India Books

This is my second time reading, Incredible touching lovestory with a historical backdrop.It is more relevant for me as it gives Indian point of view by a Europian I highly recomend this book Padmaja

Follow the life and love of an orphan .. turned spy .. turned hero. Travel India and Afganistan with the back drop of the British Colonization of India.

This is one of the best Historical Fiction books ever written. A classic, must read. Don't expect to put this one down. Put aside a weekend or two - this is one book you'll want to read over and over again.
This was my introduction to historical fiction. M M Kaye brings India to life through her research and life experience. The detail is outstanding.

**Don't watch the movie. You'll be disappointed.

Like a lot of other readers here, I read the book for the first time as a teenager, when the romance of the couple, the Raj, the Door Kahima and Rajasthan captured me. But at that age, to me it was a historical romance.

I had the opportunity to work and live in Afghanistan and got hooked on the history of the country, and then read the Far Pavilions again. It was then that I came to appreciate the nuances and authenticity of the detail of the Afghan war that are the latter part of the book.

A book that did stand the test of time from my teenage years to my adulthood - I'd recommend it to anyone.

I don't read a lot of historical fiction, in fact the only other novel of that genre that immediately that comes to mind is Gone with the Wind, but I had heard only good things about this epic, the story of a young British boy who grows up in colonized India. Stretching over several decades and including many historical events (though with a few fictional locations) and a detailed portrayal of the culture and traditions of India, "The Far Pavilions" is certainly comparable to Margaret Mitchell's Civil War masterpiece.

Orphaned at a young age, Ashton Hilary Pelham-Martyn is born at the time of the Indian mutiny against the British Empire and the East India Company. As the son of an Englishman, six-year-old Ash is in terrible danger, and it is up to his Indian serving woman (who becomes his mother for all intents and purposes) to disguise his true nature, rename him Ashok, and raise him as an Indian. It would be wrong to give away too many of the wonderful twists and turns of this novel as Kaye recounts Ash's extraordinary life, but she manages to create a rich and vast experience without it ever seeming unrealistic or melodramatic. Although Ash's fortunes do hinge on a lucky turn of fate, he is very much the master of his own destiny, and the story itself never spirals into the realm of the silly (and I only say that because many historical-fiction-epics *do* tend to do this).

The story is quite episodic in form, with the events of Ash's life told in reasonably structured segments: his childhood, his time as a servant in a rajah's palace, his romantic youth, his great love story with Anjuli, and his time as a spy working at the time of the Afghanistan war. Naturally, some of these are more interesting than others: I loved reading about Ashok's time in the Indian court of the spoilt and pitiful Lalji, a young rajah who is surrounded by friends and foes - but has trouble differentiating between the two. It is here Ash befriends a young Indian princess named Anjuli who is an outcast in the court, despised by her stepmother and ignored by most of the court.

Years later, Ash and Anjuli are to cross paths again, but in the most impossible of circumstances: Anjuli, along with her little sister Shishula, are being sent as brides to a dangerous and loathsome rajah. As they attempt to keep their passion for one another secret, Ash desperately tries to find a way to help her escape from her arranged marriage, whilst Anjuli is torn between her love for Ash and her devotion to her little sister, whom she feels she cannot abandon to a loveless marriage. It's heartbreaking stuff, as these two lovers - who are obviously meant for one another - fight within themselves between their duty and their love for one another, in which you're not entirely sure what is the best course of action for them both. As in all epics, there are some sluggish parts and I must say that after the romance between Ash and Anjuli comes to its conclusion, the novel slows down a bit.

Since I've never studied Indian history or culture, I have no idea how accurate it all is - all I can say is that it certainly *seems* accurate. Kaye writes with a confidence and genuine interest in the historical workings of India during this time, and provides enough detail to bring India to life in the reader's mind. However, the real spirit of this novel lies in the rendering of the culture clash between two great countries, and within the protagonist himself. As an English boy who has been raised to believe he is Indian, and then returned to England to complete an English education (and returning to India as part of the military), he stands with one foot in both camps, empathizing with both, but belonging to neither.

This conceit provides a wonderful look into the inevitably tragic occupation of India by the British Empire, and the seemingly-impossible historical situation that this creates. On the one hand, only natural that the Empire would want to control India for the sake of Progress and Trading - and in the meanwhile, they did outlaw the terrible custom of the suttee (the burning of widows alive). On the other hand, it is absurd to suppose that any country or individual has the right to take over another country for the reason that they cannot be expected to run it properly themselves. In one of her best passages, Kaye has Ash wonder if his imperialist uncle would enjoy his household (which is full of corruption and tyranny in the servant's quarters) being taken over by an Indian man who could run it better than himself.

It is for this reason that Ash and Anjuli are perfect for one another, as Anjuli too is half-caste and so fated to belong nowhere. Throughout the story the couple make many friends from many different faiths, but in all cases in which they are shown kindness, there is also the sense that they are not given acceptance. Amongst Muslim friends, they are aware that they are considered infidels, among Hindu friends, they are aware that they cannot share the same food utensils, among British friends, there is the sense of social snobbery and bemusement. This sad sense of separation among the members of the human race permeate the entire book, and linger long after it's been finished.

It's a pretty hefty volume, but I definitely think it's worth the time it'll take to read it.

I've found that often books I thought were fantastic when I was young have not stood the test of time when reread later. However, even though I've read and reread this book countless times over the years, each time it comes up trumps.

Set against a backdrop of India from the mutiny to the second Afghan War, this is a huge saga of the British Raj under Queen Victoria. It follows the lives of Ash, the son of British parents who is initially raised as a Hindu servant, and Anjuli, an Indian princess, from their childhood through their various emotionally charged meetings and partings.

M.M. Kaye obviously has a strong affinity with India, and it rings out through her wonderfully elegant and colourful descriptions of the landscape, customs and people. An added bonus is that she has obviously done a great deal of research into the history of the times, and many of the characters (such as Ash's friend Walter) and the events described are factual.

The Far Pavilions is a beautifully written novel and I thoroughly recommend it to those of you who (as I do) prefer your historical romances to be strongly rooted in history.

This book, read first when I was 14 years old, and since added to my adult library, read and re-read again, has stayed with me like so very few other books in my life.

I wont over-egg the review - Corbett wouldn't have liked that kind of lionising (good pun!) and he doesn't need it. Suffice to say I respect Corbett deeply, and often think of him. Unabashed admiration for this man is easy. All his books are worth your money, but start with this one.

Jim Corbett was an excellent writer and storyteller. Although I've read other stories written by adventurers and hunters that were Corbett's contemporaries, none were as interesting or as well told. My 11-year-old son particularly enjoys them. I would highly recommend any of Jim Corbett stories for teens or pre-teens as well as adults.

In the early twentieth century, British held South Asia was terroized by a number of infamous tigers and leopards. Entire villages were abandoned and literally hundreds of human beings found out they weren't at the top of the food chain. In the "Man Eaters of Kumaon", hunter jim Corbett describes in vivid and suspensful detail his hunt for tigers in Northeast India.
Corbett describes the perilous beauty of the jungle clad hills in the shadow of Nepal's majestic summits. He also masterfully paints an image of terror and suspense as he faces off against tigers, leopards, a bear, and a venomous snake. Even as he pursues his prey, he often comes close to having the tables turned on him. He also presents readers with a glimpse of the cultural spectacle and harsh life-or death realities in India under the Raj.
Corbett doesn't come across as very prideful. In fact, he even respects the animals he's hunting and often notes injuries or situations that likely caused them to hunt humans. I will warn potential readers that there are several rather gruesome scenes ranging from finding dead or injured humans to some of the hunting itself. However, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in adventure, hunting, or both. It is well written, a fast read, and ultimately a powerful tale of man against beast.

Probably the best big game hunting book ever written. Will keep you on the edge of your seat and I do not recommend reading it while camping in the woods (especially if the woods happen to be in India). Corbett describes stalking man-eating tigers and often they stalk him. These are not made-up stories nor are they self justifying. Corbett ONLY hunted tigers that the local population asked him to, after dozens or sometimes hundreds of people had been killed. His descriptions are beautiful and picture an era (India in 1900-1930) that has long since gone. I have read it many times, the first when I was about 11 years old.

This book was written by not only a very brave man but a man that possessed great character and class. His only reason for hunting these Man-Eaters was to rescue the villagers from this ever present terror. He took no money for his efforts. Very exciting reading without ever a hint of bragging about his extraordinary gift of successfully hunting the most dangerous animals on earth.

I found this book most inspiring. Have to keep reminding myself to breathe, to live in the present, to enjoy life, and to realize that life doesn't begin when I finish this or that - I am living right now. This book got me deeply interested in Buddhist meditation.

expresses the real simplicity of life and how complexity only distracts us from the true treasures of life. at first i was a bit dissapointed as i wanted something to shout at me, jump off the page, but thich offers only truth and simplicity, essentially what we really need. his heart speaks through his words. it's a tiny book, so i spent much time with each page, contemplating, practicing, etc. i use his teachings each day.

very grateful, highly recommended. : )

This book is absolutely Great!!! Is very easy to read and the author seems to be in a conversation with the reader. The author makes Buddhist concepts easy to understand.

Buddhist or not, this book helps to create a great perspective on how to find peace in all life's facets, positive and negative. The poems and essays are very helpful. The book is a great tool in helping to find balance in one's life.

Thich Nhat Hahn's writing style is inherently calming to me. Just reading his simple clear language I find my mind clearing of some of the usual noise. His message is meant to inspire and provide each of us with tools to develop the kind of inner peace that both reduces our own suffering- and thereby necessarily reduces the suffering of others. I highly recommend this book.

Shellie Warren has revealed a painful area for women ,one that there is no help within the church body.Women who have missused sex and their body to fill a void. I can relate, after many years of trying to figure out why I was repeating the same pattern, Shellie gave a knowledgeable title to my confusion.I devoured the book with highlighter in hand repeating passages of scripture or lines from her poems that will serve as a stepping stone to finally loving "ME" first. Shellie thank you so much for giving me wings.

Amidst all of the calamity, lust, sex, & promiscuity that is in the world, this is a book that can bring about change. Thank you Shellie for keepin' it real. It took strength that truly had to come from God to tell your story.

Having had some of the same experiences of the author Shellie Warren, all I could say is WOW and that I must MOVE in sharing this word. Her book has prompted me to start planning on speaking with young adults and late teens at my place of worship and at the local H.S.'s to get the word out. We must equip our young people with information to make better choices in life. That's the very reason that God allowed her to write this book!



I am firm, when I say "This Book Will Bring About Change !!!"

Kudos to Shellie R. Warren on writing such a powerful message filled book. The author of this book could be anyone of us because in some form or fashion we all have been a victim of poor decision making that led to unhealthy relationships etc.
"Inside of Me" is just another example of not being able to have a testimony without the test. It's a must read for all ages and genders.

This is an awesome book for all to read. The experiences that Shellie shares are as real as it gets. It should be shared with young men and women to let them know that they will have choices to make and their decisions will have an impact on thier lives as well as others around them. I am proud of Shellie for being brave enough to share with us her experiences so that hopefully we can avoid some of the things that she endured. To all thinking about purchasing the book----Just Do It--It is priceless!! God Bless you Shellie and continue to share your awesome gift !!

Its not by accident that after about 35 reviews, nearly all have given this book 5 stars. What is there to say that hasn't already been said? I have seen alot of comments that say "this is a must read for women"... just to clarify, this is a book "for everyone- men and women." I am a 24 year old guy and read this book in 2 days. God has certainly blessed Shellie with tremendous writing ability. You will not be dissapointed with this book...

I had purchased the book after reading a few reviews which were very positive. If you want to know more about the person, Mani Bhaumick, this book is a good one. If the topic of Quantum Physics and its journey towards explaning the universal truth in the same manner as old religions interests you, this book offers a good start. Unfortunately, I got bored reading the past of the author (which is no doubt interesting but why spend money to know this!!!). Further,the portions relating to developments of Physics went over my head - I guess this may be because I am a normal Accounting person or I am not be very intelligent. And then, there are photographs of the author with various celebreties (why was this necessary?). And I felt the end of the book was also very abrupt. The book could have been more simple and focused on the subject. I guess persons of normal intellect may avoid this book. It will be useful if someone can recommend books that are more simple (with illustrations, where possible) and where the focus of the book is purely Quantum Physics rather than spice this up with avoidable diversions.

It was a gift to read of Mani Bhaumik's life and history, and I found the first third of the book completely fascinating. When the scientist mind came in and we were offered a look at the world through a very wide spread net of intelligent perception, my reading slowed down, but my fascination lit up.
This book successfully attempts to weave personal narrative, life passion, spirituality and deep science into a one-size-fits-all-wear-it-anywhere-package. The amount of personal research Dr Bhaumik has done is evident in each page, yet he has brought it into an engaging form: science filled with metaphor and anecdote that keep the reader curious and involved. I can imagine any age level from middle school on up benefitting from this work. There is a genuine desire to share insight; so the book is devoid of the pomposity of rhetoric so often obscuring most scientific treatises.
I had a hard time letting the book go, so i spread it over time. This isn't a light ramble though it reads like one; it is a dissertation on the nature of the universe. I so appreciate the way he includes the reader into the active process of understanding. The final revelation would seem to be that by meditating, (which in itself adds a huge gift to the entire system), one will automatically develop a profound awareness of the answers they seek on the nature of existence.
Rarely has such a vastly over arching viewpoint been so distilled; we go from an understanding of the cosmological history of all, and offer a way to balance the perceptions so that they are no longer elusive abstract phenomena, but are included in our life path.
Thank you for the great ride, highly recommended.

I think this book is wonderful approach to the science of God's existence. If you've ever seen the "Elegant Universe" (I think it is called) on PBS where they delve into String Theory and explain quantum physics to the layman, this book is a perfect follow-up. I think that because I had seen this show, I absorbed much of the physics he presented very quickly. I remember stopping at one point and thinking, "this is some scientific stuff."

Even if you've never heard of String Theory or Quantum Mechanics, it is worth reading this book. Dr. Bhaumik's book presents complicated physics theories in simple terms, and then ties those principles into his statement that everything from human consciousness, to the farthest stars, to the smallest particles are all interrelated and have a single name: God.

When I got to certain points in the book, I could hear my brain frying ;-) These were some increbile points he was making and I was blown away.

The only reason I gave it four stars is because he spends a little too much time in my opinion on his upbringing in India. Yes, it helps set the stage for the life eventually goes onto, and underscores several of his ideas, but it should have been cut shorter.

Dr. Bhaumik nails this most difficult task of wedding his personal story as a beautiful metaphor, to the greatest story ever told - the unfurling of our universe. He pursues the question that his father refused to answer and aren't we lucky for it. His formidable intellect and acquired rags-to-riches wealth gives way to a humility and innocent passion that can only reflect what he is and always will be: pure unadulterated spirit. I flat out love the way he presents meditation as the sacred portal of entry to our birthing ground, the unified field. The description of our holograhic universe by using the analogy of the human genome replicating whole humans brought tears to my eyes. The implication that we ARE the united field brings me to my knees because it resonates with every fiber of my being. By celebrating the similarities rather than the differences, Dr. Bhaumik honors what we all know at some level: What we're looking for is looking for us. His is an invitation to step up to and behold an idea of God that we can all live and die with. What a wonderful additional gift for more of us to get and live the Big Idea. Thank you Dr. Bhaumik for your remarkable contributions to our little parenthesis in eternity. - Dr. Herby Bell

We live today in a world so divided by disparate religious ideas that there is a very real possibility that we as humans won't survive these differences.

The spectrum of this divde is great and varied. Extreme Christian fundamentalists longing for a biblical Armageddon promote political choices that could bring on an ultimate nuclear holocaust. More moderate Christians eschew science in favor of a literal reading of the Bible and turn a blind eye to scientific "theories" as varied as global warming, the evolution of our species or the age of the universe.

Extreme Islamic fundamentalists scoff at earthly political goals altogether and wish only to live in a world governed entirely by the Koran. Unfortunately, like the Judeo/Christian Bible, interpretation of these sacred scriptures is subject to whoever perceives that he/she has been selected by his or her god to do so. This has resulted, in many instances, in the wide-scale destruction of people by those convinced by these chosen spokesmen that they will achieve heavenly rewards by their own and their victims' deaths.

Obviously, examples like these can be found everywhere in the world and in many other religions as well.

In a fervent desire to get beyond religious misconceptions of basic spiritual concepts, many thoughtful people have followed one of two divergent philosophical paths of inquiry concerning the universe and our place in it.

Science and spirituality (as opposed to religion) both seek the answers to this most fundamental question. While never quite at physical odds with each other, proponents look askance at each other for the others' naive understandings of reality. Yet a few individuals in both camps have been able to take a "quantum leap" of understanding and realize that science and spirituality should not just "agree to disagree".

For some scientists, David Bohm, Rupert Sheldrake, Karl Pribram and others, the deeper science goes towards discovering the most fundamental nature of Matter and Energy, the more the paths of science and spirituality merge into one.

On the spiritual side, a person such as the Dalai Lama honors the discoveries being made by science; to the extent that he says that if science proves a concept that is counter to his own Buddhist tradition, then the Buddhist idea must succumb to science! Truly a remarkable statement in view of most religious orthodoxies.

Mani Bhaumik is one of these "leapers", whose early life happened to be suffused in mystical Hindu traditions. Yet, the talents for science and mathematics he displayed at a young age allowed him to escape the poverty and ignorance epidemic in his community.

Finding his way to the West and his subsequent invention of the Exemer Laser (known commercially as Lasek) culminated in his enjoying a fabled lifestyle of the rich and famous; coincidentally the name of a popular television show of the day in which he displayed his wealth. His Hollywood star-studded life of parties and luxury in Beverly Hills is the stuff of dreams.

But somewhere along the way, the dream ended. Like many others throughout history, he finally had to ask himself, is this all there is?

Even while climbing the ladder of success, however, he never forgot the ground below from where he began. His political and spiritual grounding as an acquaintance of the "living saint" Mahatma Ghandi (in the political struggle for independence by the Indians against Great Britain) demonstrated to him how true spirituality can be manifested in the everyday world.

Throughout his early life in America he used his practice of Hindu meditation as primarily a method of remaining calm and centered in the high-flying academic and business worlds he was increasingly a part of.

But when he began to ask whether "this is all there is", he wanted to explore the deeper realms of reality found through mediation; those spoken of in the Gitas, the sacred writings of his religious tradition.

As a man with one foot in Western science and one foot in mystical Hinduism, he came to realize that it was perhaps his dharma to create a bridge between the two.

The result is the narrative of a wonderful, poetic journey through his own life before he begins the even more fantastic journey into the realms of quantum theory and sublime mystical states.

In the process, he does a truly amazing thing. He makes the underlying scientific field of all physical reality--which is, in fact, non-reality--move so closely towards the highest mystical states that it makes the a non-belief in "god" the most non-rational and least plausible conclusion one could make for a human being.

As a formerly agnostic seeker of knowledge, I've spent the past few years, trying to reconcile the remarkable scientific discoveries of DNA, quantum theory and consciousness with the fantastic realms of mind explored and written about by mystics, shamans, artists, users of entheogenic plants and others throughout the ages.

Mani Bhaumik's journey is a wonderful stepping stone on our own journey through a life that offers so many unanswerable questions. I've found that the most wonderful thing about our journey is that once a stepping stone is reached, another one appears almost magically.

And it's only one step away.

There was much here to enjoy: the imaginative recreation of the British in India, their ways of thinking and behavior. The thrill of the action, which began picking up appreciably one-quarter of the way into the book. The author's skilled use of detail, to the extent that the reader could see, smell and hear what went on. The varied cast of characters with their individual voices and concerns. The impact of the siege on customs and proprieties. The ironies throughout, both subtle and unsubtle. The blindness of so many of the characters, hemmed in by narrow-minded conventions. And one character's progression from a firm belief in the superiority of European civilization and the perfection of science and morality toward skepticism and tolerance, after a loss of certitude.

The author was trying in part to show that a nation "does not create itself according to its best ideas, but is shaped by other forces, of which it has little knowledge." But surely the best ideas also help shape a nation as it evolves, and some progress has been achieved after all? And why should a belief in the best of what European civilization has contributed be thrown over because of what was done in India? Still, there was much in this novel to enjoy.

I liked the Singapore Grip, but the Siege of Krishnapur stunned me. It was wry, light and devastatingly apt at developing each character. He took no prisoners as the clueless denizens of the Raj came to realize, or not, the depth of their ignorance and folly. Loved it.

The Indian mutiny of 1857 sees the cantoment of Krishnapur besieged by sepoys. For three months Mr Hopkins (the collector) galvanises the British community in resisting the onslaught...
This book is superbly written and often reminds one of the style of George Elliot. It is both witty and profound and wonderfully researched and charactorized.Like the best of Elliot,Farrell uses his narrative to inform on other topics-the great cholera debate;the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace- and questions the basis of what culture actually lends to civilisation.
Books like this just don't get written these days.

This 1973 Booker Prize winner explores British India through a microcosm: colonials and their loyal natives under assault by bombardment, starvation, cholera during the 1857 mutiny. It has both an old-fashioned flavor in its editorial asides by the omniscient and urbane narrator, and a modern wryness in its detached observations about the Anglo-Indian attitudes towards what they perceived as their civilizing mission. Less famous than E. M. Forster's "A Passage to India," nevertheless it may-- for its rousing battle scenes full of a "carnal barricade;" carrion dogs; ingenious uses for electro-metal plated heads of Keats, the Bard, and Voltaire; and more artillery-fueled mayhem-- excite readers more. If you've been wanting a philosophical reflection on Victorian progress, secularism vs. faith, imperial expansion vs. native resistance, and how medicine gradually advances over superstition: all these topics integrate entertainingly and instructively into a novel that also recalls a near-contemporary, John Fowles' "The French Lieutenant's Woman."

Farrell's distinction in delineating the Age of Doubt from Forster before him, Fowles next to him, and Michel Faber's fine novel "The Crimson Petal and the White" after him? While all these are favorite novels of mine, the Anglo-Irish Farrell manages to offer a sympathetic first-person indirect narration that reflects his near-countryman, Joyce. Farrell plays the reactions of the Collector, the main character here, against the atheistic and bitter (if often mordantly funny) Magistrate, the dueling doctors Dunstaple and McNab, a woefully earnest Padre, and the poetaster aesthete, Fleury. All these, as in more somnolent novels of ideas, speak their set-pieces intelligently. The difference: Farrell enlivens their thoughts. It's as if Thomas Love Peacock moved his Romantic-era figures into the colonial dust of faraway India and left dreamers, lovesick swains, practical company men, and an array of capable and hapless womenfolk to survive amidst plagues and grapeshot.

Examples abound of the verve of much of this intricate, yet direct fictional exposure of ideals as they blunder under fire. "But the Collector admired pretty women and could not feel hostile to them for very long. If they were pretty he swiftly found other virtues in them which he would not have noticed had they been ugly." (27) Fleury finds by mid-century that the sensitive type of male's out of style with the young ladies: "The effect, or lack of it, that you have on the opposite sex is important because it tells you whether or not you are in touch with the spirit of the times, of which the opposite sex is invariably the custodian." (33)

An amazing episode recounts how Fleury and a young native scion, Hari, clash over the advantages of inventions. Hari speaks in a fluent Indian English, struggling to articulate his love of the wares of such emporia as the Great Exhibition of 1851 at London's Crystal Palace, a theme that underlies the conversations of many of the British men in the novel. Fleury insists that the railroad will only bring to India what it brought to Britain: soulless bustle. Hari counters that easing labor, manufacturing food, or taking a daguerrotype is progress, and as worthy of praise as Plato. A flustered Fleury must tell Hari that he's not been able to find a bride yet: "Hari's brow puckered at this, for it was evident that Fleury was impeded from choosing a bride by being unable to find one suited to some special requirements of his own, beyond the usual ones of birth and dowry ...but what these might possibly be he had not the faintest idea; in this matter Hari's incomprehension was shared by Fleury's own relations in Norfolk and Devon." (78)

Mutual incomprehension dominates. As the novel goes on, the native revolt spreads. The local treasury's looted by traitorous sepoys: "They wore 'dhotis' instead of uniforms and carried heavy, oddly-shaped burdens on their shoulders and around their necks; they had broached a cart-load of silver rupees and filled the legs of their breeches. Now it seemed that they were staggering away with heavy, trunkless men on their shoulders." (127) As this excerpt illustrates, Farrell favors the point-of-view of the besieged as they peer out upon an unrecognizable realm they no longer rule. For, soon the British and their retinue must retreat to first the Residency and then the redoubt of the Banqueting Hall. What had graced their plush exile as stuffed owls, divans, leather books, busts of intellectuals, and heaps of correspondence bound in red tape all serve as sandbags and barricades and improvised canisters to stuff cannons against the enemy.

Most of the book takes place within the makeshift fortress. The attack comes memorably: "the rim of darkness beneath the horizon began to sparkle like a firework and immediately the air about them began to sing and howl with flying metal and chips of masonry ... then in a wave came the sound. Daubs of orange hopped at regular intervals from one end of the darkness to the other. Suddenly, a shrapnel shell landed on the corner of the verandah and all was chaos." (144)

The remainder of the story needs to be encountered directly. The tone darkens as inexorably the inhabitants of the Residency find themselves diminished by hunger, disease, and death by many kinds of assailants. I think that the register of the prose alters, and there may be too much anonymity given the cast of supporting characters; the central cast already introduced seem to live and talk in a vacuum as the plot continues, although Farrell may deliberately dampen the mood to reflect the bitter or desperate reactions of those under constant terror of sudden or lingering death. I do think Hari deserved more follow-through, and the novel does suffer slightly from an uneven focus on characters who are introduced and then forgotten about for long stretches as the siege grinds on. Also, the closing pages seem to depart with a whimper more than a bang, after the long march to the climax.

Still, despite uneven stretches, it towers above most any fiction these recent decades. It's quite an achievement, this submersion into the mental and physical despair of those about to die. When you emerge along with those who endure to find the approach of the Gilbert & Sullivanish "Relief of Krishnapur," you may hardly recognize the bedraggled survivors as those who started the novel a few months before, some who had then arrived in India so lightheartedly and naively.

P.S.: I agree with other reviewers: Lucy and the cockchafer infestation stands out as one of the most remarkable scenes I've ever found. It's Ch. 22. "The Hill Station" follows two characters here, Dr. McNab and Miriam, after they marry; this sequel was incomplete at the author's early death by drowning off the Irish coast in 1979.

Paul Scott wrote in his RAJ QUARTET that it was in India during the last days of the Raj that the British came to the end of themselves as they were. In this superb Booker Prize-winning novel written concurrently with the QUARTET (and which casts a similar cold eye towards the British imperial ambitions in India), J. G. Farrell shows how the Raj itself was formed and how it already carried within it in embryo the seeds of the destruction for the entire Empire. The novel takes place in a city in Northeastern India during 1857, the year of the Great Sepoy Rebellion: the British stationed in Krishnapur hear vague rumors of what they will call "The Mutiny" from faraway towns but are mostly unwilling to take them seriously. The ensuing siege they endure carries on for months as they wait for help to relieve them; though slowly forced to an absolute subsistence level--and then to even less--, they refuse to relinquish the habits of social conditioning that have made them already who they are. Social snobbery, physical modesty, gender segregation: all remain firmly ensconced even as their physical conditions start deteriorating so greatly they start dying in large numbers.

The novel's subject would seem to suggest that the novel would make for almost unbearable reading. Oddly, it does not, because the characters of the novel (who are almost entirely British) maintain such a droll and uncomprehending attitude towards their conditions, no matter how desperate things seem. Thus, since Farrell focalizes his narrative mostly through their thoughts, everything seems unreal throughout the entire siege and not quite so nightmarish as it might have been had he used a more distanced third-person narrator. The work is in part a parody of old-fashioned "Mutiny novels," so you should know that the ending is very much in keeping with those kinds of novels (which proliferated throughout the Empire during the latter half of the nineteenth century); characteristically, however, Farrell puts his own intelligent spin on things, so even if the ending you had been expecting does occur it doesn't in the way you had expected. This is the second, and perhaps most famous, of the three superb works of Farrell's "Empire" trilogy which beautifully illustrates the conditions of Empire described in another nearly coeval work, Jan Morris's famous PAX BRITTANICA trilogy. It's exciting, amusing, intelligent, and greatly worth reading.

Not one of the better Indian cookbooks I've worked with. There's only a couple of things in it I think are pretty good. It lacks pizazz and some directions can be vague for a beginner. But I suppose it's not a bad purchase for chefs who don't want to spend a lot of money investing in spices.

We have made about 10 dishes out of this book. By keeping a clear goal and by giving you some basic principles to apply universally, this book has made it possible to create great meals that are easy enough to fit in the work week. I've had better Indian food before, but only at restaurants where the time investment was staggering. Had I imagined it was so easily accessible, and the value of the quality of meal you get for your time investment, I would have been cooking Indian every week, which is just about what we do now.

Thanks for this great book! I think it's a must-have, especially for couples and bachelors.

I don't consider myself a good cook at all, but this book is about as easy as it gets. I think I've made the spicy seared shrimp in my wok about 15 times already. It is SO delicious. I can't believe I actually made something so tasty. Just learning how to make that is worth the price of the book.

I have just begun using this book. I love the explanations of technique-- this is a fantastic book if you are just beginning to cook Indian-style cuisines. I wish I had it a few years ago when I first forayed into Indian-style cooking. Kahate's flavors are more delicate than other Indian authors, and can be paired easily with non-Indian dishes... or adapted easily to please a more robust palate (like my husband's) when you have more experience.

I purchased a copy of this book for my father, father-in-law, brother and a dear friend.

I first checked this out of the library. I renewed it three times and than gave up and bought my own copy. The food is wonderful and she simplifies recipes to a point where even a not very good cook can achieve great results. If you like Indian Food this is a very good basic cook book. You'll be rewarded with good healthy food and you don't have to lay out money to go to an Indian restaurant. And if you've never experienced the wonders of Indian food this is a great introduction. I would recommend cutting down on the amount of cayenne pepper she calls for. I'm a chicken and don't like my food that hot. But if you're a real Indian cooking buff and like it hot got ahead.

Superb! An excellent story based on reality. You feel like if Dr. Sharma was at your side telling. Thinking....

I was born in Burma (post independence era) of Indian Descendants. I would love to read this book but at the same time I am concern that I might get too sad for it would remind me about the Japanese Occupation era in Burma that costed my grandfather's life (for no good reason). May be I will read it someday when I can handle the pain a little better.

This book caught my attention as one of the very few books written on the traumatic events in India/Burma/Pakistan during the post ww ii era. I did not expect a lot from the faded cover and even the beginning - a somewhat prosaic/english-composition like narrative that moved but was not particularly great language wise. But the characters developed as i went along, and the writer has an amazing knack of weaving together their story, although it goes down stereotyped lanes sometimes. The essence of this book is the basic message of tolerance and simplicity of narrative on a difficult/complex subject. That in itself keeps one absorbed in it until the very last page.

Prem Sharma's story had me mesmerized from the first paragragh. I felt as though I was sitting with him as he told the story of Devi Lal and his family. Prem Sharma is a modern day freedom fighter, using his intellect and the written word instead of the fists and lathis of his youth. The effect of Gandhi's teaching is evident throughout the story. Can't wait for the sequel!

It all started when I was assigned to write a Senior paper on the little known country of Burma. In search of literature, art, history and economics I found Mandalay's Child and Dr. Prem Sharma. This book is an amazing piece which inspired a theme that I worked through my paper: suffering and hope.

In November of 2000, I had to pleasure of meeting Dr. Prem Sharma when he was in my area and visited my class at school. He talked to us about having respect for all people and their personal/religous beliefs and how important it was to realize that fighting does not help situations. Dr. Sharma, who lived in Burma during World War II, was forced to leave with his family because of the Japanense threat to the Burmese people. He moved with his family to India, but here found himself amongst the battle between the Hindus and the Muslims for Pakistan and India.

This book is truly a magnificent piece of work and something that all people, whether interested in Burma or not, should read. It gives insight into the lives of the Burmese people, the struggle for their freedom through war, and things that Dr. Sharma has witnessed in his life since the piece is partially biographical. The story is composed in a way so that the reader truly becomes attached to the family in the story. The power that this novel has over the reader is amazing -- you will shed some tears at least twice!

Dr. Sharma was a wonderful man to meet in person. He appeared very open to comments and questions about his novel and his homeland of Burma. As I correspond with him in Wisconsin through letters, I find that he is one of the most amazing people I have met in my life because of his talent and what he has been through.

As I anxiously await the publication of Dr. Sharma's other parts to the trilogy I urge everyone to pick up this novel and read it for a true experience of Burma and wonderful writing!

What a beautiful and poignant, bittersweet romance.

I fell in love with Olivia and Jai. The history, description and writing drew me right into the author's world.

I first read Olivia and Jai years ago and I've read probably thousands of books since, but I have never forgotten this book or the dynamic main characters, Olivia and Jai. There are also a number of very well developed and interesting secondary characters. Rebecca Ryman is a master of characterization and rarely have I read a book where the characters and the setting come alive to this degree. There are so many layers to the characters and to the plot that each revelation throughout its perfectly paced plot is like a gift of literary brilliance. This book encompasses the themes of love, hate and the sacrifices and devastation of revenge. It will make you laugh and cry, and it will break your heart. In the end, it will restore your faith in true love overcoming all obstacles, all the while educating you about a fascinating time and place in history. My 19 year old daughter recently came home from college for the summer so I checked this book out of the library for her. She at first showed little interest in spending her summer reading, but ended up locking herself in her room and ignoring her family and friends until she finished this book - in 3 days! Young and old will enjoy this book and I can not recommend it enough. I would actually give Olivia and Jai 10 stars! (I'm less enthusiastic about the sequel.)

This epic tale of love and revenge, set in India in 1848, chronicles the story of American Olivia O'Rourke's obsession with half-Indian Jai Raventhorpe and (as she believes) his betrayal, and her eventual revenge. All of this takes place against a backdrop Raventhorpe's shady background, interwoven with a multitude of family secrets.

It's quite clear that Ms Ryman is familiar with India. However, what she appears less familiar with are the language, mores and customs of the 19th Century. So the freedoms permitted Olivia and her cousin were a little overdone; and neither the thought of a woman being accepted in business in Colonial India, nor of the heir to a title being dirtying his hands in "trade", rang true. And the language used by the characters is far too twentieth century for credibility. That said, whilst for the first third of the book, I was somewhat irritated by these inconsistencies, I did become swept up by the story and just enjoyed it. Ms. Ryman certainly does know how to spin an absorbing tale. There are lots of twists and turns in the plot, and the escalating "war of attrition" played out between Jai and Olivia was very cleverly developed. Additionally, Ryman's skill in drawing out her characters ensures that no matter how terribly Jai behaves, the reader is still able to retain some sympathy for him.

So is it a great book? I didn't think so, but it's a gripping read, and provided you can get past the issues of language and incursions of 20th century freedoms, then I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I eventually did.

This story is set in India some 20 or so years before the Sepoy rebellion. Olivia is an American who is in India for an extended visit with her Aunt, who is married to a British tea merchant. One day while trying to escape a boring ball she goes outside for some air and privacy. Ending up down by the river, she crosses paths with Jai Raventhorne, a dark, brooding, and mysterious Eurasian. For reasons unknown to them they are drawn to each other with an intensity that is both exhilarating and frightening. Despite Jai's repeated warnings that he is no good and will ultimately end up hurting Olivia her runaway emotions have a mind of thier own. Jai, knowing he will eventually hurt her, is unable to resist his own attraction to Olivia as well.

Eventually Jai's disturbing warning proves true...in the form of an unimaginable betrayal that shatters not only Olivia but her entire family. For some reason Jai is set on destroying Olivia's family. After the betrayal Olivia's love turns to an intense all consuming hatred. Her life spirals downward and she puts all her efforts into destroying Jai...and discovering the reasons and motives behind his intense hatred for her family.

As Olivia and Jai's hatred for each other increases they do all they can to hurt and destroy each other. However, the vigor and passion that they throw into hurting each other matches the one they once loved each other with. And as we all know...the opposite of love is indifference, not hate!

This story started out much like a typical well written Historical Romance, after the first 100 pages though it quickly turned into anything but. This is an emotional rollercoaster ride and I found myself cheering for Olivia and hating Jai with an intensity that I'm sure would make the author proud. It was absolutely impossible for me to tear myself away from this book at times. The plot is complex and the elements of mystery, romance, and revenge are absolutely genious. The last 20 pages had me in tears!

This is a great book, one of those rare books that envelopes you and you live, sleep, eat, and breathe it while you are reading it. When you finish you will wish there was still more to read. I find myself thinking about this book weeks after I've finished it. Lucky for me there is a sequal!

5/5 stars

The story begins in Calcutta in 1848 as Olivia O'Rourke arrives from California to spend time with her mother's sister, Lady Bridget Templewood. Used to the freer life she shared with her father, Olivia chafes under the rigid morals of British Society, but then she accidentally meets a man reviled by her family, Jai Ravenstone. Jai is a Eurasian with a mysterious past who against all odds built up a successful shipping empire.

Despite her family's hatred of Jai and his attempts at destroying her uncle's competing shipping business, Olivia cannot overcome her overwhelming attraction to Jai and sees him at every opportunity, even though Jai himself warns her of the dangers of involvement with him. Just when it seems Olivia and Jai may be able to surmount the problems of his past and find love, Jai's obsession with destroying the Templeton's takes him on a path that utterly destroys Olivia's love for him and sends her on a path of building her own business ventures to enact her revenge against Jai.

This was a wonderful tale of love and revenge that will have you reading well into the wee hours of the morning, by page 250 or so I literally didn't come up for air until I finished it. There are many twists and turns and quite shocking surprises that will have you guessing and turning the pages until the very end. It's not quite up to the standards of The Far Pavilions, but for those seeking a well spun yarn set in 19C India during the British Raj this is one worth checking out. Five Stars.

This book is the very best insight into Vedic Astrology. For the serious student who wants to Breath with the Tradition.

This was an interesting introduction to the subject and gave me some sense of what vedic astrology is about. Like most of these books, it doesn't give you a guide to star gazing, which I think would add to the experience. It also made it obvious to me that the subject is far too involved for one quick book reading. I don't have the time or inclination to learn it in depth, but I would consider getting a software program that did most of the dirty work for me.

I've found this book most useful when I read it with a notebook handy and make outlines of important information. One of the things I very much like about this book is its emphasis on the cultural contexts of jyotish.

I wish this was the first book I had read on Astrology. The authors start with a broad overview, touch on the various schools of astrology, and cover the specifics. Highly recommended if you are a beginner, or Just trying to understand Astology for your own personal purouse.You can use this to refer back to again and agin since it has a lot of factual information. There are many insights not found eslewhere in introductory books. After having dabbled quite a bit in Jyotish, I had never come across the beautiful explanation of the Grahas as the "Seizers". There are detailed chapters on Panchanga, nakshatras,Yogas.

For the Really Really Beginner -- I also suggest getting a copy of 'Vedic Astrology Simply Put' - By William Levacy (Available on Amazon).

I am familiar with Robert Svobodas Aghora Books, so, I am able to understand why his insigts are so profound.

As a practitioner and teacher of Vedic astrology, I have a huge collection of Vedic astrology books. If I were to take only one to a desert island, this would be it. For both beginners and advanced astrologers, this book is a treasure trove of both information and guidance on how to approach a Vedic chart. I strongly disagree with the person who thought that this book departed, in any meaningful way, from classical Vedic astrology. This book, in my estimation, is truer to classical Vedic astrology by far than any other book written by an English-speaking author. Bravo!