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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
So this has been on my mum’s “forever” shelf for as long as I can remember and she banned me from reading it as a young teenager!
Now I’m in my 40’s I finally got around to reading it....
Bits I loved: all the descriptions of Raj India and the book’s wonderful settings.
Bits I didn’t love: the main protagonist Ash - from as soon as he returns “home” to India from England: he’s a bit of an idiot and whilst I got his dual land/citizen dilemma the rest of him was just so poorly written and he never grew up properly and continually makes stupid mistakes - as a main character that’s so infuriating!!
In parts this 900 epic novel reads like wonderful literature with a bit of romance thrown in: and I’m good with that.
In many parts it reads more like a sprawling romance novel & that I’m not so ok with.
Too much eye rolling, heaving breasts, longing stares: and that’s just the men!!
It was a bit of a relief to make it through the drawn out end I’m afraid.
Looking for a great literary novel set in India? Take a look at Rohinton Mistry or Salman Rushdie to start with.
Sorry Mum - you can keep it!
Now I’m in my 40’s I finally got around to reading it....
Bits I loved: all the descriptions of Raj India and the book’s wonderful settings.
Bits I didn’t love: the main protagonist Ash - from as soon as he returns “home” to India from England: he’s a bit of an idiot and whilst I got his dual land/citizen dilemma the rest of him was just so poorly written and he never grew up properly and continually makes stupid mistakes - as a main character that’s so infuriating!!
In parts this 900 epic novel reads like wonderful literature with a bit of romance thrown in: and I’m good with that.
In many parts it reads more like a sprawling romance novel & that I’m not so ok with.
Too much eye rolling, heaving breasts, longing stares: and that’s just the men!!
It was a bit of a relief to make it through the drawn out end I’m afraid.
Looking for a great literary novel set in India? Take a look at Rohinton Mistry or Salman Rushdie to start with.
Sorry Mum - you can keep it!
Glorious epic saga with enough romance to spice the adventure and keep the focus on the hero's journey. No idea how I missed reading this in the 80s when all I devoured were Michner, Clavell et al.
Really, really wonderful. I had to renew it twice before I even read it, because the size is a bit daunting to commit to all at once, but it was so, so worth it. Once I had picked it up, I couldn't put it down. Not one of the 900+ pages is wasted...it's compelling and beautifully written all the way through.
This book is absolutely amazing! M. M. Kaye has written a novel that is just wonderful. This is going to be a story that will be with me forever. Absolutely love it!
This book is an epic undertaking. At over 900 pages, it's not something you should delve into lightly. However, I highly recommend this book. It is the story of Ashton Pelham-Martyn, born in India, though he is English, but raised Hindu for the early, formative years of his life. This sets up an internal struggle for him as he seeks to define who he is and which people he belongs to. His alienation at different points in his life from both groups impacts some of his major decisions.
While Ash is the main character of the book, India should also be considered a character. M.M. Kaye is thorough in her descriptions of India under British occupation and she paints a complex and rich portrait of the land and it's people.
I did get a little bogged down in the section concerning the war in Afghanistan towards the end but it is a minor quibble in a book that I, overwhelmingly, enjoyed.
While Ash is the main character of the book, India should also be considered a character. M.M. Kaye is thorough in her descriptions of India under British occupation and she paints a complex and rich portrait of the land and it's people.
I did get a little bogged down in the section concerning the war in Afghanistan towards the end but it is a minor quibble in a book that I, overwhelmingly, enjoyed.
This had SO much promise! And I raced through the first three quarters of the book, greedily gobbling up the love story of Ash and Juli. And then for some totally inexplicable reason the book becomes all about the second Afghan war, delivering nothing to the storyline and being completely, sinfully, boring and dull. If the book had ended around 250 pages before it actually did this would have probably been a 4 star book.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The main strength of this book is how Kaye manages to make India come truly alive to this reader. The sounds, smells and sights, the people, the customs, the life in the bazaars and the palaces. Her love for and knowledge about India is obvious.
So why did it still take me more than a month to finish it? Apart from the sometimes agonisingly slow moving plot, I ended up strongly disliking the main character, Ashton Pelham-Martyn.
The first part of the book is a coming of age novel, where we get a fascinating introduction to Indian society through Ash's young eyes. I enjoyed this part.
But then it starts going rapidly downhill for me. The next part is one of the most cringeworthy "love"stories I have ever read.Here Kaye has Ash fall in love with Anjuli, who of course it a beautiful Indian princess. But if this is what Kaye think love should be like, I feel deeply sorry for her. Because Ash treats his" love" appallingly. Let me give you some examples. Early in their "relationship" Ash tells Juli to come to his tent at night, knowing that if they are discovered she will be killed and he'll be in danger too. Juli comes, and when she, trembling with terror, asks if he isn't scared also, he krushes her wrist with his hand and calls her "a little bitch". Wtf Ash, did she wound your sensitive imperial English pride? Later, the first time they sleep together, which is her first time ever, the most reassuring and tender thing he can think of saying is "I am going to hurt you now.". Real smooth, Ash, take me now. What really topped it for me is this situation right here. Juli wakes up from a nightmare, after having just witnessed her little sister being ritually burned to death, and when Ash takes her in his arms "the physical desire that had once been a living flame between them blazed up in him so fiercely that he would at that moment have sacrificed their hope of safety to be able to take possession of her body and obtain comfort and release for his own..." She just saw her sister die, wtf is wrong with you?! Anjuli, on the other hand, has almost no personality and no character development. She is obviously just there for Ash to rescue. All the more disappointing since this book is written by a woman.
So why four stars, albeit four very weak stars? Partially because of Kaye's ability to make India come vibrantly alive, but mostly for the last part of the book. This is a nerve-wracking military drama set in Kabul, where Ash thankfully only plays a minor part. This I would recommend to anyone.
When it comes to strapping soldiers from imperial England, give me Harry Flashman any day.
So why did it still take me more than a month to finish it? Apart from the sometimes agonisingly slow moving plot, I ended up strongly disliking the main character, Ashton Pelham-Martyn.
The first part of the book is a coming of age novel, where we get a fascinating introduction to Indian society through Ash's young eyes. I enjoyed this part.
But then it starts going rapidly downhill for me. The next part is one of the most cringeworthy "love"stories I have ever read.
So why four stars, albeit four very weak stars? Partially because of Kaye's ability to make India come vibrantly alive, but mostly for the last part of the book. This is a nerve-wracking military drama set in Kabul, where Ash thankfully only plays a minor part. This I would recommend to anyone.
When it comes to strapping soldiers from imperial England, give me Harry Flashman any day.
Finally finished this epic read, but the characters are still with me. I really enjoyed the sweeping story of life in India in the 1870s for someone in the British Army.