Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Bantam
Date Published: 1979
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Nice soft cover, lightly read, some shelf wear to cover, light crease along spine, bend on corners of front cover, light aging, stk #2526o8. 1189 p. read more
Edition: Book Club (BCE/BOMC)
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: St. Martins Paperbacks, New York
Date Published: 1978
Description: Very Good in Good jacket. Ex-Library. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Some edgewear and fading to DJ with a few small closed tears. Minor bumping to board edges. Text pages clean and near fine. This is the 2nd volume of a two volume work that spans 25 years of 19th century India under British rule. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Bantam
Date Published: 1984
ISBN-13:9780553227970ISBN:0553227971
Description: Acceptable. Overall below average used book. May have highlighting, underlining, notes, price sticker on cover, or be an ex-library book. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Bantam
Date Published: 1979
ISBN-13:9780553200256ISBN:0553200259
Description: Good. -9th Printing--1191 pgs. Interior-Nice overall condition. The paperback cover has only light signs of aging. -Publish Place: New York-Size: 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: St Martins Press
Date Published: 1978
Description: A wonderful copy with some minor edgewear to the cover. Dust Jacket may have chips and close tears. Book of the Month Club Edition. VOLUME ONE ONLY. -, Hard Cover, Very Good / Good. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: St Martins Press
Date Published: 1978
Description: A good reading copy only. Dust Jacket may have chips and close tears. Book of the Month Club Edition. Staining to page edges. -, Hard Cover, Good / Good. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: St Martins Press
Date Published: 1978
Description: A wonderful copy with some minor edgewear to the cover. Dust Jacket may have chips and close tears. Book has tanning or browning due to normal aging process. Book of the Month Club Edition. -, Hard Cover, Very Good / Good. read more
Edition: Volume 2
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: St. Martins
Date Published: 1978
Description: A good reading copy only. Dust Jacket may have chips and close tears. Previous owners name inscribed inside front. Book has tanning or browning due to normal aging process. Book of the Month Club Edition. -Volume 2, Hard Cover, Good / Good. read more
"Sweeping historical novel about 19th century India under the unsteady control of the British. Its main character is Ash, a boy who is raised in an Indian family but is (unbeknownst to him, for a time) British. The novel has great depth... dozens of characters, beautiful descriptive writing, several subplots running at the same time. It is romantic and heartbreaking and deliciously long. For any fan of an epic novel, for fans of historic fiction, and those who like a little romance mixed into their literary fiction."
"I wanted to reread this as I enjoyed it so much 30+ years ago. It is amazing how relavent it is today talking about Afghanistan and the 2 British wars there. So many of the issues she puts forth in the book would still apply today with the conflicts there. It may be fiction but there are lessons to be learned."
"First things first: This book took me a week to read, which is a rare thing and I really enjoyed being able to devote a whole week to one book. It is 950+ pages, and I think the first 800 or so make up one of the best books I have ever read. I was transported from the first page, and I really feel like I got to know and care about an entire (and large) cast of characters. I enjoyed the history (with some clarifying help from Wikipedia), the love story and the adventure. The last 150 pages or so, I admit that I partially skimmed. This may be at some detriment to myself - perhaps I would have benefited from a closer read, but it was mostly war and strategy at that point, which didn't interest me as much. I knew what happened at the conclusion of the 2nd Afghan War (again, thanks to Wikip.) and thus only read closely the parts that included the characters and their personal experiences. The last several pages were great, and for once I did not walk away from a book feeling unsettled or unresolved. The last line satisfied me and I think I actually gave the book a little hug when I was done. I will definitely read this book again in the future, and I'm looking forward to ordering the movie from Netflix. :) Highly recommend!"
"This book is written by a British lady who spent most of her life in India - at over 900 pages long it's her life's opus (I believe she was in her 70s when it was published), which is part of why it took me forever. However, I actually read the first 600 or so pages pretty quickly - I was interested in the main character, Ashton/Ashok (known as Ash). Ash is English by birth, but Indian by upbringing (it's a long, complicated story as to why). At first the book is a sort of coming of age story as he grapples with his identity, and does endearingly "rash" things. It morphs quickly into a forbidden love story between him and a Hindu princess that ends with a daring and semi-tragic rescue. This is all the part I read really quickly.
The drawn out ending, however, takes place in Afghanistan (which apparently is considered The Land of Cain - legend says it's where he ended up). The action switches from the star-crossed loves and follows Ash's British comrades as they try to establish themselves in Kabul (this takes place in the 1800s). Ash speaks several languages and can pass as a Muslim, so he is a spy who tries to warn them that what they are doing will come to no good. There are very long, drawn out military scenes here. Reading these is always a bit like reading jibberish to me, plus it is incredibly painful, knowing what has happened in Afghanistan since then. It doesn't help that while the book features Hindu and Muslim characters, the main characters are all British soldiers, and it is difficult to feel sympathy for them - given that they are doing their country's bidding without question, even though it means trying to control a country that isn't theres to control.
Yet, despite these flaws, I decided to give the book 4 stars because in the end it is Ash's story again, and it is about looking for somewhere an identity based on race or religion is not required. From a purely historical standpoint as well, this book was fascinating. Given the present unrest in Afghanistan, I do find it helpful to be reminded of the country's long history of being invaded and coerced by foreign powers...although for now, all I feel I can do it sit with the knowledge. And I suppose, like Ash, try to do what I can in my individiual world. I think that is what the author, MM Kaye, would have wanted for her readers."
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