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Formats
Paperback Book Details
  • 09/2014
  • 9780993863516
  • 392 pages
  • $14.99
Waheed Rabbani
Author
Doctor Margaret's Sea Chest: The Azadi Series Book 1

From the Book’s Back Cover

 

Doctor Margaret’s Sea Chest, is Book I of a series of historical fiction set during India’s struggle for freedom—Azadi—from the British Raj. The Books weave a tale of international intrigue, conflict, and poignant love between interesting characters of that era.

 

In 1965 an over 100-year-old sea chest, believed to be that of an American doctor, Margaret, is discovered in the storage room of a hospital in Delhi. Another American doctor, Sharif, who originally hails from Delhi and is on contract at the hospital, is entrusted with the task of locating the mysterious woman’s relatives and returning her trunk. Sharif tracks down Margaret’s descendants in Grimsby, Ontario, Canada. Her diaries, and other artefacts—such as the Kingdom of Jhansi’s crown—are found in the coffer.

 

Margaret, born in New Jersey to a Scottish Presbyterian clerical family, overcomes tremendous obstacles and achieves her heart’s desire, in 1850, to become one of the first North American women doctors. She marries her Canadian cousin, Robert, and travels with him to serve in the Crimean war of 1854. In Crimea, they have to not only face hardships of battles, but also endure other conflicts.

 

From events leading to and after the infamous Charge of the Light Brigade, Margaret meets a Russian officer, Count Nicholai. The surprise ending of Book I, leaves Margaret in a quandary, whether to seek vengeance or to continue on with her journey to India. In the end, she believes she has made the right decision.

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“[Waheed’s] take on the Indian Mutiny from an Indian point of view is fascinating to the Western reader and should be well received…”                    Ian Walker, author of LOCA

 

Reviews
Amazon

5.0 out of 5 stars Rich in detail, epic in scope, December 20, 2014

By 

AJ (Victoria) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Doctor Margaret's Sea Chest (The Azadi Series Book 1) (Kindle Edition)

From its lyrical opening (“The full moon hung in a cloudless sky like a lantern held by an invisible force”), to its myriad plot twists, romantic entanglements, and action sequences, this historical novel will immerse you in a tale that keeps you turning the pages. The story begins in 1965 when an American doctor working in India, Walidad (“Walli”) Sharif, learns of a tantalizing mystery: a locked trunk belonging to a pioneering female American doctor has gone unclaimed for the past 100 years. Walli is enlisted to search out the North American descendants of “Doctor Margaret” and deliver to them the ancient sea chest. A seemingly straightforward quest soon plunges Walli into Cold War intrigue, complex family ties and a deepening secret: what became of Doctor Margaret?

Author Waheed Rabbani alternates between the recent past and the Victorian era, eventually illuminating more and more of Doctor Margaret’s fate. And it is the romantic and ambitious Margaret who ultimately wins the reader’s heart. She must overcome her parents’ opposition to her choice of profession, her Aunt’s objection to the blossoming romance with her cousin, Robert, and the widespread discrimination encountered by women of that era. Margaret’s resilience, including a memorable scene aboard a sea-going ship where she must physically repel unwanted overtures, proves her an estimable heroine.

As we follow Margaret’s saga, the narrative transports us from the U.S. and Canada to England, Turkey and ultimately the Crimean Peninsula. Over that span, we bear witness to indelible scenes ranging from the Underground Railroad to the tragic charge of the Light Brigade. The challenge of depicting so many diverse historic settings, customs and events clearly delights Rabbani—he does not shy away from historical vernacular or accent in his dialogue. When Margaret’s ship sails upon the Thames on its way to London, we are utterly convinced. The story is rendered in meticulous period detail.

Doctor Margaret’s Sea Chest, the first in a trilogy, is a delight for readers in search of an epic historical voyage.

Formats
Paperback Book Details
  • 09/2014
  • 9780993863516
  • 392 pages
  • $14.99
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