REBEL QUEEN

Nice one

Easy read and very informative.

The society and culture are very accurately depicted, and I think much research must have gone into it. The only problem that I have with the book is that the assumptions made are very American. The only way that a capable woman would be allowed to rule is when the man is a homosexual. Gangadhar Rao is portrayed as a flamboyant homosexual male. The manliness of American men permeates all aspects of interpretation of women in power when Americans write of other cultures. Similarly poor depiction of -Queen Elizabeth in Crown, where she is the helpless wife of a 'flamboyant'price, -a "poor" Diana,who was cheated upon even while cheating herself. -Margaret Thatcher played by Meryl Streep in the movie Were all created by AMERICANS. America you need to up the game where you portray women in power. The rest of the world doesn't limit capable women the way America does

This book is very well written and the story fascinating. It showed me how much more I need to read to start to understand the horrors and abuses the British did when they colonized India. I did not know the British were as cruel and greedy to robe the country of India of its wealth and culture in the name of Queen Victoria. They were no better than what the Spaniards did when they landed in the Inca or Mayan empires.

Love this author, takes you to places and people of history in India

Spannende Geschicht um eine Königin im 19. Jahrhundert in Indien, obschon eigentlich eine ihrer Leibwächterinnen die Hauptperson ist und der Titel nur auf den letzten ca 50 Seiten stimmt. Das hat dem Lesegenuss aber absolut keinen Abbruch getan, das Sittenbild ist sehr detailliert wiedergegeben und natürlich für unsere westliche, sogenannt moderne Welt ziemlich erschreckend. Was eine Frau so alles darf und was nicht, und wie furchtbar die Kolonialisierung war. Das weiss man eigentlich alles schon, wird hier aber sehr deutlich und eindrücklich vorgeführt. Ein wirklich gelungener Roman mit sehr vielen Details. Gerne mehr davon.

Loved this book!

This is a fascinating story. I came to this novel with no prior knowledge of the era and now that I've finished it I feel as though I have a solid grasp of the tragedy of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The Rani of Jhansi was an amazing figure to read about and I enjoyed the outside perspective of her gained from one of her Durga Dal, Sita. The Durga Dal was a group of female guards trained to protect the Rani, the queen of the Raja. The Raja was the ruler of Jhansi, one of the princely states of India, when the British East India company had a strong foothold in their territory. What makes the Rani of Jhansi particularly unique however was that she continued to rule after her husband's death, subsequently playing a major part in the Indian Rebellion. By telling the story from Sita's viewpoint we gain not just an idea of who the Rani was as a person, but we are also given insight into the culture of the Jhansi district. Sita is from a small village in the district, a place where women are kept in Purdah; hidden away from the world outside of their homes. Therefore Sita's life as a respected member of the Durga Dal is a far cry from her upbringing. Sita is a strong-willed and intelligent woman who really comes into her own once she is freed from the restraints of Purdah. I love how the author has shown various female perspectives through the inclusion of Sita's sister and grandmother, not to mention other members of the Durga Dal. Their portrayals are very diverse from each other in order for the author to show how their life experiences have shaped their personalities. For example Sita's grandmother is a bitter woman who has suffered so much disappointment in her own life that she resents anything that Sita might accomplish for herself. A friend of Sita's in the Durga Dal, Jhalkari, is a member of the Dalit caste, the lowest social class in India. This caste of society was considered "untouchable" and completely shunned by all other castes of society. Jhalkari's perspective is therefore very different from the other women in the Durga Dal, although not in the way that you might imagine. She is not bitter at all like Sita's grandmother, but rather a kind and giving person. I really enjoyed the various female portrayals and how the author chose to entwine them together to create this story. Although heartbreaking at the end in more ways than one I loved every second of this novel. Being British myself I am horrified by the acts committed during the British occupation of India and I feel a deep regret that such things occurred (as I feel most would, regardless of their nationality). I learnt a lot throughout these pages, but ultimately the feeling I am left with is an immense admiration for the Rani of Jhansi and what she fought for. I absolutely recommended giving this a read.