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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
I wanted to love this. I just... didn't. It's a massive investment of time and attention which personally didn't feel totally worth it. The writing is very good though, and that makes me have no regrets.
Hated the ending.
Hated the ending.
This book was longer than it needed to be. I was engrossed during some parts. But, there was a lot of downtime that could have been condensed, I think. I absolutely, positively, without a doubt hated Ash. He was arrogant beyond all belief. And a lot of his exploits were ridiculously contrived. Which I could easily forgive once or twice. But, he had the luck of a leprechaun. And what was the deal with Shushila? Seriously, who acts like that?
I think the only somewhat major character I liked was Wally. I could have maybe liked Juli, but she kind of seemed like an idiot, or to be more fair, I guess horribly naive would be a more apt description.
I think the only somewhat major character I liked was Wally. I could have maybe liked Juli, but she kind of seemed like an idiot, or to be more fair, I guess horribly naive would be a more apt description.
A weighty time to conquer. Quite the epic story of a man of English descent living in India in the late 1800s. The book gives a picture of the time and place that I found valuable. Unfortunately that time and place included significant misogyny. Hard for me to read a book where an interesting female character is basically window dressing.
I deduct a star for the completely redundant last part - 12 hours worth on audio, I skipped half. Also, some of the “romantic” scenes have not aged well. Apparently women want it rough. I mean sure, but maybe not the first time?
The story is that of Ash, brought up as an Indian and then sent to school in England. His feelings of dualism and belonging nowhere I can relate to. He returns to India, is enlisted to the army, breaks a bunch of rules but is too valuable to be discharged because he speaks so many languages. He is then put in charge of bringing two brides to their bridegroom, a trip that involves a caravan, hundreds of people and many weeks. Needless to say, he falls in love with one of the princesses- someone he knew as a child.
I am familiar with this from the HBO series in the 1980’s and it’s quite a fascinating tale of intrigue and murder. I m happy to have finally read the book, even if it was overly long.
The story is that of Ash, brought up as an Indian and then sent to school in England. His feelings of dualism and belonging nowhere I can relate to. He returns to India, is enlisted to the army, breaks a bunch of rules but is too valuable to be discharged because he speaks so many languages. He is then put in charge of bringing two brides to their bridegroom, a trip that involves a caravan, hundreds of people and many weeks. Needless to say, he falls in love with one of the princesses- someone he knew as a child.
I am familiar with this from the HBO series in the 1980’s and it’s quite a fascinating tale of intrigue and murder. I m happy to have finally read the book, even if it was overly long.
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a favourite book of my mother and also my wife’s mother. It’s a rip roaring tale of a boy who believes he is Indian who discovers he is British during the final decades of the 19th Century. It’s both incredibly detailed yet fast paced, at least at the start. The story slows down considerably towards the end as it leaves the world of Rajistani princesses palace intrigue and follows the course of the second British war in Afghanistan.
Any westerner who has spent time in India will enjoy this book, I’m confident to say. I found it both educational and also, having spent a fair bit of time in India, quite familiar.
Any westerner who has spent time in India will enjoy this book, I’m confident to say. I found it both educational and also, having spent a fair bit of time in India, quite familiar.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I quite enjoyed the first three-fourths, even though it is very slow reading, but the last two sections (250 pages, several hours of reading) were mostly battle descriptions and I was ready to be done. If you're looking for a very detailed epic, you might enjoy it better than I did.