Review of The Queen of Xana
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Janki Patel
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Review of The Queen of Xana
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Queen of Xana" by Fred Pilcher.]
The Queen of Xana by Fred Pilcher is a work of historical fiction, primarily intended as a political allegory that makes the reader want to reflect on the merits and demerits of a certain political system.
In the land of Xana, Queen Julia gives birth to the heir of the throne, Princess Agatha, who is blessed by her fairy godmother to achieve greatness in life. Stepping out of the palace gates, Agatha is confronted with the appalling poverty-stricken condition of the people. It does not miss her mind that while the aristocrats and royalty swim in an ocean of ostentatious extravagance, the common people are unable to have their needs met. Even her suggestions to the queen’s council were considered too radical to implement. However, her genuine love for her people is reflected when she ascends the throne and in every decision she takes thereafter.
The story of Queen Agatha as a magnanimous monarch who rules with fairness and is adored by the people may, on the surface level, seem like a story imbued with morals. While there is no doubt that the book serves this function, there is also a heavy undertone of socio-economic and political commentary that goes along with it. The book throws light on the challenges faced by a state that decides to adopt radical measures to improve the lives of its citizens. This made me draw parallels to somewhat contemporary times, regarding the challenges faced by newly independent nations to grow politically, socially and economically from scratch. Economically, what stood out for me the most was how Queen Agatha came to the realisation that distributing wealth from the treasury equally to everyone would not solve the problem of poverty. On the social level, it highlighted the importance of education among many other themes. I liked each and every aspect and theme covered in the book, not because of its uniqueness, but rather because it pushed me to draw parallels to real life.
The author chose to write this book in a distinctive way by presenting Queen Agatha’s story as a legend that was orally passed from generation to generation. This made me appreciate the author’s historical bend of mind to showcase that oral traditions, as a source of history, too require preservation. Moreover, the book was impeccably edited, and I have no complaints about the book.
I recommend this book to those who want a simple but at the same time a profound book that sheds light on various socio-economic, political and ethical themes.
For the above-mentioned reasons, I rate this book five out of five.
******
The Queen of Xana
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Queen of Xana by Fred Pilcher is a work of historical fiction, primarily intended as a political allegory that makes the reader want to reflect on the merits and demerits of a certain political system.
In the land of Xana, Queen Julia gives birth to the heir of the throne, Princess Agatha, who is blessed by her fairy godmother to achieve greatness in life. Stepping out of the palace gates, Agatha is confronted with the appalling poverty-stricken condition of the people. It does not miss her mind that while the aristocrats and royalty swim in an ocean of ostentatious extravagance, the common people are unable to have their needs met. Even her suggestions to the queen’s council were considered too radical to implement. However, her genuine love for her people is reflected when she ascends the throne and in every decision she takes thereafter.
The story of Queen Agatha as a magnanimous monarch who rules with fairness and is adored by the people may, on the surface level, seem like a story imbued with morals. While there is no doubt that the book serves this function, there is also a heavy undertone of socio-economic and political commentary that goes along with it. The book throws light on the challenges faced by a state that decides to adopt radical measures to improve the lives of its citizens. This made me draw parallels to somewhat contemporary times, regarding the challenges faced by newly independent nations to grow politically, socially and economically from scratch. Economically, what stood out for me the most was how Queen Agatha came to the realisation that distributing wealth from the treasury equally to everyone would not solve the problem of poverty. On the social level, it highlighted the importance of education among many other themes. I liked each and every aspect and theme covered in the book, not because of its uniqueness, but rather because it pushed me to draw parallels to real life.
The author chose to write this book in a distinctive way by presenting Queen Agatha’s story as a legend that was orally passed from generation to generation. This made me appreciate the author’s historical bend of mind to showcase that oral traditions, as a source of history, too require preservation. Moreover, the book was impeccably edited, and I have no complaints about the book.
I recommend this book to those who want a simple but at the same time a profound book that sheds light on various socio-economic, political and ethical themes.
For the above-mentioned reasons, I rate this book five out of five.
******
The Queen of Xana
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Abandoned Not Broken by Rob Johnson
