A Singular Hostage by Thalassa Ali
Sent to India to find a husband, Mariana Givens is facing the prospect of returning to Sussex ignominiously single. But the vastness of India has been a revelation. And before she leaves, Mariana is to accompany the Governor-General's party on their journey upcountry to meet the Punjab's ageing Maharajah. Little does she know it, but Mariana is being pulled into the fate of a child whose existence she isn't yet aware of. For 18-month-old Saboor is being held hostage by the capricious Maharajah, who views him as a talisman against encroaching decreptitude. But the Maharajah has no concept of a child's needs and, with his mother poisoned, Saboor is dying from neglect. According to Saboor's grandfather, the visionary Shaikh Waliullah, only the young woman from Sussex can save him.
'The strength of the novel is in its creation of a female colonial perspective.. her adventures are driven by narrative pleasure. Like a good costume drama A Singular Hostage provides crafted entertainment' Daily Telegraph -- Daily Telegraph 20020316 'Ali has created an inscrutable story whose mix of Indian mysticism and English Imperialism sheds new light on a bizarre and little-known event in political history' The Big Issue in the North -- The Big Issue in the North 20020316 'Beautifully written, with a believable heroine, it brings alive the magic of India and abounds with kidnaps, romance and visions' -- Yorkshire Evening Press 20020220 'A thrilling read, alive to cultural difference, awake to the scents and sounds of a distant epoch and brimming with dynamic action and colourful detail' Sunday Herald, Glasgow -- Sunday Herald, Glasgow 20020303 'Full of the exotic mysticism that one associates with India and the intriguing political details of the early Victorian era this is an absorbing insight into a land that still remains an enigma to most outsiders' -- Buzz 20020501
Thalassa Ali was born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, the daughter of two archaeologists, one British. Her husband was from Lahore, Pakistan, and she lived there for twelve years.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780747269793 |
| ISBN 10 | 0747269793 |
| Title | A Singular Hostage |
| Author | Thalassa Ali |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Headline Publishing Group |
| Year published | 2002-02-04 |
| Number of pages | 416 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |