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ellieeyessmile's review
5.0
This was a very good book. It reads a little slow, but overall it is a very captivating read. I enjoyed reading it and highly recommend it.
mcorinne's review
4.0
This was an amazing book. It was a little slow getting into it, but I found it very interesting and also inspirational.
read_watch_sarah's review
2.0
This book would have been better if it was focused mainly on Anna Leonowens and how she educated the future leader of Siam. Instead, it ventures off and covers much about Siam in general which feels out of place. Still an interesting read that has made we want to learn more about the true story behind The King and I.
allison_on_a_book_break's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
2.75
mjagears's review
4.0
3.5 - As a lover of The King and I since childhood, this was a fun look into the truth behind the story. Because it was true, there was admittedly more political talk than was entertaining, but it was still an engaging story. If you ever want a way to encourage a teacher that their profession is worthwhile even when it feels like they're failing (or a missionary) this would be that story. Her instruction and example was the seed that changed Siam. (at least according to this account. :))
saffyofthecakes's review
2.0
I read this book for mine and Carina’s ‘Artesian’ challenge. This was the A.
I did not enjoy this book. I found Anna’s character to be painfully selfish with a massive hero complex. She made horrible comments about the Siamese being ‘toads’ and was appalled when her servant was beaten but was happy to watch a woman be a whipped and then sold in front of her. She then talks about how much she hates slavery.
The only bits I did like were start, when you didn’t realise how horrible Anna is, and the end, when you don’t have too much to do with her.
I’m glad I read it, as it’s sparked good conversation with Carina. We’re going to watch the musical and movie, and it’ll be interesting to see how much the character has been changed to make her likeable.
I did not enjoy this book. I found Anna’s character to be painfully selfish with a massive hero complex. She made horrible comments about the Siamese being ‘toads’ and was appalled when her servant was beaten but was happy to watch a woman be a whipped and then sold in front of her. She then talks about how much she hates slavery.
The only bits I did like were start, when you didn’t realise how horrible Anna is, and the end, when you don’t have too much to do with her.
I’m glad I read it, as it’s sparked good conversation with Carina. We’re going to watch the musical and movie, and it’ll be interesting to see how much the character has been changed to make her likeable.
pussreboots's review
1.0
Anna and the King of Siam is a fictional account of an English teacher's two volume "memoir" that had long gone out of print. Margaret Landon combined these two books together into a historical novel. As there are so many points of elaboration it is hard to get any real sense of the events that might have actually taken place back in the 1860s. A quick search online will bring up numerous opinions and essays on the story in its many forms: The English Governess at the Siamese Court, The Romance of the Harem, Anna and the King of Siam, and The King and I.
This 1950s reprint of the 1945 novel came my way via the old Bookrelay site. I've seen the musical The King and I a number of times as it was one of my grandmother's favorites and she and I spent a lot of time together. I can't say I agree with grandmother on the film. I've always found it a little boring and off-putting. The book suffers from many of the same problems.
The book is long and dry. There are scenes designed for a melodramatic impact but they often fall flat. Landon's descriptions of the scenes reads more like a book report (or perhaps a dull copying job from Leonowen's books?) that are often tedious to read. After having suffered through 352 pages of minutiae one might has well have read a history book on the same subject and at least come away with having learned something!
Anna for all her "good intentions" comes off as so xenophobic that it is hard to believe she has as much influence as the novel would have one believe. I am not expecting a "politically correct" novel but Anna's distrust of her Siamese hosts is extreme compared with similar books I've read from similar eras (both the 1940s and the 1860s).
This 1950s reprint of the 1945 novel came my way via the old Bookrelay site. I've seen the musical The King and I a number of times as it was one of my grandmother's favorites and she and I spent a lot of time together. I can't say I agree with grandmother on the film. I've always found it a little boring and off-putting. The book suffers from many of the same problems.
The book is long and dry. There are scenes designed for a melodramatic impact but they often fall flat. Landon's descriptions of the scenes reads more like a book report (or perhaps a dull copying job from Leonowen's books?) that are often tedious to read. After having suffered through 352 pages of minutiae one might has well have read a history book on the same subject and at least come away with having learned something!
Anna for all her "good intentions" comes off as so xenophobic that it is hard to believe she has as much influence as the novel would have one believe. I am not expecting a "politically correct" novel but Anna's distrust of her Siamese hosts is extreme compared with similar books I've read from similar eras (both the 1940s and the 1860s).
ldjdbooks's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
tericarol21's review
4.0
Old fashioned and charming...this is a slow-moving story of an English woman and her son living in mid-19th century Bangkok, teaching and learning and developing a wide variety of friendships while in the employ of a capricious and moody king. There is enough historical detail that i actually had to stop and look up whether it was history or a novel (apparently mostly the former, strung together with imagined pieces to fill in gaps).
Contrary to some descriptions, this is 0% romance. It is an intricate look at life in a closed system ruled by one man's temper and interpretation of tradition and communication. It is fascinating to imagine the lives of the women--thousands of them--who never see the world outside the walls of their portion of the palace-city, and to reflect on the incredible hard work of one foreign woman and how much she could change things, even when she felt spectacularly ineffective.
Slow, but lovely.
Contrary to some descriptions, this is 0% romance. It is an intricate look at life in a closed system ruled by one man's temper and interpretation of tradition and communication. It is fascinating to imagine the lives of the women--thousands of them--who never see the world outside the walls of their portion of the palace-city, and to reflect on the incredible hard work of one foreign woman and how much she could change things, even when she felt spectacularly ineffective.
Slow, but lovely.