The Last Queen

The Last Queen by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a fairy tale fictional account – albeit based on historical facts – of a strong-willed village belle who rises to become the Queen Regent (and not the Queen, mind you) of the remnants of the Sikh empire. This daughter of the royal dog-trainer, besotted by an aged king, strives against palace intrigues, schemes of the wily British, treachery, betrayals and bad decisions on her part to try and protect her son and kingdom. Whether she succeeds or fails makes for gripping reading. I plan to read diplomat/author Navtej Sarna's The Exile: A Novel Based On The Life Of Maharaja Duleep Singh next.

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