Review Detail

On Borrowed Wings is the debut novel of Yale graduate, Chandra Prasad.

In America during the 1830s, a world where learning was restricted to men, intelligent, capable women like Prasad herself would not have been allowed to study at Yale. But even in times where opportunity is bleak, there are those who find a way to circumvent the rules. Adele Pietra, a girl from Stony Creek, a small mining town, is not satisfied with her predestined future: to marry a miner. Her mother has such high hopes for Adeles older brother Charlie, but none for Adele. But Adele never stops believing in herself.

When both her father and brother are killed in a mining accident, Adele is determined to attend Yale in her brothers place. Mother and daughter bond as they create an impeccable disguise for Adele. This is a leap of faith for Adele, with grave consequences should she be caught. Her mother hopes that Adele can be financially successful in the world of men and that they can leave Stony Creek behind once and for all.

Adele has so much to learn, and many obstacles that she must creatively overcome. A fear of her true identity being discovered is always in the back of her mind. She is brilliant in her studies, and has no trouble keeping up with the boys in athletics. In no time at all, Adele immerses herself in the Yale culture, finding herself a great group of friends in Harry, Wick, and Phin. But even though they are able to joke around and have fun, Adele cannot trust them with the truth about her life.

At Yale, Adele is exposed to a world beyond her wildest imagination. In her first semester, she meets a host of interesting characters, from her sexist and racist Eugenics professor to the poor little Italian girl that Adele tutors. Each person she meets adds to the conglomeration that is her life at the finest institution of higher learning in the world.

Prasad writes with such eloquence, and it is evident that much research has gone into the writing of this book, in order to create a story so vivid. On Borrowed Wings is like the popular movie, Shes the Man, only a thousand times more thoughtful and dramatic. Adeles life is an experiment, an exploration in gender roles and class differences. If anyone can escape the social stratosphere they are born into, it will be Adele.