Hello and welcome to FOCUS on BOOKS, a series sparked by my love of reading. We explore fascinating, familiar, and new worlds created by authors.
Every third Wednesday of the month, join us for a celebration of storytelling—spotlighting books, conversing with guest authors, and sharing my personal reading recommendations. Giveaways, surprises, and games will add to the fun.'
I am delighted to host my friend and super storyteller, Rosemary Morris, once again on the Focused on Story blog. Rosemary is sharing her intriguing novel, The Nabob's Daughter which is Set in Madras in the Early 19th Century. Madras is a former name for Chennai, a city in India.
Rosemary, thank you for being my guest this week. I have two questions for you.
What is a nabob? Why did you write the story of Nabob's daughter?
J. Q., Thank you very much for allowing me to feature my novel on your blog.
Nabob is a generic term for a very wealthy man who made his fortune in India.
The Inspiration for the Novel
The inspiration for this novel is derived from English translations of The Bhagavad Gita, As It Is by A.C.Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada, and Krishna Dharma’s The Mahabharat and The Ramayana, two important epics transcribed in English.Visits to a temple where Vaisnavas, who believe Krishna is God, deepened my understanding of their philosophy and religion.
The seeds of my ideas for The Nabob’s Daughter were sown when I read non-fiction and fiction in which there is emphasis on arrogant government officials and expatriates who exploited and mistreated people in India. However, that is not the entire truth.
There were many men, women and children from the United Kingdom who loved the country and respected its people and never wanted to leave their adopted home. I decided to show this through the principal characters in The Nabob’s Daughter.
For example, when Joyce, the heroine is a young child, her ayah tells her tales from classic Indian literature, encourages her to prefer a vegetarian diet, and takes her to give food to a sadhu, a holy man, who lives under a tree on her father’s estate. Throughout her life she will never forget him.
Against this background I developed the novel. The feedback and five out of five star reviews have justified my writing this romantic, multi-cultural literary novel.
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The Nabob's Daughter by Rosemary Morris
Historical Fiction, Romance
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Back of the Book: The Nabob’s Daughter
When Joyce is born in the East India Company’s Madras Presidency, her mother rejects her, but her father, an earl’s youngest son, adores her. As a child Joyce is afraid of her mother. Only time will tell if her stepbrother, Sylvester, and his friend, Vivian de Lancy can keep their promises to protect her. She loves them, her father, her ayah, and Vivian’s mother, Mistress de Lancy, a widow.
Joyce dreads the day when, according to custom, she must follow Sylvester and Vivian to England to be educated.
Nine year old Joyce is sent to her grandfather’s ancient castle in Cornwall. Heartbroken, surrounded by strangers, she never changes her opinion that England is a dull, gloomy, grey country. At just seventeen she is a reluctant debutante still longing for her happy life in Hindustan, a dazzling land with exceptional beauty to which she is determined to return. To comfort herself during dreary years, whenever Joyce is homesick, she clutches her most precious treasure, a heart-shaped pendant Vivian gave her.
Sylvester, who abhors the climate, fatal diseases, insects and snakes in India, settles in England. Vivian, heir to his mother’s emporium, the largest in Madras, returns to India which he loves.
While betrayed by those Joyce loves most, can she come to terms with it and triumph over many unavoidable, painful twists and turns in her life? Is it impossible for her to marry a suitable gentleman she loves and enjoy the happy life she craves?
Click the links below to download the eBook or order the print book.
Available from these book retailers: https://books2read.com/The-Nabobs-Daughter
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DJWKV493
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.com/Nabobs-Daughter.../dp/B0DJWKV493
About Rosemary Morris:
I am a multi-published historical novelist whose novels are set in the reign of Charles II’s niece, Queen Anne Stuart, who reigned from 1702 to 1714, and the ever popular Regency era. I have also written a mediaeval novel set in in the reign of Edward II.
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| Author Rosemary Morris |
My characters, are of their time, not men, women and children dressed in costume who behave like 21st century people.
I was born in Kent. As a child, when I was not making up stories, my head was ‘always in a book.'
Apart from writing, I enjoy classical Indian literature, reading, visiting places of historical interest, vegetarian cooking, growing organic fruit, herbs and vegetables and creative crafts.
Click here to connect online with Rosemary
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Thank you for stopping in today. Do you enjoy reading historical fiction? What era do you prefer? Lately, I have enjoyed the WWII settings. Please leave a comment below.
Connect online with JQ Rose:
Email: jqrose02 @ gmail dot com
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