The typical fairytale of marrying a prince comes to life in this biography of an Australian girl who leaves her family and sheltered life in Melbourne to marry a Muslim ruler in a small area in India. Written by Suzanne Falkiner, a Sydney-based writer, who has written numerous other historical biographies, Joan in India details the family and society reaction to the marriage as well as the political situation during the period before the Indian Independence. Through part-travelogue, Falkiner traces the feelings of Joan upon arriving in India to wed a man 36 years her senior. Falkiner’s descriptions of India are insightful and conjure up the very essence of being on the streets of India. Extensive research, travel and interviews have gone into this detailed historical account of an unusual union. The documentation of the Independence period India went through is brilliant and the reader gets a real grasp of how things were at that time. Sure to appeal to serious biography and historical readers, this life history is an extensive portrayal of Joan and the cultural and social implications around her marriage.

Melanie Barton is the fiction category manager at Angus & Robertson

Tags: suzanne falkiner