel. We are indeed fortunate that the author listened and followed her intuition in breathing life into this history.
I found the novel to be thought provoking and some of my questions were answered by the Author's Note. Curious readers may find it helpful to refer to this section during the reading of the novel. We are indeed fortunate that the author listened and followed her intuition in breathing life into this history.
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September 10, 2020Temple Dancer is the story of two women whose lives are lived in different cultures, countries and times. Despite these vast differences both women confront challenges between what they most desire and the roles their families and the larger culture expect of them. On the surface, Saraswati, the devadasi faces fewer choices and tighter constraints than the modern day Wendy but both women find themselves in the struggle between the limits of duty and opportunities for self-agency and self-expression; Saraswati through dance and Wendy through art. Amy Weintraub seamlessly and skillfully weaves these two stories together as she explores the mystery around Saraswati’s story from long ago and the complications Wendy faces in today’s world.
However far apart their journeys seem, they are connected by their sense of self, and their search for clarity and connection with something larger than themselves. You know you’re reading a novel but the two stories ring true and hold valuable lessons for any reader on the path to self-awareness who’s looking for some good entertainment on the way.
A riveting read. We are left with the mystery surrounding Saraswati. Was her story fact or fiction? What actually happened her and who was the woman on the train who gave Wendy the journal? Maybe we’re in for a sequel? I hope so! — Beth Gibbs, M. A., author of Ogi Bogi, The Elephant Yogi, a therapeutic yoga book for children of all ages, and the forthcoming, Enlighten Up! The Five Layers of Self-Awareness.
However far apart their journeys seem, they are connected by their sense of self, and their search for clarity and connection with something larger than themselves. You know you’re reading a novel but the two stories ring true and hold valuable lessons for any reader on the path to self-awareness who’s looking for some good entertainment on the way.
A riveting read. We are left with the mystery surrounding Saraswati. Was her story fact or fiction? What actually happened her and who was the woman on the train who gave Wendy the journal? Maybe we’re in for a sequel? I hope so! — Beth Gibbs, M. A., author of Ogi Bogi, The Elephant Yogi, a therapeutic yoga book for children of all ages, and the forthcoming, Enlighten Up! The Five Layers of Self-Awareness.
September 23, 2020
I’m so happy for my friend and yoga colleague, Amy Weintraub, on the publication of her debut novel, Temple Dancer. There is much to admire in this nested narrative, which straddles the journeys of two women seeking meaningful lives through art, service, relationship, and devotion to the divine, one as a temple dancer in mid-20th century India, the other as a social worker/yoga teacher in 21st century United States.
Weintraub brings to life the culture of India’s centuries-old tradition of temple dancers, or devadasis, women who dedicated their lives to god, performed sacred dances for a variety of ceremonial occasions, and cared for the temples. While remaining unmarried, these women were free to take lovers, whether short or long term. They often amassed wealth and some acquired property.
Weintraub’s gifts as a storyteller shine as she depicts the life of Saraswati, the temple dancer of the novel’s title, from her dual awakening to both ecstatic dance and devotion to the divine through her time as a devadasi until devadasis were outlawed in 1947. This part of the novel is convincingly told in the voice of Saraswati in memoir-like form.
Sarawsati’s story is embedded in the story of Wendy, the novel’s main narrator, as she reckons with her life as an artist, wife, mother, daughter, lover, social worker, yogini, and yoga teacher. Wendy receives the manuscript of Saraswati’s story from a mysterious woman she meets on a train in India, promising to bring the story to a wider audience. After the manuscript goes missing for 20 years, it comes back into Wendy’s possession, and as it does an opportunity opens for Wendy to make good on her promise.
In braiding these two stories, Weintraub weaves feminist themes around the conflicts inherent in living a life of devotion through art and spiritual practice while taking on traditional female roles associated with being a daughter, wife, and mother, not to mention the perils of stepping outside of those roles. As Weintraub shows, these conflicts are no less real for US women in 21st century than for women living according to the mores of a more traditional culture in mid-twentieth century India.
Temple Dancer offers much food for thought at this time in American life when women’s autonomy and equal rights for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are, once again, being challenged and gains made over the past 50 years at risk of being eroded.
Weintraub brings to life the culture of India’s centuries-old tradition of temple dancers, or devadasis, women who dedicated their lives to god, performed sacred dances for a variety of ceremonial occasions, and cared for the temples. While remaining unmarried, these women were free to take lovers, whether short or long term. They often amassed wealth and some acquired property.
Weintraub’s gifts as a storyteller shine as she depicts the life of Saraswati, the temple dancer of the novel’s title, from her dual awakening to both ecstatic dance and devotion to the divine through her time as a devadasi until devadasis were outlawed in 1947. This part of the novel is convincingly told in the voice of Saraswati in memoir-like form.
Sarawsati’s story is embedded in the story of Wendy, the novel’s main narrator, as she reckons with her life as an artist, wife, mother, daughter, lover, social worker, yogini, and yoga teacher. Wendy receives the manuscript of Saraswati’s story from a mysterious woman she meets on a train in India, promising to bring the story to a wider audience. After the manuscript goes missing for 20 years, it comes back into Wendy’s possession, and as it does an opportunity opens for Wendy to make good on her promise.
In braiding these two stories, Weintraub weaves feminist themes around the conflicts inherent in living a life of devotion through art and spiritual practice while taking on traditional female roles associated with being a daughter, wife, and mother, not to mention the perils of stepping outside of those roles. As Weintraub shows, these conflicts are no less real for US women in 21st century than for women living according to the mores of a more traditional culture in mid-twentieth century India.
Temple Dancer offers much food for thought at this time in American life when women’s autonomy and equal rights for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are, once again, being challenged and gains made over the past 50 years at risk of being eroded.
January 9, 2021
Jayna here! I received a free copy of Temple Dancer in exchange for my honest review on the Two Bluestockings Podcast.
Temple Dancer is a combination of two stories—two women who are very different but who share some similarities. Wendy is a social worker recovering from a divorce and traumatic experiences. Saraswati is a devadasi (yes, I pronounced it wrong on the podcast. Yes, I’m very embarrassed.), a dancer in the Hindu temples.
First, I know very little about Indian culture, but Amy did her homework. In her author’s note she shares a few things: 1) She did her research, but also took her book to several Indian friends to make sure the book was not just another westernized version of Indian culture. 2) She remarks that even though—from a western perspective, the devadasi are seen as merely prostitutes—they were held in very high regard in Hindu culture for a time. They tended the temple and performed sacred rites.
I give the book four stars. On the podcast, I said 3.5 to 4, but I honestly had to push it to a 4. I identified with their devotion and grieved as their devotion failed to pay off like they hoped it would. Saraswati’s faithfulness did not protect her when the Brahmin rose to power, nor did it dull the pain of some of her experiences. Wendy’s search for truth didn’t keep her daughter safe, nor did it guarantee her marriage. In fact, religion did very little to smooth the way for these two.
Weintraub’s characters are real. They’re raw. Sometimes they’re even ugly as they’re stripped bare and have to reconstruct their faith. This is a very relatable feeling no matter which religion you ascribe to.
Sexual Content—5 out of 5. There are some disturbing sexual scenes in this book. However, they’re not gratuitous. They are very realistic.
Violence—3 out of 5. The violence is present, but most of it happens off the page; as in, the violence is impending, the story stops and picks up again when it’s over.
Thematic Materials—5 out of 5. There are some disturbing scenes and references to traumatic events.
Language—2 out of 5. Honestly, I don’t remember any curse words. However, some of the conversations are uncomfortable.
Overall Rating—4 out of 5. It’s definitely worth the read.
Temple Dancer is a combination of two stories—two women who are very different but who share some similarities. Wendy is a social worker recovering from a divorce and traumatic experiences. Saraswati is a devadasi (yes, I pronounced it wrong on the podcast. Yes, I’m very embarrassed.), a dancer in the Hindu temples.
First, I know very little about Indian culture, but Amy did her homework. In her author’s note she shares a few things: 1) She did her research, but also took her book to several Indian friends to make sure the book was not just another westernized version of Indian culture. 2) She remarks that even though—from a western perspective, the devadasi are seen as merely prostitutes—they were held in very high regard in Hindu culture for a time. They tended the temple and performed sacred rites.
I give the book four stars. On the podcast, I said 3.5 to 4, but I honestly had to push it to a 4. I identified with their devotion and grieved as their devotion failed to pay off like they hoped it would. Saraswati’s faithfulness did not protect her when the Brahmin rose to power, nor did it dull the pain of some of her experiences. Wendy’s search for truth didn’t keep her daughter safe, nor did it guarantee her marriage. In fact, religion did very little to smooth the way for these two.
Weintraub’s characters are real. They’re raw. Sometimes they’re even ugly as they’re stripped bare and have to reconstruct their faith. This is a very relatable feeling no matter which religion you ascribe to.
Sexual Content—5 out of 5. There are some disturbing sexual scenes in this book. However, they’re not gratuitous. They are very realistic.
Violence—3 out of 5. The violence is present, but most of it happens off the page; as in, the violence is impending, the story stops and picks up again when it’s over.
Thematic Materials—5 out of 5. There are some disturbing scenes and references to traumatic events.
Language—2 out of 5. Honestly, I don’t remember any curse words. However, some of the conversations are uncomfortable.
Overall Rating—4 out of 5. It’s definitely worth the read.
September 10, 2020
As a C-IAYT Yoga Therapist and an outstanding teacher of yoga therapy as it pertains to Depression, Amy has won the heart of many with her profound insights. An author of two previous ground-breaking books, Amy now brings us her first novel, a spiritual thriller. With each page we turn, we realize we are reading a very profound piece of work, addressing many issues that face us all today. The presence of depression, with all its trimmings, weaves itself throughout the book with thoughtful awareness from both the main characters, Wendy and Saraswati. In addition, very present is the awareness of living in a patriarchal society. Both Wendy and Saraswati take us through all the emotions this awareness elicits. We see the strong growth of each woman as she reclaims her true identity, her true Self. All of this in a page-turning thriller that is hard to put down!! I recommend this book highly
September 15, 2020
Be prepared to not be able to put this book down. Amy captured me from the first page and I am encouraging all my friends to read this lovely tale that draws you into the lives of two women separated by generations and countries but brought together in the search for self-discovery via a small red book. The author offers insights into the life of a devadasi, a temple dancer in India in the 1930’s, through the eyes of a current social worker/yogi pursuing her own personal healing.
September 8, 2020
In this, her first novel, Amy Weintraub has catapulted herself into the realm of august authors such as Anita Diamant and Jodi Picoult.
Temple Dancer is certainly a well-written and ejoyable novel. But it is more than that. It invites the reader into sharing a reflective journey of life discovery, as it traces the parallel lives ot its two main characters across decades.
Amy Weintraub takes us on a ‘dance’, through lives lived in India, in a Western ashram and in urban United States. As with all masterfully written stories, Temple Dancer is rich with themes that offer the opportunity for the reader to undertake their own self-inquiry and become inspired to find answers to the questions and dilemmas that life presents.
For those who don’t want to delve too deep, Temple Dancer can equally be read simply as a delightful novel or derring do, love and loss.
This is certainly one of the most engaging novels I have read in recent years. Kudos Amy Weintraub!
Leigh Blashki
September 11, 2020
Temple Dancer is the most moving story that I have ever read. As a long term practitioner of many Eastern healing modalities and philosophies, this story really resonated with me on many different levels of Consciousness all at once.
The multidimensional experience of one woman’s life in the West intertwined with another woman who lived her life deeply immersed within Vedic culture was like being transported into two lives at once in a way that I have never experienced.
Amy has crafted a very rich compelling, and deeply healing story which both took me on a journey of a lifetime and also enlightened me and taught me some very eye-opening and life-affirming lessons.
The multidimensional experience of one woman’s life in the West intertwined with another woman who lived her life deeply immersed within Vedic culture was like being transported into two lives at once in a way that I have never experienced.
Amy has crafted a very rich compelling, and deeply healing story which both took me on a journey of a lifetime and also enlightened me and taught me some very eye-opening and life-affirming lessons.
September 29, 2020
I received this book as an ARC from Smith Publicity, Inc., and am providing an honest review.
Temple Dancer by Amy Weintraub traces the parallel stories of Wendy Rabin, a woman struggling with the breakup of her marriage and the years following as she tries to build a new life and mend relationships from the past. She is a serious student of yoga and meditation, which is a help but sometimes a hindrance as she navigates life with her husband, parents and in-laws, daughter, and lover.
On a trip to India for a visit to her yoga guru, she encounters an old Indian woman on a train who gives her a manuscript, written in Kannada, a language spoken in the southwest region of India. Of course, Wendy Rabin has no knowledge of the language. She finds a professor who is able to translate the manuscript, but he passes away before he is able to give it to her. Twenty years pass before the professor’s son locates the manuscript in his father’s possessions, tracks down Wendy, and sends it to her.
The woman in the manuscript, known as Saraswati, had been a devadasi, a sacred temple dancer. With a combination of spirituality and sexuality, the devadasi enjoyed high social status in most areas of India, but it began to decline during the colonial era, when they were considered prostitutes.
The parallel stories bring meaning to the lives of both women. Both Wendy Rabin and Saraswati are women searching for a spiritual place in a world dominated by men. The stories flow with the grace of a yoga practice. It made me wonder why there aren’t more novels that incorporate yoga as parts of the story.
This is Amy Weintraub’s first novel, and I very much hope she will write more.
Temple Dancer by Amy Weintraub traces the parallel stories of Wendy Rabin, a woman struggling with the breakup of her marriage and the years following as she tries to build a new life and mend relationships from the past. She is a serious student of yoga and meditation, which is a help but sometimes a hindrance as she navigates life with her husband, parents and in-laws, daughter, and lover.
On a trip to India for a visit to her yoga guru, she encounters an old Indian woman on a train who gives her a manuscript, written in Kannada, a language spoken in the southwest region of India. Of course, Wendy Rabin has no knowledge of the language. She finds a professor who is able to translate the manuscript, but he passes away before he is able to give it to her. Twenty years pass before the professor’s son locates the manuscript in his father’s possessions, tracks down Wendy, and sends it to her.
The woman in the manuscript, known as Saraswati, had been a devadasi, a sacred temple dancer. With a combination of spirituality and sexuality, the devadasi enjoyed high social status in most areas of India, but it began to decline during the colonial era, when they were considered prostitutes.
The parallel stories bring meaning to the lives of both women. Both Wendy Rabin and Saraswati are women searching for a spiritual place in a world dominated by men. The stories flow with the grace of a yoga practice. It made me wonder why there aren’t more novels that incorporate yoga as parts of the story.
This is Amy Weintraub’s first novel, and I very much hope she will write more.
September 10, 2020
Amy Weintraub shared a beautiful story tapestry weaving a committed yogi’s serendipitous meeting with a mysterious and fascinating traveler. As the tale unfolds and the red book shares its secrets, connections are made – to people of the past, forbidden and hidden cultural traditions, impact of family, and the love of music and dance. The only sad thing is that the story ended and I will miss all the characters.
Beth Avner, Sandboxology.com
Beth Avner, Sandboxology.com
September 8, 2020
I always enjoy a good book that transports me, inviting me into another world. Temple Dancer is one of those, bringing together spirituality with a psychological inquiry framed in important social justice concerns. I was mesmerized as Amy Weintraub took me into little corners of India integrating that with our current time.
I found I couldn't put it down even as we were moving out of a house we'd lived in for 20 years. I'd relish those moments at the end of the day, or early morning before the hubbaloo started where I could dive into Saraswati's life. Can't wait for the next one Amy writes!
I found I couldn't put it down even as we were moving out of a house we'd lived in for 20 years. I'd relish those moments at the end of the day, or early morning before the hubbaloo started where I could dive into Saraswati's life. Can't wait for the next one Amy writes!
September 9, 2020
Temple Dancer was an engaging dance between a modern day tale of a healing struggle for purpose and an exotic world I'd never been to before. This nicely paced adventure grabbed my attention with the chance opening encounter on a train and never let go through the closing smoke and embers. I'm both satisfied and left wanting to know so much more...what any good read does. Weintraub paints a world that blurs the two tales seamlessly and left me somewhat breathless at the end. Step out onto this dance floor and be moved in fun, unexpected ways!
June 12, 2020
Temple Dancer by Amy Weintraub is the story of two women from different worlds and times. Wendy studies and practices yoga and often spends time at an ashram in India and one in the Blue Ridge. She has been divorced and has an adult daughter, Becky.
During one of her trips to India, she was given a small red book by a stranger as she shared a seat on a train. Twenty years later she has the diary translated and begins to read of the Indian culture of gifted devadasi dancers which was forbidden in the temples in 1947. Saraswati's story in the diary ends with great sadness. Wendy is later shocked to learn of a connection to this diary as she meets her daughter's new partner, Abhi. It seems the diary and dancers have come full circle in Wendy's life.
If you enjoy yoga and the study of Indian religious culture you will be sure to enjoy Temple Dancer.
I did find the story in the diary of Saraswati to be very sad. The custom of very young girls being sold for sex in the name of "Dedication" is very upsetting, no matter the culture. I do not think it should be romanticized. Exploiting children for sex, especially in the name of God/Goddess and for the gain of the parents and teachers is never acceptable.
Publication Date: September 8, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
During one of her trips to India, she was given a small red book by a stranger as she shared a seat on a train. Twenty years later she has the diary translated and begins to read of the Indian culture of gifted devadasi dancers which was forbidden in the temples in 1947. Saraswati's story in the diary ends with great sadness. Wendy is later shocked to learn of a connection to this diary as she meets her daughter's new partner, Abhi. It seems the diary and dancers have come full circle in Wendy's life.
If you enjoy yoga and the study of Indian religious culture you will be sure to enjoy Temple Dancer.
I did find the story in the diary of Saraswati to be very sad. The custom of very young girls being sold for sex in the name of "Dedication" is very upsetting, no matter the culture. I do not think it should be romanticized. Exploiting children for sex, especially in the name of God/Goddess and for the gain of the parents and teachers is never acceptable.
Publication Date: September 8, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
September 9, 2020
Temple Dancer is mesmerizing! Brilliant prose, textured characters, a nuanced plot. Cancel your classes (or whatever you were planning to do tomorrow), and simply enjoy the unfolding story. You could put it down (perhaps to do something important like eat), but you won’t want to. It is that good. I haven’t been this engrossed in a book for a very long time. Congratulations on your first novel, Amy Weintraub! I hope there are many more to come.
July 18, 2020
Had I not spent forty of the last years practising Yoga on and off, I might not have been interested in this work. Amy Weintraub is well known in U.S. Yoga circles and, in the past, produced several non-fiction books on the subject.
This, her first fictional effort, centres around the now banned Indian culture of the Devadasi or temple dancer. Formerly outlawed in 1988, the practise, a thinly veiled form of prostitution steeped in ritual and tradition is an early form of trafficking, since most of the girls were very young when bound into service.
The work, well written, but without the burden of brilliance, stages itself within the lines of a diary handed to our main protagonist, Wendy Rabin, on a train travelling to Chennai. Woven into the story of Saraswati, the Temple Dancer of the title, are the triumphs and tragedies of both women’s lives, albeit, a generation apart.
Readers committed to the esoteric arts will love this.
Thanks to Tumamoc Press and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this work
Complete review and additional material : Booksoup Blog:
This, her first fictional effort, centres around the now banned Indian culture of the Devadasi or temple dancer. Formerly outlawed in 1988, the practise, a thinly veiled form of prostitution steeped in ritual and tradition is an early form of trafficking, since most of the girls were very young when bound into service.
The work, well written, but without the burden of brilliance, stages itself within the lines of a diary handed to our main protagonist, Wendy Rabin, on a train travelling to Chennai. Woven into the story of Saraswati, the Temple Dancer of the title, are the triumphs and tragedies of both women’s lives, albeit, a generation apart.
Readers committed to the esoteric arts will love this.
Thanks to Tumamoc Press and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this work
Complete review and additional material : Booksoup Blog:
August 20, 2020
Amy Weintraub is a masterful storyteller.
In Temple Dancer she intricately weaves two mismatched threads, one contemporary, one distant, into a suspenseful tale of passion and loss, mystery and transformation. Crossing time, culture and tradition, the lives of two women, both spiritual seekers, both conflicted, are bound together in this fascinating novel.
Detailed descriptions of the life of Saraswati, the temple dancer in the story-within-a-story, are compelling and illustrate the author’s devotion to research and highlight her vivid imagination. The modern-day Wendy, reader of the lost notebook, struggles to make sense of what she has uncovered and find a way to integrate it into her own life.
Swept away to a foreign land and then gently returned to Wendy in the retreat center, I found myself caught up in the tension between the two stories. Beautiful writing kept me absorbed until the surprise ending.
~Penelope Starr
Author of The Radical Act of Community Storytelling: Empowering Voices in Uncensored Events.
In Temple Dancer she intricately weaves two mismatched threads, one contemporary, one distant, into a suspenseful tale of passion and loss, mystery and transformation. Crossing time, culture and tradition, the lives of two women, both spiritual seekers, both conflicted, are bound together in this fascinating novel.
Detailed descriptions of the life of Saraswati, the temple dancer in the story-within-a-story, are compelling and illustrate the author’s devotion to research and highlight her vivid imagination. The modern-day Wendy, reader of the lost notebook, struggles to make sense of what she has uncovered and find a way to integrate it into her own life.
Swept away to a foreign land and then gently returned to Wendy in the retreat center, I found myself caught up in the tension between the two stories. Beautiful writing kept me absorbed until the surprise ending.
~Penelope Starr
Author of The Radical Act of Community Storytelling: Empowering Voices in Uncensored Events.
November 26, 2020
I am so disappointed in this book. I heard author Amy Weintraub when she was a guest on JBrown's yoga podcast and was happy to purchase the book in support of her work. As is frequently the case where an author attempts to tie two very disparate stories, timelines, plots, etc this is messy. The historical aspect of Saraswati's diary, which was given to Wendy on a train..... what a tired trope!, (which Weitraub claims was "downloaded" to her) are interesting. The bouncing back and forth between Wendy's past, marriage falling apart and artistic abandonment, and her "yogic" meditation/psychology practice is just too NOISY. I find no entertainment, enlightenment or comfort in reading this mess. So very disappointed. Very, Very, Very.
actually not even one star... but have to show I didn't ignore or forget.
actually not even one star... but have to show I didn't ignore or forget.
October 16, 2020
A meeting of chance, or of karmic fate, find two women from very different eras and cultures sitting side by side on a train in India. Some other-worldly recognition of each other through the veil of time and place, leaves Wendy with a precious gift and a quest to bring the story of the other, Saraswati, out into the world. Temple Dancer keeps moving, like the train, and weaves us through the lives of these two complex women, bridging the worlds within which they suffer loss and sorrow, and learn to heal and grow towards the light. Amy Weintraub’s beautiful storytelling through the landscape of exotic times and traditions, raw sensuality, vulnerability and the ultimate resilience of these two women, takes us along a journey well worth travelling.
August 18, 2020
In my opinion, Temple Dancer is a precious gem that should go to the top of your reading list. Amy Weintraub has masterfully written the stories of two women in different times, woven together with parallel themes. One is the story of a young Temple Dancer, Saraswati, from 1935 - 1947 and the other is Wendy who discovers her story in 2016. Even though they lived very different lives, they are bound together by art, love, passion, loss and commitment. Temple Dancer is beautifully written with rich, memorable characters. This book makes you wish you had someone to discuss it with after you have read the last page. It is a great book club choice.
Thank you to Tumamoc Press for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an unbiased review.
Thank you to Tumamoc Press for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an unbiased review.
June 4, 2020
Overall, I really enjoyed the story and the wisdom and insights that it passed on to me… But I do have to admit that I enjoyed the story of Saraswati much much more than the story of Wendy. If you enjoy yoga, spiritual philosophy and so forth, I think you’ll be intrigued as I was.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
September 22, 2020
Years in the making, this story was worth the wait. Amy Weintraub's writing, always clear and juicy, adds an element of poetry and fantasy in this story of two worlds. The mystery of an improbable yet memorable encounter is revealed as the pages fly by. And in addition to the rewards of a great story comes spiritual insight. If Temple Dancer were food, it might be the most delectable dessert you could imagine...with no empty calories, and richly nourishing.
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September 22, 2020Amy Weintraub has written a book that will instantly transport you into a timeless story rich with culture, history, love and the eternal mystery. Expertly weaving in voices and stories of relationships, with the background of love, dance, families and the external and internal journeys we all travel...Amy captured the essence of it all.
Adding this to your reading list is a must, and you won't be disappointed.
And that ending...absolutely perfect!
November 24, 2020
I went back and forth in this book on how I liked the story. My favorite part was the story from the 1940’s. Some of what Wendy thought and did was very strange. This was a tragic story about a different culture. It was awful to see how they treated some young girls. Temple dancing was definitely seen differently at one time. I received a copy of this book from Smith Publicity for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
February 11, 2021
This book is deep and rich. The type of story that I finish and set immediately on my “to be re-read” pile.
Delicately drawn characters, history, beauty and spirituality all brought to us clearly through the lives and relationships of fascinating women. I can feel their blood rushing through their veins. I can feel my own blood, my own body and soul singing in response.
Thank you for this tale, Amy Weintraub.
It is a treasure.
Delicately drawn characters, history, beauty and spirituality all brought to us clearly through the lives and relationships of fascinating women. I can feel their blood rushing through their veins. I can feel my own blood, my own body and soul singing in response.
Thank you for this tale, Amy Weintraub.
It is a treasure.
May 2, 2020
This is quite good. It's one of those novels with wisdom/lessons baked in, but not in a preachy or sappy way. It has good pacing, an engaging story, and interesting characters. I know the author thru her non-fiction so I was pleasantly surprised to see this. Good stuff. Glad I read it.
I really appreciate the ARC for review!!
I really appreciate the ARC for review!!
April 5, 2021
A Luminous, Mobius Story of Female Heart!
TEMPLE DANCER . Amy Weintraub
(Tumamoc Press, 2020)
Like all good fiction, Amy Weintraub’s TEMPLE DANCER is a good story. At its center is our protagonist Wendy, who on a train in India in the late 1990s meets Saraswati, a mysterious elder woman with a “noble radiance.” During their encounter, “as though they spoke in a dream,” Saraswati narrates her life as a devadesi to Wendy and places a small red book in Wendy’s hands, enlisting Wendy “to let the world know how the devadesi were once valued, honored in our villages and cities. You must tell the world how we danced with God.” Then, the two women part ways. Sort of. As with all formidable encounters, there’s a igniting afterburn. So it is for Wendy and Saraswati—and, so it is for us, too, dear reader, as we encounter the spiritual potential and divine capacities of these two women from heterogeneous cultures and times. As I was reading TEMPLE DANCER I had the experience of holding in my consciousness a candle, burning at both ends. From one end burns the life of Wendy who reckons with concepts of marital freedom—as a source of strength and as a source of shame—and accounts for herself as a daughter and a mother. From the other end of the candle burns Saraswati's life, beginning when she is a young girl devoted to God, moving through her devotional practices and dedication as a devadesi, to her dancing her sacred dance for the Rajah. These two beautiful, intricate stories create a mobius strip, sometimes intertwining, sometimes paralleling, but both women’s lives burn from the same candle, burn through the same purifying, spiritual fires toward the same liberation—freedom from shame. Weaving together psychological exploration, yoga philosophy, and spiritual practice, TEMPLE DANCER is a fascinating, erudite read. And, when you read TEMPLE DANCER, dear reader, be prepared to participate in the healing, rejuvenating divine feminine!
TEMPLE DANCER . Amy Weintraub
(Tumamoc Press, 2020)
Like all good fiction, Amy Weintraub’s TEMPLE DANCER is a good story. At its center is our protagonist Wendy, who on a train in India in the late 1990s meets Saraswati, a mysterious elder woman with a “noble radiance.” During their encounter, “as though they spoke in a dream,” Saraswati narrates her life as a devadesi to Wendy and places a small red book in Wendy’s hands, enlisting Wendy “to let the world know how the devadesi were once valued, honored in our villages and cities. You must tell the world how we danced with God.” Then, the two women part ways. Sort of. As with all formidable encounters, there’s a igniting afterburn. So it is for Wendy and Saraswati—and, so it is for us, too, dear reader, as we encounter the spiritual potential and divine capacities of these two women from heterogeneous cultures and times. As I was reading TEMPLE DANCER I had the experience of holding in my consciousness a candle, burning at both ends. From one end burns the life of Wendy who reckons with concepts of marital freedom—as a source of strength and as a source of shame—and accounts for herself as a daughter and a mother. From the other end of the candle burns Saraswati's life, beginning when she is a young girl devoted to God, moving through her devotional practices and dedication as a devadesi, to her dancing her sacred dance for the Rajah. These two beautiful, intricate stories create a mobius strip, sometimes intertwining, sometimes paralleling, but both women’s lives burn from the same candle, burn through the same purifying, spiritual fires toward the same liberation—freedom from shame. Weaving together psychological exploration, yoga philosophy, and spiritual practice, TEMPLE DANCER is a fascinating, erudite read. And, when you read TEMPLE DANCER, dear reader, be prepared to participate in the healing, rejuvenating divine feminine!
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