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What's a Victorian girl to do? Twenty years old, not quite beautiful, more interested in military history than in conventional female doings, Mariana Givens sets off for India with Gov.-Gen. Lord Auckland's enormous party in hopes of finding a husband. Several eligible British officers are ready to propose, but Mariana would rather study Urdu with wise Munshi Sahib or hang out with the elephants. The officers are weepy or large-eared, except for Harry Fitzgerald, who turns out not to be eligible, after all. It's the eponymous hostage who steals her heart: Saboor, a luminous infant who was kidnapped by the ailing, one-eyed Maharajah Ranjit Singh, ruler of the Punjab, whom Lord Auckland is on his way to meet. After Saboor's mother is poisoned, Mariana is readily enlisted to return Saboor to his father, Hassan Sahib. Will she come to love Hassan as much as she loves Saboor? Although the ending is inconclusive, suggesting a sequel (one is in the works; called A Beggar at the Gate, it will be published in 2003), Mariana is unlikely to return to flower-arranging in Sussex. Sometimes lyrical and zippy, sometimes predictable and plodding, this richly populated novel is notable for an odd combination of strengths: a compelling mysticism, a convincing historicity and a flare for slapstick comedy sending up both the Indian and British patriarchies. Old-time Olympia Press readers will warm to the hair-waxing scene as Mariana is prepared for a sham (or is it?) wedding to Hassan.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Adult/High School-Mariana Givens is not a proper Victorian young lady; at 20, she is impetuous, outspoken, and inquisitive. Sent to relatives in India in 1838 to find a husband among the eligible suitors in the British officer corps, she is allowed a Muslim munshi, or teacher. An eager, apt pupil of Hindustani language and culture, Mariana becomes a translator for the straitlaced sisters of the Governor-General of India and travels with his entourage to Punjab, where he hopes to persuade the Maharaja to aid the British army in its invasion of Afghanistan. Mariana finally meets a dashing officer, but their romance is cut short. When a charismatic boy held hostage by the ailing Maharaja, who believes the child has curative powers, disappears, his rescuers are led to Mariana, who agrees to hide him. The rest of her adventure, robust and satisfying as a cup of Darjeeling tea, centers on Saboor, her determination to return him to his father, and the lengths to which she will go to protect this child who has so entranced her. The Maharaja, the Governor-General, his sisters, and other players are all historical figures. By contrasting the British view of Indian culture and its people with the view of Punjabis themselves, rich and poor, this mesmerizing tale helps readers better understand a vitally important area of the world.
Molly Connally, Chantilly Regional Library, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.