The Far Pavilions
by M. M. Kaye
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Book Summary Information
Author: M. M. KayeEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1997-01-15
ISBN: 031215125X
Number of pages: 960
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Book Reviews of The Far Pavilions
Book Review: A magnificent historical novel of 19th Century India
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had this book for 15 years and read it 5 times. Lately I've read quite a few historical novels, but keep coming back to this one - I haven't found any better, even by far more famous authors. And it's not only because I, as the son of a missionary, grew up in a town central to the story. This is good read, whatever your background. But having first-hand experience, I can testify that Mrs. Kaye captures the taste of British India to perfection. Not the balanced real-life reality, which is boring in whatever country you live, but rather the romantic, wistful, glamorous and exciting images of a European looking back at having lived the life of an expatriate in India. Which is the perfect backdrop for a wonderful story. As in most great novels the underlying theme is a love story - a very romantic one - but the book also ranges from harsh soldiering to lavish royalty to grim portrayals of heat, dust, disease and poverty. The book's characters are both interesting and believable, and many of them are very likable - especially the native Indians. Anyone suffering from white-supremacy racism may well find this book an effective antidote. Even though the main charachter is British and the setting very British Empire (India of today is not like this), it is obvious that Mrs Kaye's sympathy lies primarily with India and her people, and not least the landscape - the hill country of Kashmir, the northen Punjab and the North West Frontier Province of what is now Pakistan. The title - The Far Pavilions - refers to a mountain range, which aquires exquisitely romantic, almost religious connotations as the story unfolds. This is not your typical bestseller, written to a popular recipe, but obviously a labour of love, and of deep personal knowledge of the subject matter. And just to show that I'm not going overboard in uncritical praise: Mrs Kaye's next book, The Shadow of the Moon, a similar story, is not as good as this one. Not by far.
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