In the Court of the Ranee of Jhansi: Other Travels in India by John Lang
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
“In the Court of the Ranee of Jhansi” starts off with a bang, promising tales of the fierce queen, only to pivot to the less riveting diaries of the local zamindars. It’s like buying a ticket to an action-packed superhero movie and realizing it’s a documentary about the guy who makes the popcorn. The book swiftly swaps sword fights for social calls, and the Rani’s rebellion for rambling recounts of colonial life.
If you were hoping for a deep dive into the Rani’s legendary exploits, brace yourself for a detour through the mundane musings of the English occupiers, peppered with a linguistic salad of Urdu, Arabic, and a pinch of Sanskrit. It’s less ‘In the Court of the Ranee’ and more ‘In the Living Room of Some Random Landlord’.
So, if you’re keen on 19th-century real estate gossip and the intricacies of British tea etiquette, this might just be your cup of chai. Otherwise, you might find yourself flipping back to chapter one, wondering where the queen went. đź“šđź‘‘
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