Rebel Queen (37 page)
Enhance Your Book Club
1. For Sita’s father, reading the classics opened up the world to him, “
a world in which he’d never know the sound of his child’s voice or hear his wife sing ragas to Lord Shiva again
.” And for Sita, a woman made to observe purdah, literature had the power to take her beyond the four walls of her own home. Have your book club revisit some classic literature beloved by Sita and her father, such as Shakespeare’s
Othello
or
The Merchant of Venice
, or look for productions of these plays at your local theater. Try to imagine yourselves confined to only your home as you read or watch the play. Afterward, discuss the ways in which these texts have the ability to transform both you and the world. What lessons do these classic plays teach us that can be directly applied to our lives? To Sita’s? What is it about Shakespeare’s language that makes him sound so fresh all these years later?
2. The rani’s Dewan compares Sita to the Indian painter Nihâl Chand’s ideal woman: “
pale cheeks, sensuous lips, a high forehead, thin brows, and wide lotus-blossom eyes
.” With your book club, study a few paintings by Chand, paying particular attention to his version of ideal beauty (the painting can be found here:
www.exoticindiaart.com/product/paintings/bani-thani-portrait-of-lady-who-is-model-of-beauty-HL96/
). After enjoying the artwork, have a conversation with your book club about the nature of beauty. What do you notice about the paintings? What words would you use to describe the women portrayed? Why do you think Sita says that to be compared to Chand’s
Bani Thani
is “
as much a compliment as an insult
”? Is Sita’s beauty a help or a hindrance to her? Consider how being beautiful affects the other characters in the novel. If you had to choose to be skilled or beautiful, which would you choose and why? Do you think Sita would choose her skills over her beauty?
3. Before the British formally took over the kingdom of Jhansi there was health and happiness in the rani’s palace—and a lot of food. Sita lovingly describes one meal “
of steaming rice, curries made with green chilies and coriander, and vegetables cooked in heavy sauces
.” Have a dinner party with your book club in which you recreate this menu. Over dinner, discuss the many examples of loss that occur in
Rebel Queen
. Is it difficult for the characters to mourn personal losses in the midst of public loss? Have you ever been in a similar situation? Share with the group your own story of loss.
About the Author
© AMIT KUSHWAHA
M
ichelle Moran was born in Southern California. After attending Pomona College, she earned a master’s degree from Claremont Graduate University. During her six years as a public high school teacher, Moran used her summers to travel around the world, and it was her experiences as a volunteer on archaeological digs that inspired her to write historical fiction. She is the internationally bestselling author of the novels
Nefertiti, The Heretic Queen, Cleopatra’s Daughter, Madame Tussaud,
and
The Second Empress
, which have been translated into more than twenty languages. Visit her online at
MichelleMoran.com
.
MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT
ALSO BY MICHELLE MORAN
The Second Empress
Madame Tussaud
Cleopatra’s Daughter
The Heretic Queen
Nefertiti
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 by Michelle Moran
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Touchstone Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Touchstone hardcover edition March 2015
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Interior design by Akasha Archer
Jacket design by Cherlynne Li
Jacket photograph © Mimi Haddon/Stone/Getty Images, border © Shutterstock
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Moran, Michelle.
Rebel queen: a novel / Michelle Moran. —First Touchstone hardcover edition.
pages; cm Touchstone fiction original hardcover.
1. Lakshmibai, Rani of Jhansi, 1828–1858—Fiction. 2. Jhansi (India: District)—History—19th century—Fiction. 3. India—History—British occupation, 1765–1947—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3613.O682R43 2015
813'.6—dc23
2014026037
ISBN 978-1-4767-1635-0
ISBN 978-1-4767-1637-4 (ebook)
Contents