When the Fight Was Done [Paperback]

Frank Rogers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 30, 2003

Set in India in September 1817 on the eve of the Third Maratha War, this historical novel tells the story of lovers united by serious misconceptions about each other and beset by intrigue as Baji Rao II, Peshwa of Poona, plots to free himself from the grip of the British East India Company.  Captain Robert McKenzie sees the woman, Lakshmi, Rani of Satara, as a dark-skinned barbarian but nevertheless a means of redemption following a lapse in honor at Waterloo. A child-bride at age seven, now a rebellious teenager faced with the consummation of her marriage to the Raja of Satara, Lakshmi sees in Robbie's gallantries (empty and meaningless to any European) the romantic devotion of man for woman she has read about but never known.  The novel traces the compelling story of this mismatched pair as the clouds of war engulf them.

Editorial Reviews

Review

[A] poignant love story. . . . A glorious description of the Maratha terrain, customs and traditions, the inner hostilities, the intrigues which surround the couple in Peshwa Baji Rao II's bid for power. --The Statesman (New Delhi, India) 13 Apr 2003

Race, gender, and class suddenly begin to play crucial signifiers.  In terms of Foucault's theory of discourse, we have . . . a discourse on power and relations of power in this seemingly innocent novel. --Deccan Herald (Bangalore, India) 11 May 2003

From the Author

The story grew from an anecdote I read years ago in the journal of a British officer who traveled across India from Bengal to Bombay on his way to London with dispatches for Parliament.  West of Nagpur on one of the roads to Poona, the intelligence and address of a young Indian subaltern, commander of his cavalry escort, attracted his attention, and he tried to interest the young man in the truths of the Christian religion.  He talked at length, explaining the doctrines of Christianity and the message of the Savior and finally asked for some reaction from the young Hindu.  The Indian was silent for a moment and then commented, "From Nagpur two roads lead to Poona.  Who knows how many roads lead to heaven?"  The British officer didn't get it, didn't recognize the put-down; instead, he thought it a most stupid response.
     Two people on the same physical road but each traveling a different route: the essence of my story.  I initially called this novel Two Roads to Poona, but in its infinite wisdom Penguin Books-India changed the title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Motilal UK Books of India (May 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0143028804
• ISBN-13: 978-0143028802
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,346,490 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After high school and before enlisting in the US Army following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Frank Rogers (Franklin R. Rogers) worked three years as a signalman-telegrapher on the now-defunct New York Central Railroad. That experience provides most of the railroading details in his latest novel, Moonlight Sonata. Wounded in north Burma, deafened by a mortar shell blast, he nevertheless earned a PhD in English and American literature at the University of California, Berkeley, became a university professor and an internationally distinguished scholar and literary critic. He has taught at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the University of California-Davis, the University of Lyon (France), the University of Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV), and San Jose State University. The author of five non-fiction works and two novels, he has also edited three scholarly editions of Mark Twain's writings, including the definitive edition of "Roughing It" prepared for the Center for Editions of American Authors of the Modern Language Association. He has also written a number of both scholarly and popular articles. Currently he is working on a third novel and another non-fiction book, both of which near completion. For a long time an avid painter in oils, mainly portraits, he also became a reasonably competent pianist until a severe arthritis in the right hand ended that pleasure. He lives with his wife in the Santa Cruz Mountains near Los Gatos, CA.