Shadow of the Moon in Retro Reads

Nov 05, 2008 Misfit rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, read-and-keep-for-a-reread

Star crossed lovers, the British Raj & India, what more can you want in a book? This was just an amazing book. Once the author set up her characters and story line things just cooked along -- be prepared for the last 200 pages, because you will not surface for air until it's done! We have Winter, a wealthy heiress born and orphaned in India and sent to England to be raised by mostly uncaring relatives(except for the great-grandfather). When her great-grandfather dies, she is sent at the age of 1 Star crossed lovers, the British Raj & India, what more can you want in a book? This was just an amazing book. Once the author set up her characters and story line things just cooked along -- be prepared for the last 200 pages, because you will not surface for air until it's done! We have Winter, a wealthy heiress born and orphaned in India and sent to England to be raised by mostly uncaring relatives(except for the great-grandfather). When her great-grandfather dies, she is sent at the age of 17 to join her fiancee under the care of Alex Randall, who unbeknownst to her is now a debauched, obese drunk. Alex does try to tell her, but she maintains her childhood image of her "hero" and will not listen, to her great regret.

Lots of trials and tribulations as our hero and heroine travel back to India, the meeting and marriage to Conway and the Sepoy rebellion, and vividly portrayed by an author who has a great knowledge and love of the country and it's history. This is not only a story of two lovers, but one of stubborn, bigoted officials hiding their heads in the sand, treachery, intrigue and the brutal way in which the rebellion played out against the British, even shocking some of their own people. As with The Far Pavilions, it is shocking to see after 150 years not much of life and politics has changed in the Far East, nor should the Europeans (or Americans now for that matter) be interfering in their life, culture and religion.

Highly recommended for any lover of historical fiction, India, or just a darn good book. This would make an awesome mini series, the sequences from the attack on the British and Alex and Winter's escape are just breathtaking. As a side note for those loooking for well written books for younger readers, this should be a good choice. Originally written in the 50s, the love scenes are quite chaste. Just be prepared for some gory, though accurate, portrayal of the violence aginst the British (including women and children) during the rebellion.

If you enjoy this book, I would also recommend Zemindar. The same topic, the Sepoy rebellion, and beautifully written. The author's prose was gorgeous, very reminiscent of Charlotte Bronte. ...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Hannah rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, re-read, historicals, 2012-reads

I can't do justice to a book like this. Thoughts and observations on an epic, sweeping saga can't be encapsulated into a 2-3 paragraph review saying how wonderful the characters, plot, writing, etc. was. Yes, I write these kind of reviews all the time, but for a book like this, it's virtually impossible.

So, I'll begin and end with this:
If Gone with the Wind was Margaret Mitchell's love letter to the old South, then Shadow of the Moon is M.M. Kaye's to historic India. Under Kaye's pen, the unfold ...more

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Aug 19, 2011 Cindy Newton rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, owned-books

I love this book! It has been a favorite of mine for years, and this re-reading certainly hasn't changed that. M. M. Kaye spent a great deal of her life in India, and does (in my opinion) a powerful job of capturing the essence of that country--the sights, the sounds, the scents. You can feel the heat baking your skin, hear the noise and bustle of the colorful bazaar in the streets of the city, see the heat waves shimmering over the dusty streets, the exotic foliage and animals--it all comes ali I love this book! It has been a favorite of mine for years, and this re-reading certainly hasn't changed that. M. M. Kaye spent a great deal of her life in India, and does (in my opinion) a powerful job of capturing the essence of that country--the sights, the sounds, the scents. You can feel the heat baking your skin, hear the noise and bustle of the colorful bazaar in the streets of the city, see the heat waves shimmering over the dusty streets, the exotic foliage and animals--it all comes alive through her descriptive prose. Her prose, incidentally, sings; she's an artist with a sentence, and her words flow with effortless ease. But back to India. She creates a wonderfully vivid backdrop for the struggles of the characters--made even more compelling by the fact that the horrifying events actually took place.

The main character, Winter, is a European woman whose connections to India are established through several generations at the beginning of the book. She is actually born there, and considers it her home. The male protagonist, Alex Randall, is a captain in the British army, and his love for India rivals Winter's. The story covers the build-up to and the events of The Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. A lot of background information is necessary in order to understand the bigger picture, but Kaye's coverage of this history is interesting, as she relates it with the clarity of hindsight, pointing out the bungling stupidity of those in charge and the many mistakes they made. These errors were glaringly apparent to a handful of men who actually loved and understood India, but their warnings were ignored and ridiculed. Alex Randall is a member of this group, and he fights desperately to avoid the impending disaster of the rebellion, but without success. The tension as you read of his efforts is excruciating, for you can see the writing on the wall.

There is a romance, but it is very much in the background as the characters are swept into these dramatic events. There is a lot of food for thought in this book, for there are many issues that relate to our world today. Times change, customs change, the way we dress, talk, communicate, spend our time changes, but people don't change. We can read of this time and this place, and watch them making foolish assumptions and decisions, ignoring history and common sense, deceiving themselves with platitudes and excuses, and see the echoes of these behaviors in our leaders of today.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction. When I read books like this, these sweeping epics that submerge you in another place and time, another culture, it is then that I can truly understand the magic of reading. I am no longer sitting on my couch in my comfortable suburban home--I am with them, with Winter and Alex on the hot, dusty plains, in the lush foliage of the jungle, in the brightly-painted rooms of the Gulab Mahal. I am suddenly immersed in the glamour and the squalor and the violence of this foreign country, and when I reach the end of the book, I'm still there. It takes a while to leave that exotic locale behind and return to my modern life. For a while, their images linger in my head, and the Hindustani words I learned while reading spring to mind automatically. I think of things from my normal life in the context of the book. This is the beauty of reading--how can anybody not love it?? ...more

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Feb 04, 2017 Christine PNW rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: vintage-women

This was the second to the last remaining novel in my M.M. Kaye reread. I saved The Far Pavilions for last.

This book was fantastic. Epic, consuming and deeply romantic. Winter and Alex are a heroine and hero for the ages. The last 200 pages is unputdownable.

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Feb 19, 2014 Marquise rated it liked it

Shelves: to-review, historical-fiction

I have very mixed feelings on finishing this book; on one hand, I liked the storyline with all its adventures, twists and turns, which overall made for an enjoyable read and often not easy to predict, for Kaye has a decent mastery of storytelling that keeps you interested despite the length of the novel. And then, there's the characterisation of the protagonist, who's one of the most interesting leading male characters I've encountered in historical fiction recently, with flashes that reminded m ...more

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Jul 13, 2014 Katy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Wonderful story and a good background history of the Sepoy Mutiny in India.
Highly recommended to all my friends.

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Jul 30, 2015 Linda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, buddy-read

A sweeping epic story using the backdrop of the rebellion of the Sepoys (or Indian soldiers) in India against the rule of the East India Company.

I spent more time with this book than any other so far this year. It was a big ol' thing that required it's own bag to transport it to and fro from work so I could read it on the bus and at lunch. Good thing it was so engrossing or it would have been easy to hate this book. I really can't improve on what people have already said so if you enjoy historic ...more

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Apr 26, 2008 Fareeha rated it it was amazing

Shelves: re-read, non-fiction-account, fiction, adventure, historical, romance, suspense, action, love-at-first-reading, favorites-of-all-time

One of my all time favorite books in the British subcontinent era (and historical fiction), it's beautifully written and researched, with delightful real and worthy protagonists, a brilliant plot and pace, lovely romance and so much grandeur. I rate it even better than the Far Pavilions primarily because of Alex who is in my top 3 most favorite male characters ever. It's my yard stick to measure every historical fiction of the British era and I love love love this book! ...more

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Mar 28, 2016 Ravia rated it liked it · review of another edition

3.5
I had read MM Kaye,s "The Far Pavilions" in my college days and loved it. Shadow of the Moon was since long on my 'To Read' list but some reason or the other kept it on hold.
I feel my review of this book will be somewhat clouded by my high expectation of it being an engrossing and consuming read. The author introduces too many characters too fast in the beginning which demanded added concentration to establish interrelationships and their placement (location-wise). Quite a few of those chara ...more

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May 18, 2008 Barb in Maryland rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, keepers, romance-goodies

A thrilling romance set in India at the time of the Sepoy Mutiny. The author grew up in pre-WWI India and so obviously knew and loved the country, its people and its history.
I first read this in a BOMC abridged edition that came out in the 50's. It was one of my favorites in high school. I was thrilled when it was re-published in its full length and it remains one of my favorites. ...more

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