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.

THIS IS NO ORDINARY NOVEL!!

What made the experience of listening to The Far Pavilions the most enjoyable?

If there could be a perfect novel, or book, than this is it. Everything you have ever wanted in a story is written on over 900 pages and it brought tears to my eyes to see it finally offered on Audible.
I have read this novel many times and everything else by M.M. Kaye, it is like finding a long lost friend and though I haven`t even listened to this program yet, I already know that it will be the best 48 hours of my reading history.
This is an epic story that covers ever emotion known to man, transporting you to far away places and lingers on your mind long after it ends.......

What other book might you compare The Far Pavilions to and why?

Shantaram

Have you listened to any of Vikas Adam’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not yet

Who was the most memorable character of The Far Pavilions and why?

Ashton

Any additional comments?

I wish there were a zillion more M. M. Kaye novels hidden somewhere and we just found them. I can dream!!

A Romantic Epic

This is a HUGE book - at 80 hrs long its a commitment but for your money its excellent value as there are not just one story but many stories all of them well written and reasonably well told by Vikas Adam (although his british accent was woeful). There were slightly dull passages, there were incredibly exciting passages and there were boring bits that connected the stories.

M M Kaye published this as just the one massive book but in reality it could easily have been 4 big books. I think it would have been a better tale if it had been 4 books as the dull passages would have had to be more interesting to keep the reader reading.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and the final story of the Second Afghan war and the mission to Kabul was wonderfully written and terribly exciting - as a piece of descriptive writing it was amongst the best I heard. Sadly the end was predictable, soppy and very abrupt and it left me feeling disappointed that the ends weren't more appropriately tied off.

I'd recommend this book to those interested in life in the British Raj of 1870s, romantics who are looking for more than a bodice ripper and those who enjoy a long tale with lots of characters.

Swept Away again and again

If you could sum up The Far Pavilions in three words, what would they be?

Ultimate love story

What other book might you compare The Far Pavilions to and why?

The Princess Bride, love against impossible odds.

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

Ashton

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

LoL...if I could stay awake that long

Any additional comments?

You will fall in love with the rich description of India. You will see it through the eyes of Ashton Martin and the hills and palaces will be almost real. You will watch a character develope into a man, fall in love and fight almost impossible odds. The wars, caste system, bravery, and loyalty make it an adventurous read. Ashton and Anjulie's love make it unforgettable. It is to this day my favorite book, and I've read a lot of books.

Classic enduring story of adventure and love

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I treasure the book; listening to the story brought it alive. This is a book you will want to read again and again. The narrator gracefully reads passages with the accent of the characters, pronouncing foreign words and phrases without hesitation.

What did you like best about this story?

It is a long story; one you wish would go on and on. As it ends, you wish to follow the characters further.

Any additional comments?

Pity that the narration isn't whispersinc'ed.

Magnificently performed multi-layered adventure

This was a very special story. Can't recommend it highly enough. The readers range of accents and performance is impeccable.

While a great story, in desperate need of editing

Since this book had so many good reviews, I thought to myself why not listen to a really, really long well-written story? Problem: The author is a good writer, but does not trust his reader. There is a tremendous amount of repetition - - retelling of the story over and again as if we weren't there the first time. It got tedious and at the end I finally skipped 3 hours to get to the last hour and didn't miss anything! Ugh.

too.many.accents.

great story, classic, overshadowed for me by the narrators choice to parody the characters accents

Indiophiles will love this story. <br />

War and Peace move over. this saga will cover all the reading requirements. War, Adventure, Death, Pilgrimage, Riches, Total Poverty, and most of all Love. The main couple of course, but family, friends, servants showed the depth of feelings all humans have at some very important times in their lives. Very historical, I didn't research on the wars but enjoyed the action studies.

Love this story

I had read it as a young adult and was happy that I liked it again. The book is always better than the movie. I wish they would make an update version into a movie.

Fascinating story, ponderous writing

Fascinating and unusual story well worth the time. Flowery language didn't bother me because that was 19th century English but facts and opinions were stated and restated as nauseum to the point of annoyance. Excellent narration by a very talented artist.