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Title: Zemindar by Valerie Fitzgerald ISBN: 0-553-01360-2 Publisher: Bantam Books Format: Paperback |
Average Customer Rating: 4.83 (18 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Simply OUTSTANDING!!! A Must Read!
Comment: I cannot heap enough praise on Valerie Fitzgerald's superb historical novel "Zemindar." I have always had an interest in India, especially during the period of the British Raj. I picked up a copy of this book at a used bookstore by chance, little knowing that it was to become one of my favorite novels. It is a beautifully written, impeccably researched, totally addictive read.
Set in India during the Raj, the author follows the lives of a newly married British couple on honeymoon to India, their young cousin, an Englishwoman who is companion to the bride, and the groom's half-brother, a European hereditary ruler - a zemindar - to his own fabulous kingdom, Hassanganj. This epic saga of love, war, tragedy and ultimate triumph is drawn from the author's personal experience. Ms. Fitzgerald's grandmother lived through the Indian Sepoy Mutiny, which is vividly recreated here. And the author, herself, spent her adolescence in Lucknow where her father was stationed during WWII. Her summers were spent on a zemindari estate similar to Oliver Erskine's extraordinary holdings. This personal perspective adds tremendously to the book's historical accuracy and provides the reader with an unusual, caring and honest perspective of the country, the native population and their British rulers.
I would be remiss if I did not mention that Ms. Fitzgerald not only provides a detailed and colorful portrait of India but she has created an exceptional cast of characters, both Indian and British, realistic and strong enough to inhabit the times in which they lived. Notable among them are Oliver Erskine - a combination of Edward Rochester (from Jane Eyre) and Rhett Butler (improbable but most effective and believable) - and Laura Hewitt. The novel is worth the read just to become acquainted with these two.
Along with "The Siege of Krishnapur," "Zemindar" is one of the best period works of historical fiction. It won the Georgette Heyer Historical Novel Prize in 1981, selected from scores of manuscripts that included M. M. Kaye's "The Far Pavillions." Not to be missed!
JANA
Rating: 4
Summary: A gripping tale of woman trying to understand her love
Comment: When I read this book, I had the feeling that it was slow and dragging, later I discovered it was not to be. The subtle portrayal of characters is engrossing and one which you can identify with. As I belong to that part of the world, the way the landscapes from there are described leave a feeling in you as if they are reeling past you from the window of a train carriage. The greatest part of it is the theme of the novel in which Laura Hewitt, a young woman of not much consequence accompanying her jealous and often griping cousin, Emily, discovers her love for Oliver Erskine which is equally reciprocated. Oliver is a man of wealth and great estate in the northern part of India and half brother of Charles Flood, Emily's husband. The way the story is narrated and how it is gulped into an important period of Indian history and how it issues out of it is spectacular to read. The intricacies of characters are immense and their interactions with each other look natural as! well. The author obviously has a great eye on the ways and lifestyles of Indian subcontinent. Overall it is a great book and a must to read.
Rating: 5
Summary: Zemindar, a gripping novel
Comment: Well, let's just say that Ms Valerie Fitzgerald was indeed one polished storyteller when she created her award-winning novel "Zemindar" in 1981. No awkward sloppy syntax here! Sentences are clear as crystal (reminiscent in my mind of Jane Austen's own beautiful prose).
Some have compared Ms Fitzgerald's Zemindar to "Shadow of the Moon" from M.M. Kaye. Granted, both novels deal with the very same events yet it seems to me that the approaches differ somewhat. If you are interested in fiction focusing on 19th century British Raj you might want to give J. G. Farrell's "The Siege of Krishnapur" (Booker Prize Winner/1974) a try as well. I doubt you will be disappointed.
Please do consider reading Zemindar ( that is if you are lucky enough to have access to a copy). Chances are this gripping novel will take you very far in place and time from your reading chair. Enjoy!
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Title: A Singular Hostage by Thalassa Ali ISBN: 0553381768 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 26 November, 2002 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Olivia and Jai by Rebecca Ryman ISBN: 0312041462 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: August, 1990 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The Siege of Krishnapur by J. G. Farrell ISBN: 0786704845 Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub. Date: December, 1997 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Shadow of the Moon by M M Kaye ISBN: 0140053166 Publisher: Penguin Putnam~trade |
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Title: Trade Wind by Mary Margaret Kaye ISBN: 0312812264 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: May, 1981 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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