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Title: Raj : A Novel by Gita Mehta ISBN: 0-449-90566-7 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 13 March, 1991 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.77 (13 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: excellent as history, good as literature
Comment: I was drawn to this book by the period of time it covered, and because I am very interested in British history. I was further drawn by its historical depth, covering many events that very few Westerners outside of Britain have any knowledge of. I found little bias because it seemed there were two groups of main characters: those who were in support of royal India and those Indians and Angrez (British) who were in support of the Raj.
I somewhat agree with the prevailing criticism that the characterisation is a bit thin, but if you are reading this for its historical significance (as I did) as opposed to its literary worth, then it really shouldn't matter very much.
Overall, it is very well written book that examines the relationship between the maharajahs of royal India and the British Raj through the eyes of an Indian princess. In the vein of Rutherfurd's "Sarum" and "London," but not as broad and long-winded.
Rating: 4
Summary: an educative and entertaining work of historical fiction
Comment: I enjoyed reading the "Raj". It is an impressive price of historical fiction that covers a very eventful period of Indian history. Mehta did an execellent job of painting a vivid and entertaining picture of Rajput kingdoms during the British rule in India. I was however, disappointed by the one dimentionality of the characters. The kings by and large seemed to fall into the stereotypical pleasure loving, wealth squandering lot that were obsessed with somehow hanging onto thier thrones. While this may be an accurate description of most of them, it would have been good to depict one or two positive aspects of the royals, if any! Jaya Devi's long suffering Indian princess character also sadly lacked dimentionality and did not evoke much sympathy or respect. I was also a little bit disappointed with the later part of the book that dealt with events leading upto the Indian indenpendence. It seemed a little rushed and I wish the author spent more time in describing the characters of the freedom fighters better. However, given the complexity of highly eventful period with the British, the Indian royalty and the freedom fighters, the author did a good job telling a compelling and educative narrative. On the whole, a recommended read.
Rating: 4
Summary: British India and Royal India Under The Raj - Excellent!!
Comment: Author Gita Mehta demonstrates her extraordinary grasp of the historical, political and cultural complexities of India, British and royal, under the Raj. She writes with realistic detail and subtlety about the period from Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee to the violent and bloody civil wars for independence. Ms Mehta brings her characters, both fictional and real, to life. She gives the reader a firsthand view of a maharajah's royal zenana, (harem), where women in purdah are guarded by corrupt eunuchs and she takes us to the battlefields of WWI along with Indian Calvary warriors. We witness Mahatma Gandhi march to the sea, with hundreds of thousands of his countrymen, to break British laws against making salt. And we witness, most vividly, India's struggle for independence and partition - from nationalist, royalist and British points of view. Gita Mehta brilliantly translates the cultural nuances and vividly sets her scenes of pageantry and poverty.
At the center of this epic novel is Jaya Singh, the only daughter of the Maharajah and Maharani of Balmer. She was raised in the thousand year-old tradition of purdah by her mother and was educated exactly like her royal brother, (Balmer's heir), according to her father's decision. She learned to play polo, hunt tiger and wild boar, and how to govern and lead. Jaya marries the jaded, westernized Maharajah of Sipur and finds herself in a history-making position.
I have always been fascinated by India, especially during the period of the British Raj. Usually, however, the focus of the books I have read has been on the Indian nationalist movements and those who supported and led them. This well researched novel also delves into the lives and politics of princely India. An engrossing read with a fresh perspective - I really enjoyed it.
JANA
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Title: Snakes and Ladders by Gita Mehta ISBN: 0385491697 Publisher: Anchor Pub. Date: 13 April, 1998 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: Karma Cola : Marketing the Mystic East by Gita Mehta ISBN: 0679754334 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 28 June, 1994 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: A River Sutra by Gita Mehta ISBN: 0679752471 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 28 June, 1994 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: Letters from Burma by Aung San Suu Kyi, Heinn Htet, Aung, Aung S. Suu Kyi ISBN: 0140264035 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: January, 1998 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: In the Realm of a Dying Emperor by Norma Field ISBN: 0679741895 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 09 March, 1993 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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