Raj [CD-ROM]

Mehta (Author), Gita (Author), read by: May (Editor), Nadia (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2008

This historical epic tells the story of a woman of royal birth coming of age during Indias fight for independence. Raised in seclusion and submission, Jaya is thrust into the role of Regent Maharani when her husband dies.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Princess Jaya of Balmer, witness to bloodshed and insurmountable political upheaval, realizes that royal India's demise is imminent. "Although the rich background detail is engrossing, Jaya remains a remote character to whom one never develops an attachment," PW said of this novel penned by the wife of Knopf's Sonny Mehta. Author tour.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

Jaya Singh is the intelligent, beautiful, and compassionate daughter of the Maharajah and Maharani of Balmer. Raised in the thousand-year-old tradition of purdah, a strict regime of seclusion, silence, and submission, Jaya is ill-prepared to assume the role of Regent Maharani of Sirpur upon the death of her decadent, Westernized husband. But Jaya bravely fulfills her duty and soon finds herself thrust into the center of a roiling political battle in which the future of the kingdom is at stake . . . and her own future as well.


From the Trade Paperback edition. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• CD-ROM: 2 pages
• Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks, Inc.; Unabridged edition (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1433245310
• ISBN-13: 978-1433245312
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent as history, good as literature, October 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Raj: A Novel (Paperback)

I was drawn to this book by the period of time it covered, and because I am very interested in British history. I was further drawn by its historical depth, covering many events that very few Westerners outside of Britain have any knowledge of. I found little bias because it seemed there were two groups of main characters: those who were in support of royal India and those Indians and Angrez (British) who were in support of the Raj.

I somewhat agree with the prevailing criticism that the characterisation is a bit thin, but if you are reading this for its historical significance (as I did) as opposed to its literary worth, then it really shouldn't matter very much.

Overall, it is very well written book that examines the relationship between the maharajahs of royal India and the British Raj through the eyes of an Indian princess. In the vein of Rutherfurd's "Sarum" and "London," but not as broad and long-winded.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an educative and entertaining work of historical fiction, October 4, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Raj Talluri, Dallas, Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raj: A Novel (Paperback)

I enjoyed reading the "Raj". It is an impressive price of historical fiction that covers a very eventful period of Indian history. Mehta did an execellent job of painting a vivid and entertaining picture of Rajput kingdoms during the British rule in India. I was however, disappointed by the one dimentionality of the characters. The kings by and large seemed to fall into the stereotypical pleasure loving, wealth squandering lot that were obsessed with somehow hanging onto thier thrones. While this may be an accurate description of most of them, it would have been good to depict one or two positive aspects of the royals, if any! Jaya Devi's long suffering Indian princess character also sadly lacked dimentionality and did not evoke much sympathy or respect. I was also a little bit disappointed with the later part of the book that dealt with events leading upto the Indian indenpendence. It seemed a little rushed and I wish the author spent more time in describing the characters of the freedom fighters better. However, given the complexity of highly eventful period with the British, the Indian royalty and the freedom fighters, the author did a good job telling a compelling and educative narrative. On the whole, a recommended read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars India and a Princess in Evolution, July 7, 2003

By 

MONTGOMERY (WASHINGTON, DC - U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raj: A Novel (Paperback)

This novel reads as a chronicle, not only of Princess Jaya's life, but also of an India in transformation from the late 1800s up through the early years following Independence in 1947.

I enjoyed reading this book and found Princess Jaya to be a remarkable woman. She weathers a lot of trying experiences and shows herself to be resilient.

The only fault I found with the novel, however, was in the sequencing of historical events. For instance, some of what the author stated about the placing of some events during the First World War were not accurate. When I read a historical novel, I get a better appreciation for the novel when the historical events it describes are true and placed in the proper sequences. Perhaps for some other readers, that matters little. But for me, that took away from me giving this novel 5 stars.