rani: queen
rupee: unit of currency used throughout India and its former kingdoms sari: a garment of Hindu women that consists of yards of cloth draped so that one end forms a skirt and the other covers the top of the body shaadi: marriage
Shiva: the god who destroys so that progress may ensue Shri: a polite word used to address an elder male swastik(a): a very ancient and sacred Hindu symbol with four arms bent at ninety degrees, symbolizing auspiciousness and well-being. Later, it was rotated to the right and used to symbolize the Nazi party.
tikka: a decoration worn between the parting in a woman’s hair and ending between her brows veshya: prostitute
Vishnu: the preserver god whose ten avatars include both Rama and Krishna
Acknowledgments
This book could never have been written without the help and support of my amazing husband, Amit Kushwaha. Without him, I doubt I would ever have stumbled across the life story of Rani Lakshmibai. I also owe a debt of gratitude to Heather Lazare, who originally acquired this book for Touchstone, and to my wonderful agent, Dan Lazar, who made it all happen. To the editor who worked with me on this novel, Sally Kim, you are absolutely amazing. What a lucky day when I landed with you. To the Kushwaha family who guided me throughout India and took me not only to Jhansi, but to Gwalior and other places where the rani both lived and fought, I am incredibly grateful. And to my fantastic team at Touchstone, including Cherlynne Li, Jane Liddle, Melissa Vipperman-Cohen, Susan Moldow, David Falk, Laura Flavin, Brian Belfiglio, Maria Whelan, Carla Benton, and Etinosa Agbonlahor, I owe you all a tremendous thanks. To my family and friends who have always supported my writing career: the Morans, the Kushwahas, the Ballingers, the Porters, the Carpenters, the Indigs, and the Avildsens. And to Chantelle Doss, who helped with the research of this book. Lastly, a very heartfelt thanks goes out to Allison McCabe, who edited the first version of this work and whose sharp mind and even sharper sense of humor is always refreshing.
TOUCHSTONE READING GROUP GUIDE
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Rebel Queen Rebel Queen recounts the story of Sita, a beautiful young woman from a remote village in nineteenth century India, who is granted a rare opportunity to serve in Queen Lakshmi’s elite all-female army, the Durga Daal. Leaving behind her widowed father and young sister, Sita travels to the kingdom of Jhansi and begins a new life of opulence and excitement, all while saving money for her sister’s dowry. Her good luck is short-lived, however, as the British army gains a stronghold in India and threatens to take over Queen Lakshmi’s throne. Intrigue, deception, murder, and culture clashes ensue, but the queen does not give up her kingdom without a fight. Sita, ever faithful to her queen, pledges her allegiance to the kingdom, even though it means she must sacrifice her beloved family and a way of life that can never be reclaimed. Rebel Queen is as heartbreaking as it is exhilarating—a rare glimpse into the making of an empire, and an examination of power, privilege, and loss.
For Discussion
1. Rebel Queen opens with an epigraph from George Bernard Shaw: “Every Englishman is born with a certain miraculous power that makes him master of the world . . . that it is his moral and religious duty to conquer those who have got the things he wants.” What tone does this quote set for the novel? How does Rebel Queen address the issue of colonization? Do you think the novel portrays the British as merely the aggressors, or are they also partly victims?
2. The aged Sita recounts running into a British journalist who wants to publish Sita’s story of the rani and the loss of the kingdom of Jhansi. When she hesitates, the journalist replies, “We’ve all done things we’d rather keep in the dark. It’s only by shedding light on them that our demons can disappear.” What “demons” does Sita have? Do you think telling her story rids her of these demons? Why or why not?
3. Discuss the ways in which gender roles are twisted and at times defied in Rebel Queen. Does Sita live her life according to her maid Avani’s belief that only “a man can change his life . . . a woman can only change her appearance”? When Sita joins the Durga Daal, does she change more than her appearance? Consider, too, how the rani and her husband fit into the question of true change versus the appearance of change. Is one character the most successful at changing?