Tea at Trianon: Emeralds Included: A Jana Bibi Adventure

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Emeralds Included: A Jana Bibi Adventure

The third and latest novel in the delightful series by Betsy Woodman, Emeralds Included, follows the further adventures of Jana Bibi, also known as “Mrs. Laird,” in the Himalayan village where she lives in a mansion inherited from her eccentric Scottish grandfather. Jana awaits a visit from her grown son, Jack, who is coming from Scotland with his Hungarian fiancée, Katarina. The blend of various cultures in early 1960s India adds to the enthrallment of the story which, for all its charm and humor, explores some serious issues. Jana must scramble to find the money for much-needed repairs to the house while dealing with the disastrous school experiences of her ward, Tilku, and the grumpiness of her maid and housekeeper, Mary. In the meantime, she must also face the losses of her past and the potential for happiness in her future, by taking risks and reaching out to the world. Surprises abound by means of Woodman’s marvelous storytelling and colorful characters.

This review originally appeared in the August 2014 edition of the Historical Novels Review.

(*NOTE: This book was sent to me by the Historical Novel Society in exchange for my honest opinion.) Share