The Last Queen by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Rating: 4/5

“I may be injured; I may even be wounded to the heart; but I’m not defeated yet.”

The Last Queen by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni narrates the story of a long-forgotten queen- Jindan Kaur of Punjab. The book is divided into four parts- Girl, Bride, Queen & Rebel- examining the four stages of the life of the last queen of Punjab.

The novel is set in 1839 in the city of Lahore. It is a blend of fact and fiction, but more importantly, it is a story of a woman written by a woman. The undertone of Feminism can be seen on every page of the book. 

Rani Jindal Kaur is strong, powerful, fearless and at the same time simple, beautiful and romantic. She starts off as a daughter of the royal dog keeper, ends up as a strong rebellious queen, and marrying for love and only love somewhere in between.

In each section of the book, Rani Jindal’s sense of freedom transforms and she continues to strive for it. The simple yet unique writing style of Divakaruni makes the book unputdownable. Undoubtedly, The Last Queen is one of the best historical fictions I’ve ever come across. I would recommend you to read it, and reread if possible, because influential novels like this come once in ages.