The Glass Palace

7/20/2013

 
By Amitav Ghosh

 A three generations family (Indian-Burmese) saga taking place in Burma, India, and Malaya, from the mid 1800 to the 1990s.  It starts with the exile of the Burmese Royal family by the British spanning to present day India/Myanmar.  Rajkumar a poor Indian boy falls in love with Dolly, a Royal servant who is accompanying the Royal family as it is marching out of Burma. Many years later, he marries Dolly and the rest is their's and others' stories as social chaos and political events are changing the world. Fascinating is the adaptation of the characters to new environments as they are forced to migrate. Thought provoking are the loyalty conflicts of Indian soldiers serving the British Empire as they are facing British contempt. Ghosh gets his readers deep into the traditions, the struggles and pain of the different cultures. The book is an awakening to the little known Indian/Burmese involvement and suffering during War World II.  I am so glad that I read  it as it opened my eyes to a different history.
 


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