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Table of Contents
About the Book
For readers of The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (David Mitchell) and The Glass Palace (Amitav Ghosh) – a sweeping historical novel following the children of Francis Light from Penang to war in Europe and across the British Empire, culminating in the extraordinary life of William Light and the founding of Adelaide.
As a new century dawns, Francis Light’s family is scattered, its inheritance in jeopardy.
The family of Francis Light faces an uncertain future. As Penang heads inexorably towards colonial rule, Martinha struggles to claim her rightful inheritance, encountering corruption, prejudice and heartbreak in equal measure. Scattered across the world, her children are forced to negotiate the British establishment alone as best they can with little but their father’s name and reputation to sustain them. From Britain to the Peninsular War, from the social pretensions of Bengal to the court of the Pasha of Egypt, from Java in the company of Raffles to the new city of Adelaide in Australia, the next generation makes its way, its roots firmly planted in the beautiful island of its home. Volume 4 in the Penang Chronicles.
As a new century dawns, Francis Light’s family is scattered, its inheritance in jeopardy.
The family of Francis Light faces an uncertain future. As Penang heads inexorably towards colonial rule, Martinha struggles to claim her rightful inheritance, encountering corruption, prejudice and heartbreak in equal measure. Scattered across the world, her children are forced to negotiate the British establishment alone as best they can with little but their father’s name and reputation to sustain them. From Britain to the Peninsular War, from the social pretensions of Bengal to the court of the Pasha of Egypt, from Java in the company of Raffles to the new city of Adelaide in Australia, the next generation makes its way, its roots firmly planted in the beautiful island of its home. Volume 4 in the Penang Chronicles.
Why We Love It
“What I love about Legacy is the sheer sweep of the story. Rose Gan takes the history that began in Penang with Francis Light and follows the next generation into a world transformed by war, empire and extraordinary opportunity. In William Light especially, we discover a fascinating figure whose journey ultimately leads to the founding of Adelaide. Yet for all its geographical and historical scale, Legacy remains a deeply human family story. After three volumes of the Penang Chronicles, it is immensely satisfying to see the Light family’s story expand far beyond Penang and reveal just how remarkable their legacy became.” Phil Tatham, Publisher, Monsoon Books
Product Details
- Publisher: Monsoon (November 1, 2026)
- Length: 528 pages
- ISBN13: 9781915310200
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Raves and Reviews
Enthralling … brings a forgotten hero back to rumbustious life.
– John Keay, author of The Honourable Company
Rich in detail, Legacy stylishly immerses us in the time and space of the colonial era in Penang, Malaysia, its sister city Adelaide, South Australia, and a wider imperial world beyond. I have thoroughly enjoyed Rose Gan’s weaving of the fascinating Light family story into a vast tapestry of empire, faithfully portraying the depth of colonial hegemony and the complexities of identity and intercultural tension. Speaking as an Adelaidian, the imagining of the remarkable life of our gifted Eurasian city planner, Colonel William Light – from naval cadet to visionary – is particularly compelling and emotionally resonant. A wonderful read!
– Elizabeth Ho OAM, Chair, History Trust of South Australia
Rose Gan has that unique gift for fusing meticulous research with vivid storytelling and beautiful prose to bring the past to life. She takes us on a walk through the bustling and dusty streets of Georgetown, sits us down for a cool drink on shady verandah in Calcutta and invites us to join a dance with dark-eyed beauties, clad in kebaya, in early 19th-century Batavia. This was a time when diverse peoples – the Malays, Chinese, Bugis, Javanese, Dutch, British, and Tamils – navigated an era rife with ambition, intrigue, colonial arrogance and war. Amongst the soldiers, swindlers and scandals stood people such as Captain Francis Light, adventurer and statesman and founder of modern-day Penang. Her series is centered about his life and are an excellent gateway to rediscover the vibrant and tumultuous days of “old Penang’ and Maritime Southeast Asia. Legacy is the final of this series, with focus on William Light, his son and founder of Adelaide. It is an absolute pleasure to read.
– Herald van der Linde, author
Rose Gan has skilfully woven a delectable concoction of fact and fiction for this fourth and final instalment in her Penang Chronicles series. Transporting the reader regionally and across the globe and back, from sweating the tropics to covert escapades in the bitter cold, Gan has yet again produced a book that is impossible to put down
– Marcus Langdon, author
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