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The Far Pavilions
A magnificent romantic/historical/adventure novel set in India at the time of mutiny. The Far Pavilions is a story of 19th Century India, when the thin patina of English rule held down dangerously turbulent undercurrents. It is a story about and English man - Ashton Pelham-Martyn - brought up as a Hindu and his passionate, but dangerous love for an Indian princess. It's a story of divided loyalties, of tender camaraderie, of greedy imperialism and of the clash between east and west. To the burning plains and snow-capped mountains of this great, humming continent, M.M. Kaye brings her quite exceptional gift of immediacy and meticulous historical accuracy, plus her insight into the human heart.
1191 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 1978
About the author
M.M. Kaye
35 books551 followersM. M. Kaye (Mary Margaret) was born in India and spent her early childhood and much of her early-married life there. Her family ties with the country are strong: her grandfather, father, brother and husband all served the British Raj. After India's independence, her husband, Major-General Goff Hamilton of Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides (the famous Indian Army regiment featured in The Far Pavilions), joined the British Army and for the next nineteen years M. M. Kaye followed the drum to Kenya, Zanzibar, Egypt, Cyprus and Germany.
M. M. Kaye won worldwide fame for The Far Pavilions, which became a worldwide best-seller on publication in 1978. This was followed by Shadow of the Moon and Trade Wind. She also wrote and illustrated The Ordinary Princess, a children's book and authored a dozen detective novels, including Death in Kashmir and Death in Zanzibar. Her autobiography has been published in three volumes, collectively entitled Share of Summer: The Sun in the Morning, Golden Afternoon, and Enchanted Evening. In March 2003, M. M. Kaye was awarded the Colonel James Tod International Award by the Maharana Mewar Foundation of Udaipur, Rajasthan, for her "contribution of permanent value reflecting the spirit and values of Mewar".
M. M. Kaye won worldwide fame for The Far Pavilions, which became a worldwide best-seller on publication in 1978. This was followed by Shadow of the Moon and Trade Wind. She also wrote and illustrated The Ordinary Princess, a children's book and authored a dozen detective novels, including Death in Kashmir and Death in Zanzibar. Her autobiography has been published in three volumes, collectively entitled Share of Summer: The Sun in the Morning, Golden Afternoon, and Enchanted Evening. In March 2003, M. M. Kaye was awarded the Colonel James Tod International Award by the Maharana Mewar Foundation of Udaipur, Rajasthan, for her "contribution of permanent value reflecting the spirit and values of Mewar".
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August 17, 2015
I've been putting off writing a review for The Far Pavilions because it's so complex and epic that I feel like I can't do it justice without writing an equally epic review. But I've put this off for too long already and so we'll all just have to be satisfied with a less impressive but more manageable review.
This story takes place in India during the mid-1800s, when the British controlled India as part of their far-flung empire. Ashton Pelham-Martyn is the son of an English professor and explorer of India. He's orphaned at a very young age and, for various reasons, ends up being unofficially adopted by an Indian widow, who calls him "Ashok" and keeps him as they travel to northern India, in sight of the mystical Himalayan mountains, which young Ash worshipfully calls the "Far Pavilions":
Ash's formative years are spent immersed in Indian culture. When his adoptive mother is dying when he is about 11 years old, she finally tells him that he is British, not Indian, and soon Ash is packed off to England to get an education and develop this part of his heritage. Everyone involved wants him to become a card-carrying member of the stiff-upper-lip highbrow British society, with just enough retained knowledge of Indian languages and culture to make him useful to the British army.
It never quite takes.
Ash is a mix of both East and West, which is uncomfortable for both himself and everyone around him. He tells Koda Dad, his Indian father figure, that he will "always be two people in one skin--which is not a comfortable thing to be." Koda Dad responds that "you may discover in yourself a third person who is neither Ashok nor Pelham-Sahib, but someone whole and complete."
The conflict between East and West, both in Ash's soul and in this part of the world generally, is one of the major themes of this book, but there is so much more: an amazing love story with more ups and downs than a roller coaster, a terrifying dive into a corner of India that has preserved its same brutal, backward culture for hundreds of years, and the British battle for a foothold in Afghanistan.
The love story epitomizes the divide between India and Britain, but also evinces the hope that there can be an understanding between them. "There was nothing that he could not tell her or that she would not understand, and to lose her now would be like losing his heart and his soul. And what man can live without the one, or hope for Heaven without the other?"
The last couple of hundred pages of the book turn in a quite different direction and focus on different characters--although the same themes continue to surface in new ways. Frankly, this part dragged for me, particularly as it evolved into an astoundingly detailed retelling and analysis of an actual historic one-day conflict in Afghanistan. I was tempted to dock a full star for that. But overall this is such an amazing, well-researched story that I have to round up. I was sniffling and wiping away tears as I finished the book. Truly, it's epic in every sense of the word.
4.5 stars.
July 2014 buddy read with Diane, Kathy, Hana and Felicia.
This story takes place in India during the mid-1800s, when the British controlled India as part of their far-flung empire. Ashton Pelham-Martyn is the son of an English professor and explorer of India. He's orphaned at a very young age and, for various reasons, ends up being unofficially adopted by an Indian widow, who calls him "Ashok" and keeps him as they travel to northern India, in sight of the mystical Himalayan mountains, which young Ash worshipfully calls the "Far Pavilions":
Ash's formative years are spent immersed in Indian culture. When his adoptive mother is dying when he is about 11 years old, she finally tells him that he is British, not Indian, and soon Ash is packed off to England to get an education and develop this part of his heritage. Everyone involved wants him to become a card-carrying member of the stiff-upper-lip highbrow British society, with just enough retained knowledge of Indian languages and culture to make him useful to the British army.
It never quite takes.
Ash is a mix of both East and West, which is uncomfortable for both himself and everyone around him. He tells Koda Dad, his Indian father figure, that he will "always be two people in one skin--which is not a comfortable thing to be." Koda Dad responds that "you may discover in yourself a third person who is neither Ashok nor Pelham-Sahib, but someone whole and complete."
The conflict between East and West, both in Ash's soul and in this part of the world generally, is one of the major themes of this book, but there is so much more: an amazing love story with more ups and downs than a roller coaster, a terrifying dive into a corner of India that has preserved its same brutal, backward culture for hundreds of years, and the British battle for a foothold in Afghanistan.
The love story epitomizes the divide between India and Britain, but also evinces the hope that there can be an understanding between them. "There was nothing that he could not tell her or that she would not understand, and to lose her now would be like losing his heart and his soul. And what man can live without the one, or hope for Heaven without the other?"
The last couple of hundred pages of the book turn in a quite different direction and focus on different characters--although the same themes continue to surface in new ways. Frankly, this part dragged for me, particularly as it evolved into an astoundingly detailed retelling and analysis of an actual historic one-day conflict in Afghanistan. I was tempted to dock a full star for that. But overall this is such an amazing, well-researched story that I have to round up. I was sniffling and wiping away tears as I finished the book. Truly, it's epic in every sense of the word.
4.5 stars.
July 2014 buddy read with Diane, Kathy, Hana and Felicia.
August 11, 2016
I can't believe I waited 25+ years to read this again! Oh well, the first copy I had I loaned out and never got back. I would give this 10 stars if I could, I had forgotten how good this book was. Thank you Amazon, for recommending books and Listmania -- so many wonderful books I would never have found or rediscovered without you! A truly wonderful story of star-crossed lovers, treachery, intrigue, heroism, honor and bigotry. The author has a great feel and understanding of India under the British Raj. The story of Ash and Juli (Anjuli) was incredible. I could literally feel Ash's pain while he had to sit through watching Juli be married to the evil Maharajah.
The first 2/3 of the book deal with Ash and Julie's early lives together, culminating in the rescue of Juli from being Suttee with her sister. Those pages have to be some of the most heart stopping, page turning, sit on the edge of your seat excitement that I have ever come across in a book (and I have read a few).
The last portion of the book gets away from Ash and Juli (although they are together) and slows down to tell the story of the British incursions into Afghanistan (sp?)and the resultant disaster of setting up a British mission in Kabul. Ash is still prominent as a "spy" for the guides, in the disguise of a native of the country, but while still a good read, the story takes on a different character from the first portions of the book.
I resolve never to loan this book out again so that I won't lose it, and to keep it on my "to be read again and again" shelf throughout the years. Highly recommended.
As a side note, if you are searching for a book for a younger teen to read, this is a good choice. The few scenes between Ash and Juli that were sexual in nature were left mostly to one's imagination. This author is capable of building her scenes without graphic play by play bodice ripping.
**Update** I recently discovered another of this author's books,Shadow of the Moon. It's out of print but readily available used or at your library. Another lovely tale of India, set during the 1857 Sepoy rebellion. If you enjoyed TFP, you will probably enjoy this as well.
***Update***I have just finished another story on the Sepoy rebellion, Zemindar. Out of print, but readily available used. A wonderful tale, with some of the most gorgeous prose I've seen in a long time.
The first 2/3 of the book deal with Ash and Julie's early lives together, culminating in the rescue of Juli from being Suttee with her sister. Those pages have to be some of the most heart stopping, page turning, sit on the edge of your seat excitement that I have ever come across in a book (and I have read a few).
The last portion of the book gets away from Ash and Juli (although they are together) and slows down to tell the story of the British incursions into Afghanistan (sp?)and the resultant disaster of setting up a British mission in Kabul. Ash is still prominent as a "spy" for the guides, in the disguise of a native of the country, but while still a good read, the story takes on a different character from the first portions of the book.
I resolve never to loan this book out again so that I won't lose it, and to keep it on my "to be read again and again" shelf throughout the years. Highly recommended.
As a side note, if you are searching for a book for a younger teen to read, this is a good choice. The few scenes between Ash and Juli that were sexual in nature were left mostly to one's imagination. This author is capable of building her scenes without graphic play by play bodice ripping.
**Update** I recently discovered another of this author's books,Shadow of the Moon. It's out of print but readily available used or at your library. Another lovely tale of India, set during the 1857 Sepoy rebellion. If you enjoyed TFP, you will probably enjoy this as well.
***Update***I have just finished another story on the Sepoy rebellion, Zemindar. Out of print, but readily available used. A wonderful tale, with some of the most gorgeous prose I've seen in a long time.
January 4, 2023
“Thou art everywhere, but I worship thee here; Thou art without form, but I worship thee in these forms; Thou needest no praise, yet I offer thee these prayers and salutations.”
The prayer for the sins of human limitations.
When I was planning my year of reading and mentioned including this book, scores of people told me how wonderful it was and that they were excited for me. I now understand why I got that reaction. This is what an epic novel ought to be: characters that sing, a plot that twists and turns and always surprises, a foreign culture that you feel completely immersed in, history, over the top adventures, and of course, love.
Have you ever seen the movie Secondhand Lions? Well, the first part of this book feels like a real life version of the spectacular tale Garth tells Walter about Hub. Ash is larger than life, but then he is very lifelike. We believe in him and his abilities, but he isn’t always right or always able to pull it off, or always cool headed; what he is is always true to himself, filled with an innate courage, and blessed with the luck that only the gods can bestow.
Perhaps what makes this expansive book work so beautifully is that India of this era is such an expansive country, containing ancient places and ancient people of different religious and cultural backgrounds. M.M. Kaye lived in the country and knew its people, and her understanding of the complicated minds involved is always evident. I completely appreciated that none of the three distinct groups, the Hindi and Muslim natives nor the British Christians, is portrayed as either pure, innocent or evil.
This book spans India during the time of the Raj, and explores the parts and pockets that have not yet succumbed to the British influence. It centers on the royal houses, Ranas, Ranis, and Maharajas who are still in control of territory and bow only in appearance to the rule of the foreigners, then it sweeps into the problematic world of Afghanistan, where cultural miscalculation is deadly. What makes it special and completely believable is that the main character, Ash, is a Brit who was raised as a Hindi until he was twelve. He is truly part of both worlds and he understands India in a way that his peers do not, which enables him to go and do what it would normally seem a British soldier could not. All of the Indian characters are marvelous and we get to see an intimate side of both the Hindu and the Muslim nationals.
The novel takes a turn about midway, and it almost seems like we leave one book behind and enter another. It is done seamlessly, it is part of the plot that has already been established, but it has a feel and a significance that overpowers the first half of the book for me. There is a dedication at the beginning of the book that lets me know how important and close to the heart Mary Margaret Kaye held this portion of her tale.
The writing itself is beautiful throughout:
The years that had once seemed to drift by so slowly were now passing with ever-increasing swiftness, like a sluggish train that pants and jerks and puffs as it draws away from a station platform, and then, gathering speed, rattles forward faster and faster on the iron rails, eating up the miles as time eats up the years. And Ash, sitting cross-legged on the mud floor and gazing unseeingly at a white-washed wall, looked back down the long corridor of those years and saw many Zarins.
With the beauty of her writing, we readers look down that corridor and see all those Zarins as well.
It cannot be said of every 950 page book that nothing should or could have been edited out, but that was exactly how I felt about this one. Every word, every description, every nuance is deftly included and adds to the vision of this time, this history, this country, and these people.
The second half of this book, that was set in Afghanistan felt eerily like it might have come from the headlines of the 21st Century.
”...you know as well as I do that I must go on with it as long as there is a ghost of a chance that even at this eleventh hour reason may prevail; because Afghanistan is no country to fight a war in–and an impossible one to hold if you win.
I’m always finding examples of lessons we ought to have learned from history but fail to. This book was written in 1978, so I couldn’t help thinking these were events in which the past might have informed the future, but seem to have been ignored. I wonder if it isn’t because we always believe the other guy just didn’t do it right and we can do it better.
One of the best series of books ever written about India is The Raj Quartet by Paul Scott, and it was interesting to me to find that Scott was Kaye’s literary agent. The Raj Quartet is unforgettable and truly amazing. This book comes the closest to touching it of anything else I have ever read set in this period of India under British rule. From just a historical perspective it is a no-miss read. And, if your idea of a great book is an all-encompassing love story, gird your loins and dive right in, for it is surely that!
The prayer for the sins of human limitations.
When I was planning my year of reading and mentioned including this book, scores of people told me how wonderful it was and that they were excited for me. I now understand why I got that reaction. This is what an epic novel ought to be: characters that sing, a plot that twists and turns and always surprises, a foreign culture that you feel completely immersed in, history, over the top adventures, and of course, love.
Have you ever seen the movie Secondhand Lions? Well, the first part of this book feels like a real life version of the spectacular tale Garth tells Walter about Hub. Ash is larger than life, but then he is very lifelike. We believe in him and his abilities, but he isn’t always right or always able to pull it off, or always cool headed; what he is is always true to himself, filled with an innate courage, and blessed with the luck that only the gods can bestow.
Perhaps what makes this expansive book work so beautifully is that India of this era is such an expansive country, containing ancient places and ancient people of different religious and cultural backgrounds. M.M. Kaye lived in the country and knew its people, and her understanding of the complicated minds involved is always evident. I completely appreciated that none of the three distinct groups, the Hindi and Muslim natives nor the British Christians, is portrayed as either pure, innocent or evil.
This book spans India during the time of the Raj, and explores the parts and pockets that have not yet succumbed to the British influence. It centers on the royal houses, Ranas, Ranis, and Maharajas who are still in control of territory and bow only in appearance to the rule of the foreigners, then it sweeps into the problematic world of Afghanistan, where cultural miscalculation is deadly. What makes it special and completely believable is that the main character, Ash, is a Brit who was raised as a Hindi until he was twelve. He is truly part of both worlds and he understands India in a way that his peers do not, which enables him to go and do what it would normally seem a British soldier could not. All of the Indian characters are marvelous and we get to see an intimate side of both the Hindu and the Muslim nationals.
The novel takes a turn about midway, and it almost seems like we leave one book behind and enter another. It is done seamlessly, it is part of the plot that has already been established, but it has a feel and a significance that overpowers the first half of the book for me. There is a dedication at the beginning of the book that lets me know how important and close to the heart Mary Margaret Kaye held this portion of her tale.
The writing itself is beautiful throughout:
The years that had once seemed to drift by so slowly were now passing with ever-increasing swiftness, like a sluggish train that pants and jerks and puffs as it draws away from a station platform, and then, gathering speed, rattles forward faster and faster on the iron rails, eating up the miles as time eats up the years. And Ash, sitting cross-legged on the mud floor and gazing unseeingly at a white-washed wall, looked back down the long corridor of those years and saw many Zarins.
With the beauty of her writing, we readers look down that corridor and see all those Zarins as well.
It cannot be said of every 950 page book that nothing should or could have been edited out, but that was exactly how I felt about this one. Every word, every description, every nuance is deftly included and adds to the vision of this time, this history, this country, and these people.
The second half of this book, that was set in Afghanistan felt eerily like it might have come from the headlines of the 21st Century.
”...you know as well as I do that I must go on with it as long as there is a ghost of a chance that even at this eleventh hour reason may prevail; because Afghanistan is no country to fight a war in–and an impossible one to hold if you win.
I’m always finding examples of lessons we ought to have learned from history but fail to. This book was written in 1978, so I couldn’t help thinking these were events in which the past might have informed the future, but seem to have been ignored. I wonder if it isn’t because we always believe the other guy just didn’t do it right and we can do it better.
One of the best series of books ever written about India is The Raj Quartet by Paul Scott, and it was interesting to me to find that Scott was Kaye’s literary agent. The Raj Quartet is unforgettable and truly amazing. This book comes the closest to touching it of anything else I have ever read set in this period of India under British rule. From just a historical perspective it is a no-miss read. And, if your idea of a great book is an all-encompassing love story, gird your loins and dive right in, for it is surely that!
May 8, 2014
A novel about India in the late 1800s. I've been putting off reading this book– despite it being hugely famous and people constantly asking me if I've read it– because I'm pretty sure it's going to be obnoxiously pro-colonialism. (The dedication, for instance, is to the author's husband and father-in-law, British soldiers who served in India.) But I'm not far enough into it yet to judge, so perhaps I'll be pleasantly surprised.
I was quite amused by this passage, describing a woman who died after giving birth in a tent:
It was not her fault that Isobel died. It was the wind that killed Isobel: that cold wind off the far, high snows beyond the passes. It stirred up the dust and the dead pine-needles and sent them swirling through the tent where the lamp guttered to the draught, and there was dirt in that dust: germs and infection and uncleanness from the camp outside, and from other camps. Dirt that would not have been found in a bedroom in Peshawar cantonment, with an English doctor to care for the young mother.
I'm pretty sure the author a) does not understand how germs work, and b) is way overestimating the value of a doctor in 1850.
So, I was afraid this book would be colonialist, and it turns out I was right! D: As well as being terrible in all sorts of ways. Rather than detail them all, I think I'll just excerpt this bit for your enjoyment (the context is that Anjuli, an Indian princess because of course she is, has snuck out alone to meet privately with Ash, a British dude):
"If it is for yourself that you are afraid," said Anjuli sweetly, "you have no cause to be, for I sleep alone and therefore no one will miss me. And if I feared for myself, I would not be here."
Her voice was still barely more than a whisper, but there was so much scorn in it that the blood came up into Ash's face and for a fraction of a second his fingers tightened cruelly about her wrist.
"Why, you little bitch," said Ash softly and in English.
OUR HERO, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. And no, why her not being afraid should make her a 'bitch' makes no more sense in context. If anything, it's more shocking because the rest of the book treats swearing much as 19th-century literature would– that is, avoids it nearly entirely.
There's also plenty of narrative discourse expounding upon the foreign ways of the East (crafty, prone to lying, intricate) and how they differ from the ways of the West (straightforward, honest, fair) and how impossible it is that ever the twain should meet. However, Our Hero Ash was raised as an Indian for most of his childhood and thus can cross the lines. The example given for this is whenever he's asked a general polite question ("What's your opinion?" or "How are you?") he answers honestly, even when one is expected to tell a white lie. And this shows how foreign he is from those straightforward British! I don't know why it bothers me that the author can't keep her racism straight, BUT IT DOES.
I'm going to read the next 800 pages anyway, because I have a Thing about finishing books I've started, but it's totally going to be a hate read.
Another distressing passage for you all! The context here is that Ash and Anjuli are in love, but Anjuli refuses to run away with him because she promised to take care of her younger sister, Shushila:
Ash caught her wrist and wrenched her hand away: "But I love you too. And I need you. Does that mean nothing to you? Do you care so much more for her than you do for me? Do you?" [...] "And my happiness?" demanded Ash, his voice harsh with pain. "Does mine not matter?"
But it had been no good. Nothing that he could say had made any difference. He had used every argument and every plea he could think of, and at last he had taken her again, ravaging her with an animal violence that had bruised and hurt, yet was still sexually skilful enough to force a response from her that was half pain and half piercing rapture. But when it was over and they lay spent and breathless, she could still say: "I cannot betray her." And he knew that Shushila had won, and that he was beaten. His arms fell away and he drew aside and lay on his back staring up into the darkness, and for a long time neither of them spoke.
GOOD JOB ASH! This is totally the way to convince someone to spend their life with you: act like a whiny brat and then abuse them. That's what I like in a romantic hero. I didn't even include the part where Anjuli tells him not to worry, she knows how to make her future husband think she's a virgin, and Ash is disgusted and angry that she knows "harlot's tricks".
Ash continues to be a dick, news at eleven.
Still terrible! In recent developments of the terribleness, Anjuli (Ash's One True Love) and her sister Shushila have been condemned to be burned alive. (I also have a lot of Doylist criticisms of the climatic event of the novel being a European dude rescuing an Indian woman from sati, but let's stick to Watsonian terribleness for the moment.) But obviously Ash only really cares about saving one woman from this fate, because, yo, he's not in love with Shushila so who cares what happens to her? Or, as he says to Anjuli when she feels obligated to watch Shushila (WHO, AGAIN, IS HER SISTER) till the end:
"Shushila!" Ash spat out the name as though it were an obscenity. "Always Shushila – and selfish to the end. I suppose she made you promise to do this? She would! Oh, I know she saved you from burning with her, but if she'd really wanted to repay you for all you have done for her, she could have saved you from reprisals at the hands of the Diwan by having you smuggled out of the state, instead of begging you to come here and watch her die."
"You don't understand," whispered Anjuli numbly.
"Oh, yes I do. That's where you are wrong. I understand only too well. You are still hypnotized by that selfish, hysterical little egotist."
Or later, after Shushila has died and Anjuli is still mourning her (it's been, like, less than a month, by the way):
"You will not", said Ash, speaking between clenched teeth, "say that name to me again. Now or ever! Do you understand? I'm sick and tired of it. While she was alive I had to stand aside and see you sacrifice yourself and our whole future for her sake, and now that she's dead it seems that you are just as determined to wreck the rest of our lives by brooding and moping and moaning over her memory. She's dead, but you still refuse to face that. You won't let her go, will you?"
He pushed Anjuli away with a savage thrust that sent her reeling against the wall for support, and said gratingly: "Well, from now on you're going to let the poor girl rest in peace, instead of encouraging her to haunt you. You're my wife now, and I'm damned if I'm going to share you with Shu-shu. I'm not having two women in my bed, even if one of them is a ghost, so you can make up your mind here and now; myself or Shushila."
OH ASH SO ROMANTIC. But hey, it turns out to be okay, because then Anjuli relates a long story about how Ash was right all along, and Shushila was totally an evil bitch just like her mother, because I guess evil (and sexiness!) is genetic. I can't wait until I'm done with this book.
God, this book is endless. But I'm so close to being done! For the dramatic climax, Ash has gone off to disguise himself as an Afghani to be a spy and live in Kabul during the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Because this is obviously a very exciting plot development that would be fun to read about, it's all happening off-screen while the last hundred of so pages have been a nearly non-fictional account of politics and battles. Without Ash around to be a sexist dick, the author has instead gone with bizarre European stereotypes, because I suppose something has to be terrible: And as he watched, the prescience that is so often a part of the Irish heritage stirred in him, bringing a premonition of disaster that was so strong that instinctively he flung up a hand as though to ward it off... (man, I have Irish heritage! WHEN DO I GET TO TELL THE FUTURE?) and He had not expected the older man to understand how he had felt, but Louis Cavagnari was only English by adoption. The blood in his veins was French and Irish, and he too was a romantic. I'd like to note that this book was written in 1978, not 1878.
OH GOD FINALLY. For the final hundred or so pages, the book morphs into an incredibly detailed account of the attack on the British embassy in Kabul by unpaid, discontented Afghani soldiers (Ash plays no part in this, as he spends the entire time locked in a closet by someone trying to protect him from himself). The book even includes a map of the embassy, so you can follow along with who is where, like some sort of military textbook. Because that goes so well with the previous eleven hundred pages. Also there is lots of weird nearly-religious praising of soldiery ideals: The Guides laughed again; and their laughter made Wally's heart lift with pride and brought a lump to his throat as he grinned back at them with an admiration and affection that was too deep for words. Yes, life would have been worth living if only to have served and fought with men like these. It had been a privilege to command them – an enormous privilege: and it would be an even greater one to die with them. They were the salt of the earth. They were the Guides. His throat tightened as he looked at them, and he was aware again of a hard lump in it, but his eyes were very bright as he reached for his sabre, and swallowing painfully to clear that constriction, he said almost gaily: "Are we ready? Good. Then open the doors –" And then he dies (though not without quoting the Aeneid, because I guess all 19th century Irish dudes are into that sort of thing). Sorry to spoil it for you, but uh, I'm just trying to spare you all from reading it.
Anyway, this event convinces Ash and Anjuli that they're too good for the rest of humanity and so they should just go live by themselves in some valley in the Himalayas (the fact that the Himalayas are, you know, already populated does not appear to present a problem):
"Where do you go?"
"We go to find our Kingdom, Sirdar-Sahib. Our own Dur Khaima – our far pavilions."
"Your...?"
The Sirdar looked so bewildered that Ash's mouth twitched in the shadow of a smile as he said: "Let me say, rather, that we hope to find it. We go in search of some place where we may live and work in peace, and where men do not kill or persecute each other for sport or at the bidding of Governments – or because others do not think or speak or pray as they do, or have skins of a different colour. – do not know if there is such a place, or, if we find it, whether it will prove too hard to live there, building our own house and growing our own food and raising and teaching our children. Yet others without number have done so in the past. Countless others, since the day that out First Parents were expelled from Eden. And what others have done, we can do."
And then the book ends abruptly, without revealing if they found their ~kingdom~. On the other hand, then the books ends! I don't have to read it anymore! I AM DONE THANK GOD.
I was quite amused by this passage, describing a woman who died after giving birth in a tent:
It was not her fault that Isobel died. It was the wind that killed Isobel: that cold wind off the far, high snows beyond the passes. It stirred up the dust and the dead pine-needles and sent them swirling through the tent where the lamp guttered to the draught, and there was dirt in that dust: germs and infection and uncleanness from the camp outside, and from other camps. Dirt that would not have been found in a bedroom in Peshawar cantonment, with an English doctor to care for the young mother.
I'm pretty sure the author a) does not understand how germs work, and b) is way overestimating the value of a doctor in 1850.
So, I was afraid this book would be colonialist, and it turns out I was right! D: As well as being terrible in all sorts of ways. Rather than detail them all, I think I'll just excerpt this bit for your enjoyment (the context is that Anjuli, an Indian princess because of course she is, has snuck out alone to meet privately with Ash, a British dude):
"If it is for yourself that you are afraid," said Anjuli sweetly, "you have no cause to be, for I sleep alone and therefore no one will miss me. And if I feared for myself, I would not be here."
Her voice was still barely more than a whisper, but there was so much scorn in it that the blood came up into Ash's face and for a fraction of a second his fingers tightened cruelly about her wrist.
"Why, you little bitch," said Ash softly and in English.
OUR HERO, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. And no, why her not being afraid should make her a 'bitch' makes no more sense in context. If anything, it's more shocking because the rest of the book treats swearing much as 19th-century literature would– that is, avoids it nearly entirely.
There's also plenty of narrative discourse expounding upon the foreign ways of the East (crafty, prone to lying, intricate) and how they differ from the ways of the West (straightforward, honest, fair) and how impossible it is that ever the twain should meet. However, Our Hero Ash was raised as an Indian for most of his childhood and thus can cross the lines. The example given for this is whenever he's asked a general polite question ("What's your opinion?" or "How are you?") he answers honestly, even when one is expected to tell a white lie. And this shows how foreign he is from those straightforward British! I don't know why it bothers me that the author can't keep her racism straight, BUT IT DOES.
I'm going to read the next 800 pages anyway, because I have a Thing about finishing books I've started, but it's totally going to be a hate read.
Another distressing passage for you all! The context here is that Ash and Anjuli are in love, but Anjuli refuses to run away with him because she promised to take care of her younger sister, Shushila:
Ash caught her wrist and wrenched her hand away: "But I love you too. And I need you. Does that mean nothing to you? Do you care so much more for her than you do for me? Do you?" [...] "And my happiness?" demanded Ash, his voice harsh with pain. "Does mine not matter?"
But it had been no good. Nothing that he could say had made any difference. He had used every argument and every plea he could think of, and at last he had taken her again, ravaging her with an animal violence that had bruised and hurt, yet was still sexually skilful enough to force a response from her that was half pain and half piercing rapture. But when it was over and they lay spent and breathless, she could still say: "I cannot betray her." And he knew that Shushila had won, and that he was beaten. His arms fell away and he drew aside and lay on his back staring up into the darkness, and for a long time neither of them spoke.
GOOD JOB ASH! This is totally the way to convince someone to spend their life with you: act like a whiny brat and then abuse them. That's what I like in a romantic hero. I didn't even include the part where Anjuli tells him not to worry, she knows how to make her future husband think she's a virgin, and Ash is disgusted and angry that she knows "harlot's tricks".
Ash continues to be a dick, news at eleven.
Still terrible! In recent developments of the terribleness, Anjuli (Ash's One True Love) and her sister Shushila have been condemned to be burned alive. (I also have a lot of Doylist criticisms of the climatic event of the novel being a European dude rescuing an Indian woman from sati, but let's stick to Watsonian terribleness for the moment.) But obviously Ash only really cares about saving one woman from this fate, because, yo, he's not in love with Shushila so who cares what happens to her? Or, as he says to Anjuli when she feels obligated to watch Shushila (WHO, AGAIN, IS HER SISTER) till the end:
"Shushila!" Ash spat out the name as though it were an obscenity. "Always Shushila – and selfish to the end. I suppose she made you promise to do this? She would! Oh, I know she saved you from burning with her, but if she'd really wanted to repay you for all you have done for her, she could have saved you from reprisals at the hands of the Diwan by having you smuggled out of the state, instead of begging you to come here and watch her die."
"You don't understand," whispered Anjuli numbly.
"Oh, yes I do. That's where you are wrong. I understand only too well. You are still hypnotized by that selfish, hysterical little egotist."
Or later, after Shushila has died and Anjuli is still mourning her (it's been, like, less than a month, by the way):
"You will not", said Ash, speaking between clenched teeth, "say that name to me again. Now or ever! Do you understand? I'm sick and tired of it. While she was alive I had to stand aside and see you sacrifice yourself and our whole future for her sake, and now that she's dead it seems that you are just as determined to wreck the rest of our lives by brooding and moping and moaning over her memory. She's dead, but you still refuse to face that. You won't let her go, will you?"
He pushed Anjuli away with a savage thrust that sent her reeling against the wall for support, and said gratingly: "Well, from now on you're going to let the poor girl rest in peace, instead of encouraging her to haunt you. You're my wife now, and I'm damned if I'm going to share you with Shu-shu. I'm not having two women in my bed, even if one of them is a ghost, so you can make up your mind here and now; myself or Shushila."
OH ASH SO ROMANTIC. But hey, it turns out to be okay, because then Anjuli relates a long story about how Ash was right all along, and Shushila was totally an evil bitch just like her mother, because I guess evil (and sexiness!) is genetic. I can't wait until I'm done with this book.
God, this book is endless. But I'm so close to being done! For the dramatic climax, Ash has gone off to disguise himself as an Afghani to be a spy and live in Kabul during the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Because this is obviously a very exciting plot development that would be fun to read about, it's all happening off-screen while the last hundred of so pages have been a nearly non-fictional account of politics and battles. Without Ash around to be a sexist dick, the author has instead gone with bizarre European stereotypes, because I suppose something has to be terrible: And as he watched, the prescience that is so often a part of the Irish heritage stirred in him, bringing a premonition of disaster that was so strong that instinctively he flung up a hand as though to ward it off... (man, I have Irish heritage! WHEN DO I GET TO TELL THE FUTURE?) and He had not expected the older man to understand how he had felt, but Louis Cavagnari was only English by adoption. The blood in his veins was French and Irish, and he too was a romantic. I'd like to note that this book was written in 1978, not 1878.
OH GOD FINALLY. For the final hundred or so pages, the book morphs into an incredibly detailed account of the attack on the British embassy in Kabul by unpaid, discontented Afghani soldiers (Ash plays no part in this, as he spends the entire time locked in a closet by someone trying to protect him from himself). The book even includes a map of the embassy, so you can follow along with who is where, like some sort of military textbook. Because that goes so well with the previous eleven hundred pages. Also there is lots of weird nearly-religious praising of soldiery ideals: The Guides laughed again; and their laughter made Wally's heart lift with pride and brought a lump to his throat as he grinned back at them with an admiration and affection that was too deep for words. Yes, life would have been worth living if only to have served and fought with men like these. It had been a privilege to command them – an enormous privilege: and it would be an even greater one to die with them. They were the salt of the earth. They were the Guides. His throat tightened as he looked at them, and he was aware again of a hard lump in it, but his eyes were very bright as he reached for his sabre, and swallowing painfully to clear that constriction, he said almost gaily: "Are we ready? Good. Then open the doors –" And then he dies (though not without quoting the Aeneid, because I guess all 19th century Irish dudes are into that sort of thing). Sorry to spoil it for you, but uh, I'm just trying to spare you all from reading it.
Anyway, this event convinces Ash and Anjuli that they're too good for the rest of humanity and so they should just go live by themselves in some valley in the Himalayas (the fact that the Himalayas are, you know, already populated does not appear to present a problem):
"Where do you go?"
"We go to find our Kingdom, Sirdar-Sahib. Our own Dur Khaima – our far pavilions."
"Your...?"
The Sirdar looked so bewildered that Ash's mouth twitched in the shadow of a smile as he said: "Let me say, rather, that we hope to find it. We go in search of some place where we may live and work in peace, and where men do not kill or persecute each other for sport or at the bidding of Governments – or because others do not think or speak or pray as they do, or have skins of a different colour. – do not know if there is such a place, or, if we find it, whether it will prove too hard to live there, building our own house and growing our own food and raising and teaching our children. Yet others without number have done so in the past. Countless others, since the day that out First Parents were expelled from Eden. And what others have done, we can do."
And then the book ends abruptly, without revealing if they found their ~kingdom~. On the other hand, then the books ends! I don't have to read it anymore! I AM DONE THANK GOD.
July 19, 2015
I first read The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye when it was first published in 1978 and have since read it a few times…it’s become one of my favorite books ever.
This is an epic novel of Ashton Pelham-Martyn, an English officer, during the British Raj period in India, who falls in love with Anjuli, a half-caste Hindu princess.
A sweeping and gripping high adventure and passionate love story, of heroism and cruelty, bigotry and prejudice, danger and love and the most breathtaking and vivid descriptions of 19th century India, - an absolute MASTERPIECE!!!
This is an epic novel of Ashton Pelham-Martyn, an English officer, during the British Raj period in India, who falls in love with Anjuli, a half-caste Hindu princess.
The author’s knowledge of and childhood experiences in India make this an epic and unforgettable book.
A sweeping and gripping high adventure and passionate love story, of heroism and cruelty, bigotry and prejudice, danger and love and the most breathtaking and vivid descriptions of 19th century India, - an absolute MASTERPIECE!!!
A fantastic reread every time!!!
January 8, 2007
Another one of my all-time favorites. I don't know how I stumbled on this book, but its worth the 955 pages (yeah really!).
What I liked best about this book is the exploration of the main characters alienation. He is neither British nor Indian, Christian, Muslim or Hindu, he's everything and nothing all at once. Actually I might recommend this book if you liked Life of Pi. Although I would say that this is a much more thorough and interesting tale.
The novel takes place in India in the late 1880s, during a series of battles between Afghanistan and India and other various battles for the East India Company.
Ashton (also called Ashok) is born to an English professor and a British mother in India. However his parents die of cholera when he is a baby and he is raised Hindu by a woman named Sita. Ashok lives a life in poverty as an attendant for a noble family and also becomes very close to the games keeper who is Muslim and learns their traditions as well.
It's only when he is 13 or 14 that he learns that he is English and not Indian. He's sent to British boarding school and finds himself totally alienated. When he is 18 he joins the Corps of Guides and returns to India. Lots of battles and love affairs follow. This is a great book if you like detailed family sagas and historical novels, since I believe the book is couched in actual events.
What I liked best about this book is the exploration of the main characters alienation. He is neither British nor Indian, Christian, Muslim or Hindu, he's everything and nothing all at once. Actually I might recommend this book if you liked Life of Pi. Although I would say that this is a much more thorough and interesting tale.
The novel takes place in India in the late 1880s, during a series of battles between Afghanistan and India and other various battles for the East India Company.
Ashton (also called Ashok) is born to an English professor and a British mother in India. However his parents die of cholera when he is a baby and he is raised Hindu by a woman named Sita. Ashok lives a life in poverty as an attendant for a noble family and also becomes very close to the games keeper who is Muslim and learns their traditions as well.
It's only when he is 13 or 14 that he learns that he is English and not Indian. He's sent to British boarding school and finds himself totally alienated. When he is 18 he joins the Corps of Guides and returns to India. Lots of battles and love affairs follow. This is a great book if you like detailed family sagas and historical novels, since I believe the book is couched in actual events.
July 12, 2019
Another book that came across my feed, reminding me that I read and enjoyed this book back in early 1980 after it was released the year before. One of the many reasons I love the GR feed so much is because it helps me to add books read long ago and add them to the list! I also enjoyed the miniseries that was made of the book in the early/mid-eighties featuring Amy Irving.
September 17, 2007
Some books get into your senses. They fill your nose with the scent of a people, the lick of the sun on bare skin, the brazen gossip of silk sheets, or engulfs you with a composition of shadows that hints at something beyond line of sight. M.M. Kaye is a storyteller that makes you taste India. She takes her own life experience and, like Rudyard Kipling and Frances Hodgson Burnett, draws fairy tales in the sands of Southern India while tucked in at the bed of the Himalayans.
This is not just a book for women, with its romance and its splendour, but Ernest Hemmingway would be proud of the imagery used to explain the Sepoy Mutiny, the uprising of the colonised soldiers against the colonist generals. A contrast in textures, hard and soft, rough and smooth, creamy and quenching, sweet and savoury, all wrapped up in black and white.
This is not just a book for women, with its romance and its splendour, but Ernest Hemmingway would be proud of the imagery used to explain the Sepoy Mutiny, the uprising of the colonised soldiers against the colonist generals. A contrast in textures, hard and soft, rough and smooth, creamy and quenching, sweet and savoury, all wrapped up in black and white.
May 2, 2019
3.5★
When I finish my own review, I'm going to find & like the review where the reviewer packed it in about 160 pages from the finish. & I'm writing"like" when I mean applaud. This novel was more of an epic struggle than an enjoyable experience. 960 pages or not, I'm a fast, avid reader. No book should take me four months to read.
My reading progress really does the work of a review!
There were some really enthralling bits (usually near the end of each part) and a lot that dragged. & like I wrote above, this book didn't manage to meld the historical and the historical romance parts successfully. & the cover of my copy
had me expecting more romance. Yeah I know - not fair to the author, but this was my expectation.Sometimes Juli didn't appear for 100s of pages. The ending was wonderful, inspiring, awesome. But I don't think I will be trying Kaye's other chunksters. I have one of Kaye's children's books
& one of her mysteries
which I think will suit me better.
Time to recognise that I don't usually like fiction that is longer than 450 pages!
When I finish my own review, I'm going to find & like the review where the reviewer packed it in about 160 pages from the finish. & I'm writing"like" when I mean applaud. This novel was more of an epic struggle than an enjoyable experience. 960 pages or not, I'm a fast, avid reader. No book should take me four months to read.
My reading progress really does the work of a review!
READING PROGRESS
08/21 page 42 4.0% "Instantly enthralled!"
08/25 page 97 10.0% "OK, I'm ready for Ash's childhood to be over!"
09/01 page 183 19.0%
09/06 page 258 26.0%
09/08 page 288 30.0%
09/15 page 316 32.0%
09/18 page 395 41.0% "Awesome ending to part 3!"
09/22 page 401 41.0%
09/25 page 467 48.0%
10/02 page 530 55.0%
10/20 page 570 59.0% "This is my Everest!"
10/30 page 614 63.0%
11/03 page 707 73.0%
11/27 page 720 75.0%
12/01 page 740 77.0%
12/04 page 798 83.0% "Part 7 is dragging..."
12/05 page 823 85.0% "My copy completely disintegrated - the middle has fallen out. Will make it easier to carry around half a book though!"
12/11 page 857 89.0%
12/15 page 874 91.0% "Lost interest."
12/18 page 902 93.0% "The end is in sight! I'm thinking this book being both a historical and (part of the time) a historical romance is what doesn't work for me."
There were some really enthralling bits (usually near the end of each part) and a lot that dragged. & like I wrote above, this book didn't manage to meld the historical and the historical romance parts successfully. & the cover of my copy
had me expecting more romance. Yeah I know - not fair to the author, but this was my expectation.Sometimes Juli didn't appear for 100s of pages. The ending was wonderful, inspiring, awesome. But I don't think I will be trying Kaye's other chunksters. I have one of Kaye's children's books
& one of her mysteries
which I think will suit me better.Time to recognise that I don't usually like fiction that is longer than 450 pages!
June 11, 2022
A little background history….
…. British rule from the time after the mutiny is often called the Raj. During this period a number of British officials and troops (about 20,000 in all) ruled over 300 million Indians.
….After suppressing India for 200 years, draining its wealth, the UK ripped the Indian subcontinent into pieces. The partition of 1947 that came along with India’s independence left nearly 1,000,000 dead and 13 million displaced.
….The British Empire ruthlessly exploded India. They were first traders in spices then colonizers. The Bengal famine between 1943 and 1944 claimed over 4 million lives. They stole from the language of the oppressed.
….The railroad was paid for by Indian taxpayers but the British shareholders claimed the investments, and thousands of Indian workers died during the construction of the railroads.
….The British Empire adopted the age-old political strategy of divide and conquer through their colonization of India.
….The country was deeply divided along religious lines. In 1946–47, as independence grew closer, tensions turned into terrible violence between Muslims and Hindus. In 1947 the British withdrew from the area and it was partitioned into two independent countries- India (mostly Hindu) and Pakistan (mostly Muslim).
…. The British took thriving industries….like textiles, shipbuilding, and steel. They destroyed them through violence, taxes, import tariffs, imposing their exports and products on the backs of the Indian consumers.
“The Far Pavilions”, (960 pages), written by M.M. Kaye…..(first published in 1978), is a packed-filled epic historical fiction powerhouse. The storytelling is endless: it’s immediately compelling…and dramatic.
It’s filled with mutiny history during 1857, gorgeous visuals of the Himalayas, passion, love, (an unattainable ‘bigger-than-life-itself-love’ story runs throughout), lustrous romance, war, death, injustice, cruelty, jealousy, adventure, famine, treasuries, royal servants, friendships, treacherous old politicians, marriage, family strife, betrayal, disease, too many guns and swords, expectations of the times, cultural differences and conflicts, rich details, brides, ornamental glittering luck pieces, ceremonies and festivities, spectacular alliances, light fires, feed animals, prepare meals, fierce changes in the elements, multiplying struggles and dangers throughout, Government protection for higher ranks, little protection for a runaway princess, fear, rages and vindictiveness, a loss beloved mongoose, complex visits from relatives, broken bones and remedies made from the Hindu gods, hours spent giving to the poor, sacrifices, fears, secret negotiations, necessary patience, racing horseman, angry men burning for revenge, intruders, sister dedication, sister betrayals. wedding feasting celebrations, tired travelers, endearing conversations during long journeys, urgency deliveries, unripe green mangoes, heartfelt bitterness, noble cities, brotherhood, coming of age, pretenses that all is well, educational excitement…..
….the full range of personal emotions…..
and intimately spellbinding ….with characters that feel thoroughly alive.
Ashton Martynn was raised in a Royal Hindu Mahal…..only to learn he was British. Having a foot in both worlds—both Indian and British —he’s never fully accepted in either.
Ashton is split-torn > from birth.
We follow him during his British military years —and his love for a beautiful Indian royal princess.
Such an incredible book…. It’s entertaining, heartbreaking,…. simply magnificent —
a satisfying saga that I was craving for.
One sampling excerpt:
“They had been cataloging the many discomforts of life in India - the heat, the dust, the disease, the appalling state of the roads and the difficulties of travel - when Belinda had intervened with a laughing protest:”
“Oh no, Mama! How can you say such things? Why, it’s a delightful country. I can remember it clearly - that lovely cool bungalow with the purple creeper climbing over the porch, and all the gorgeous flowers in the garden; the ones like spotted lilies and those tall scarlet ones that were always covered with butterflies. And riding my pony to the Mall and seeing lines of camels, and being carried in a dandy when we went up to the hills for the summer - those great tall pine trees and the yellow wild roses that smelled so sweet . . . and the snows: miles and miles of snow mountains”.
…. British rule from the time after the mutiny is often called the Raj. During this period a number of British officials and troops (about 20,000 in all) ruled over 300 million Indians.
….After suppressing India for 200 years, draining its wealth, the UK ripped the Indian subcontinent into pieces. The partition of 1947 that came along with India’s independence left nearly 1,000,000 dead and 13 million displaced.
….The British Empire ruthlessly exploded India. They were first traders in spices then colonizers. The Bengal famine between 1943 and 1944 claimed over 4 million lives. They stole from the language of the oppressed.
….The railroad was paid for by Indian taxpayers but the British shareholders claimed the investments, and thousands of Indian workers died during the construction of the railroads.
….The British Empire adopted the age-old political strategy of divide and conquer through their colonization of India.
….The country was deeply divided along religious lines. In 1946–47, as independence grew closer, tensions turned into terrible violence between Muslims and Hindus. In 1947 the British withdrew from the area and it was partitioned into two independent countries- India (mostly Hindu) and Pakistan (mostly Muslim).
…. The British took thriving industries….like textiles, shipbuilding, and steel. They destroyed them through violence, taxes, import tariffs, imposing their exports and products on the backs of the Indian consumers.
“The Far Pavilions”, (960 pages), written by M.M. Kaye…..(first published in 1978), is a packed-filled epic historical fiction powerhouse. The storytelling is endless: it’s immediately compelling…and dramatic.
It’s filled with mutiny history during 1857, gorgeous visuals of the Himalayas, passion, love, (an unattainable ‘bigger-than-life-itself-love’ story runs throughout), lustrous romance, war, death, injustice, cruelty, jealousy, adventure, famine, treasuries, royal servants, friendships, treacherous old politicians, marriage, family strife, betrayal, disease, too many guns and swords, expectations of the times, cultural differences and conflicts, rich details, brides, ornamental glittering luck pieces, ceremonies and festivities, spectacular alliances, light fires, feed animals, prepare meals, fierce changes in the elements, multiplying struggles and dangers throughout, Government protection for higher ranks, little protection for a runaway princess, fear, rages and vindictiveness, a loss beloved mongoose, complex visits from relatives, broken bones and remedies made from the Hindu gods, hours spent giving to the poor, sacrifices, fears, secret negotiations, necessary patience, racing horseman, angry men burning for revenge, intruders, sister dedication, sister betrayals. wedding feasting celebrations, tired travelers, endearing conversations during long journeys, urgency deliveries, unripe green mangoes, heartfelt bitterness, noble cities, brotherhood, coming of age, pretenses that all is well, educational excitement…..
….the full range of personal emotions…..
and intimately spellbinding ….with characters that feel thoroughly alive.
Ashton Martynn was raised in a Royal Hindu Mahal…..only to learn he was British. Having a foot in both worlds—both Indian and British —he’s never fully accepted in either.
Ashton is split-torn > from birth.
We follow him during his British military years —and his love for a beautiful Indian royal princess.
Such an incredible book…. It’s entertaining, heartbreaking,…. simply magnificent —
a satisfying saga that I was craving for.
One sampling excerpt:
“They had been cataloging the many discomforts of life in India - the heat, the dust, the disease, the appalling state of the roads and the difficulties of travel - when Belinda had intervened with a laughing protest:”
“Oh no, Mama! How can you say such things? Why, it’s a delightful country. I can remember it clearly - that lovely cool bungalow with the purple creeper climbing over the porch, and all the gorgeous flowers in the garden; the ones like spotted lilies and those tall scarlet ones that were always covered with butterflies. And riding my pony to the Mall and seeing lines of camels, and being carried in a dandy when we went up to the hills for the summer - those great tall pine trees and the yellow wild roses that smelled so sweet . . . and the snows: miles and miles of snow mountains”.
August 3, 2017
Reading this book for the first time (as a teenager) was a magical experience for me. It was the first time I had ever been so deeply submerged in a book that I literally felt dazed and disoriented when it ended and I had to return to reality. They were so real for me--Ash and Juli, Wally and Zarin, Biju Ram and Hira Lal. Leaving their world--leaving India--at the end of the book was painful.
The story is about Ashton Pelham-Martyn, English by birth but born in India. He spends his childhood believing he is Indian, and only finds out the truth when he's eleven. This is when the person that he thought he was is separated into two distinct people. One is his traditional English persona which is forced on him in his later childhood, and the other is Ashok, the person he was in his earliest memories of himself. Ash's journey to self-realization is a torturous one, and encompasses the full spectrum of human experience: love, friendship, loyalty, responsibility, despicable acts of cowardice and treachery, and acts of incredible heroism.
Toward the end of the book is a battle scene based on a real historic event. Usually I find protracted battle scenes tedious, but this time . . . this time, I was completely caught up in it. I was THERE with Wally, and every desperate sortie, every stratagem, and every loss tore my heart out. I have never read another battle scene since which captivated me as this one did. This book is storytelling at its grandest. It doesn't hurt that Kaye constructs sentences designed to thrill an English teacher's heart, so smoothly and effortlessly do they flow. If you have not yet experienced this epic tale, what are you waiting for?
The story is about Ashton Pelham-Martyn, English by birth but born in India. He spends his childhood believing he is Indian, and only finds out the truth when he's eleven. This is when the person that he thought he was is separated into two distinct people. One is his traditional English persona which is forced on him in his later childhood, and the other is Ashok, the person he was in his earliest memories of himself. Ash's journey to self-realization is a torturous one, and encompasses the full spectrum of human experience: love, friendship, loyalty, responsibility, despicable acts of cowardice and treachery, and acts of incredible heroism.
Toward the end of the book is a battle scene based on a real historic event. Usually I find protracted battle scenes tedious, but this time . . . this time, I was completely caught up in it. I was THERE with Wally, and every desperate sortie, every stratagem, and every loss tore my heart out. I have never read another battle scene since which captivated me as this one did. This book is storytelling at its grandest. It doesn't hurt that Kaye constructs sentences designed to thrill an English teacher's heart, so smoothly and effortlessly do they flow. If you have not yet experienced this epic tale, what are you waiting for?
August 16, 2016
I finished it!!!!
I'm not even going to try to summarize this, enough readers have already done so and to be honest, it's so huge, so SO HUGE that I wouldn't even know where to start. Only that it's about a man born without the comfort of national borders, trying to find where he belongs in this world, and a half caste girl, a princess, who would give her life to find it with him.
I loved it. I lived it. I feel like I've died a thousand deaths over the last two weeks reading it.
If you haven't already read this, by all means pick up a copy. But don't even think about reading it until you're thoroughly in the mood for a long, hot, Indian epic. I had this on my shelf for going on three years, waiting for the right time. You can only read something for the first time once, so choose carefully.
My favorite part: Ash's childhood in India and later.... SUTTEE!!!
My least favorite part: The last 150 pages, the Afghanistan war. Some parts were intriguing and some parts (endless battle scenes) were snooze worthy. I mainly read those bits to see who else had died.
Highly recommended.
CONTENT:
SEX: One scene, not explicit but not really for young readers either.
VIOLENCE: Some battle scenes, poisonings, Suttee, assassinations etc, not gratuitous, but people do die.
LANGUAGE: Mild profanity sparsely scattered throughout.
I'm not even going to try to summarize this, enough readers have already done so and to be honest, it's so huge, so SO HUGE that I wouldn't even know where to start. Only that it's about a man born without the comfort of national borders, trying to find where he belongs in this world, and a half caste girl, a princess, who would give her life to find it with him.
I loved it. I lived it. I feel like I've died a thousand deaths over the last two weeks reading it.
If you haven't already read this, by all means pick up a copy. But don't even think about reading it until you're thoroughly in the mood for a long, hot, Indian epic. I had this on my shelf for going on three years, waiting for the right time. You can only read something for the first time once, so choose carefully.
My favorite part: Ash's childhood in India and later.... SUTTEE!!!
My least favorite part: The last 150 pages, the Afghanistan war. Some parts were intriguing and some parts (endless battle scenes) were snooze worthy. I mainly read those bits to see who else had died.
Highly recommended.
CONTENT:
SEX: One scene, not explicit but not really for young readers either.
VIOLENCE: Some battle scenes, poisonings, Suttee, assassinations etc, not gratuitous, but people do die.
LANGUAGE: Mild profanity sparsely scattered throughout.
June 14, 2022
The Far Pavilions was an epic and enchanting book by Mary Margaret Kaye set in the nineteenth century in India when the British Raj was in power. This beautiful tale is the story of a young English boy, the son of a British professor and explorer. Orphaned at a young age, the boy known as Ashok, growing up at the foot of the mystical and majestic Himalayas and raised by his Indian adoptive mother. Young Ashok is enthralled with the Himalayas, known as the far pavilions.
After his adoptive mother's death, it is discovered that the young boy has British roots and is sent back to England to his father's family attending British schools, including Sandhurst Academy. Ashton Pelham Martin has his father's facility for learning many languages and is particularly suited to the military as he returns to India. Always torn between the East and the West, Ashton never forgets his formative years in India with his adoptive mother Sita.
This epic tale is a rich and vibrant tapestry, one of love and loyalty and war and friendship and betrayal as we become immersed in the story of young Ashok and the young man Ashton Pelham Martin as part of the British Raj, oftentimes split between his love of the East and of the West, and falling in love with a beautiful Indian princess. It is a literary masterpiece drawing one in and not wanting the book to ever end. It was noted that the famed literary critic Edmond Fuller was moved to write: "Were Miss Kaye to produce no other book, The Far Pavilions might stand as a lasting accomplishment in a single work comparable to Margaret Mitchell's achievement in Gone With the Wind."
"Ash jerked his gaze from the gulf at his feet and saw, across the vast moon-washed spaces of the night, the Far Pavilions, their glittering peaks high and serene against the quiet sky."
"The months, the years, the centuries would pass, and when the Palace of the Winds was no more, the Far Pavilions would still be there, unchanged and unchanging."
After his adoptive mother's death, it is discovered that the young boy has British roots and is sent back to England to his father's family attending British schools, including Sandhurst Academy. Ashton Pelham Martin has his father's facility for learning many languages and is particularly suited to the military as he returns to India. Always torn between the East and the West, Ashton never forgets his formative years in India with his adoptive mother Sita.
"Only it was not towards Mecca that he would face, but to the mountains. His own mountains, in whose shadow he had been born--to the Dur Khaima to which he prayed as a child. Somewhere over there lay the Far Pavilions, with Tarakalas, the 'Star Tower', catching the first rays of the sunrise. And somewhere, too, the valley that Sita had so longed to reach before she died, and that he himself would reach one day."
"Yet I am still Ashok, and I cannot alter that either, for having been a child of this land for eleven years I am tied to it by something as strong as the tie of blood, and shall always be two people in one skin--which is not a comfortable thing to be."
"Later, as the light began to fade and the dusk turn green about him, he reined in and turned to look back at the mountains that were already in shadow and sharply violet against the hyacinth of the darkening sky. One cluster of peaks still held a last gleam of the sunset: the crown of the Dur Khaima, rose-pink in the twilight. . . the far pavilions. . . The warm colour faded from them as he looked, and peak after peak turned from rose to lavender until at last only Tara Kilas, the 'Star Tower', held the light. Then suddenly that too had gone, and the whole long range lost its sharpness of outline and merged into a night that was brilliant with stars."
This epic tale is a rich and vibrant tapestry, one of love and loyalty and war and friendship and betrayal as we become immersed in the story of young Ashok and the young man Ashton Pelham Martin as part of the British Raj, oftentimes split between his love of the East and of the West, and falling in love with a beautiful Indian princess. It is a literary masterpiece drawing one in and not wanting the book to ever end. It was noted that the famed literary critic Edmond Fuller was moved to write: "Were Miss Kaye to produce no other book, The Far Pavilions might stand as a lasting accomplishment in a single work comparable to Margaret Mitchell's achievement in Gone With the Wind."
April 30, 2011
This is one of those books I've had on my shelf for... freaking-ever, but it's always just sort of been there for a rainy day. Like one of those days where you feel like reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy because you want a romping good time, but sadly, you've already read the Lord of the Rings trilogy and you're not really in the mood for the wordiness that is Tolkien anyway - you just want all the fun and adventure without all the work.
Okay, maybe I'm the only one who has waited to read this book for those reasons.
I've read some other things by Kaye, but they were specifically mysteries. I enjoyed them both - she took me to Zanzibar and Kenya and wrote about murders there and they were pretty exciting. I knew The Far Pavilions wouldn't be that same sort of excitement, but I figured since the book is about the same weight as I am that I'd find something exciting in the pages.
What I really found, sadly, was a lot of disappointment. There was some adventure, don't get me wrong. But there was so much between those moments of adventure that were not... so... adventurous, so my interest waned. A lot. I've been joking that the pavilions really are far, far away - they don't seem to make an appearance until the book is almost over, and that seems a really long time for them to show up since the title refers to them and all. I wanted them to get to the freaking Far Pavilions already, let's get on with it, oh my god, are they not there yet?
Clearly I needed a Valium while reading this one.
I see a lot of reviews raving about this book, and I feel really bad that I didn't manage to find it as charming as everyone said it was. But it wasn't 1189 pages of absolute horror. I was invested, occasionally, in Ash and Anjuli and their plight. The politics were vaguely interesting as well; as I've stated before (and likely will state again) I know very little about the Great Game, and I continue to feel I should know more about it before reading this sort of historical fiction - though I maintain I should be learning something as I go along, right?
But I really like M.M. Kaye. She was born in India and I think that's way evident in her writing in The Far Pavilions. Her love of the country practically drips off of every page and I totally respect that. However, this book was published in 1978 and is just as much of a love story as it is an adventurous historical bit of fiction. There are parts that are... well... saccharine, and I absolutely am not in a saccharine mood right now. Like this passage:
(That being said, I really liked the character of Wally.)
I just couldn't quite shake the feeling I was reading a glorified romance novel, which is a real downer for me. I don't mind a little bit of loving in my literature, but I don't need sweeping romances. Especially when I'm picking up something that I expect to be more drama and excitement and fewer heaving bosoms.
Bottom line, it's just not what I had signed up for.
Interestingly at the back of the book is one of those advertisements for The Far Pavilions Picture Book - for just $7.95 this 9" x 11 1/8" "stunning visualization" of Kaye's epic could be yours. Includes selected photographs from the author's family albums and 32 color paintings by the author herself.
That actually sounds neat.
It just wasn't what I had wanted. And the pages multiplied every time I put it down. I seriously thought it would never end. I was ready to move on. Because I couldn't get images like the one below out of my mind. And the fact that the image below exists is proof that I'm not the only one who had those sorts of images in my mind while reading the book.
Okay, maybe I'm the only one who has waited to read this book for those reasons.
I've read some other things by Kaye, but they were specifically mysteries. I enjoyed them both - she took me to Zanzibar and Kenya and wrote about murders there and they were pretty exciting. I knew The Far Pavilions wouldn't be that same sort of excitement, but I figured since the book is about the same weight as I am that I'd find something exciting in the pages.
What I really found, sadly, was a lot of disappointment. There was some adventure, don't get me wrong. But there was so much between those moments of adventure that were not... so... adventurous, so my interest waned. A lot. I've been joking that the pavilions really are far, far away - they don't seem to make an appearance until the book is almost over, and that seems a really long time for them to show up since the title refers to them and all. I wanted them to get to the freaking Far Pavilions already, let's get on with it, oh my god, are they not there yet?
Clearly I needed a Valium while reading this one.
I see a lot of reviews raving about this book, and I feel really bad that I didn't manage to find it as charming as everyone said it was. But it wasn't 1189 pages of absolute horror. I was invested, occasionally, in Ash and Anjuli and their plight. The politics were vaguely interesting as well; as I've stated before (and likely will state again) I know very little about the Great Game, and I continue to feel I should know more about it before reading this sort of historical fiction - though I maintain I should be learning something as I go along, right?
But I really like M.M. Kaye. She was born in India and I think that's way evident in her writing in The Far Pavilions. Her love of the country practically drips off of every page and I totally respect that. However, this book was published in 1978 and is just as much of a love story as it is an adventurous historical bit of fiction. There are parts that are... well... saccharine, and I absolutely am not in a saccharine mood right now. Like this passage:
"Wally, who was always falling in and out of love, had been fond of quoting lines that some poet or other had written, to the effect that it was 'better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.' Well, Wally - and Tennyson, or whoever it was - had been right. It was better, infinitely better, to have loved Juli and lost her than not to have loved her at all. And if he did nothing worthwhile in the years ahead, life would still have been worth living because he had once loved and been loved by her..."
(p 565)
(That being said, I really liked the character of Wally.)
I just couldn't quite shake the feeling I was reading a glorified romance novel, which is a real downer for me. I don't mind a little bit of loving in my literature, but I don't need sweeping romances. Especially when I'm picking up something that I expect to be more drama and excitement and fewer heaving bosoms.
Bottom line, it's just not what I had signed up for.
Interestingly at the back of the book is one of those advertisements for The Far Pavilions Picture Book - for just $7.95 this 9" x 11 1/8" "stunning visualization" of Kaye's epic could be yours. Includes selected photographs from the author's family albums and 32 color paintings by the author herself.
That actually sounds neat.
It just wasn't what I had wanted. And the pages multiplied every time I put it down. I seriously thought it would never end. I was ready to move on. Because I couldn't get images like the one below out of my mind. And the fact that the image below exists is proof that I'm not the only one who had those sorts of images in my mind while reading the book.
August 7, 2014
"We go to find our Kingdom....Our own Dur Khaima--our far pavilions."
It is a big book packed with drama, great characters, romance, the thrill of battle, and adventure in faraway places, but it's also filled with thoughtful insights into national character and identity--and the complex web of cultures that defined the Indian subcontinent, the British Raj and Afghanistan in the late 19th century.
Special thanks to Diane Lynn, Tadiana and all my friends who joined in our buddy read and sharpened my appreciation. Feel free to check out the resources and chime in with more discussions on our Far Pavilions group: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
I knocked off one star because I wanted more Juli!! Was there ever a better case for fan fiction?
It is a big book packed with drama, great characters, romance, the thrill of battle, and adventure in faraway places, but it's also filled with thoughtful insights into national character and identity--and the complex web of cultures that defined the Indian subcontinent, the British Raj and Afghanistan in the late 19th century.
Special thanks to Diane Lynn, Tadiana and all my friends who joined in our buddy read and sharpened my appreciation. Feel free to check out the resources and chime in with more discussions on our Far Pavilions group: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
I knocked off one star because I wanted more Juli!! Was there ever a better case for fan fiction?
October 18, 2015
The Far Pavilions is one of my all time favorite books. I stumbled upon it in a book store because one of the employees had marked it as a must-read. I picked it up and was absolutely enthralled.
This historical fiction is reminiscent of Margaret George's books in its character development, dramatic plot line, and, clocking in at more than 900 pages, length. There are battles, romance, and palace intrigue- a little bit of everything. It's one of the few books that I've read more than once and that's saying a lot as I tend to not re-read books. I love it and always recommend it to people who are looking for excellent historical fiction.
If you loved The Far Pavilions, I'd recommend reading anything by Margaret George, The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, and Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. (I wonder why so many Margarets are amazing historical fiction authors? Weird...)
This historical fiction is reminiscent of Margaret George's books in its character development, dramatic plot line, and, clocking in at more than 900 pages, length. There are battles, romance, and palace intrigue- a little bit of everything. It's one of the few books that I've read more than once and that's saying a lot as I tend to not re-read books. I love it and always recommend it to people who are looking for excellent historical fiction.
If you loved The Far Pavilions, I'd recommend reading anything by Margaret George, The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, and Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. (I wonder why so many Margarets are amazing historical fiction authors? Weird...)
May 22, 2022
Set in India ni the middle of the nineteenth century, this book was an enchanting story of one English boy named Ashton, who survives cholera with his nursemaid Sita, and is swept away by the uprising against the Raj. With Sita, Ash goes undercover as Ashok and they flee for safety. "... But many who reap the whirlwind were as blameless and bewildered as Sita and Ash-Baba, blown hellplessly before the gale like two small and insignificant sparrows on a wild day of storm."
As Ashok, he forgets his father, forgets he is English, as Sita has adopted him as her own child. The two set off to find "...some place, somewhere, where people were not cruel and unjust and interfering-- where they could just live peacefully, minding their own business and being happy."
This, is just the start of a novel in which Ash grows up, survives Sita's death, learns of his true parentage, studies abroad, becomes one of the English Guides, and because of his unique background and fluency in the native languages, is put into various dangerous positions throughout his career. He also falls in love and risks everything to be with the person he loves. They together dream of the far pavilions, where they can live the dream that Sita inspired.
Ashton-Ashok-Ash is not accepted as fully one or the other, and he also must reconcile his two pasts -- as a Hindu and as an Englishman. "For Ashok was also Pelham-Sahib, and who could be certain which one, at any given moment, would be in the saddle? -- Sita's son, or the British officer?"
Did I say this also a love story?
Readers of classic literature will appreciate the many references and quotes throughout the novel (such as "Night's candles are burnt out and jocund day stands tip-toe on the misty mountain tops" -- Romeo and Juliet) but knowing the references is not necessary to the appreciation of this novel.
The novel has tension throughout. Like other sweeping sagas, this one holds your attention with action starting in Chapter One and continuing throughout to Chapter 62. (My copy was almost 1200 pages long.) It only slowed a bit toward the end when some history needed telling to set up the action-packed ending.
In the telling, there are parallels to the "shock and awe" war with Iraq, and with the difficulties in engaging in war and occupying Afghanistan. The novel ends there, but we must believe that Ash finds his far pavilions in the end.
If you like long books like Shogun, Pillar of the Earth, The Thorn Birds, Gone with the Wind, to name a few, you will probably really enjoy this one. And, if you read this, you will lose yourself in the novel and not want to attend to "the ordinary things a person ought to do," to quote a a lyric ("The Very Thought of You"). My TV broke in the reading and I didn't even care. Devote yourself to it and you will not be sorry!
I give it five stars (plus) and it might end up being the best book I have read this year!
As Ashok, he forgets his father, forgets he is English, as Sita has adopted him as her own child. The two set off to find "...some place, somewhere, where people were not cruel and unjust and interfering-- where they could just live peacefully, minding their own business and being happy."
This, is just the start of a novel in which Ash grows up, survives Sita's death, learns of his true parentage, studies abroad, becomes one of the English Guides, and because of his unique background and fluency in the native languages, is put into various dangerous positions throughout his career. He also falls in love and risks everything to be with the person he loves. They together dream of the far pavilions, where they can live the dream that Sita inspired.
Ashton-Ashok-Ash is not accepted as fully one or the other, and he also must reconcile his two pasts -- as a Hindu and as an Englishman. "For Ashok was also Pelham-Sahib, and who could be certain which one, at any given moment, would be in the saddle? -- Sita's son, or the British officer?"
Did I say this also a love story?
Readers of classic literature will appreciate the many references and quotes throughout the novel (such as "Night's candles are burnt out and jocund day stands tip-toe on the misty mountain tops" -- Romeo and Juliet) but knowing the references is not necessary to the appreciation of this novel.
The novel has tension throughout. Like other sweeping sagas, this one holds your attention with action starting in Chapter One and continuing throughout to Chapter 62. (My copy was almost 1200 pages long.) It only slowed a bit toward the end when some history needed telling to set up the action-packed ending.
In the telling, there are parallels to the "shock and awe" war with Iraq, and with the difficulties in engaging in war and occupying Afghanistan. The novel ends there, but we must believe that Ash finds his far pavilions in the end.
If you like long books like Shogun, Pillar of the Earth, The Thorn Birds, Gone with the Wind, to name a few, you will probably really enjoy this one. And, if you read this, you will lose yourself in the novel and not want to attend to "the ordinary things a person ought to do," to quote a a lyric ("The Very Thought of You"). My TV broke in the reading and I didn't even care. Devote yourself to it and you will not be sorry!
I give it five stars (plus) and it might end up being the best book I have read this year!
July 11, 2011
Wow, it seems as if I'm the only person who disliked the book. I was excited to read it, and only finished for my book club (yes, I do take one for the team now and then). For me it had several flaws and was painful to finish.
1. The narrative's flow is disappointing, things happen and then you're on to the next event with little transition, which made the piece feel rushed in that sense.
2. The detail that drowns you into boredom. She describes some things to the point of ad nauseum, but then does not give enough detail. Having never been to India I would've appreciated more detail about the landscapes and customs (maybe she doesn't know or didn't research this out). Also, there is a superficial description of the characters.
3. There were some parts of the book that weren't needed, it was filled with tangents to the narrative that not only made the book longer, but took space away from a better development of the narrative and characters.
On the whole a very disappointing book, I would not recommend it to anyone.
1. The narrative's flow is disappointing, things happen and then you're on to the next event with little transition, which made the piece feel rushed in that sense.
2. The detail that drowns you into boredom. She describes some things to the point of ad nauseum, but then does not give enough detail. Having never been to India I would've appreciated more detail about the landscapes and customs (maybe she doesn't know or didn't research this out). Also, there is a superficial description of the characters.
3. There were some parts of the book that weren't needed, it was filled with tangents to the narrative that not only made the book longer, but took space away from a better development of the narrative and characters.
On the whole a very disappointing book, I would not recommend it to anyone.
February 15, 2019
I really liked this the first time around, but this time it dragged in places and made me ever so happy when I wrapped it up. Perhaps I have grown beyond the romantic to a book that needs to have some lesser wordiness and more relevance in the modern age. I am pretty bummed that it was not the book I so fondly remembered. Perhaps second readings are not always a good idea, especially for books you were so in love with as a young adult.
August 8, 2019
The Far Pavilions
A story of war, race, dislocation, hubris, unrighteous dominion of humans over other humans. So many pages and hours, I thought I would dissolve into the dust that rose up around the traveling feet of this story. And, I thought I would grow weary of it and droop off into another book. But that didn’t happen. I stayed. I stayed to the very end. I hate war, war violence, war politics (READ: subjective justification), war results (limbs without bodies, rolling heads, bodies without either). I feared it was going to be an exercise in read a little, skip that part, read a bit more, skimmmmmmmm, read here and here, not here. Honestly, there was none of this because I chose the audio format which makes it hard to skip around. . . .and I really didn’t want to miss the good parts. . .which weren’t just the juicy bits (of which there are not many), but were the interactions with the myriad bit players in this tale. They are many, but they are delicious and well-portrayed. I didn’t want to miss them.
And I cried at unexpected places. At one particular war scene, with a gun and a flag. And I fell in love. With Ashok. With Anjuli. With India? Well, I’m closer than I was.
I’m looking for more MM Kaye books to read. . . she reminds me of my other favorite author who writes of these countries, Rumer Godden.
4.5 stars from me, rounded up to 5, just because I looked forward to the long listen like I do when I’m captivated by a series. Haven’t seen the movie. Yet. But will. It stays with you, this one.
A story of war, race, dislocation, hubris, unrighteous dominion of humans over other humans. So many pages and hours, I thought I would dissolve into the dust that rose up around the traveling feet of this story. And, I thought I would grow weary of it and droop off into another book. But that didn’t happen. I stayed. I stayed to the very end. I hate war, war violence, war politics (READ: subjective justification), war results (limbs without bodies, rolling heads, bodies without either). I feared it was going to be an exercise in read a little, skip that part, read a bit more, skimmmmmmmm, read here and here, not here. Honestly, there was none of this because I chose the audio format which makes it hard to skip around. . . .and I really didn’t want to miss the good parts. . .which weren’t just the juicy bits (of which there are not many), but were the interactions with the myriad bit players in this tale. They are many, but they are delicious and well-portrayed. I didn’t want to miss them.
And I cried at unexpected places. At one particular war scene, with a gun and a flag. And I fell in love. With Ashok. With Anjuli. With India? Well, I’m closer than I was.
I’m looking for more MM Kaye books to read. . . she reminds me of my other favorite author who writes of these countries, Rumer Godden.
4.5 stars from me, rounded up to 5, just because I looked forward to the long listen like I do when I’m captivated by a series. Haven’t seen the movie. Yet. But will. It stays with you, this one.
November 8, 2022
A perfect novel. It is hard to believe but through all these pages I wasn't bored, I wasn't overwhelmed, I hadn't enough.
I will try to explain why it was so marvelous but I am sure I will fail to list all reasons.
1) A fascinating historical background.
I didn't know very much about India (especially its history and culture) and Afganistan. This book was a phenomenal journey through those countries in the second half of the XIX century. What was even greater was that not only big events were true but also small ones (Mrs Kaye knew India, lived there, and men in her family belonged to Corps of Guides - so she knew the stories also from them). There were such important events as: Indian Rebellion of 1857, The Second Anglo-Afghan War, Siege of the British Residency in Kabul.
I am so frustrated that we learned nothing from our history. How after the Anglo-Afghan wars we had (have) in the XXI century another one occupation of Afghanistan? After this book, I understand more why this modern occupation couldn't possibly be successful.
2) Great characters, that weaved the plot perfectly. (Yes, I am going to use this adjective many times)
Many of the characters were historical, like Walter Hamilton, Pierre Louis Napoleon Cavagnari. Many other characters were created (inspired) from known stories about real people, like Ash and Juli. Many of them will stay with me for a very long time.
3) A deep, wise look at human nature
4) An interesting descriptions of Indian culture (also Afghan culture)
5) A memorial of the Corps of Guides.
I felt how much Mrs Kaye loved the Guides, their honour, professionalism, loyalty, bravery, friendships. And I understand her completely. I couldn't not agree with her. And Wally was such a perfect hero and example of the Guides. I really had tears in my eyes when some of them were killed... and I cried with them: 'Never give in, brothers – never give in. Guides, ki-jai!’
-----------
It was beautiful and sad novel. M.M. Kaye showed me wonderful India, fascinating cultures, great people but also all those boundaries that lie everywhere and prejudice that belong to all cultures. How much I would want to go with Ash and Juli in search of some place where we may live and work in peace, and where men do not kill or persecute each other for sport or at the bidding of Governments – or because others do not think or speak or pray as they do, or have skins of a different colour.
This book is a must-read for everyone who is capable of reading a really long novel.
If you need to classify it I would call it historical fiction and an adventure book (battles etc.). Of course, there was also a romance that a lover of such stories (as I am) can feel satisfied. But the love story appeared after (if I remember correctly) two hundred pages, then after about a hundred it disappeared and then again appeared. After that, it ended (the pair was together, so the plot concentrated on other issues). In other words, don't look at this book as a just romance because you will be disappointed and tired of reading.
PS I recommend this short article in 'The Telegraph' about M.M. Kaye.
I will try to explain why it was so marvelous but I am sure I will fail to list all reasons.
1) A fascinating historical background.
I didn't know very much about India (especially its history and culture) and Afganistan. This book was a phenomenal journey through those countries in the second half of the XIX century. What was even greater was that not only big events were true but also small ones (Mrs Kaye knew India, lived there, and men in her family belonged to Corps of Guides - so she knew the stories also from them). There were such important events as: Indian Rebellion of 1857, The Second Anglo-Afghan War, Siege of the British Residency in Kabul.
I am so frustrated that we learned nothing from our history. How after the Anglo-Afghan wars we had (have) in the XXI century another one occupation of Afghanistan? After this book, I understand more why this modern occupation couldn't possibly be successful.
because Afghanistan is no country to fight a war in – and an impossible one to hold if you win
2) Great characters, that weaved the plot perfectly. (Yes, I am going to use this adjective many times)
Many of the characters were historical, like Walter Hamilton, Pierre Louis Napoleon Cavagnari. Many other characters were created (inspired) from known stories about real people, like Ash and Juli. Many of them will stay with me for a very long time.
3) A deep, wise look at human nature
People everywhere preferred to make their own mistakes, and resented strangers (even efficient and well-meaning ones) interfering with their affairs
Had he been older and wiser, and less badly hurt himself, he might have recognized it for what it was: a tantrum thrown by a spoilt child who has been courted and flattered and over-indulged to a point where good sense and youthful high-spirits have turned to conceit and vanity, and any opposition – any fancied slight – is magnified into an unforgivable injur
I do not doubt that you would have done all that was in your power to make her happy. But it is not in your power to build a new world; or to turn back time
4) An interesting descriptions of Indian culture (also Afghan culture)
the East has never believed in the theory that segregation and quiet are necessary to the sick
Asia has little regard for Time
in the East a respectable woman, when visiting abroad, is an anonymous figure to whom no attention should be paid
he had always known that to Hindus, whose gods were legion, caste was all-important, and that the only way to become a Hindu was to be born one
The fact that religion has not brought love and brotherhood and peace to mankind, but, as was promised, a sword.
'Yet many of different faiths have shown us great kindness.’ ‘Kindness, yes. But they haven't accepted us as one of themselves'
5) A memorial of the Corps of Guides.
I felt how much Mrs Kaye loved the Guides, their honour, professionalism, loyalty, bravery, friendships. And I understand her completely. I couldn't not agree with her. And Wally was such a perfect hero and example of the Guides. I really had tears in my eyes when some of them were killed... and I cried with them: 'Never give in, brothers – never give in. Guides, ki-jai!’
-----------
It was beautiful and sad novel. M.M. Kaye showed me wonderful India, fascinating cultures, great people but also all those boundaries that lie everywhere and prejudice that belong to all cultures. How much I would want to go with Ash and Juli in search of some place where we may live and work in peace, and where men do not kill or persecute each other for sport or at the bidding of Governments – or because others do not think or speak or pray as they do, or have skins of a different colour.
This book is a must-read for everyone who is capable of reading a really long novel.
If you need to classify it I would call it historical fiction and an adventure book (battles etc.). Of course, there was also a romance that a lover of such stories (as I am) can feel satisfied. But the love story appeared after (if I remember correctly) two hundred pages, then after about a hundred it disappeared and then again appeared. After that, it ended (the pair was together, so the plot concentrated on other issues). In other words, don't look at this book as a just romance because you will be disappointed and tired of reading.
PS I recommend this short article in 'The Telegraph' about M.M. Kaye.
December 4, 2013
Magnificent book, telling the story of Aston and Anjuli ant the India struggle against Afghnistan.
The movie is available at You Tube. It is as good as this book, it's worth watching.
The movie is available at You Tube. It is as good as this book, it's worth watching.
August 8, 2018
4.75 ⭐️
A historical fiction the way it ought to be written.
Damn near perfect.
A historical fiction the way it ought to be written.
Damn near perfect.
January 25, 2018
I liked it. I didn't love it. After investing the time in this 960 page book, I admit I am somewhat disappointed. I really wanted to love it. I guess I was expecting an exciting adventure mixed with a beautiful love story. I got a long dry trip across the desert, a war story and a love story with very little romance. I did learn a lot from this story and I always appreciate that from a book. I learned about the culture of India and the caste system. I also learned about the second Afghan-Indian war. I enjoyed learning about the Corps of Guides.
It did have a full cast of interesting characters and many of them I came to care about. Wally was probably my favorite character as his enthusiasm really brought his character to life. I had a bit of a hard time with the main character Ashton Pelham-Martyn. He did not always come across as believable to me. Many times his ideals and romanticism and dramatic reactions reminded me that he was written by a woman.
The book did have many interesting and exciting parts, but I feel that it was entirely too long. All of the extra wording took away from the main story and made it at times very tedious and slow. There were places that were repetitive. Ash would explain a situation he was in and several pages later it would be re-told by a different character. There were a few phrases like...."as the crow flies" that were, in my opinion, over-used.
I am glad I read it. I did enjoy Ash and Juli's story and wish we had spent more time with them together. I did feel the author's love of India and understood her message of tolerance. It could have been told in fewer words and been less sanctimonious at the end. If you enjoy a long slower paced saga, it's a worthwhile read.
It did have a full cast of interesting characters and many of them I came to care about. Wally was probably my favorite character as his enthusiasm really brought his character to life. I had a bit of a hard time with the main character Ashton Pelham-Martyn. He did not always come across as believable to me. Many times his ideals and romanticism and dramatic reactions reminded me that he was written by a woman.
The book did have many interesting and exciting parts, but I feel that it was entirely too long. All of the extra wording took away from the main story and made it at times very tedious and slow. There were places that were repetitive. Ash would explain a situation he was in and several pages later it would be re-told by a different character. There were a few phrases like...."as the crow flies" that were, in my opinion, over-used.
I am glad I read it. I did enjoy Ash and Juli's story and wish we had spent more time with them together. I did feel the author's love of India and understood her message of tolerance. It could have been told in fewer words and been less sanctimonious at the end. If you enjoy a long slower paced saga, it's a worthwhile read.
May 21, 2007
Reading this book was quite possibly the only good thing that happened to me in the year 1995. I've since re-read it in its entireity another four or five times, and skimmed through it and picked out my favorite passages at least a dozen times. It's a beautiful "sweeping epic" set in British colonial India, the story of "Ash", who spends the first part of his life believing he's the son of a Hindu serving woman in the palace of a rajah and is himself enlisted as a personal servant/favorite playmate of the young prince. He later discovers he is actually the son of English gentry, and is sent "back" to England (though he was born in India) to attend posh prep schools and receive a proper education so that he can follow in his father's footsteps and be commisioned into the Royal Army, where, of course, his first assignment is to return to India. I love all the palace intrigue and politics, and the juxtaposition of Eastern and Western cultures and ideals, and the ways Ash is depicted searching to make meaning of his identity and his spiritual and personal beliefs. There's a love story, too, and although it is deeply satisfying, I find it almost secondary to the rest of the story.
March 6, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2013
First published in 1978, this monumental epic sold ¼-million in hardback alone; paperback sales, especially after the TV series, soared. Justifiably. Though written in a completely different style, I feel it can be set alongside Paul Scott’s magisterial Raj Quartet. Set in India during the time of the British Raj, The Far Pavilions tells the story of Englishman Ashton Pelham-Martyn from birth in the 1850s, through the Indian Mutiny until the Second Afghan War, 1879.
Due to its scale, the story has to be told from an omniscient point of view. Yet individuals are strongly drawn and felt. This book has been likened to the Gone with the Wind of the North-West Frontier, and the comparison isn’t far off the mark. Although it’s a love story, it’s much more besides. It doesn’t pull any punches where brutality in all forms is encountered during these violent times. It depicts bravery, generosity, cruelty, honour, devoutness, passion, heroism and self-sacrifice.
The title comes from the Dur Khaima mountains, the Far Pavilions, with Tarakalas, the ‘Star Tower’, catching the first rays of the sunrise. Somewhere near was a fabulous valley dreamed of by Ashton’s surrogate mother, Sita, somewhere to live in peace and contentment without violence, prejudice and greed…
We know that politicians don’t seem to read history or learn from it. A year after this book was published, the USSR effectively invaded Afghanistan. Ashton says, ‘The Afghans may be a murderous lot of ruffians with an unenviable reputation for treachery and ruthlessness, but no one has ever denied their courage; or been able to make them do anything they don’t like doing. And they don’t like being dictated to or ruled by foreigners – any foreigners!’ It applied in 1979 and, to all intents and purposes, it applies now.
It was fascinating to read of places such as Murree, Jamrud fort, Peshawar, Islamabad – all part of India at the time. In 1969, I went to these places when they were in West Pakistan, as well as the Khyber Pass, from where we looked over the plain of Kabul. (See my reminiscences of that visit ‘The Navy Lark up the Khyber’ pp142-151 in Under the Queen’s Colours, ‘voices from the Forces 1952-2012’ by Penny Legg).
In places, Kaye’s writing is exquisite, as are the sentiments and characterisations. A few brief examples: As an old sage remarks, ‘I know well that hearts are not like hired servants who can be hidden to do what we desire of them. They stay or go as they will, and we can neither hold nor prevent them. The gods know that I have lost and regained mine a dozen times. For which I have cause to be grateful, for my father lost his once only: to my mother. After she died he was never more than the shell of a man.’
‘The black stallion’s body and his own were one, and his blood sang in rhythm with the pounding hooves as the air fled past them and the ground flowed away beneath them as smoothly as a river.’
‘Below him a belt of scree fell steeply away down a gully that was bright with moonlight, and on either hand the bare hillsides swept upwards to shoulder a sky like a sheet of tarnished steel.’
An observer’s description of Ashton – ‘…the vulnerability of that thin, reckless face, the sensitive mouth that accorded so ill with the firm obstinate chin, and the purposeful line of the black eyebrows that were at odds with a brow and temples that would have better fitted a poet or a dreamer than a soldier.’ Whoever cast Ben Cross in the role got it very right indeed.
When I closed this tome of 960 pages of tightly packed text, I felt slightly bereft. I seemed to live with many of these characters, and watched them grow older, live – and die – and now it was over, finished.
At the back, there are two pages of author’s notes providing relevant real-life happenings used in the narrative plus a useful 2-page glossary of Indian words and phrases.
Due to its scale, the story has to be told from an omniscient point of view. Yet individuals are strongly drawn and felt. This book has been likened to the Gone with the Wind of the North-West Frontier, and the comparison isn’t far off the mark. Although it’s a love story, it’s much more besides. It doesn’t pull any punches where brutality in all forms is encountered during these violent times. It depicts bravery, generosity, cruelty, honour, devoutness, passion, heroism and self-sacrifice.
The title comes from the Dur Khaima mountains, the Far Pavilions, with Tarakalas, the ‘Star Tower’, catching the first rays of the sunrise. Somewhere near was a fabulous valley dreamed of by Ashton’s surrogate mother, Sita, somewhere to live in peace and contentment without violence, prejudice and greed…
We know that politicians don’t seem to read history or learn from it. A year after this book was published, the USSR effectively invaded Afghanistan. Ashton says, ‘The Afghans may be a murderous lot of ruffians with an unenviable reputation for treachery and ruthlessness, but no one has ever denied their courage; or been able to make them do anything they don’t like doing. And they don’t like being dictated to or ruled by foreigners – any foreigners!’ It applied in 1979 and, to all intents and purposes, it applies now.
It was fascinating to read of places such as Murree, Jamrud fort, Peshawar, Islamabad – all part of India at the time. In 1969, I went to these places when they were in West Pakistan, as well as the Khyber Pass, from where we looked over the plain of Kabul. (See my reminiscences of that visit ‘The Navy Lark up the Khyber’ pp142-151 in Under the Queen’s Colours, ‘voices from the Forces 1952-2012’ by Penny Legg).
In places, Kaye’s writing is exquisite, as are the sentiments and characterisations. A few brief examples: As an old sage remarks, ‘I know well that hearts are not like hired servants who can be hidden to do what we desire of them. They stay or go as they will, and we can neither hold nor prevent them. The gods know that I have lost and regained mine a dozen times. For which I have cause to be grateful, for my father lost his once only: to my mother. After she died he was never more than the shell of a man.’
‘The black stallion’s body and his own were one, and his blood sang in rhythm with the pounding hooves as the air fled past them and the ground flowed away beneath them as smoothly as a river.’
‘Below him a belt of scree fell steeply away down a gully that was bright with moonlight, and on either hand the bare hillsides swept upwards to shoulder a sky like a sheet of tarnished steel.’
An observer’s description of Ashton – ‘…the vulnerability of that thin, reckless face, the sensitive mouth that accorded so ill with the firm obstinate chin, and the purposeful line of the black eyebrows that were at odds with a brow and temples that would have better fitted a poet or a dreamer than a soldier.’ Whoever cast Ben Cross in the role got it very right indeed.
When I closed this tome of 960 pages of tightly packed text, I felt slightly bereft. I seemed to live with many of these characters, and watched them grow older, live – and die – and now it was over, finished.
At the back, there are two pages of author’s notes providing relevant real-life happenings used in the narrative plus a useful 2-page glossary of Indian words and phrases.
December 20, 2014
It took nearly 5 months, but I have finally finished this epic tale of star-crossed lovers searching for a place to belong, set amid the political intrigues, cruelties and hubris of the British Raj. At almost 49 hours, it's by far the longest audiobook I've yet tackled. Narrator Vikas Adam was an expert guide, and much of the story had me utterly captivated. But this novel had a couple of glaring flaws that kept me from giving it 5 stars (although, in the end, it did seem to add up to more than the sum of its parts).
I will leave a detailed recounting of the plot to other reviewers. At the heart of the story is the struggle of Ashton Pelham Martin, born British but raised Indian, to reconcile the two halves of himself. His beloved, Anjuli, gives the book its soul. A neglected Indian princess, she too is "half caste," valued solely for the emotional support she gives her spoiled, volatile younger sister, Shushila. The same intolerance and prejudice that makes both Ash and Juli outcasts in their own country, places seemingly insurmountable obstacles in the path of their love.
The story managed to have both a breathtaking scope - sweeping from the Himalayas to the parched deserts of India and back again to the Hindu Kush - and a remarkable intimacy, revealing the private inner lives of a huge cast of characters. The novel highlighted how people find both comfort and frustration in cultural customs and traditions. They give human beings a place to belong while simultaneously limiting and stifling them.
Despite all of the other compelling characters, Ash and Juli's saga was so central to the book's emotional core that the story lost its way when its focus shifted to the Second Afghan War and the ill-fated British mission to Kabul. Try as I might, I was not as engrossed in the fate of Lt. Walter Hamilton, Ash's best friend, especially as both Ash and Juli were relegated to the role of bystanders. The final quarter of the book dragged, taking me a few weeks to finish. I wish M.M. Kaye had used that section as the basis for a second book, rather than trying to shoehorn it into Ash and Juli's story.
The key figures in the siege against the British mission were based on real people. Therefore, the story seemed unnecessarily padded in this final section, as if Kaye were just marking time to arrive at the major historical events. Throughout the book, she also showed a weakness for heavy-handed foreshadowing, to the point I could predict major plot twists long before they happened. In the final quarter, she beat the reader over the head with it, until I was almost relieved to finally reach the end (where I felt Ash and Juli's story was wrapped up too hastily).
However, the book's many strengths made it compelling and worthwhile, and I'll probably listen to or read the story again someday. Vikas Adam was an extraordinary narrator, giving consistent, distinctive voices to all of the characters. I especially loved how he used different accents for Ash, depending on whether he was thinking or speaking in English or in an Indian dialect.
I will leave a detailed recounting of the plot to other reviewers. At the heart of the story is the struggle of Ashton Pelham Martin, born British but raised Indian, to reconcile the two halves of himself. His beloved, Anjuli, gives the book its soul. A neglected Indian princess, she too is "half caste," valued solely for the emotional support she gives her spoiled, volatile younger sister, Shushila. The same intolerance and prejudice that makes both Ash and Juli outcasts in their own country, places seemingly insurmountable obstacles in the path of their love.
The story managed to have both a breathtaking scope - sweeping from the Himalayas to the parched deserts of India and back again to the Hindu Kush - and a remarkable intimacy, revealing the private inner lives of a huge cast of characters. The novel highlighted how people find both comfort and frustration in cultural customs and traditions. They give human beings a place to belong while simultaneously limiting and stifling them.
Despite all of the other compelling characters, Ash and Juli's saga was so central to the book's emotional core that the story lost its way when its focus shifted to the Second Afghan War and the ill-fated British mission to Kabul. Try as I might, I was not as engrossed in the fate of Lt. Walter Hamilton, Ash's best friend, especially as both Ash and Juli were relegated to the role of bystanders. The final quarter of the book dragged, taking me a few weeks to finish. I wish M.M. Kaye had used that section as the basis for a second book, rather than trying to shoehorn it into Ash and Juli's story.
The key figures in the siege against the British mission were based on real people. Therefore, the story seemed unnecessarily padded in this final section, as if Kaye were just marking time to arrive at the major historical events. Throughout the book, she also showed a weakness for heavy-handed foreshadowing, to the point I could predict major plot twists long before they happened. In the final quarter, she beat the reader over the head with it, until I was almost relieved to finally reach the end (where I felt Ash and Juli's story was wrapped up too hastily).
However, the book's many strengths made it compelling and worthwhile, and I'll probably listen to or read the story again someday. Vikas Adam was an extraordinary narrator, giving consistent, distinctive voices to all of the characters. I especially loved how he used different accents for Ash, depending on whether he was thinking or speaking in English or in an Indian dialect.
May 8, 2020
Around thirtyfive years ago, give or take a few, I watched the TV miniseries with Ben Cross. I am pretty sure I loved it. I think I read the book afterwards and liked it as well, so I will give this 4 stars for now.
Who knows, I might re-read it at some point...
What is your blast-from-the-past that you barely remember, but probably liked and are a little scared to pick up again?
Who knows, I might re-read it at some point...
What is your blast-from-the-past that you barely remember, but probably liked and are a little scared to pick up again?
August 29, 2013
It has been some time since I read this wonderful book. As I recall M.M. Kaye lived in India and had a deep love of the subcontinent’s people. Today I am reading Kipling's Kim. I remember the leading character in Kaye's book as similar to Kim. The Far Pavilions is a saga (it's quite large) set in India during the Raj. It is sympathetic to British and their loyal subjects (sympathizers?), and presents an enlightening contrast to Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. I recommend The Far Pavilions to everyone open minded enough to understand that people and events should be evaluated within the world in which they lived at the time. Is it a nostalgic look at the Raj? Yes. Does it excuse European colonialism? No.
M.M. Kaye’s book is beautifully written and easy to read. This is historical fiction at its best, a story one can enter and live in until the final page, and then remember fondly, as I do.
If you have seen made-for-TV movie, try to forget it. It’s a kazoo portraying a French horn. (That is perhaps unfair, considering time and budget constraints.)
If you like historical fiction, if you like your adventure with a little romance thrown in, and if you enjoy realistic people doing heroic things, by all means allow M.M. Kaye to take you to a place where East meets West and three great religions collide.
M.M. Kaye’s book is beautifully written and easy to read. This is historical fiction at its best, a story one can enter and live in until the final page, and then remember fondly, as I do.
If you have seen made-for-TV movie, try to forget it. It’s a kazoo portraying a French horn. (That is perhaps unfair, considering time and budget constraints.)
If you like historical fiction, if you like your adventure with a little romance thrown in, and if you enjoy realistic people doing heroic things, by all means allow M.M. Kaye to take you to a place where East meets West and three great religions collide.
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