My Life in Sarawak

by Margaret Brooke

Margaret de Windt, who married Charles Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak, in 1869, describes her adventurous and lonely life as Ranee of that wild and remote land.

Genres: Travel, History

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1913

Reviews

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was in Kuching in Borneo, visited her house, and saw pictures from the time period. When I saw what a bad-ass she was, I had to read her autobiography. She was an extraordinary person!

[Aizat Affendi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book provides a glimpse of old Sarawak, during the reign of the Second 'White Rajah' Charles Brooke in the late 19th century. It is fascinating to read the accounts of Ranee Margaret at how she had tried to fully immerse herself into the lives of her subjects, at a tropical land so foreign to a European such as her. When the Rajah and his men could not provide satisfactory answers to her incessant queries of this land, she took it upon herself to mingle with the locals to have them answered. She took the liberty of learning Malay, the Jawi writing and had even learnt the Quran. She had also established a school together with one of the Malay Chiefs, my great great great grandfather, Datu Bandar Abang Kassim and his wife, Dayang Sahada at their home, the Rumah Batu. The book readers also get to follow the author as she navigated through the vast lands of the country, almost exclusively via its expansive river network. Throughout her life in Sarawak, she had also encountered various indigenous tribes, and she had been very explicit in describing their features, fables and crafts whilst retelling these encounters in a light-hearted, almost comical manner.

[Pippa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very interesting, although a little quaint at times. The natural history fascinated me, as did the legends and beliefs. MB went there in 1868 as bride of the second Rajah. Headhunting was still a common practise among the Dyaks and Kayans. MB does establish relationships with them, and with the Malays. A brave and interesting woman and a book worth reading.