Book Review: Four Reigns

I have been reading plenty of classics, but I have not been writing my reviews for the Back to the Classics Challenge. I won't catch up today, but I will write one. I recently finished Four Reigns by Kukrit Pramoj translated into English by Tulachandra. As I have already read and reviewed a classic in translation, this will be my "classic from a place I've lived." The book was originally written as a newspaper serial and was published in its complete form in 1953. The story follows the life of Ploi as she lives through the reigns of Kings Rama V-VIII.

The book opens with young Ploi, a member of upper class Thailand in the latter half of the 19th century, leaving her family home by boat to live in the Inner Court. Thus from the beginning, I guessed I would be receiving a picture of the lives of the Thai elite of the day. I caught snippets of how life might have been for servants and those once wealthy who had lost their means and status, but almost nothing of life for the majority, especially those living outside the Bangkok area. Throughout the book, it also became apparent that Ploi and her family each represent a certain ideal and stereotyped persona. Also, since the book was written in Thailand by a Thai person, it treats royalty and events related to royalty carefully. Within these limitations, I believe the portrayal is fairly accurate and a worthwhile read.

Living in Thailand and having lived in both Bangkok and Ayutthaya, I can picture many of the places mentioned. In my imagination, I stripped away modern buildings and roads, replacing them traditional wooden Thai structures, dirt roads, and many canals. While Thai dress has been modernized and government has gone through various transitions, many of the cultural constructs are still intact, though slightly changed. My familiarity with modern Thailand helped me to understand the actions of the characters, and certain cultural aspects elucidated in the book helped me understand parts of modern culture. Having been in Thailand during the death of King Rama IX, I could easily sympathize with the characters as they mourned each successive King, particularly King Rama V who reigned for 37 years.

For those of us who read Thai but not well enough to read the original, it would have been nice to have names and certain Thai words written in Thai script in parentheses the first time they were used or in an appendix. This would have facilitated pronunciation and understanding.

Overall, the story was well written; I cared about what happened to Ploi and her family. I gained insight into that period of history in Thailand. I have a shared knowledge and experience with others, foreigners and Thais, who have read this story. I generally enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others who are interested in Thai history and culture. I am still on the look out for a good non-fiction book to provide a historical overview of Thailand.