I received a copy of "Rebel Queen" by Michelle Moran, from NetGalley for the purpose of generating a review. All italicized quotes below are from the book. The opinions expressed here are my own. The book releases TODAY!
She had me at Nefertiti, the Egyptian Queen. We’ve lived among other Egyptian royalty. We’ve walked Roman roads together. There were those hard, difficult days in France.
Wherever Michelle Moran’s next book takes me, I’ll gladly go. When you read her historical fiction, you forget you’re reading fiction.
It’s as if she has stepped back in time and lived among the people of that day. More than that, as if she was the main character and you’re hearing a live interview. I often wonder how she can even have a normal life when she’s researching and writing about a book. She must become immersed. I know I am swept away from cover to cover.
Moran’s latest book, The Rebel Queen, has made me an “expert” on Queen Lakshmi, the rani of Jhansi, and Sita, one of her Durgavasi (a member of the Durga Dal). And Durga Dal: an elite group of female guards trained to protect the Rani.
This time, Moran takes her readers to India. There’s a lot to unpack. Not only is it another time period, it’s also an altogether different place. Their culture operates under a caste system. Women are viewed very differently (actually they’re rarely viewed at all outside their homes). They live with a different philosophy. Often, superstitions come into play.
"A puja is a prayer, the same as you might make in any church."
Moran had a lot of educating to do this time around. But still, she managed to do this while simply telling you the story.
"But for a father, the birth of a daughter means saving money from the moment she takes her first breath, since she will need a dowry within nine or ten years' time."
Set in the mid-nineteenth century, India is still a collection of kingdoms. This story takes place in the kingdom of Jhansi. The British are slowly moving in and Queen Lakshmi will have none of it. Constantly weighing her next political move, we read of her managing the British, her ladies in the Durga Dal, her husband and the subjects in her kingdom. She raises the women who fight for her to whole new levels of service and respect. Unheard of in that time period, especially in India.
As the British show their might, the rani of Jhansi shows her strong will to survive with her kingdom in tact. Earning her the title Rebel Queen.
An excellent read. A great story about a place we in America can scarcely comprehend. Michelle Moran, you’ve done it again! Where should we travel next?
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