Last Queen Paperback – Notebook, 3 February 2022

The Last Queen“You don’t have to be born a Princess to become a Queen!”Sunday 7th February 2021Book-ReviewBook : The Last QueenAuthor: Chitra Banerjee DivakaruniGenre : Fiction, History, LiteraturePrice: Rs.599No. of Pages : 372ISBN : 978-93-9035-195-4Available in: HardbackLanguage: EnglishPublished by : Harper CollinsIt is said,“To be noticed by others, you need to be physically ... attractive and appealing; but to remain in the hearts 💕 of others, you need to be mentally ... gracefully beautiful and dazzlingly magnificent!!”... and that is how one of my most admired writers: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has portrayed the heroine - ‘Rani Jindan, Mother of the Khalsa’ in her latest novel :The Last QueenI have always been a slow reader. I take enough time trying to grasp the writer’s point of view. But till date I have never continued “chewing” a book for a complete month!This one book just left me in a trance! I never wanted it to end ... 🥺Right from the feel of the hard bound cover, the tantalizing image with the fiery-red border/background to the exquisitely printed pages ... and Ofcourse the wonderfully-well narration of a powerful story by a master story-teller ... I loved it ALL!It begins with a quote which I adored!“Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter”.- Chinua AchebeSo True!Rani Jindan Kaur - the last Queen of Punjab is indeed the Lion and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni - the historian.The other books by the same author are extremely popular. But this one stands out alone as a historical book; the genre of the others being Mythology.The simplicity and yet aptness of expression takes your heart away. The flow is so smooth that it compels one to keep reading. The music, the rhythm, the lyrical quality of the words is so pleasingly striking.Just imagine, Maharaja Ranjit Singh - the most powerful warrior - the strongest king of Punjab, saying to Rani Jindan Kaur, “Well, my dearest, you aren’t my first wife, but I promise you this, you will be my last. The one who has filled my heart totally”!How soft and refreshing it sounds amongst its harsh surroundings of “Plots, Betrayals, Deaths and Executions”!We are left in awe of the descriptions that are so scenic and picturesque! The images formed in front of our eyes makes us feel as though we are seeing a movie and not reading a book.I could actually visualise the city of Lahore! ‘The safest city in the country with its twelve gates! The Shalimar Gardens with four hundred fountains and one lakh flowers!’“The intricate, beloved tapestry of Lahore, city of myth, fashioned from the wilderness before time began by Lav, son of Ram.”The mythological references added power to the writings.Reading the book was like ... entering the Sheranwala Darwaza to encounter the Sher-e-Punjab and get dazzled by the ‘fire-like-flashes’ of “The Koh-i-Noor” - The Mountain of Light - the might of Punjab!But ultimately it all led to the magnetic charisma of the fabulously, fearless queen Jindan!! She becomes a widow at the age of twenty-one. The entire world turns against her. Her courage, bravery, grit and determination in fighting against deceitful, beastly, rebellious and violent atmosphere of the avarice and false people surrounding her leaves us totally speechless!The pathos evoked by the melancholy and sadness of the mother-son separation and later reunion is worth a mention.The character of Dalip, initially appears such a contrast to that of his mother.“... Like a bird which, having been bred in captivity, feels comforted only in the safety of its cage.”The end, ends the ‘weak elements’ in Dalip, it finally marks the success of Rani Jindan’s attempts in making him realise the actual truth of the prevailing situation and brings out the strength in him. His thoughts leave their impact.“People revered his father as The Lion of Punjab but his mother is the one they should have called Lioness.”“In her way, wasn’t she braver than Ranjit Singh? Didn’t she fight greater obstacles?”What a Queen!A must read ALL!*****

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has a distinct style of feminist unbiased writing, that makes you relate with the character, empathasize and rage and sympathize with them. Loved her previous work, palace of illusions and forest of enchantments. Ofc those were different since i was already familiar with the two epics in context, so this book was a new read given I wasn't familiar at all with Rani Jindan Kaur. Divakaruni's writing tells a brilliant story as usual, a wonderful historical account spanning decades. Ofc I can't vouch for the historical accuracy, but made for a great engaging read as expected

Yet again I couldn't make myself give five stars, because the problem with this author continues in many books that I read of hers, she likes to romanticise everything. There is a very unnatural age difference between the queen and the king, and considering the time when this marriage was done there would have been hardly any romance involved in the matrimony, if the author used that to highlight the queen's struggles in different phases of her life it would have been a perfect 5 star book. But she choose to write that down light heartedly. Nevertheless the rest of the story is near marvelous. A must read for everyone.

The first name that comes to my mind if someone asks about writers delivering the best books in mythological fiction is Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. I think I’ll vouch for the same name in case of historical fiction now. Given a choice, I am more likely to pick up a historical fiction anytime. I wonder how difficult it must be for writers to put into use all of their research, brilliant perceptions, commitment and hard work to create a historical tale without misrepresenting the historically authentic aspects. I really admire Chitra Ma’am for all her writings. This time I am too much in awe of her for giving a voice to Rani Jindan, giving her the same recognition and consideration that Maharaja Ranjit Singh would’ve otherwise “conventionally” received in a book. I am sure we’ve come across a lot of books based on the “Lion of Punjab”. It was time someone introduced us to the Queen.“The Last Queen” portrays the life of Jindan Kaur, the youngest and the last of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s wife. The story follows the rough and difficult journey of Jindan from being a naïve commoner to the level headed queen regent. In the first part of the book where we see an exceptionally intelligent Jindan growing up with extraordinary inquisitiveness, we also get to see the harsh and oppressive nature of the society Jindan lived in. She never got a chance to finish her formal education. A little girl who dreamt to move out of her confined village space to the beautiful city of Lahore was again restricted to her father’s quarter when she actually came to explore the city of her dreams. It’s remarkable that the author presented the established idea of a woman’s space, essentially domestic in nature. Following her betrothal to the king and her entry into the intricate court and harem poltics, Jindan courageously faces her opponents, both men and women. It was really satisfying to read about her patient and bold moves against all the conspiracies plotted by power hungry men in the state. Jindan’s character is unforgettable for her resilience and fearlessness, for not giving up even though she encountered novel challenges on her way.It was heartbreaking to read the last two parts of the book. A mother separated from her son, a queen wrongfully exiled from her state, a prisoner harassed and forced to live an ignominious life, a refugee desperately waiting to come back home. I can go on and on in praise of this book but I’m afraid my words won’t do justice. I strongly urge you all to read this amazing book.

What an awesome writing…the story of a queen dictated so beautifully…always a fan of chitra banerjee

Must buy this book. I got this book in very good condition, paper quality is superb.

Good