Siamese Memoirs: The Life & Times of Pimsai Svasti (P)

Siamese Memoirs takes the reader on a journey that begins with Pimsai’s early childhood in Bangkok to her growing up with the entourage of King Rama VII in England during his exile, and her subsequent return to Siam as a young Oxford graduate after the Second World War. The compelling narrative is interwoven with recollections by her son, Ping, who provides insights into his mother’s unfinished story while attempting to come to terms with the tragedy that befell their family.

Pimsai's special purpose was to interpret Thailand to foreigners...yet being herself a Thai and a direct descendant of the scholarly and lovable King Maha Mongkut, she had a close feeling for the country and a love of its past that few foreigners could emulate.
    -- John Blofeld; Buddhist Scholar --

    Pimsai's early life was an extraordinary one, and she was also blessed with an unusual talent for recounting it to others. These pages evoke a fascinating past world with perception, sympathy and, most of all, that distinctive wit that remains a part of all our memories.
    -- William Warren; Author --