“See the movie with Jodie Foster. Enjoy the musical. But if you want to know the real story, pick up Bombay Anna and be prepared to find an inspiring story of an incredible woman.”
“An ambitious, engaging, informative work of scholarship, one that is hard not to rate a genuine success.”
“This book is in part the story of two Annas--the historical Anna and the Anna popularized by Margaret Landon in her 1944 book Anna and the King of Siam, on which the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I was based. . . . As with most lives, the real story is more compelling than the fiction.”
“Anyone who thinks that the British experience in India was a long succession of polo, tea on the lawn, brave officers leading the charge against howling native hordes and similar conceits will be riveted by Morgan's portrait of the gritty Anglo-Indian underclass from which Anna sprang.”
“Morgan has researched probably as fully as anyone could the elusive and secretive life of the remarkable Anglo-Indian, Mrs. Anna Leonowens . . . Morgan managed to uncover fascinating aspects of Leonowens’ life, not the least of which was the truth of Leonowens’ origins, which was never suspected during her lifetime by anyone, including her own children. Because of this, her [Leonowens’] achievements as a social reformer, author, adventurer, traveler, and educator who hobnobbed with the rich and famous literati are all the more remarkable.”
"Anna Leonowens has been a historical puzzle. Susan Morgan establishes a solid ground for our understanding of this intriguing writer who became famous in our time thanks to a Broadway musical. Her life and contributions as a writer a humanist and a 19th century feminist were far richer beyond being the 'I' with the King."—Thongchai Winichakul author of Siam Mapped: A History of the Geo-Body of a Nation
"With extraordinary detective work Susan Morgan uncovers the real tale of a brilliant and dynamic traveler who cut ties to her past history and fabricated the story of her life that has found its way into legend. In lovely and graceful prose she uses this story to help us understand patterns of national and international life."—Allan M. Winkler author of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Making of Modern America
"With sensitive writing and meticulous research Bombay Anna offers the first comprehensive biography of Anna Leonowens the 'I' in The King and I, which gave my father Yul Brynner his signature role. The details of her self-invention are only part of the revelation Susan Morgan provides; she also paints a masterful portrait of the Britain's Raj and its colonial hegemony in Southeast Asia. It is a fascinating read." —Prof. Rock Brynner author of Yul: The Man Who Would Be King
