The English Governess at the Siamese ..., Anna Hariette Leonowens
The English Governess at the Siamese ..., Anna Hariette Leonowens
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The English Governess at the Siamese Court

Author: Anna Hariette Leonowens

Narrator: Nadia May

Unabridged: 10 hr 16 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/01/2006


Synopsis

The English Governess at the Siamese Court, written in 1870, recounts the experiences of one Anna Harriette Leonowens as governess for the sixtyplus children of King Mongkut of Siam and as translator and scribe for the king himself. Bright, young, and energetic, Leonowens was wellsuited to her role, and her writings convey a heartfelt interest in the lives, legends, and languages of Siams rich and poor

Reviews

Goodreads review by Renee on April 30, 2015

I very much enjoyed this collection of memoir, observation, history, and travel journal from the pen of a late 1800s Englishwoman plucky enough to take a position as governess and translator in the court of Siam. There is some level of disjoint if the "chapters" are viewed as a sequence; however, if......more

Goodreads review by Ebookwormy1 on November 04, 2012

I read this book a few years ago. I enjoyed it, though i had some reservations about it's accuracy. It is a well written memoir, but such work is only as accurate as the perception of the individual writing it. I talked with a friend from Thailand (formerly Siam), and she told me about the controver......more

Goodreads review by Deborah on December 30, 2012

This book does not read like a movie because it isn’t a movie, and it doesn’t read like a novel because it isn’t a novel. It doesn’t even read like your typical memoirs because Anna Leonowens does not portray herself as the central character throughout her story. Rather, she is our narrator through......more

Goodreads review by LadySabrina on October 29, 2011

Leonowens, Anna. The English Governess at the Siam Court. Tom Doherty and Associates. New York. 1999. Ana Leonowens’ autobiographical book The English Governess and the Siamese Court, reveals her experience during her six years as governess to the King of Siam’s family in the Royal Palace at Bangko......more

Goodreads review by Mike on October 19, 2021

A long foreword (in my edition) goes through the twisting story of the book's release, reception, legacy and controversy. After reading that, and knowing of the whole "King and I" fallout in Thailand, I expected a serious memoir. But the opening chapters read like a zany comic novel. The wackiness......more