Amah and the Silk-Winged Pigeons
La description
Lucknow in 1856 is the most opulent city in India. If the English take over, the royal family and centuries of rich, cosmopolitan culture will disappear. Amah, personal bodyguard to the King, wants to make sure this doesn’t happen. Ex-Queen, Hazrat Mahal, has the money to fortify against the English. When the women decide to take on the English colonists, what will be the price of their loyalty?
Récompenses
- Short-listed, Mary Sarton Award (Historical Fiction) 2017
- Short-listed, The Montaigne Medal/Eric Hoffer Award 2017
- Short-listed, Foreword Indie Awards (Historical Fiction) 2017
Reviews
"A superbly crafted historical novel with impressive attention to a detailed accuracy of events, Amah and the Silk-Winged Pigeons is an extraordinarily entertaining read from cover to cover."
--Midwest Book Review"This is a beautiful and horrifying book....This book is far more than a necessary history lesson, however; it is also a journey into the lost scents, tastes and textures of a cosmopolitan and richly cultured society, and an elegy for that loss."
&mdashThe Temz Review"Jocelyn Cullity's Amah and the Silk-Winged Pigeons highlights the lost history of the women descended from African slaves who fought so valiantly to save Lucknow during the famous 1857 resistance to English rule. Cullity--whose English family lived in India for five generations--infuses the grand narrative sweep of her story with poetic elegance, and succeeds in adjusting our lens on the past to illuminate a crucial part of Indian history."
--Prajwal Parajuly, The Gurkha's Daughter and Land Where I Flee"This book goes straight into the category of good historical fiction that brings the past vividly alive. Inspired by her own family's history, Jocelyn Cullity brings style and flair to an episode of the Great Uprising in India. Beautifully written and deeply researched, this debut novel will hold and intrigue its readers. Warmly recommended."
--Rosie Llewellyn-Jones, Engaging Scoundrels, True Tales of Old Lucknow"I admire the lucid, fluent prose and shimmering atmosphere of this novel, which in many ways recalls the best of E.M. Forster. Cullity's setting is redolent of Indian life, its tastes and smells, its colors and textures. She handles the themes of empire and cultural conflict with huge tact and clarity. Her storytelling is first-rate. Jocelyn Cullity is a fresh voice, and Amah and the Silk-Winged Pigeons is a memorable achievement."
--Jay Parini, The Last Station"Amah and the Silk-Winged Pigeons, based on real people and events, is a novel prodigiously researched, in which the research is so thoroughly composted into character that we lose ourselves in the rich settings and these imagined lives. A wonderful read."
--Janet Burroway, Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft