246:. Most Europeans with the temerity to enter the region had never been heard from again. This particular adventurer, however, seems to know how to play one power against another and manages to keep his balance in the midst of chaos. After performing a service for the Sultan (resolving a local tribal conflict through the use of his schooner's guns and leading an organized assault on a small native river fort), he is named governor of Sarawak, subject to the Sultan of Brunei. Within a few years, he has become the Rajah of Sarawak, an independent state, and established a dynasty that will last one hundred years.
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emotional link to Borneo James Brooke did not have. James Brooke never married a
European, although there is evidence that he was married to a Malay woman. Gideon Barr marries an Englishwoman to provide himself an "air of permanence" as Rajah and we see much of the later portion of the story through Amelia Barr's eyes. Amelia Barr is fictional, but largely based on
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Singapore was concerned with the battle of Labuan in which Brooke/Barr led
British warships in a pre-emptive strike against a pirate fleet, breaking the power of the Bugis for the next twenty years. Brooke/Barr's enemies attempted to use this against him by claiming he had used British naval power to slaughter innocent natives.
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On the other hand, the 30,000 pounds that Brooke/Barr inherited at his father's death which enabled him to acquire his schooner, the massacre of the sons of the Sultan of Brunei, the
Chinese insurrection of 1857, and the commission of inquiry in Singapore all took place as described. The inquiry in
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Although many of the events described actually took place, one cannot simply change the names and read the novel as history. James Brooke's mother died in 1844, two years after he became Rajah. Gideon's mother dies in Borneo much earlier while he is in grade school in
England, providing him an
34:
265:, who took the last name Brooke. Gideon Barr is succeeded by his nephew Richard Hogg (Ms. Godshalk does not deal with the change of last name since her story focuses on Gideon's life and ends with his death).
273:, wife of the second Rajah, and her book "My Life in Sarawak". Gideon also maintains a Malayan mistress who provides a note of tragedy in the way her presence poisons Gideon and Amelia's relationship.
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to tell its story. The author intentionally makes it difficult to determine what "really" happens in the story from dreams and fantasies of the characters.
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words extensively in the book. While she provides a brief Malay glossary as an appendix, it does not cover all the words she uses. Enjoyment of
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Godshalk has changed names and details while evoking a sense of the time, place, and atmosphere of the real events. The real adventurer was
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will be enhanced if one knows the following Malay words which are not in the glossary provided by the author:
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1) a unit of weight of 133 lb (60 kg); 2) to carry on one's shoulder
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261:(named after his mother). James Brooke was succeeded by his nephew,
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In 1839, an
English adventurer arrived on the northwest coast of
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liver (as the seat of emotion, typically translated "heart")
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732:, actually a Filipino word, designates a long native sword.
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The novel uses of a variety of writing forms, including
226:, commissioned to deliver a letter of gratitude to the
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offering a fictionalized account of the exploits of
617:literally, "good day". Typically, the expression
230:for having safely returned the crew of a British
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454:cloth (in the story, it describes a cloth belt)
478:stabbing dagger with flaming, or wavy, blade
234:, lost on his coast. It was a region full of
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390:minister in traditional Malay government
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752:, Pub date ? April 1998, hardback
192:Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction
763:, Pub date ? May 1999, paperback
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755:1999, Canada, Doubleday of Canada
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712:lord, used as an honorific, as in
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109:480 pp (first edition, hardback)
101:Print (hardback & paperback)
782:"Los Angeles Times Book Prizes"
494:a variety of long-bladed grass
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822:Novels set in the 19th century
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817:Novels based on actual events
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590:fast, to abstain from eating
664:already, denotes past tense
16:1998 novel by C. S. Godshalk
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598:princeling, diminutive of
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470:association, partnership
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645:generic honorific, e.g.
74:Henry Holt & Company
19:Not to be confused with
842:Novels set in Indonesia
621:(good mid-day) is used
257:; Gideon Barr's is the
190:The novel won the 1998
832:Novels set in Malaysia
160:PS3557.O3145 .K35 1998
510:misfortune, accident
847:Novels set in Borneo
837:Novels set in Brunei
812:1998 American novels
827:Biographical novels
723:overlord, governor
696:old, elder, senior
398:woman of high rank
38:First edition cover
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741:1998, USA ?,
574:umbrella, parasol
486:unskilled laborer
315:tradition, custom
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704:toddy, palm-wine
566:cutlass, machete
198:Plot introduction
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90:Publication place
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637:trousers, pants
571:payung (payong)
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98:Media type
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786:Writers Write
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750:0-8050-5533-9
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629:good morning
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155:LC Class
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143:Dewey Decimal
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120:0-8050-5533-9
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93:United States
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789:. Retrieved
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729:
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680:earth, soil
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618:
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403:hantu, antu
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371:nightingale
347:moon, month
331:brave, bold
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251:James Brooke
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242:tribes, and
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218:Plot summary
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177:James Brooke
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27:Kalimantaan
507:kecelakaan
339:big, great
286:Kalimantaan
236:headhunters
232:merchantman
168:Kalimantaan
806:Categories
791:2022-03-16
768:References
743:Henry Holt
688:to arrive
550:ricefield
430:tie, knot
379:wife of a
363:crocodile
148:813/.54 21
85:April 1998
21:Kalimantan
714:Tuan Barr
355:bachelor
323:to teach
212:narrative
206:entries,
70:Publisher
730:Kampilan
653:stengah
647:Si Tundo
558:morning
299:English
259:Carolina
255:Royalist
135:38024322
54:Language
634:seluar
595:rajput
563:parang
539:padang
534:person
502:tongue
491:lalang
467:kongsi
395:dayang
368:bulbul
352:bujang
208:letters
181:Sarawak
57:English
759:
748:
720:tunku
677:tanah
669:tahun
661:sudah
606:sakit
587:puasa
542:field
531:orang
523:mudah
515:merah
443:jalan
438:guard
376:datin
360:buaya
344:bulan
336:besar
304:abang
240:pirate
224:Borneo
185:Borneo
44:Author
709:tuan
701:tuak
693:tuah
685:tiba
672:year
656:half
609:sick
600:rajah
555:pagi
547:padi
499:lida
483:kuli
475:kris
459:kaya
451:kain
435:jaga
427:ikat
422:fish
419:ikan
411:hati
387:datu
320:ajar
312:adat
295:Malay
282:Malay
204:diary
106:Pages
65:Novel
62:Genre
757:ISBN
746:ISBN
518:red
381:datu
129:OCLC
115:ISBN
642:si
183:on
179:in
808::
784:.
238:,
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23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
