Blurb taken from back cover:

“A writer of unusual subtlety and impressive scope, Gita Mehta possesses a stunning grasp of historical complexities and a keen eye for detail. These qualities are in abundance in ‘Raj’, the remarkable story of a woman of royal birth coming of age during India’s fight for independence. With rare grace and narrative flair, Mehta lays bare the complexities of Indian culture and tradition as few foreigners ever experience them.

“At the heart of her epic is Jaya Singh. The intelligent, beautiful, and compassionate daughter of the Maharajah and Maharani of Balmer, Jaya is raised in the thousand-year-old tradition of purdah, a strict regime of seclusion, silence, and submission. But with the premature death of her decadent, Westernized husband, Jaya must assume the role of Regent Maharani of Sirpur. She soon finds herself thrust into the center of a roiling political battle in which the future of the kingdom is at stake. It is a conflict that will force Jaya to realize her future as a leader of the Indian people in her own right.”