M M Kaye

[Moose]

M M KAye is another author that I absolutely love that noone else ever seems to have heard of . She is - was; she died fairly recently - a British woman who was born in India at the turn of the century and had an enduring love for the country and its people which came out in her books. Her most famous novels are The Far Pavilions - which Brits might remember as a mini series in the early 80s - and Shadow of the Moon. Both are very long and just wonderful books, brimming over with colour and feeling. This was someone who, I think, really loved India and was sympathetic to its problems and its people whilst at the same time realising that not EVERYONE who was involved with the British Raj was a scoundrel or a crook or an oppressor. Anyway, I'd love to know if anyone had read her books.

[Spaceflower]

Oh, I just loved The Far Pavilions. I have read The shadow of the moon too, but I remember The Far Pavilions better, maybe b/c it was longer. (I read them in Swedish translation.)

They were very exciting and the persons were colourful. Sometimes unbelievably cruel. Like Anjuli's little half sister whom she took care of all her life. And what did Anjuli get in return? Ungratefulness, jealousy and cruelty.

I remember the romantic hero Ashton, torn between his British and Indian roots.

To me these books had everything: exotic environment, romance and a bit of real background too.

[Mollybob]

I love her books. I've read The Far Pavilions, The Shadow of the Moon and Trade Wind several times over
I've read some of her detective stories too, which are certainly a good read.
You can definitely get a real sense of her love of India in her works.

[Moose]

OooooooooH! I've found other fans, that's so cool. I've read Trade Winds, liked it but not as much as the Indian ones. Tried one of the detective ones but wasn't my kind of thing. It's hard to pick whether I like TFP or SOTM better .. depends which one I read most recently though I think that TFP is the real epic of the two.