The Far Pavilions

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 [...]

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 , 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 [...]

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.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 [...]

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 188 [...]

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, likeRudyard Kipling andFrances 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 [...]

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!READING PROGRESS08/21 page 42 4.0% "Instantly enthralled!" 08/25 page 97 10.0% "OK, I'm ready for Ash's [...]

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 beli [...]

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 alre [...]

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 b [...]

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 a [...]

"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 a [...]

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 tha [...]

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 playm [...]

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 do [...]

(view spoiler)[Bettie's Books (hide spoiler)]

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 [...]

Buddy read with Hana, Tadiana, Kathy and Felicia in July 2014.This was my third reading and it's still a favorite. Usually with a reread I tend to skip over some parts but not so with this one. I wanted to read every single word because this is such a wonderful story. I may have read more carefully because it was a buddy read, or maybe I just get more out of the books I read since joining GR, whatever the reason, this third reading was the best ever. I would refer anyone interested to the group [...]

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.

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 [...]

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 t [...]

This is the best epic novel I ever read. It's an historical adventure/romance that takes place in colonial India. The book starts out when the protagonist, a young English boy named Ash is orphaned because of a cholera outbreak. He is then raised by an Indian nursemaid. Later as a young man he falls in love with a young woman, Anjuli, who has been promised to marry an elderly wealthy nobleman against her will. Her wicked stepmother selected the old man out of spite knowing he would die soon. Cus [...]

I brought this audio edition with a monthly credit. (I succumbed after looking at all the cool narrators. Very good so far, this book aside).I have no problems with the narrator, Vikras Adam is very good. I'm not sure if this book works best in audio form, however. GR friends whose reviews and opinions I respect greatly love this book, and for that reason alone I will give this a try in print version. But Ash is annoying me and I find some of the description to be rather repeatitive. Will try pr [...]

Being woefully ignorant of history, I didn't know how frustrating and ultimately tragic this historical fiction was going to be. I did find the main character Ash a tad irritating at times only to be brought up short by the realization of how young he was (he is still under 30 at the end of this epic!).The narrator (whose name escapes me at the moment) was terrific.

The character I enjoyed the most in this book was actually India. It was fascinating to be introduced to the complex society, religions, culture, geography and history. The love and respect that the author has for India really shone through and I learned a lot. The love story wasn't my favorite part - it felt like a Victorian melodrama, but that actually fits with both the setting/time of the story and, possibly, the age of the author. But once again, I feel very grateful to be a woman living no [...]

This is a wonderful book. A real epic novel of war and romance, it has been called a "Gone with the Wind" set in India and Afghanistan. It is a long adventure that weaves through many of the small "kingdoms" that made up India during the 1800's and the time of Britain's attempted hold on the country and its forays into trying to take over and hold Afghanistan. M.M. Kaye, the writer, knew the landscape and territory she wrote about well because her father was a decorated, "Guide," in the British [...]

You know that kind of novel where you turn to page one, and hours later blink and look down to find hundreds of pages went by? This is that kind of novel. Kaye was born, raised, and spent her early married life in India, and she and her husband came from a long line of British officers that served the British Raj. In fact, given the dedication, Walter Hamilton, a character in the novel, was related to her husband. So she certainly has the credentials to bring the India of the Raj to life, nor is [...]

Next On:Monday, 10:45 on BBC Radio 4M M Kaye's epic of love and war, dramatised by Rukhsana Ahmad. Following the 1857 Mutiny, Ashton, a young English orphan, is disguised by his ayah as her Indian son, Ashok. And so - as he forgets his true identity - his destiny is set.Sita / Narrator Vineeta RishiBiju Ram Inam MirzaK-Daad Sam DastorAshok (child) Joseph SamraiAnjuli (child) Nishi MaldeHira Lal Sagar AryaLalji Nazim KhanDaya Ram Kaleem JanjuaPelham Martyn Sam DaleDirected by Marc Beeby [...]

This epic tale (over 1,000 pages, but don’t let that stop you) is set in India during the British occupation. Ashton Pellham-Martyn is British, but because of his parents’ deaths has been raised by his Hindu nurse. When his relatives finally find out, he is sent to England for schooling. Once grown up, he returns to India to work for the British army, and his task is to organize the caravan escorting two Princesses to their wedding hundreds of miles away. Because of his upbringing, he is tor [...]

Despite the length, I loved this book. The characters, the places, the action and intrigue all held my attention to the very last page. Woven through the history of 19th century India is Ashton's struggle to find his place in society--his identity. He is a man with superior language skills and an uncanny ability to meld with local customs, yet he never is "at home." Always the outsider, he can never truly be himself, except with his "larla" (darling) A map in the book would really enhance the re [...]

I'm very late to writing this review but I realized that it's a simple thing I have to say.This is truly an epic and classic story. Has all the elements of a great one. Doomed Love, War, More War, Damsel in Distress. It may be long but it's very much worth the time.