Raj

This novel chronicles the life of Jaya, an Indian princess traditionally raised in a time of change and upheaval. Jaya is born in the 1890s, when British rule in India is well-established, and during her lifetime, Jaya sees this authority challenged and crumble. Jaya tests her own strength, as she experiences a loveless marriage and the struggles of motherhood, but also when she becomes the regent of an Indian kingdom after her husband's death. Raj is an interesting portrait of Indian royalty during the struggle for independence and the collapse of the British empire.

The storyline takes a back seat to the actual historical events. The perspective of an Indian princess bound to duty is an interesting vantage point to view the last decades of the British Raj.

Raj is a (fictional) tale of princess of Balmer, and later regent Maharani of Sirpur, trying to save her kingdom first from the grasps of British empire, and then from the "reformists". "Raj" holds the promise of a great novel in first few chapters. It has a really interesting plot and characters. It talks about an interesting time of power struggles. But, it somewhere falls behind in creativity. The novel gets slow and repetitive at times, describing similar events and feelings. Overall, it does just ok, decent for one time read.

A big, rambling novel that was more interesting in describing the Indian cultures that led to the Raj than the main plot.

Here's what I wrote in 2008 about this read: "MGA recalls reading several novels like this, which bring to life the recent history of India (previous to English occupation, the Raj, and coming out into modern day India and Pakistan). Fastinating and educational."