A Princess Remembers: The Memoirs of the Maharani of Jaipur [Paperback]

Devi Gayatri (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1996 | ISBN-10: 8171673074 | ISBN-13: 978-8171673070 | Edition: Rev Upd

She is the daughter of the Maharaja of Cooch Behar and the widow of the Maharaja of Jaipur. She was raised in a sumptuous palace staffed with 500 servants and she shot her first panther when she was twelve. She has appeared on the lists of the world's most beautiful women. Gayatri Devi describes her carefree tomboy childhood; her secret six-year courtship with the dashing, internationally renowned polo player, Jai the Maharaja of Jaipur; and her marriage and entrance into the City Palace of the 'pink city' where she had to adjust to unfamiliar customs and life with his two wives. Jai's liberating influence, combined with Gayatri Devi's own strong character, took her well beyond the traditionally limited activities of a Maharani. This is an intimate look at the extraordinary life of one of the world's most fascinating women and an informal history of the princely states of India, from the height of the princes' power to their present state of de-recognition. Maharani Gayatri Devi was the last Queen of Jaipur in Rajasthan. Gayatri Devi was listed in Vogue as one of the most beautiful women in the world.

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: Rupa & Co; Rev Upd edition (November 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 8171673074
• ISBN-13: 978-8171673070
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #118,187 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good for insights on pre-independance Indian royals, August 30, 2005

By 

Kishore Dandu (Plano, TX United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Princess Remembers: The Memoirs of the Maharani of Jaipur (Paperback)

This book gives a detailed picture of personal life of Maharani Gayatri Devi. Kind of gave me more thoughts on how the India could have evolved had it been not given to the hands of Nehru(subsequently to Indira Gandhi). The book has details of early childhood, adolecense, after marriage and post independance aspects of the life of Gayatri Devi.

I think the book needs a updated version, with one or 2 chapters dedicated towards her life in 80's and 1990's. This is one of the best auto-biographies I have ever read.

A must read for some one interested in Indian history just before and after independance; also for folks interested in dwelling into royal lifestyles.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Personal, readable; a must for anybody who wants to understand India, April 5, 2007

By 

Susan O'Neill (Andover, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Princess Remembers: The Memoirs of the Maharani of Jaipur (Paperback)

A Princess Remembers is a terrific book for anybody who wants to understand India--what it was, what it is, and how it has made the very bumpy journey from then to now. Not only does it give a very good glimpse of the system of Maharahas that once ran the country, but because Gayatri Devi served in the Indian Parliament, it provides a fascinating window on the triumphs and pitfalls of an emerging democracy. The Maharani has lived a life that reaches from the not-so-old days of Purdah--when a princess was not free to show her face in public when men were present--through the jet-set world of a more modern, educated royalty, to the productive (and not-so-productive) era of state and world politics. Her life reflects, from a high mirror, the tremendously complicated life of her beloved state of Jaipur and her country, and as such, it definitely deserves to be read. But her story also explains much for those of us who have traveled to India and marveled at the forts and the grand palace hotels, and even, perhaps, met scions of the old ruling families. The picture of India that a traveler forms is not truly coherent without literature about the Maharajas. This book provides a rare, personal, readable, non-scholarly source, a vital piece of the enormously complex puzzle that is today's India.

Susan O'Neill, author, Don't Mean Nothing: Short Stories of Vietnam

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars True Life Fairy Tale, October 4, 2002

By 

Meredith Mani (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Princess Remembers: The Memoirs of the Maharani of Jaipur (Paperback)

This story is enjoyable because it's her real life and it opens up a priveledged world most of us never get to see. It's pleasure reading and it's escape reading. There is nothing ground breaking or earth shattering here but maybe that's the point. It's an open look at a life that didn't turn out exactly as expected but was lived with joy and appreciation. You get to experience her grace and her zest. I liked it, I've even kept my copy but I doubt I'll be pulling it out to read again any time soon.