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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
Beautifully written and descriptive. The last section of the book dragged a little bit, but it also made actually think about/feel the difficult situation being described.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
I'm saving up my audible points, so picked this one because its like nine million hours long. I'm hoping I like it as much as I liked Gone with the Wind. Time will tell!
This was really good.
It is a story that has been told many times. Two people from different cultures find love but struggle to find a place together.
I really really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.
It is a story that has been told many times. Two people from different cultures find love but struggle to find a place together.
I really really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.
Wow, this was quite a book. I didn't know much about it when I started reading (the ebook version), nor did I realize that the book is 960 pages long, but I soon was sucked into the author's beautiful writing and the amazing story. This easily could have been divided into three books all following the life of "Ash", a British boy, born in India in the mid-1800s. There is a lot of history packed into this book, but it is also a romantic adventure story. The author's writing is beautifully descriptive, but I did find it to be too wordy in some places, especially in the description of the military details and strategies. The last part of the book centers around a conflict in Afghanistan, which I found to have some interesting similarities to current conflicts in that region. Also there is an heart-wrenching love story. All-in-all a great read.
I really liked this book--the only thing keeping me from giving it 5 stars is the length, because, well, this book is LONG and there were definitely parts where it dragged. But even still, it's a great book!
I really enjoyed the first 2/3 of this book. The story was interesting and engaging. The strength of Kaye's narrative is in her ability to tackle, and thus cause the reader to think about, issues related to colonialism, religion, race, gender, and human nature in general. I found myself thinking about how lucky I am to be a woman who has gotten the chance to choose my own destiny.
That being said, I checked-out during the final 1/3 of the novel. After Ash reunites with Juli the story seemed to lose its focus and continuity. I was no longer waiting eagerly to see what would come next. I found the final two parts of the book, which focused on Afghanistan, to be tedious; I was rather disappointed. These issues at the end of the book may simply be the result of the book being too long.
I also had a hard time keeping minor characters straight. This issue, may, however be due to my own ignorance and lack of understanding towards the social ranks and culture of the military and Hindi society.
Still well worth reading though!
That being said, I checked-out during the final 1/3 of the novel. After Ash reunites with Juli the story seemed to lose its focus and continuity. I was no longer waiting eagerly to see what would come next. I found the final two parts of the book, which focused on Afghanistan, to be tedious; I was rather disappointed. These issues at the end of the book may simply be the result of the book being too long.
I also had a hard time keeping minor characters straight. This issue, may, however be due to my own ignorance and lack of understanding towards the social ranks and culture of the military and Hindi society.
Still well worth reading though!
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was the one book from my 12 books from 12 friends challenge that I did last year that I didn’t get to. I ordered it and when it came in the mail and I realized it was almost 1000 pages with teeny tiny print I put it off. The book was written in the 1970s by an English author born and raised in India. The book follows a young English boy born in India in the 1850s during the British occupation, who is orphaned and raised by an Indian woman. The story of Ashtok and his life was very enjoyable. Parts of the Indian history and descriptions of different parts of the country were interesting to a degree but I do think the book was severely over-written. This could have been a fantastic book at a third of the length. There were whole sections that seemed superfluous to the story. Overall I am glad that I read it.
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
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