![]() She leaves her poor village for the palace, dedicating her wages to building her younger sister’s dowry. Against all odds, Sita, instructed by a former soldier in the arts of war and fluent in English thanks to her father’s love of Shakespeare, fills the open spot in the corps. Owing allegiance to no one but the rani and trained, like her, to ride horseback and wield sword, pistol, and bow, the ten Durgavasi live in the queen’s palace and provide her constant protection. Too poor to marry, Sita faces life as a temple prostitute unless she earns a spot in the Durga Dal, the queen’s elite group of female guards. ![]() Though the title belongs to Rani Lakshmi, queen of the kingdom of Jhansi, it is Sita Bhopal, her most trusted confidante, who narrates the tale. ![]() With the skill of an accomplished storyteller and the confidence of someone intimately familiar with Indian history and culture, Moran weaves a fascinating account of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 from the perspective of a vanquished people struggling to regain their sovereignty. Michelle Moran’s REBEL QUEEN, just released from Touchstone, switches things up to marvelous effect. ![]() ![]() Fictional accounts of India published in English usually take the perspective of a British transplant encountering a foreign culture for the first time: think E.M. ![]()
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