As with almost all books about India’s last queens and kings, this book
too made my heart ache with every page I turned. These stories are all
filled with lies, deceit, betrayal, oppression, bad decisions juxtaposed
with a whole lot of bravery, love and honour, making them very
difficult, yet fascinating reads.
In ‘The Last Queen’, Chitra
Bannerjee Divakaruni’s writing as always brings out all these human
traits and emotions into sharp focus. Rani Jindan comes across as a
beautiful, passionate, stubborn and strong woman who is also as flawed
as any other human. Her struggles to protect her son and his heritage
against all odds and her acceptance of his choices is heart rending.
It’s a beautifully written book, and I couldn’t put it down once I
started reading it. So different from Divakaruni’s usual theme or story
telling style, but still as brilliant as any of her other books.
For
sure, it’s a tale that needed to be told. How many more queens and
kings are lost within the folds of time, whose stories we don’t know?
This is why I’m drawn to historical fiction. Real people, real stories,
lives so different than ours, yet in so many ways so similar. I hadn’t
heard of Rani Jindan before I read this book. And having read this now, I
feel hungry for even more stories like hers.