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The Essential Collection : The Forest of Enchantments, The Last Queen, Independence

By Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

 1,399.00 inclusive of all taxes

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About the book

‘Path-breaking, poignant, exhilarating … unputdownable.’ — BUSINESS STANDARD

‘Divakaruni’s stories are irresistible.’ — THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

‘Few writers get the setting, characters and story pitch perfect, like Divakaruni does, every single time.’ — INDIA TODAY

‘One of the most strikingly lyrical voices writing about the lives of Indian women.’ — AMITAV GHOSH

*

The Ramayana, one of the world’s greatest epics, is also a tragic love story. In The Forest of Enchantments, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni places Sita at the centre of the novel: this is Sita’s version. A powerful comment on duty, betrayal, infidelity and honour, it is also about women’s struggle to retain autonomy in a world that privileges men, as Chitra transforms an ancient story into a gripping, contemporary battle of wills. How should women be treated by their loved ones? What are their rights in a relationship? When does a woman need to stand up and say, ‘Enough!’

Daughter of the royal kennel keeper, the beautiful Jindan Kaur went on to become Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s youngest and last queen, his favourite, and regent when her son, Dalip, barely six years old, unexpectedly inherited the throne. Sharp-eyed, stubborn, passionate, and dedicated to protecting her son’s heritage, Jindan fought hard to keep the British from annexing Punjab. An exquisite love story of a king and a commoner, a cautionary tale about loyalty and betrayal, and a powerful parable of the indestructible bond between mother and child, The Last Queen brings alive one of the most fearless women of the nineteenth century, an inspiration for our times.

August, 1946. Priya, Jamini and Deepa, Dr Nabakumar Ganguly’s daughters, live in Ranipur, Bengal, safe from the rising turbulence in the country. When India is partitioned, the sisters find themselves separated from one another, afraid of what will happen to not only themselves, but also each other. It is only then that they understand what it means to be independent, and the price one has to pay for it. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Independence is a moving story of loyalty and love, nationhood and sisterhood, set against India’s freedom movement, at once exhilarating and devastating.

Pages: 1060

Available in: Slipcase/ Boxset

Language: English

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an award-winning and bestselling author, poet, activist and teacher of writing. Her work has been published widely, in magazines and anthologies, and her books have been translated into twenty-nine languages. Several of her works have been made into films and plays. Her last novel was the award-winning bestseller, The Last Queen, film rights to which have been bought by a major production house. She lives in Houston with her husband, Murthy, and has two sons, Anand and Abhay. She teaches in the internationally acclaimed Creative Writing programme at the University of Houston. Chitra tweets @cdivakaruni and she loves to connect with her readers on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/chitradivakaruni/

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