Fishing Fleet

<p>By the late nineteenth century Britain's colonial reign seemed to know no limit--and India was the sparkling jewel in the Imperial crown. Many of Her Majesty's best and brightest young men departed for the Raj to make their careers and their fortunes as bureaucrats soldiers and businessmen. But in their wake they left behind countless young ladies who suddenly bereft of eligible bachelors found themselves facing an uncertain future. With nothing to lose and everything to gain some of these women decided to follow suit and abandon their native Britain for India's exotic glamour and--with men outnumbering women by roughly four to one in the Raj--the best chance they had at finding a husband.</p><p>Drawing on a wealth of firsthand sources including unpublished memoirs letters photographs and diaries Anne de Courcy brings the incredible world of the Fishing Fleet as these women were known to life. In these sparkling pages she describes the glittering whirlwind of dances parties tennis tournaments tiger shoots and palatial banquets that awaited in the Raj all geared toward the prospect of romance. Most of the girls were away from home for the first time and they plunged headlong into the heady dazzle of expatriate social life; marriages were frequent. However after the honeymoon many women were confronted with a reality that was far from the fairy tale they'd been chasing.</p><p>Rich with drama and color <em>The Fishing Fleet</em> is a sumptuous utterly compelling real-life saga of adventure romance and heartbreak in the heyday of the British Empire.</p>