Part 1 of Thorns In The Crown begins in 1924-35 where we learn about our protagonists. Set in British occupied India when the freedom movement was taking shape and the political air in the country was quite wild. If historical fiction fascinates you, then you are going to sucked right into the lives of Olivia, Neel, and Peter.

Also Read: Ambapali by Tanushree Podder #BookReview

One Bengali, one British, one anglo-Indian bastard – what do they have in common in this story with the backdrop of India’s struggle for freedom and constant dissatisfaction with the British rule.

We have Neel, a young Bengali boy growing up in a family with activists and revolutionaries. We have a white girl Olivia born on the night Indians had come to hate, and her own life showed the effects as if it was cursed. And we have Peter, an anglo-Indian bastard child abandoned by his father and his family after his mother’s death. While Neel is an active revolutionary involved from a pretty young age, Olivia is a silent observer from outside being drawn to the freedom movement, and there is Peter, the outcast who was neither accepted by the Brits nor the Indians, and hated both the same.

Also Read: Body Of Work by Mansi Babbar

In Part 1 of the book, we understand the characters and watch them grown up towards their own paths in life. Part 2 is from 1936-44 when the freedom movement picked course and everybody’s lives were uprooted and changed. We also have young widow Devyani who had thrown herself to the works of the freedom movement trying to continue the job her late husband was trying to do. The narrative has us moving from Punjab to Webs Bengal and to the Andamans.

Also Read: Everyday Revolution: Finding Clarity Conviction and Joy with Feminism

I am a historical fiction enthusiast and truly enjoyed this story. What was a bonus for me was to get a peak into the lives or a British child growing up in British occupied India and an anglo-Indian bastard who loses his mother, then gets converted and then tries to survive in a country that is flighting for itself, while he doesn’t relate to the oppressor or the oppressed. I also loved the character development Olivia got.

We have grown up reading about the freedom movement and all historical details are ingrained in hearts and brains of most of us. But what about common people who also took part in the struggle or chose to stay out? What was it like growing up in India of today, as an Indian, as an unloved British child, and as an abandoned anglo-Indian bastard?

Also Read: A Paradox Of Dreams by Harshali Singh

In Thorns In The Crown, author Tanushree Podder weaves a beautiful story around India’s struggle for freedom taking us into lives of the youth at that time.

Buy here:

Blurb:

Indraneel, the son of a schoolteacher and brother to activists, has felt the call to revolution ever since he was a young boy. His life’s mission is clear-to free India from its oppressors.

Olivia, the daughter of a ruthless British officer, has spent most of her lonely life tucked away in cantonments. But as she comes of age, she finds herself unable to resist the pull of the people and customs of India-the only home she’s ever known.

Peter is an opportunistic Anglo-Indian orphan torn between his two selves, pledging allegiance to neither, until a chance encounter with revolutionaries changes the course of his life forever.

As the fires of revolution are lit across India, we follow these three lives along the length and breadth of the country-from Amritsar to Calcutta and onwards to Ross Island in the Andamans. Thorns in the Crown tells a story of belonging and courage against the backdrop of India’s struggle for independence and the emergence of a new social order.

This review is powered by Blogchatter Book Review Program

***

If you are looking for an excellent manuscript editor, someone to create content for your business, or an expert to help build your personal or professional brand on social media, then look no further and connect with me at editor@samarpita.in I can be followed on instagram at @samarpita and on twitter at @samarpitadotin.

***********

Read my ebook WRITE. EDIT. PROMOTE. to learn the basics about becoming an author – from writing your own book, to editing your first draft, and to promoting your book yourself! You can also read my ebook How To Write A Story Effectively and learn some valuable lessons about how a story can go from average to extraordinary. This book is part 1 of the series.

In fiction, I have two short stories for children in an ebook called Bedtime Stories.