Anna and the King of Siam

Rating:
Summary: A great book!
Review: "Anna and the King of Siam" is really a great book. Even though a lot of this story is fictional and based on some facts, its still fascinating. The book is very in depth, with a lot of detail. The story does become dull at times, particulary after Tuptim's death, but the book still picks up again. It was interesting to see how many more characters there are, their weren't used in all the movies of this story.

This book is definetly a great book for anyone interested in finding out more of the story of Anna and the King.

Rating:
Summary: Fiction or not? That is the question. . .
Review: "How old shall you be?"
"I am 150 years old, your Majesty."
"In what year shall you be borned?"
"Seventeen hundred and twelve, your Majesty."
"How many years should you be married?"
"Several, your Majesty."
Pause.
"How many grandchildren shall you have by now? How many? How many? How many? Ha! You do not answer that so quick. I make better questions than you answers, hmm?" (pages 58-59)

This is Mrs. Anna Leonowens (an English governess's) first introduction to the eccentric 59-year-old King of Siam, King Mongkut, in the 1860s. Margaret Landon's `Anna and the King of Siam' is an intriguing, historical tale based on ancient, Siamese records and the secret diaries, letters, and conversations of Anna in Bangkok that reads like fiction but is amazingly genuine [some parts]. Anna, along with her six-year-old-son Louis, embark on an erratic odyssey through a foreign land of a cryptic culture that will, in a few months, become traditional to them. Yet there are some seemingly barbaric issues to be cleared up. Among them are slavery, the King's concubines in the harem, and the unjust treatment of several subjects. While Anna may have altercations with the King, she comes to revere his intellectual methods of attempting to create Siam a scientific nation in modern times but expresses severe criticism on needless occasions. As a governess, her duties are to instruct the royal children (of which there are more than 67; however, only the eldest participate) and aid the King in composing extraordinary letters to renowned world leaders, such as Abraham Lincoln and Queen Victoria. Prince Chulalongkorn, Anna's most prominent and smartest pupil, is heir to the throne on account of being the eldest; she attempts to steer him onto the positive path of ruling the country justly. Also bestowing color to Anna's experiences, including misadventures, other than irrelevant talks with the King on that of Moses and ethics is a cast of supporting characters: Tuptim (the slave), Lady Thiang (the King's head wife), Lady Son Klin, and countless others. Across Anna's remembrances, a message is conveyed: despite one's differences they must master the skill of understanding the outsiders and point them to salvation, excluding falsehood by supplanting it with truthfulness. 'Anna and the King of Siam' is a fascinating web of Siam's (now Thailand's) superb past filled with rich descriptions for a journey neither the reader or Anna will let sink into oblivion even until the breaking end. --P.J. Persad

Rating:
Summary: Katherine's review
Review: "Anna and the King of Siam" is really a great book. Even though a lot of this story is fictional and based on some facts, its still fascinating. The book is very in depth, with a lot of detail. The story does become dull at times, particulary after Tuptim's death, but the book still picks up again. It was interesting to see how many more characters there are, their weren't used in all the movies of this story.

This book is definetly a great book for anyone interested in finding out more of the story of Anna and the King.

Rating:
Summary: A Dull Classic
Review: Based on the 'original' books by Leonowens one might expect some editing of that which was dull. The book is not well written. It is actually a tougher read than the original. It lacks pace. It is historically unsound (see first review by teenage student of history). But there are moments when an atmosphere is created which, on reflection, is stolen from the original. I had to force myself to read it as part of a list of books I wish to cover. I think the writer knew nothing of Thailand.

Rating:
Summary: Anna and her vivid imagination
Review: I can only adequately describe this book as dull and downright boring. Historically it needs to be taken with a grain of salt, although I accept that some of it is pertinent. As Jodie Foster's character in the recent remake of this saga posits, "England's ways are the ways of the world." Landon, with fervent missionary bent in hand, shouldn't have stayed in Thailand for so long given her contempt for their way of life.

Ultimately the books so called historical authenticity is the very thing you question. The idea of underground torture chambers or cellars, granted that Bangkok is at best marshy swamp and 6m above sea level, is ludicrous. And we are talking about the area of ratanakosin, one of Bangkok's lowest points vis-a-via the water. Also, did Landon not bother to look at Siamese history prior to her arrival and reposit the politics of the harem against contemporary Siamese history? Was she so blind to the success of Mongkut, and certainly Chulalongkorn, not to question the integrity of what Leonowens (a reinvented woman, if ever there was one) was writing?

The book just drags on about the role of women (a worthy issue nontheless) and the perfidous Siamese. It doesn't offer any insights into why the Siamese are this way, supposedly, and it smacks of neurotic Christo-centric 19th century morality, which bugs the hell out of most people. I can only reiterate that its ugly moralism and at times, often poor narrative, kill what could have otherwise been an interesting read.

Save your money and don't get the latest cinematic representation regardless of how well dressed up it might seem.

Rating:
Summary: Too far down the list to be read, I am sure!
Review: I first read this book over 20 years ago, and returned to the commemorative edition as an exercise in nostalgia and to revisit history as it is written, remembered, and transmitted. The gist of this review is simple: we make into saints those people into whose stories we can inject our own preferences, dreams, and agendas... and we callously portray those who are more difficult to understand. Even so, the result can be lyrical, touching, and even valuable, if understood for what it really is -- a hagiography.

This book deserves 4 stars because it gives thinking people a chance to take a peek at how an anti-colonial American missionary would evaluate the role of a British Colonial expat in a culture which threatened and resisted them both -- gracefully. Even while trying with the best of motives to tell the truth, it is difficult for an author to hide her baggage when describing a world to which she can never belong.

When Mrs. Landon writes Anna's "innermost thoughts," for example, the latter include anti-colonial rhetoric that is a standard theme of American internationalism, but a passing rarity among British expats! These thoughts also model some of the missionary fervor of Landon's own Thai agenda.

No author ever lets us see the world as it is -- just their best perception. Here we have the odd experience of peering at the unfamilar via the eyes of a foreigner who is guessing (poetically) at the views of a stranger.

Rating:
Summary: A story about courage, culture and relationships.
Review: I was drawn to Anna and the King of Siam because of the Musical, The King and I. I not only enjoyed reading the book, but I also enjoyed comparing the two works based on the same woman's courage and dedication. Anna Leonowen's life and work in Siam is not only facinating, but an interesting aspect of history as well. The book shares and outlines this story in an interesting and exciting way. Anna had to have great courage and dedication to do what she did in her time. The difference in culture was alluring to her, as well as shocking at times. Throughout her time in Siam, she formed many friendships, and she had many who admired her. She gained a few enemies as well. Anna also had an intriging relationship with the King, which fluctuated on a regular basis. Anna was truly a remarkable woman, as was her story. I loved it!

Rating:
Summary: anna and the king of siam
Review: Many months of living and learning about the wonderful people in Thailand made me appreciate Anna and the King of Siam even more. This book provides many realistic details about the Thai culture during the 19th century. I read Anna and the King of Siam after reading Anna and the King. I found the contrast between the two books facinating. Although I enjoyed reading both books equally (for differenct reasons), Anna and the King of Siam provides more realistic version of interactions between an unkown foreign English teacher and a powerful king. The people of Thiland truly love and respect their king for many good reasons. Understanding this, however, one can understand how both movies regarding the story of Anna Leonowens (The King and I & Anna and the King) are currently banned in Thiland.

Rating:
Summary: Skillful blend of fact and fiction in an enduring favorite
Review: The history of Anna and the King of Siam is as romantic as the story itself. Author Margaret Landon found what may have been the only copy of Anna' book, The English Governess at the Siamese court while she was a missionary in Thailand. Later, she located the Romance of the Harem in a second-hand bookstore in Chicago. She paid a $1 for the book, which turned out to be a fine investment. Landon combined the two books and added fictional elements to create a skillfully written novel.

The exotic setting and romantic story so impressed the wives of both Rogers and Hammerstein that they convinced their husbands to write a musical based on the book. And thus we get the musical The King and I, plus several movies, most recently one with Jodie Foster.

Landon wrote other novels (Never Dies the Dream) based on her missionary experience but never achieved the same greatness as in Anna and the King of Siam. This is a well structured novel, with a lot of drama. The death scene of the Fa-ying is incredibly touching. Anna is believable; sometimes annoyingly persistent, other times selfless and very very brave.

The actual writins of Anna Leonowens are also available. It's fun to read Landon's book and then the source material she used. You may agree with me that Landon's skill as a novelist took Anna's story and made it unforgettable.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable, but far from the truth...
Review: To call King Mongkut a bloodthirsty tyrant much less a barbarian not only slanders his memory but downright belittles his legacy. As if only Christian western culture has a monopoly on virtue, the book only pictures the king as a lusty womanizer. Never mind the fact that he could have been king at a much earlier age, he chose instead to become a buddhist monk to live a life of poverty and celibacy for more 20 years where he witnessed first hand the suffering of his people and became familiar with western ways. Would our own president or even Gandhi have his restraint we would have elevated them to sainthood instead of being maligned and slandered as Ms Langdon and to much greater extent Mrs. Leonowens had.