The Far Pavilions

By: M. M. Kaye

Narrated by: Vikas Adam

Length: 48 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

When The Far Pavilions was first published 19 years ago, it moved the critic Edmund Fuller to write this: "Were Miss Kaye to produce no other book, The Far Pavilions might stand as a lasting accomplishment in a single work comparable to Margaret Mitchell's achievement in Gond With the Wind." From its beginning in the foothills of the towering Himalayas, M. M. Kaye's masterwork is a vast, rich, and vibrant tapestry of love and war that ranks with the greatest panoramic sagas of modern fiction.

The Far Pavilions is itself a Himalayan achievement, a book we hate to see come to an end. it is a passionate, triumphant story that excites us, fills us with joy, move us to tears, satisfies us deeply, and helps us remember just what it is we want most from a novel.

©1978 M.M. Kaye (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

A Window to Another Place and Time

I first read this years ago and !oved it. I knew little about this part of the world and it educated as well as entertained me. The historical context of British India behind the love story make it a true epic, in the best sense. The audio version is excellent, presenting the story in an authentic voice. Sit back and enjoy.

Epic & Astonishing

I love diving into books that take me away to unexpected worlds and make me feel that I’m living inside of them experiencing the climate, the flora & fauna, and characters that seem so real to me, I can imagine sitting down for some tea together. This book achieved all of that and kept my interest to boot!

Brilliant! Vikas Adam is a fantastic narrator!

I bought this Audible based on the previous reviews and I was not disappointed. I had read the book The Far Pavillions before, I had seen the TV series and I had even listened to the abridged Audible book. Nothing could compare to the narration by Vikas Adam. One even forgot that there was only one narrator with the way he effortlessly changed his voice or accent to portray one character or the other. The way he narrated the story, clearly painted a picture and one could imagine the dust and the heat and the noise that were part of many of the scenes. The emotions of the storyline were also clearly "visible" through his telling. Well done!
Yes, some of the scenes were long or may be considered unnecessary as mentioned in some of the reviews but they were important to the completion of the story for some of the main characters in the book.
Well worth the purchase and I highly recommend this book.

Best audiobook I have ever listened to.

I enjoyed each and every hour of this epic novel. Perfect combination of mesmerizing story and excellent narration. Adventure, love, heroism, loyalty, survival, philosophy. This book has joined my all times favorites collection.

Wow!

Written in 1974, the content is even more relevant in the 2000s, especially the ever repeating history of Afghanistan. Beautiful landscapes serve as a backdrop to an exceptional story.

Way to long

Could have been half as long & twice as good. Or just 2 parts. Seemed to carry on forever. Unless one has 50 hours to blow listening to descriptive examples of writing or likes long novels, move along.

The protagonist is a fool

I enjoyed the setting, history and general information on India. However, fiction that spotlights an omniscient, omnipotent Anglo male is too fantastical. Another installment of the great white savior.

A romantic historical novel

This book has received too many accolades to need the addition of mine. It reflects the sensibilities of a bygone era, with an overlay of longing for a world without prejudice and bloodshed. The writing is engaging and the account of the early phase of the second Anglo-Afghan war is, to my knowledge, accurate. The narration is done well, though I am not sure that it was necessary to use an Indian accent for the non-English dialogue, which takes up much of the book. As someone who has studied five foreign languages and acquired all-round competence in two of them, I find the ease with which the characters learned new languages and acquired native fluency in them to be unrealistic, but no matter. It’s a good, engaging, well-told story.

Cultural Graveyard

The writing was literature in its presentation. Very difficult to keep track of all the characters due to the foreignness of the language. I could not relate to Ash. He acted like a girl with his jealousy. The Guides were the sort of elite military unit that represented in some ways our current Special Operations Forces. The feminine perspective on the battle scenes do not reflect the actual conditions of combat.

Love Suspense Danger History and Life

Would you listen to The Far Pavilions again? Why?

Yes I would! Though at times the suspense was so strong that I could not sleep thinking about Ash and Jully,
I think the naration was superb, one of the best I have heard as Vikas Adam changes characters....
The story is enthrolling and picturesque, the description of the terrain, the people, the history,
the bloody proud English, who thought they were better... and tried to run that world!

Who was your favorite character and why?

By far Ash! or Ashuk or Akbar, his passion, and lack of fear, and love, and impulsiveness,
his knowledge and determination. his honesty and love
Also Jully, I found her to be wise beyond her age, always! and clever!! and so loving of Ashuk!

Which character – as performed by Vikas Adam – was your favorite?

All of them.....GREAT NARRATOR!!!!
Ash, Jully, Wally!!, Mahud, All of them!!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Ashuk parting from Sita
Jully and Ashuk finally talking on the boat
Wally's honesty before he was killed

Any additional comments?

I think the end with all the killing was a bit dragged out...to long...and then the book abrutly ends with us only imagining that Ash and Jully find their valley, maybe this is better for the imagination...not convinced!