Valerie Fitzgerald (1)Críticas

Zemindar was published in 1981 and it won the Georgette Hayer Historical Novel Prize that same year. The main character is Englishwoman Laura Hewitt. Laura accompanies her cousin Emily and Emily's husband Charles to Calcutta which is a wedding trip, not honeymoon, where Laura is a paid lady's companion for her cousin. She is also in love with Charles. After several months the group meets Charles' half-brother Oliver Erskine who is the zemindar, or hereditary ruler, of a vast estate called Hassanganj. Charles had never met Oliver before but receives an invitation to visit Hassanganj. While they are there, Emily gives birth and the Sepoy rebellion and siege of Lucknow occurs, known in history as the Mutiny, the Sepoy Rebellion and The First War for Independence. Zemindar has been republished several times in the past forty years. Each time the font gets bigger and the book has grown from its original 799 pages to the current 1031 pages. I am glad for the font size and cannot imagine how hard it would be been to read this after its initial publication.

I finished the book in just 3 days. The story moved along quickly but there was a lull in the action when the characters were escaping from Hassanganj, which was about 200 pages long. Other than that, Zemindar was a captivating read. The characters were well developed and all of them were kindhearted to each other. They had opposite personalities which gave the novel some flavor. Laura is the main character and her point of view dominates. She is the character who grew the most during her nine months in India. Laura had an independent mind before the trip. Her cousin Emily and husband Charles were stuck in the rigid mindset of the British upper classes and could not adjust to India's culture. Oliver was the villain of the story but he wasn't really a villain. His reputation was rough, having had many sexual affairs with both British and Indian women. Even though he was born into a wealthy British family, he was raised in India and spent his entire life there. He understood the importance of independence to the Indians as well as their customs. Oliver was respected by them for accommodating their religious traditions but also by living their lifestyle. The reader learns about their side of the story on independence from Oliver's dialogue. The reader also learns about the history of the Mutiny, although it is from the point of view of the British. Still, there are aspects of what happened that are true to history.

The descriptions of India were on point. It is an exotic destination for me and I never tire reading about it. In every book set in India that I have read, the British characters are incredibly bored. None of them have much to do and partying becomes a must. Zemindar shows this the best, perhaps because of the page count. The oppressive heat in India is best described here also. The author has the characters removing their excessive clothing at certain times of the day, napping during the warmest part of the day and sipping water at the right times in order to stay healthy.

This is the Fitzgerald's only book, which is a shame because I'd definitely read a sequel. A panel that included M. M. Kaye awarded Zemindar the 1981 Georgette Heyer Historical Novel Prize.

Laura Hewitt, impecunious orphaned cousin of Emily Flood, accompanies Emily and her new husband Charles on their honeymoon trip to India. Emily is only seventeen, willful, self-centred, and quite a nasty piece of work. The handsome Charles had been devoted to Laura until the manipulative Emily enticed him away, so on this honeymoon is the last place Laura wants to be. Fortunately there's enough going on to take Laura's mind off her problems - her unacknowledged attraction to the Zemindar, the sepoy rebellion, and the siege of Lucknow.

796 pages just flashed by.½

I didn't think I was that into this book until I finished it, and now I really miss it!

It has it's flaws: it drags on and gets repetitive in places. I think the length could have been cut by about 100 pages (or more). Early on the characters are very tropey and annoying, but that gets better. How the characters are changed by their experiences during the Mutiny is an important part of the book.

Some of the plot lines were very predictable or just lame, but it ended well. If you like Victorian era historical fiction, this would be a good choice.

It is compared to Far Pavilions a lot, (there's even a line about the on the cover of the edition I have), but other than the approximate time and place, the books have little in common.½

I won't attempt a review of a book I read (and re-read) when it was first published, but I do have fond memories of both enjoying it and being impressed by its historical detail.

As a lifelong Anglo-Indian literature fan and amateur Anglo-Indian historian, authenticity and accuracy make or break a book in this genre. Which is why the books I read to the end are, with only a couple of exceptions, written by authors who have lived and worked on the Indian subcontinent.

This belated 'review' of Zemindar was prompted by its appearance on a Goodreads list of favourite novels. Reading through the member reviews, I see that many found it too long and detailed.

I can't remember experiencing that reaction. I recall being captivated from the first few pages and dreading the inevitable last page. A worthy winner of several Best Book awards.

Magnificent -- not a word I often use to describe romantic novels.

Another fabulous book set in the Sepoy Rebellion in 19th century British-occupied India. Fabulous writing and attention to historic detail, you will fall in love with the characters and be deeply invested in their story. Absolutely FABULOUS!!!

What a treat to stumble upon this 1981 publication -- "Gone with the Wind" set in British India during the time of the Sepoy rebellion in the 1850's. Long, dramatic, very compelling! I loved it.

Begin 1857 zet een jonge Engelse, Laura Hewitt, voet aan wal in Calcutta. Laura is een vrouw van uitzonderlijke wilskracht en schoonheid, die een enerverende zeereis achter de rug heeft. De taak die haar in het exotische India wacht is echter nog veel enerverender; ze moet tot iedere prijs voorkomen dat de Engelse kolonie in de gaten krijgt, dat ze alleen naar India is vertrokken om dichter bij Charles te zijn, die man van haar verwende nichtje Emily, op wie ze van jongs af aan hopeloos verliefd is geweest. Haar geheime liefde voor Charles maakt de eerste weken in Calcutta een hel voor Laura. Maar dan ontmoet ze een andere man, Charles halfbroer Oliver Erskine, de schatrijke, onweerstaanbaar aantrekkelijke Oliver Erskine, de Zemindar (heerser) van Hassanganj. Het is van beide kanten liefde op het eerste gezicht, al wil alleen de Zemindar dat bekennen. Laura's liefde groeit echter tegen de verdrukking in: een opstand tegen het Engelse gezag in India, waardoor ze van de Zemindar gescheiden wordt, zet haar laatste bedenkingen opzij. Als Laura Oliver na maanden weerziet is hij zwaar gewond. Laura verpleegt hem liefdevol en Oliver hersteld. Maar weer wordt de ontluikende liefde tussen hen beiden wreed verstoord en opnieuw moet Laura op zoek naar de Zemindar van Hassanganj.

This was just outstanding,and I am sorry there was never a sequel and very sorry this author never wrote again. An incredible tale of Laura the poor relation on a journey to India with her newly married cousin Emily and her husband Charles (who Laura thought herself in love with). The book really has a Jane Eyre feel to it, neither the heroine or hero are out and out drop dead good looking, just strong, honorable people we come to care about.

As they travel through India on the way to Lucknow in northern India we meet many characters as the author sets up her stage to the Sepoy rebellion and the seige of Lucknow. Also introduced is Charles' half brother Oliver Erskine, a Zemindar, or large land holder. Eventually Oliver and Laura fall in love, and are separated at Lucknow (after a harrowing escape from Oliver's estate after the rebellion). Oh, when Oliver said to Laura, "I will come back to you, for you".

The rest of the book follows the harrowing conditions at the residency at Lucknow during the seige, the battles, deaths and brutal conditions suffered by the British. Be warned that this was a very brutal rebellion and some of the scenes described, although accurate, can be a bit gory, but important history to be reminded of and the mistakes that were made by ignorant pompous officials and the brutalities committed on both sides due to hate, ignorance and prejudice. It's unfortunate that we do not learn well from history and things are still so much the same in the Middle East in our present time.

The thing I liked most about this book was the author's lovely prose and characters. I felt like I was reading Jane Eyre or Villette, she reminded me so much of Charlotte Bronte, particularly at the end with the letters Oliver and Laura exchanged and when they were finally reunited. You definitely want to set aside quiet time(no kids, dogs or phone) for the last 50 or so pages so that you can savor every lovely word and emotion.

Highly highly recommended for any lover of historical fiction, and would suit well to a younger reader as the love scenes are extremely chaste. I would also recommend MM Kaye's Shadow of the Moon. The same setting, but her characters experienced the rebellion outside of the Residency, so you see a different side of the tale. Both are out of print, but readily available used.

Truly excellent: brilliant characterisation; enchanting love story; well-researched expose of a difficult period of India's history