Women of the Raj

Women of the Raj is a fascinating account, and I would highly reccomend it to anyone interested in history or in that period of history, and the author did a wonderful job. After I finished this book, I read another very interesting history book that she wrote which was also very interesting and informative.

Women of the Raj gives me the first person accounts of history that I enjoy so much. I didn't really know much of the history of the British Empire in India, outside of the common knowledge of Gandhi and maybe the books of Rumer Godden. This book allows you not only to understand the history, but you understand it from the point of view of the women. I love Asian history, first person sources and women's history, so this is perfect for me. From when the British and the French fought over India, till the closing days of the Raj after World War Two, this really gives you a detailed history of India under English Rule. It tells us about how the Europeans dealt with the climate, the diseases, the food, the hierarchy, the dangers, the natives, and family life.

As an Indian, I've always known about the Indians' view of the Raj, so it's very interesting to read about the Britishers' views and their lives in India. "Women Of The Raj" is very informative and provides every detail about their lives. As the book focuses on women, the reader encounters all their social and domestic problems and finds him/herself wondering over and over again how anyone could live like that! Even when the Raj was at its peak, these women faced a great many difficulties. This is the first book I've ever read about the Raj and it has inspired me to read many more. Highly recommended.

Maybe it was because it was the summer and I was looking for a "light read," but I really enjoyed this book. If you're looking for a scholarly book on this subject you may want to look elsewhere, because this is primarily a social/cultural history. The book is divided into lots of small chapters, each covering a particular theme, such as: taking the ship from Britain to India, housekeeping, courtship and marriage, bringing up children, social activities, etc. The author has filled the book with funny tidbits. For example, in the chapter on taking the ship over to India we learn that, due to the lack of laundry facilities, British women were advised to bring their oldest underwear with them. That way, when the clothing was dirty they could just chuck it overboard! In the chapter on courtship and marriage we find out that India was a "seller's market." Men outnumbered women by three-to-one. Women enjoyed all of the attention and loved to flirt. Other women loved to gossip about the women that loved to flirt- hence, nasty nicknames abounded, such as "Treacle Tart" and "Betty-Bed-And-Breakfast." In the section covering coping with the weather we find out that women who arrived in 80 degree weather, thinking it was the summer, were in for a nasty shock when the "real" summer hit and temperatures soared to 110-120 farenheit. Ladies and Gentlemen were still expected to don formal attire for supper (after all, we are talking about the British!). How to beat the heat? They put a huge block of ice under the dinner table- a form of primitive air conditioning. Mrs. MacMillan does have her serious moments: she talks about race relations, snobbery, and prejudice. We also learn about the caste system. The Brits were quite put out that, as foreigners, they were lumped together with the Untouchables. Quite a shock, that! The book also has a lot of interesting photographs taken in the late 1800's and early 1900's. All in all, highly recommended.

I tripped over this book while looking for something completely different, but I'm glad I did. Mrs. MacMillan does a wonderful job of describing the history of British women living in India during the colonial period, without being dry, boring, or stuffy. I love history-related books, but so many are boring, and read like textbooks, no matter how interesting the subject matter, that a book like this reminds me of why I love history. In fact, I read "Women of the Raj" in one sitting.Although written about women, Mrs. MacMillan avoids burdening her work with modern feminist blather, and explains the hows and whys of women's behavior during the Raj in relation to the society of the time. She covers the challenges women faced in coming to an unknown place and cultures (even after a century of ruling India, the general populace of Britian didn't necessarily know much about actually living there), raising children, relationships with the native populations, and much more. Even though my knowledge of the British Raj was limited to what I've learned in world history overview classes and from reading Kipling, I never lost track of how the discussions fit into wider history and culture, thanks to the good job the author did at fitting her discussions into these contexts. My only complaint, and a small one at that, is that a map or two of India, showing major cities and stations, would have been helpful.