A Historical book on the last queen of Punjab

 Fellow Book Readers,

In this blog, I am going to talk about the book The Last Queen by author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. It is the story of Rani Jindan Kaur of Punjab, the last wife and queen of Marahaja Ranjit Singh. 

The book takes us back into time during the British era, when Rani Jindan Kaur wasn't yet a queen but an ordinary girl who liked reading books, going on small adventures with her elder brother, and living although in a poor household but still being happy. She's accounted to be a beautiful kid and, as she grew up, a gorgeous woman. Manna Singh, Jindan's father, also the royal kennel keeper, takes note of this and takes her to the city of Lahore, where she meets Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and she is startstruck upon meeting him, as she has only heard tales of his valor before but has never actually met him.
From then on, they form a partnership based on mutual respect and admiration for each other, with Jindan's strong personality earning great recognition from Ranjit Singh. They get married, though hastily, but spend a peaceful yet turbulent time with each other due to Maharaja's health and the constant interference of the British to take over Punjab. Ranjit Singh eventually passes away due to old age and strokes; from then on, the real battle for Jindan Kaur starts and eventually turns her into what we know her as now, Rani Jindan Kaur. 

Honest opinion, the book could have been better; it romanticised the approximately forty year old age gap between Jindan and Ranjit Singh, as Jindan was fifteen when she met Ranjit Singh, who was probably fifty-four or fifty-five at that time. The age dynamic for me was weird, and the book also does not completely discuss their age gap, which I personally feel was intentional, as to not creep the readers out. Jindan's political affairs could have also been elaborated and not just fit into the last few chapters. The book for me was a one-time read.

Overall, it was a 7/10 for me.

Appreciate you all for reading this.

Thank you,

Yours Truly,

Aditi

(Read Dead Poets Society)