Finally, though, I just couldn't stand the company of the British colonial class in India, they were a hideous gaggle of superannuated racists so I abandoned this very remarkable and undoubtedly brilliant novel with relief. Reading the original first novel, The Jewel in the Crown now, it seems even more like a piece of history long gone, with perceptions we find mind-bogglingly patronising, and so alien to our modern view that they are hard to grasp. The British largely viewed their role in India as “nurturing” another culture until they were politically mature enough to govern themselves. But during the Second World War was a time of political unrest in India. For years the British had promised to leave India to govern itself, but when World War II broke out, Britain feared that the Japanese would invade India if they left. The Indian leaders, in particular the Mahatma Gandhi, demanded that the British quit India, but because they considered the time to be militarily dangerous for India, the British administrative and military establishment actively tried to suppress any unrest in the towns. Scott creates a vivid and believable picture of the society, culture and politics that led to this moment in time, but he never forgets to put people at the heart of it. While some sections are focused very much on the political situation and, as a result, might be rather dry for readers who are less interested in that aspect, these are broken up by the often intensely intimate stories of the characters, many of whom become unforgettable. Since I’m fascinated by the British Empire, and India especially, I found the political stuff just as engrossing as the personal. Superbly written, intelligent at the political level and deeply moving at the personal – a wonderful novel. India is The Jewel in the Crown. It signified the Crown's most precious dominion of the Victorian era- its control, forced conformity, "civilizing" and exploitation of India. I am obsessed with the British royal family, and loved the Crown on Netflix, I really thought that it was so brilliantly done.

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Scott uses a host of characters to bring to life his vision of India. One scene in particular has and will haunt me for a long time. The image of a burning over turned car and the bludgeoned corpse of an Indian teacher and the British teacher Miss Crane sitting in the rain along side the road holding his unresponsive hand. This scene is a great example of Scott exploring the ripple effect of one event that leads to a tidal wave of more and more disastrous reaction. Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information. In both cases, they are stories of the Siva cycle of destruction and rejuvenation (or creation), so entwined they not only can't be separated, but sometimes can't be told apart. Also, I wish I had read it in conjunction with the various episodes . . .I think I would have gotten more out of it.

McDowell, Edwin (February 8, 1990). "Nat Wartels, 88, the Chairman Of the Crown Publishing Empire". The New York Times . Retrieved May 27, 2018.

Jewel in the Crown - Goodreads The Jewel in the Crown - Goodreads

The Jewel in the Crown is a long novel, focusing on the rising power struggle in India. The tensions between the Indian population of the fictitious town of Mayapore, and the British civil and military authorities are high. Not only is British rule beginning to waver, and be considered as inappropriate even by some of the British themselves, but there are complex additional tensions, due to political, racial and religious differences. joint venture with Leonine Holding, The Walt Disney Company, Bauer Media Group and Hubert Burda Media. As Mr. Poulson said afterwards, the troubles in Mayapore began for him with the sight of old Miss Crane sitting in the pouring rain by the roadside holding the hand of a dead Indian.”This might be the story of the physical rape of Daphne Manners, but it is as much the story of the emotional rape of Hari Kumar. He is subjected to a kind of demoralization and dehumanization that makes a person weep in despair for all of mankind. At one point in the novel he states that he has become invisible, and he is right that the true self, the individual who is really Harry Coomer (the name he used in England all of his first eighteen years of life), can no longer be seen by anyone beneath the forced personae of Hari Kumar. In his lonely, isolated existence, in which he belongs to neither side of the society--not English because his skin is the wrong color, not Indian because his upbringing and exposures make him foreign--he finds Daphne Manners, a person who sees Harry Kumar, the whole person, both the Indian and the English reality. For Daphne, Harry is real, he is visible. The Jewel in the Crown is an impressive and important work. Scott manages to bring India to life in a physical as well as a spiritual sense. He paints scenes that swelter, you can smell the stench of the waste in the river, you can picture the long verandah of The MacGregor House and the lush and overgrown remains of the Bibighar Gardens, smell the fetid breath of the beggars and the acrid smoke of the cheap cigarettes. He is just as facile in painting emotional territory. It was easy to feel the confusion, distress, unhappiness, humiliation, condescension, and momentary joys of his characters. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this is the most awesome novel which I have read about British India. The story is gripping: the language poetic ( "the indigo dreams of flowers fallen asleep", to recall a phrase which lingers in the memory): and the characterisation near flawless. Even after more than twenty years (I think it's nearer twenty-five), I can recall the some scenes as if I had read the novel yesterday. Just as I look forward to season 2 of The Crown, (which Netflix releases December 8th, 2017) I will look forward to Volume 2 of the Official Companion series. I very much enjoyed reading Volume 1. Paul Scott is not a writer I knew a great deal about (though thanks to my good chum Wikipedia I now know a bit more) but I’m deeply impressed with what I’ve read so far and will hunt down other books by him.