*side note: I bought this at Half-Priced Books, right? Half-Priced Books. For $7.98. When I looked it over more after getting it home, I realized that this particular edition had been bound for sale in India. The price? Rs. 295 (about $6, currently). Ummm....not quite half priced. :)
I was drawn to the book by it's subtitle: European Women Who Broke Society's Rules and Married Indian Princes, and by the questions posed on the back: Who were these women? Were they gold-diggers, or hopeless romantics hoping to enact their own Cinderella fairy-tale? Did they live happily ever after? I especially wanted the answer to the last question-I was hoping that I might be able to use this as a study guide for my upcoming trip!!! :)
The book, however, was not highly encouraging in this respect. Of the 20 stories in the book, only about a quarter of the marriages actually ended happily. Most of the firengi bahus were unable to cope with the consequences of their marriage to their Indian princes. The consequences were often fairly severe, including: ostricization from British society (they often weren't allowed to be recognized by any British official), unacceptance by the zenana (the women of the family) and the prince's subjects, continual infidelity by the prince, and being forced to give up a Western lifestyle-not quite the fairy tale life that most people imagine.
Even though it didn't encourage me to find a rich Indian prince during my trip, I still enjoyed reading the stories in the book. The author, an avowed Indiaphile, took care to include details that helps the reader really envision the lives that these women led. I highly recommend it to those who want a different view of life in India during the British Raj.
i wonder how this bears on my search for and indian princess. how do you feel it would apply?
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