Reviews

Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon

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nikshelby's review

4.0

I always question the value of my small contribution in my sphere of influence. This book was about a woman who did the best she could to improve for good the world around her. She lived with integrity, determination and courage. Who saw the small opportunities around her and made the most of them. This book was about the few years that she lived in Siam - and was a teacher to the children and women of the King. Where she was payed very little, but did her best with the opportunities to serve that she encountered. I found it entertaining, inspiring, and often foreign - with presentation of customs and ideas that were so out of range of anything in my own experience. I will never be a teacher and governess to a capricious and tyrannical sovereign. However, Anna Leonowen's story reminded me to be true to the best ideals, and to courageously serve in whatever capacity i am in.

"Light and darkness! So it had been from the beginning and so it was to the end. Was the small good worth its cost, the cup of cold water, the binding of the wounded spirit, the occasional rescue, the word of teaching? Sometimes it was hard to decide whether the little she accomplished outweighed the pain of seeing continually evils she could not rectify.

Whenever she looked at Prince Chulalongkorn and others of her pupils, who were the new generation, the tomorrow of the country, she felt encouraged to hope. Her own personal triumphs seemed small as she totaled them, yet she found on reflection she was glad of each one."

This book was amazing. More so, because it wasn't just a made up story.

Knowing that I love the musical, "The King and I," TJ found and bought for me the book upon which is was based: "Anna and the King of Siam" by Margaret Landon. Landon wrote this book following ten years of research in Siam, spurred on by reading the two books of Anna Leonowens: "The English Governess at the Siamese Court," and "The Romance of the Harem." Of her book Margaret Landon says, "It is 75% fact, and 25% fiction based on fact."

The editor, Elsie Weil, wrote: "Anna Leonowens was a real person, vivid and impelling, with very strong ideas about freedom, democracy, and the rights of the individual. With these ideas she swept through [King Mongkut's] Palace, in the 1860's, like a clean breeze...Her most important achievement was to implant some of her own idealism in the heart and consciousness of the young prince who was to succeed his father. "Mem cha," he said to her one day, "if I live to reign over Siam, I shall reign over a free and not an enslaved nation." True to his pledge, as King Chulalongkorn, Siam's greatest ruler, he abolished slavery and introduced many social and educational reforms. Many years later, in 1897, Anna met her royal pupil again in London, and had the satisfaction of knowing that her work in Siam had been well done."

toriedawn1's review

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5.0

May I first say I was shocked by the realisation this was based on a true story. I had absoloutly no idea when I first started reading it and throughout the book found myself suprised by how real it all felt, turns out there was a very good reason for that fact. I realy enjoyed reading about the difficulties and small sucesses of Anna as she traversed this strange world with customs she didnt fully understand. I think she handled things well, trying to help where she could and only pushing as hard as she was able. The one person I found I had a strong dislike for was Moonande. I found him rude and disrespectful, they were all in a culture which wasn't their own yet the others though they disagreed often still showed some respect, he was just rude, I was glad when he left. I loved hearing of the royal children and was devastated when the little princess died (you know who I mean and I cant spell her name). The stories from after her time there were so sweet too. This book went so quickly, it was such an easy read. I would totally reccommend it.

joysanwhoa's review

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informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

alliepeduto's review against another edition

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2.0

DNF...I'm sure the story is lovely, but it's so long and so descriptive that it's hard for me to get through! I was hoping to finish this since I am not only seeing "The King and I" next week but I am also attending a book club that is a companion to the performance the following week. Alas, it's not to be. I'm still so excited for the musical since it's a classic!!

wwatts1734's review

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3.0

Many people are familiar with the story of Anna and the Siamese Court from the Rogers and Hammerstein musical "The King and I." This book is what that musical was based on. It was fascinating to read about this Englishwoman's experiences in the court of Siam, and particularly her interactions with the women within the Siamese emperor's harem and his hundreds of children. This book would certainly be appropriate for anyone who likes to read about cultural interactions and the humorous things that result from them. Also, it gives an English speaking audience a good insight into the Thailand that existed in the 19th Century.

My problem with this novel is that it fed into the British imperial and post-imperial bias that nations in Asia, Africa, the Pacific and the Americas that did not benefit from European colonial administrations are hopelessly barbaric places that need to be taught how to be civilized. This view was widely held throughout the West in the 19th Century and all the way up to the 1960s, and this book reflects that view, indeed it almost epitomizes it. Here is a civilized woman coping with the barbaric practices of polygamy, male domination, castes and other things that the British colonial administrations worked to eliminate throughout the world. We feel sorry for her because she is forced to live among the barbarians and deal with their barbaric ways. This is condescending, but unfortunately it is the way that most people in the West thought about non-Western, non-Christian nations in the past. Because of that, I would caution people who are not aware of this bias to watch for it when reading "Anna and the King".

Keeping this caveat in mind, I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Thailand or the far east in the 19th century.

jenmiles925's review

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adventurous reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Written in a different era so keep that in mind while reading, as some verbiage is outdated. Overall it was an interesting read filled with short stories that strung together to build out Anna’s experience.