Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
post
page
product
Want to stay in the loop with latest bookish news and views? Subscribe to HarperBroadcast!

The Last Queen

By Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

 799.00 inclusive of all taxes

  • Amazon

  • Warning: Undefined variable $productid in /var/www/html/harper_staging/wp-content/themes/harpercollins/woocommerce/content-single-product.php on line 399

    Warning: Undefined variable $productid in /var/www/html/harper_staging/wp-content/themes/harpercollins/woocommerce/content-single-product.php on line 407
  • audible
  • Or from your local bookseller.
We will notify you when the book is released!
Please allow notification and avoid private mode for this feature to work.

About the book

‘I am Rani Jindan, Mother of the Khalsa. That is my identity. That is my fate.’

While we have all heard tales of Rani Lakshmi Bai and Padmavati, not many of us are familiar with another Indian queen.

Daughter of the royal kennel keeper, the beautiful Jindan Kaur went on to become Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s youngest and last queen; his favourite. She became 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 distrusted the British and fought hard to keep them from annexing Punjab. Defying tradition, she stepped out of the zenana, cast aside the veil and conducted state business in public. Addressing her Khalsa troops herself, she inspired her men in two wars against the ‘firangs’. Her power and influence were so formidable that the British, fearing an uprising, robbed the rebel queen of everything she had, including her son. She was imprisoned and exiled. But that did not crush her indomitable will.

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, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s unforgettable novel brings alive one of the most fearless women of the nineteenth century, an inspiration for our times.

Pages: 372

Available in:

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/

Read More

In The Last Queen, Chitra has written an unforgettable story about the fearless, much-feared queen whom history seems to have forgotten. Jindan is heroic. Her strength and spirit are a lesson for us. - SHABANA AZMI

One of the most strikingly lyrical voices writing about the lives of Indian women. - AMITAV GHOSH

A stunning and moving reimagining of the life of one of the most remarkable women in North Indian history. In The Last Queen, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is writing at the very top of her game. - WILLIAM DALRYMPLE

On The blog

Our Most Definitive Best Books of 2022!

Read more

11 Books Every Woman Should Read

Read more

Audiobooks women

Women’s Voices in Women’s Voices: Best of Audiobooks

Read more

Historical Fiction

28 Best Historical Fiction Books That You Should Read

Read more

last queen the

Introducing the Last Queen | EXTRACT

Read more

Books by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Recommended for You