The Far Pavilions

This book is altogether, a gripping adventure, and a story about conflicting personal identity. I first read this book over twenty years ago and remembered it as one of my all time favorites. I was shocked to discover no reviews had been written for this wonderful novel. If you decide to listen to this book you will not disappointed. The descriptions of India are breath-taking and rival the tales of that country written by Bryce Courtenay. Surprisingly, listening to the audio version was better than reading it. The Indian accents used in the narration made it utterly enjoyable. It is the story of an English boy born to a father who studies the people and dialects found in the foothills of the Himalayas. He becomes orphaned during a cholera outbreak around age 4 and has only an Indian nurse to aid him in his survival. It is a huge book but worth every page and not difficult to get through. The Far Pavilions is simply one of the best epic novels ever written. There is a ghastly description of the practice of Suttee; the burning alive of high born Hindu women on their husband's funeral pyre. But it is not too descriptive and gives a fascinating glimpse into the practice of Suttee. If you like tales of heroism, adventure, cruelty, survival, and love, you will not be disappointed.

Ultimate love story

The Princess Bride, love against impossible odds.

Ashton

LoL...if I could stay awake that long

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.

I read this book years ago when if first came out and liked it then. Rereading, listening to it on Audible, prompted me to pick the book up again as well.

I have recomended this book to a number of people who have no knowledge of "The Great Game" and it's relevance to the events of the last ten years in the former Raj.

The story is one third romance, one third adventure, and one third serious history of the Second Afgan War. I have read quotes from a number of British officers from that war that sound like they could have been made today.

Yay and nay, therefore 3 stars in my rating , despite raving reviews this book has received.

The interesting pieces are captivating and intriquing, giving a background of Indian history during the time of the British Raj, and of traditional Hindu customs with particular emphasis on the caste system, and the custom of suttee - the wife following the husband to his funeral pyre.

I love long books, provided my attention is held for the duration. But my attention wanders over what seem like endless stretches of descriptive narrative. When the guy sits in the grass all night listening for the sound of an enemy's footsteps, describing each painful hour. Or the landscape is endlessly described. Then I realise I stopped listening way back, rewind, only to find that I missed nothing of any relevance. Frankly, I run out of patience.

I also love books with an Indian flavour. But this is too much. Too much India, too much cavalry, too much dying of people I've lost track of and don't really care about.
By comparison, another book with an Indian background is "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese, narrated BySartaj Garewal, which deserved 5+ stars, in my opinion.

Vikas Adam has done an admirable job in narrating The Far Pavilions, with only a few minor glitches in accent and emphasis.

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.

I had seen this book in a Showtime mini-series portrayal back in 1984. It's offered now on Netflix, and I revisited it again after purchasing the audible book. It is a great story, either way, and I can't say that one was better than the other.

As it is in many book-to-movie transitions, some key elements are left out and the timeline is altered. The book was lovely, just lovely until the rescue of Anjuli from the suttee ritual. The storyline is so much more fleshed out, and I was just swept away to 1860s India. The narrator had much to do with this. His wonderful Indian accent was seamless and so real. He even spoke the women's parts so believably. Charming all the way through.

However, I did find the book rather tedious after the rescue. It seemed to drag on. I think that the mini-series did a better job incorporating all the Afghanistan fighting before the rescue. I have to admit I played it at 2x speed a couple of times, because I really wanted to know what happened, I just didn't want to experience every bloody blow in real time. I will read it again in the future, because the narration was so good, the forbidden romance was so good, and Ash's back story, which was quite skimmed over in the mini-series, was very interesting.