Victoria and Abdul Shrabani Basu 9788129115683 Books
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The tall handsome Abdul Karim was just twenty-four when he arrived in England from Agra to wait at tables during Queen Victoria s Golden Jubilee. An assistant clerk at Agra Central Jail, he suddenly found himself a personal attendant to the Empress of India herself. Within a year, he was established as a powerful figure at court, becoming the queen s teacher, or Munshi, and instructing her in Urdu and Indian affairs. Devastated by the death of John Brown, her Scottish gillie, the queen had at last found his replacement.
Victoria and Abdul Shrabani Basu 9788129115683 Books
~side note #1Since there is a movie tie-in, you might be misled into thinking that VICTORIA & ABDUL is a historical novel, or something contrived, very much an 'adapted history'. It is Not. This is a solid historical work that has been well researched. It reads like good history, but if you are looking for a dive into the heart and soul of the characters, you might just want to wait for the movie.
~
VICTORIA & ABDUL is a wonderful read. The author gives us lots of delicious detail about the times, mood, and place. She describes things like the Queen's railroad coach and rooms exceedingly well. I felt myself dropped into place watching Victoria's entourage having parties and visiting Europe.
I previously indicated that you weren't going to see inside the hearts of Victoria and Abdul like you will in a historical novel or the movie, but that's not entirely accurate. What you get are insights into their thinking. Basu gives us telling snippets from their own writings. And where we might fail to see the significance, Basu lights the way. Certainly, when you finish this book you will understand the care and attention that Queen and servant had for one another. The paintings, the notes, the conversations all present to us a wonderful tale that has not been told before.
Recommend.
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Victoria and Abdul Shrabani Basu 9788129115683 Books Reviews
I am very interested in British royalty, first of all. I loved the very touching movie. This book, based on the Queen, Abdul and gov't official's letters, confirms that Queen Victoria was a very strong, kind and completely unprejudiced woman, who defended Abdul to the end, ( even though power did go to his head a bit) I have great respect for her learning Urdu and being so interested in India and her subjects there.
The book is a bit repetitive only because Victoria's household , the government and her family battled for ages against Abdul.
The book is meticulously researched and documented. The writer took great pain to ensure that her account is historically accurate. For this reason some, like me, will find the detail rather tedious, while others with an abiding professional or avocational interest in Victoria will find this is its strongest feature.
This story demonstrates the worst character defects of both cultures 1) the British obsession with social class and 2) the Indian propensity to social climb.
It's hard to like anyone, but my sympathies are more with the Indian Abdul Karim (the Munshi). The Queen seems both spoiled and open hearted. It is hard to understand why her household and her son, the future king, were so unwilling to allow her the needed company of a close friend. What were they do afraid of, and who cares who sits next to whom?
I suppose if the Munshi had not been so intent on gaining medals and titles, he may have been more kindly tolerated. It is hard to determine how much of the hostility toward him was racism, but given what has been written about the era by other Victorians, I think that 40% was race hatred, 40% class hatred, and the remaining 20% actual concern for the Queen.
Would I be worried if a handsome young stranger came hanging around my aging mother? Of course.
However, Abdul Karim to the end seems to have nothing but a caring friend and the Queen apparently needed one. The way that King Edward treated Karim's widow and family after Karim's death is abominable...and heart-wrenching. What was he so worried about? Was is racism so deep that he feared any association with a "black" person would sully the image of the crown? On the contrary, Edward's cruelty shows itself in stark contrast to the Queen's kindness, his imperiousness the epitome of why the Crown came to be hated in her colonies.
Shrabani Basu's book about Queen Victoria and her Indian servant Abdul Karim makes use of many records that have been left untouched even by Indian historians, many of those papers forgotten thanks to the violent resettlements of Muslims (into Pakistan) and Hindus (into India). The position of Indian families in the late 19th century, Karim's in Agra in particular, their relationship to the British rulers, education and employment are brought out in the beginning. This allows the reader to comprehend the continuing misunderstanding between the English aristocrats in England and Karim - yes, he played upon Victoria's foibles and extracted many gifts for himself and his family. Karim inhabited a powerful position as Munshi (teacher) at Victoria's court, teaching her Urdu, helping her with her correspondence, charming her many female relatives, escorting her on her travels and interacting with Indian royalty he surely would never have met in India.The wrath of the crown prince Edward was building over the years and retribution for Abdul's transgressions was swift and over-the-top. A wonderful book! I was looking forward to the movie and was disappointed - it was a great movie, but did not do the book justice.
I read this book with interest as I had previously been looking at Victoria's life story. The author has done a very thorough job of describing events in the final stages of the reign. Through this work we see a clearer picture of the elderly queen as she comes once more to rely on a male figure in her life, this time what turns out to be a controversial character who provokes a high degree of prejudice and racism from both the monarch's advisors and staff. Just how this affects the royal situation and compares with today's attitudes is very interesting and it gives us further insight to Victoria's personality.
The book is somewhat long and the detail becomes a little repetitive but the author certainly covers the ground meticulously. I would recommend it to anyone keen to fill in more detail about the life and times of a great historical figure.
~side note #1
Since there is a movie tie-in, you might be misled into thinking that VICTORIA & ABDUL is a historical novel, or something contrived, very much an 'adapted history'. It is Not. This is a solid historical work that has been well researched. It reads like good history, but if you are looking for a dive into the heart and soul of the characters, you might just want to wait for the movie.
~
VICTORIA & ABDUL is a wonderful read. The author gives us lots of delicious detail about the times, mood, and place. She describes things like the Queen's railroad coach and rooms exceedingly well. I felt myself dropped into place watching Victoria's entourage having parties and visiting Europe.
I previously indicated that you weren't going to see inside the hearts of Victoria and Abdul like you will in a historical novel or the movie, but that's not entirely accurate. What you get are insights into their thinking. Basu gives us telling snippets from their own writings. And where we might fail to see the significance, Basu lights the way. Certainly, when you finish this book you will understand the care and attention that Queen and servant had for one another. The paintings, the notes, the conversations all present to us a wonderful tale that has not been told before.
Recommend.
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