General Winston's Daughter

General Winston's Daughter is a fantasy novel by Sharon Shinn. The novel was written in 2007.

Plot summary

Averie is thrilled to visit Chiarrin, a colonized land her father oversees as general of the Aebrian military. As the foreign rhythms of her new life sweep her along, the general's daughter begins to question the ethics and wisdom of colonial governance, depicted as a rough parallel to British rule during empire days. She delves into the culture, strains against the fussy restraints of her era and social class, and finds herself drawn to an officer of non-Aerbrian descent. But it is an interesting young woman from the marketplace, Jalessa, who truly opens a window into Chiarrizi culture. As political resistance begins to threaten colonial rule, security becomes tighter and tensions rise.

Characters

Lady Averie Agatha Winston

The protagonist of the series, Lady Averie Agatha Winston is the only child of General Winston. She is eighteen years old and the heiress of a large fortune. She has learned deportment and speaks Weskish, among other social arts. Very out spoken and very confendent.

Family

• Father: General Winston.
• Mother: A vain, beautiful woman who died when Averie was ten.
• Marital Status: Formerly engaged to Colonel Morgan Stode, currently involved with Lieutenant Ket Du'Kai.

Lieutenant Ket Du'Kai

Ket Du'Kai M'lesh is a Xantish officer in the Aeberelle army. He is twenty-five years old

Family

• Father: Du'Kai Chorav Shotay
• Mother: M'lesh Sovain Taz
• Marital Status: Currently involved with Lady Averie Winston.

Lady Selkirk

Lady Selkirk is Averie's governess and chaperone. She is a widow with two sons. She is highly disapproving of anything un-Aebrian or improper.

Lady Lana Worth

Mother: Beulah Worth

Colonel Morgan Stode

• Colonel Morgan Stode: a twenty-seven-year-old officer. He has no fortune, though he has been in the army for nearly ten years, and has risen quite rapidly through the ranks. He comes from a highly respected family, but his father committed suicide and left behind nothing but debts when Morgan was about ten or eleven. His sisters became governesses, but Morgan soon made enough money to buy them a house and support them all.

Jalessa

Has a husband, who Averie danced with at the Kyleeta She has two children, one son and one daughter.

General Winston

Top general in the Aeberelle army.

Aebrian Officers

• Captain Martin, described as being "shorter, more compact, and more classically handsome" than his friend Captain Gaele, was an officer who was highly sought-after as a marriage prospect by the daughters of older officers. He had a more reserved but friendly personality. Captain Martin was killed in the rebellion of the Chiarrizi.
• Lieutenant Jamie Lansdale was an officer from a poor family and small prospects of promotion. His personality was described as "shy but soulful". He developed a crush on Lana Worth, which she moderately returned. He was killed in the rebellion of the Chiarrizi.
• Colonel Dryser was killed in the rebellion of the Chiarrizi.
• Captain Hawksley was a quiet but intense man who was killed in the rebellion of the Chiarrizi.
• Captain Rufus Gaele is "a big man with a big smile and a deep laugh", with an infectiously jolly personality. His head was gravely injured in the rebellion of the Chiarrizi.
• Major General Worth is an actor who was in the Piratica plays with Molly Faith. He is Salt Peter's younger brother and is two years older than Art. He has red hair and is very sensitive.
• Major Morrier was described by Lana Worth as a "dead bore".

Xantish Culture

Xan'tai is somewhat similar to African cultures on Earth.

Names

Names are given in the following order: Given name, father's given name, mother's given name.

Marriage

The Xan'tai do not believe in pre-marital sex. They believe in saving their bodies.

Chiarrizi Culture

Chiarrin is somewhat similar to the Middle Eastern or Indian cultures on Earth.

Headscarves

The headscarves worn by women in Chiarra relate various messages depending on their color:

• White - worn by young girls until their first menstrual bleeding
• Blue - worn by fertile, unmarried girls
• Blue entwined with green - worn by women who are engaged to be married
• Green - worn by married women and women whose children are grown and married
• Green entwined with gold and/or blue - worn by women with children: gold for boys, blue for girls
• Purple - worn by widows
• Green edge with purple - worn by remarried widows
• White edged with black - worn by women who have left their abusive husbands

Men also wear head coverings with meaningful colors. The meanings are the same, with two exceptions:

• White - worn until the boy reaches fifteen years of age
• Gold - worn after the boy reaches age fifteen; the equivalent of the female blue

General meanings of colors:

• Black - the color of danger
• Purple - the color of death
• Red - the color of celebration

Marriage

Chiarrizi usually practice pre-marital sexual intercourse. This is to determine whether there is a comfortable fit between partners and if they are able to please each other. In addition to this, property, looks, and personality play key roles in the selection of a marriage partner.

Language

Mua - means "my". Lota - means "heart". Dei - means "thanks". Sova - means "friend".

Cuisine

Meals are taken in the maroya, a long open room containing lots of furniture. Diners eat on foldable tables which are stored in a cache against a wall.

• Wikberries - bulbous purple fruits with a juicy, sweet taste.
• Bumain - squat yellow plants that resemble gourds. Soft to the touch. Peeled before eaten.
• Hodee - hodees are goatlike animals. They are raised as livestock by the Chiarrizi and provide meat and milk.
• Bread - mealy but tasty.
• Fish - not as common as hodee meat, but also part of the diet in Chezsa.

Religion

The Chiarrizi worship three gods:

Seena

A female predacious bird who has been wounded by an arrow through her chest. She rules the air and is the most popular god among women.

Kayla

A male fish whose eye was gouged out by a fisherman's hook. He rules the seas and is a popular god among the citizens of Chesza.

Doena

A male wolf or dog who was caught in a hunter's trap. Rather than let himself be caught and skinned, he gnawed his foreleg off and escaped. He rules the land and is the most popular god among men. The Chiarrizi pray at the temple, the Mualota fountain, or at home, where they may keep small statues or charms of their favorite god.

Other countries

• Weskolia - involved in a long war with Aeberelle.

External links

• Sharon Shinn's Official Site