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Book Reviews of The Far Pavilions

The Far Pavilions
The Far Pavilions
Author: M. M. Kaye
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ISBN-13: 9780312151256
ISBN-10: 031215125X
Publication Date: 1/15/1997
Pages: 960
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 34

3.9 stars, based on 34 ratings
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

17 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed The Far Pavilions on + 242 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
"Far Pavillions" is truly a monumental epic that has many elements to it: adventure, combat, courage, human sacrifice, and love between Ash, an Englishman and Juli, a princess who must choose between the heritage of her people and the man she loves. The setting goes from the foothills of the Himalayans to the palaces of East India.

There is so much to this book that it's hard to summarize. The plot throughout is exciting and adventurous; the characters very likeable except for the enemies of Ash and Juli. But they'e multi-layered characters, making this story that much richer. This is a big book, with over 1100 pages but it's well worth it if you can put the time aside to read it. You'll learn much there is to know about India and her past, historically as well as culturally. A truly great novel.
reviewed The Far Pavilions on + 67 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Love M.M.Kaye and her detailed and fascinating stories woven in the times of the British Raj. Truth be told she tells it like it was and that makes the story even better.
reviewed The Far Pavilions on + 37 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
A very thick book of a love story (over 1000 pages!) Get a cup of tea, a box of kleenex and your reading glasses, and enjoy :0)
reviewed The Far Pavilions on + 2 more book reviews
historical love story
reviewed The Far Pavilions on + 16 more book reviews
A saga in every sense of the word. You will come away with a greater undertanding of the culture of India and a little more knowledgeable about England and her tie to the country.
shukween avatar reviewed The Far Pavilions on + 118 more book reviews
Fantastic, historical fiction/sweeping epic saga of the first order. One of the classics of early historical fiction.
reviewed The Far Pavilions on + 107 more book reviews
Excellent read. Great entertainment
reviewed The Far Pavilions on + 8 more book reviews
A book on India. I love this one.
reviewed The Far Pavilions on + 13 more book reviews
This is an interesting book about the British in India. It has a great love story and an interesting plot. Some parts can get a bit bogged down with battle scenes, but it is well worth the read.
freeverse071681 avatar reviewed The Far Pavilions on + 609 more book reviews
We all remember certain sweeping novels we hated to see come to an end; it was almost like breaking up with someone we love. You will feel that way about _The Far Pavillions_. From the foothills of the Himalayas, through the palaces of the exotic East, this novel is a passionate and triumphant story that excites us, fill us with joy, moves us to tears, and helps us remember just what it is we want most from a novel. It is a mesmerizing story of hatred and bitter combat; of courage, and human sacrifice, of the star-crossed wedding of East and West. Above all it is a tale of love. The story of Ash, an Englishman, and Juli, a princess who must choose between the heritage of her people and the man she loves. It is a story that transcends time and place, a monumental epic we will never forget.
hardtack avatar reviewed The Far Pavilions on + 2701 more book reviews
A classic tale of the British Raj in India that spans decades. A baby boy is born to an English couple in India. As the Sepoy Mutiny rages across India, the boy is given to the care of an Indian nurse, who raises him as her own child to protect him. The boy grows into his early teens believing he is Indian and becomes involved in mystery and murder in a small kingdom. Fleeing with his "mother" for his life, he discovers he is English. Years later, after returning from England as a officer in the British Indian Army, he confronts his two identities and must choose his destiny. This decision become dangerous when he again meets those he knew as a child - especially her!

A search for identity, a war story, a love story, and a story of the British Raj with its benefits and imperfections. Something for everyone.

Made into a TV series that was almost as wonderful to watch as the book was to read.

If you loved reading Kipling's "Kim" as a child, I guarantee you will love reading this book as an adult.
kkowert avatar reviewed The Far Pavilions on + 44 more book reviews
A baby boy (Ashton) was born to 2 English parents living in India in the 19th century. The mother dies from lack of medical care after childbirth and then he loses his father to Cholera. His nurse maid escapes with him and goes to Delhi to return him to his family because of his father's dying wish, but when they arrive in Delhi, the Indian Rebellion is in full force and she finds his relatives all murdered. Then she travels to a small village away from the political upheaval and passes the boy off as an Indian to protect his life. This is fantastic writing which has pulled me in to the story and I feel like I am there traipsing through the Indian country side.

Ashtons life takes him to extremely different societies such as living in an Indian palace and upper class England where he is educated in proper Victorian English schools. Ashton returns to the land he loves (India) after his British schooling is over and travels all over India as a British officer and falls in love with an Indian girl (Anjuli). Family connections, traditions and society are all conspired to keep the 2 young lovers apart.

I was rarely bored reading this 1,000 page doorstopper; however I enjoyed the first 700 pages more that were focused on the lives and intrigues surrounding Ash and Anjuli. This is truly a fascinating book that gives a good feel for life in 19th century India for both the people of India and the British officers sent to rule the land and impose their laws and way of life on a completely difference culture.
reviewed The Far Pavilions on + 496 more book reviews
Excellent book, one of my all time favorties. I still remember the characters after reading it over 25 year ago.
reviewed The Far Pavilions on + 16 more book reviews
This is a sweeping epic of India during the British empire-days. It is also a love, story an adventure story and a war story. It is about Ashton/Ashok a boy whose parents die in India during the mutiny and he is raised by an Indian woman. As a child, before he discovers he is English he meets Anjuli, a Princess. Ash returns to India as a British officer and encounters Anjuli again and they fall in love. War with the Afgans breaks out so there is alot of action. There is never a dull moment.
reviewed The Far Pavilions on + 56 more book reviews
Star-crossed lovers story-set in India around 1850s with an English military officer and an Indian princess. Lots of history and background details. Over 1180 pages long complete with a glossary. Great read for winter nights!
lady4yeshua avatar reviewed The Far Pavilions on + 6 more book reviews
This book picks up, in India, at the start of the Sepoy Rebellion that ended Kaye's first book, Shadow of the Moon. The characters move up into the mountains of India, bypassing the carnage that is occuring on the plains, so the book takes on a different feel from "Shadow". However, it picks up speed when the two main characters meet and realize they are the long-lost childhood friends. As their love grows, the danger level picks up and the book moves at a good clip. Shadow of the Moon and The Far Pavillions are Kaye's best works! Love them!
reviewed The Far Pavilions on + 35 more book reviews
Pages are a tiny bit yellowed, but this is a great book, nice and thick, and hard to lay down.
Jeanette