Time Change

by Hope Cooke

Emphasizing her personal struggles and her gradual maturation to an independent woman, Cooke reviews her early life in New York and her marriage to and life with the future king of Sikkim, a small Himalayan country

Genres: Nonfiction, History, India

285 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very fascinated by this Sarah Lawrence graduate when she gave up her NYC socialite lifestyle to marry the widowed ruler of Sikkim. This is her autobiography and she has a lyrical style. The author complains too much about her early years as a privileged,orphaned child, living in luxury, enjoying the life of privilege with a Manhatten apartment shared by her sister and a nanny which is located across the hall from her aged grandparents' apartment, an antique-filled country house on Long Island, and the summer home on Mount Desert Island in Maine. We follow her through her years of schooling and the times when her aunt and uncle become her guardians and she lived in places like Iran and Peru, countries where her uncle was a part of the USA diplomatic core. Eventually, when she meets her husband, the crown prince and his three children, you know that her marriage will not be successful because of so many reasons, including his Belgian mistress. When her husband succeeds to the throne, she details the final days of the Skimmese monarchy as the treachery of the Indian takeover while the world sits back and watches.
I would say that the merit in this book would be only for readers like me who remember her and wonder what happened to her.

[katezsz · Rating 1 out of 5]

you know how some people say about books “this was a page turner, i couldn’t put this down”? so this was the exact opposite. i physically could not pick it up. ever. it took me a record breaking 263 days to finish this god awful book. IM FINALLY FREE

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, I'm not sure where we got this book from, it was a hardcover, detailing the life of an American girl who grew up in an adult-centered grandparents' home, who became the queen of Sikkim. This was in the 60's and I remember some headlines, or Life magazine stories about her. At any rate, the Sikkimese lost their quasi-independence and became a state of India. The story of her childhood is heart-rending - mother died, grandparents distant and unloving, raised in an upperclass New York home. During her college years, she visited India, and met her husband to be, the crown prince of Sikkim. The story of their life together and the disintegration of their country and their marriage is sad, but the portrait of the country and the people is fascinating.

[Lydia O’Gorman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I purchased this following a trip to Darjeeling where we learnt about the kingdom of Sikkim and Hope Cooke. This book was recommended to us by our guide and I imported it in from America as we couldn’t get it anywhere in Darjeeling or Bhutan. Having read it I’m now not surprised! She’s not exactly complimentary to area.
I didn’t warm to Hope Cooke I’m afraid and although I felt sad about her experience of becoming Queen of Sikkim and being in what seemed to be a loveless marriage, I found it hard going and I didn’t find her likeable at all.
The best part for me was the last 50 or so pages which to be honest I skim read, as I learnt about how the kingdom of Sikkim fell, but the rest of the autobiography in my opinion felt like it had been written by a whinging spoilt brat. I feel sorry for her childhood, but for me she didn’t come across as a likeable person at all. I loved the Queen of Jordon’s book and suppose I assumed this would naturally be as interesting but unlike Queen Noor, Hope Cooke just didn’t seem to come across as a likeable person- in my opinion.

[Amarnath Prasad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I picked up the book, I had a question constantly bugging me - why did Gyalmo leave Chogyal to die alone once his kingdom was stripped from himself. I have found my answer. She had fallen out of love for her husband. She found a perfect time to escape the marriage when everything came down in Sikkim.

A classic case of culture difference. A Tibetan wife would have never left her husband in times of turmoil. Only a westerner could do this, and she proved it. She found her happiness, so good for her, but as a Sikkim born person, it feels to me to be a bit selfish of her to do this. Cultural differences, I guess.

But hey, who am I to judge, right? Good for her. She seemed to have found her freedom after leaving for America.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read for those drawn to this history of Sikkim and the so-called Buddhist Himalaya