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Emma and the White Rajahs of Dartmoor
	A new historical novel based on the remarkable true story of the White Rajahs of Sarawak and a woman's love for her native Dartmoor home. Emma, a young Canadian, bids farewell to her grandfather before setting off to visit England, and Dartmoor - land of her forebears. Her head filled with stories related by her grandparents she looks forward to seeing for herself the places they described many times throughout her childhood. But what should be a pleasant tour of the west country turns into a journey of discovery for Emma, and one which brings her face to face with the truth about her family's past and that of the White Rajahs of Sarawak. Story Taken from History How a family dynasty of Englishmen came to be rulers of a far off kingdom, figuring amongst the most powerful men of their day, is a true story so remarkable that it is quite often disbelieved. How this family then came to live in a remote Dartmoor village is equally extra-ordinary - a tale that itself would be dismissed as fiction were it not palpably true. In 1839 adventurer James Brooke first set foot on Sarawak, befriending the Rajah and later ridding the state of its fear from attack by murderous pirates. Not until 1946 did the third Rajah, Vyner Brooke, finally cede the territory to the British Government, thus ending a century of rule by the White Rajahs. In 1859 James Brooke purchased a house at Burrator on Dartmoor which became home to the family in England. Often on visits they would bring an entourage of native servants and dignitaries - an extraordinarily exotic scene set against the backdrop of a small Devon village. In Emma and the White Rajahs of Dartmoor, Pauline Hemery paints a vivid portrait of life and times around Burrator and Sheepstor in the mid-Victorian era. Though fictionalised, the book adheres strictly to the facts surrounding the Rajahs and their lives, bringing in fictional characters to enhance her portrayal of Dartmoor's villages and people. Thoroughly researched the author interweaves her characters' lives among the real people, places and events of the day - superbly recreating the atmosphere of country traditions, farming activities, the coming of the railway and, crucially, the building of the reservoir at Burrator. This last event transforms the lives of all the characters in the book, just as it destroyed the lives of many who actually lived within the catchment of the reservoir and who were ruthlessly evicted from their farms, often to face ruin or forced emigration. Pauline Hemery