LEGACY

by Rose Gan

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.

477 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2025

About the author

British by birth, Rose Gan first arrived in Kuala Lumpur in 1978 and has been living and working between both UK and Southeast Asia ever since.

Married to a Malaysian, and formerly a teacher of History and Latin in Manchester and in Malaysia, Gan was also Vice Chair for Museums of the Indonesian Heritage Society, a guide and docent in Museum National Indonesia, Jakarta, and Muzium Negara and the Textile Museum in KL.

In addition to lecturing to cultural associations, Gan has been actively involved with museum publications in Malaysia and Indonesia, both as a writer and editor.

This is Gan's first published novel, from a forthcoming trilogy, although she wrote her first book aged eight. It took her another fifty years to create this series. There was a lifetime of travelling and living to do first!

Reviews

[Baljit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great finish to this quartert.
The legacy of Sir Francis Light goes on through the lives of his widow and children. Here we read such detailed and well researched account of the family members and the challenges they faced. The legacy of the colonial masters meant that they all faced some degree of discrimination due to their mixed ancestry.
William Light lived an interesting life, as a naval man, then in the army, a traveler and finally found his calling in establishing the city of Adelaide.
Kudos to the Ms Rose Gan for bringing to life this beautiful piece of history of my hometown. I do wish there were similar pieces of work about other regional characters such as Stamford and Raja Brooke of Borneo. These historical characters once were part of my history syllabus but little is known about them as real people.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good wrap up of the Light family and the four book series. Persistence, unending persistence in the face of constant discrimination and pettiness.