Lastly, one of my fictional characters undergoes the experience of an actual member of the garrison, Captain Waterman, who, on finding himself alone in the deserted enclave on the night of 22nd November 1857, lost his mind, though happily only temporarily.
The reasons for the revolt of the sepoys in 1857 is still a matter for debate. The explanations given by the characters in this story, though not uniformly acceptable after the lapse of a century, are those held in common belief at the time of the uprising.
The life of a European zemindar, as sketched in Book II, remained very much the same until the zemindari system was abolished by the Indian Government in the early 1960s. The extraordinary mansion described as Hassanganj still stands, and is still occupied, in Uttar Pradesh in Northern India.
About this Book
AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
AND WINNER OF THE GEORGETTE HEYER MEMORIAL PRIZE
A magnificent, twisting, turning love story unfolds amid the exotic splendour of the British Raj.
Englishwoman Laura Hewitt accompanies her newly-engaged cousin to India, first to Calcutta and then to the fabled fiefdom of Oliver Erskine, Zemindar – or hereditary ruler – of a private kingdom, with its own army. But India is on the verge of the Mutiny, which will sweep them all up in its chaos.
Reviews
‘Utterly addictive…Leaves us panting for a sequel’
Washington Post
‘If you loved The Far Pavilions – and who didn’t – this will be your dish too’
Cosmopolitan
About the Author
ZEMINDAR is drawn from personal experience. Valerie Fitzgerald’s grandmother lived through the Indian Mutiny. When her soldier father was posted to Lucknow in World War Two, she spent winters in the city and summers on a zemindari. She now lives in Ottawa, Canada.
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The story starts here
Originally published in the UK in 1981 by The Bodley Head Ltd
This edition published in the UK in 2014 by Head of Zeus Ltd
Copyright © Valerie Fitzgerald, 1981
The moral right of Valerie Fitzgerald to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN (TPBO) 9781781859544
ISBN (E) 9781781859537
Head of Zeus Ltd
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Zemindar Page 97
