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maahi 's review for:
The Last Queen
by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
This review may contain SPOILERS.
2.5 stars
(Please note that this review is ONLY for the book and the characters contained within the book, NOT for actual historical figures)
My only reaction is, what the hell did I just read? Having loved The Palace of Illusions, I’m shocked at how badly this is written.
First off, literally none of the main characters are likeable. I couldn’t connect with any of them. The King, for whom our narrator hopelessly falls for, is just impossible to like. He is so shocked that a woman can be smart that he just can’t believe it. He is obsessed with surrounding himself with beautiful women. He treats his many, many, many wives and concubines as literal trash. Thank God our narrator is beautiful, otherwise he obviously couldn’t marry her! Even the love story seems forced.
Our narrator, The Last Queen, who is thoroughly praised for her ‘rare blend’ of beauty with brains, proves to be an irrational ruler. Many of the decisions she takes are horrible, which she realises, but takes them anyway. When these terrible decisions backfire, she cries that she’s suffering simply because she is a woman. Now, I’m not denying that she had to be answerable for a lot of things that a male in her place wouldn’t be answerable for, but to put it all on gender and deny her complicity isn’t right.
Jawahar, who is shown as an adorable big brother, transforms into a character you simply can’t stand. Lal, a character who finally seemed likeable, turned out to be a coward and a traitor. Then he changed his mind! Pick a side, please!
Dalip, who is God’s perfect child, grows up to be a British puppet. Towards the end he somewhat changed his mind, but there isn’t enough character development to fully justify it. His character is left as a big grey blob. All the characters you do like play minor parts or are cut off abruptly, as in the case of Mangla.
The last 40 percent of the book is just British bashing. Although what is written is true, it doesn’t do anything for the novel.
The book is supposed to be about Rani Jindan’s life, yet the last chapters focus so much on Dalip that she becomes a secondary character. Her death feels less about her and more about her son. Even then, the book doesn’t offer a complete ending to either character. There is so much conflict unresolved that the book feels incomplete.
Despite not liking this book, I know that Chitra Banerjee is a fantastic writer and The Palace of Illusions continues to be one of my favourite novels ever. Waiting for her next novel eagerly.
2.5 stars
(Please note that this review is ONLY for the book and the characters contained within the book, NOT for actual historical figures)
My only reaction is, what the hell did I just read? Having loved The Palace of Illusions, I’m shocked at how badly this is written.
First off, literally none of the main characters are likeable. I couldn’t connect with any of them. The King, for whom our narrator hopelessly falls for, is just impossible to like. He is so shocked that a woman can be smart that he just can’t believe it. He is obsessed with surrounding himself with beautiful women. He treats his many, many, many wives and concubines as literal trash. Thank God our narrator is beautiful, otherwise he obviously couldn’t marry her! Even the love story seems forced.
Our narrator, The Last Queen, who is thoroughly praised for her ‘rare blend’ of beauty with brains, proves to be an irrational ruler. Many of the decisions she takes are horrible, which she realises, but takes them anyway. When these terrible decisions backfire, she cries that she’s suffering simply because she is a woman. Now, I’m not denying that she had to be answerable for a lot of things that a male in her place wouldn’t be answerable for, but to put it all on gender and deny her complicity isn’t right.
Jawahar, who is shown as an adorable big brother, transforms into a character you simply can’t stand. Lal, a character who finally seemed likeable, turned out to be a coward and a traitor. Then he changed his mind! Pick a side, please!
Dalip, who is God’s perfect child, grows up to be a British puppet. Towards the end he somewhat changed his mind, but there isn’t enough character development to fully justify it. His character is left as a big grey blob. All the characters you do like play minor parts or are cut off abruptly, as in the case of Mangla.
The last 40 percent of the book is just British bashing. Although what is written is true, it doesn’t do anything for the novel.
The book is supposed to be about Rani Jindan’s life, yet the last chapters focus so much on Dalip that she becomes a secondary character. Her death feels less about her and more about her son. Even then, the book doesn’t offer a complete ending to either character. There is so much conflict unresolved that the book feels incomplete.
Despite not liking this book, I know that Chitra Banerjee is a fantastic writer and The Palace of Illusions continues to be one of my favourite novels ever. Waiting for her next novel eagerly.