Shadow of the Moon

I love historical fiction, especially when there's a bit of romance. Shadow of the Moon may just be my very favorite book in this genre, one I've read and reread many times. It's a book that has earned a place atop a list that includes Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, Susan Howatch's great retellings of English and Roman history, Sharon Kay Penman's English and Welsh series, as well as M.M. Kaye's more famous work, The Far Pavilions. Historical fiction doesn't venture far east often, but Shadow of the Moon is set in India during the Indian Mutiny of 1857. Winter de Ballesteros is the daughter of privilege though she never realized it growing up. Born in India, which she idealized, she was sent to England to be raised and only wants to return to the land of her dreams. Her ticket is marriage to Conway Barton, a betrothal arranged when she was very young. Alex Randall, Conway's attache, is sent to retrieve her since the ensuing years have not been kind to Conway, who is only interested in Winter's fortune. Ms. Kaye is British but was born in India and heard stories of the rebellion from her family's servants. She, in my opinion, treats the subject with care and is fairly even-handed with the causes though atrocities were on both sides. The various religions and sects in India were hard for anyone to deal with, but the British too often viewed them through Western eyes and imposed restrictions without understanding the implications for the people they ruled. Her writing is lyrical with the descriptions of India, the scents and colors of flora and fauna. The romance is not typical; both Winter and Alex struggle against it before finding love. Many historical figures are referenced: Sir Henry Lawrence, his brother John, General John Nicholson, William Hodson, and others of the East India company and army, as well as Bahadur Shah and Nana Sahib. It's a wonderful story, full of action and drama, sadness and joy, and one to be read again and again.

M. M. Kaye's extraordinary novel "Shadow of the Moon" combines historical fact with a wonderful love story set against the beauty and complexity of India during the British Raj. One of Ms. Kaye's gifts as a writer is her ability to create three-dimensional characters and plausibly insert them into historic events. Here she intertwines her cast of characters with history and through the microcosm of their lives we view the dramatic events of the past. The action in M. M. Kaye's novel pivots around the Mutiny of 1857," also called the "Sepoy Rebellion." Indian soldiers in the Bengal army of the British East India Company rose against their British rulers in May 1857 and the violent uprising quickly spread throughout British ruled India. "Shadow of the Moon" is the love story of an Anglo-Spanish heiress with vast land holdings in India and a political officer of the East India Company. The author intertwines the lives of these two central characters, and a large supporting cast, with historical events to create a wonderful epic novel. Ms. Kaye has written more than a historical novel here, although the book is full of romance, intrigue and the extraordinary colors of India. The author is the daughter of Anglo-Indians and writes with an obvious love of the country and all its varied cultures. She portrays many of the colonialist characters with the arrogant and superior attitudes so prevalent at the time and juxtaposes them and their narrowly focused lives against the realities of the world which surrounds them. These Victorian colonial attitudes, beliefs and zeal to spread their culture and religion appear to have made the uprising an inevitability. I couldn't put this novel down and can't recommend it highly enough! Jana

The story of the 1857 uprising has been one I have read about a number of times, and this book does a wonderful job at portraying it. It is an amazing and horrifying stroy.So I knew the historical account when I started this book. The story of Winter and her ancestors is both interesting and unexpected in that it is a combination of nationalities and circumstances I found very interesting. I was also compelled to read the story of the siege from the city of Luknow as seen by the indian population. I think I would have foung this a fascinating book if it weren't for the fact that I could not become attatched to the characters. I found myself unable to relate to either Winter or Alex.I found her silly and him selfish, and a good part of the story almost morbid. I am biased, though. My favourite book of all times happens to take on the same period, but seen from the point of view of an engsh visitor in India who happens to have to endure the siege at the residency. In the case of Zemindar, by Valerie Fitzgerald, the characters are unforgettable. This is a seriosly good book, mind you, but I by far prefer Zamindar, unfair as it is to compare. You be the judge...

"Shadow of the Moon" is the story of the time before and after the Sephoy rebellion. It is the story of two people who are passionate about India, Winter and Alex. As an officer in the Indian army, Alex is asked to escort seventeen year old English/Spanish/Indian heiress Winter back to the land of her birth, to the man she has been engaged too since age eleven. Alex expects an older woman-a spinster with no other option than to marry his corpulent, drug and alcohol addled chief. But Winter's true age, and her childish attachment to the handsome man she was affianced too brings out a resented sense of responsibility in Alex and he continues to watch over her in India. I read in the back of my copy of "Shadow of the Moon" that the original version, published in the 1950's, contained less than half of the original manuscript, which was re-printed in its entirety in the 80's. It's easy when reading this book to see what would have been cut out-M.M. Kaye is great at describing social interactions, clothing and landscapes but she isn't so good when describing the politics that went on before the Sephoy rebellion. So the original book would have been (I imagine) a romance with very little insight to the political ramifications of the British occupation of India. It's a pity that the real manuscript took too long to come out because while it has its slow parts it is a very complete picture of two very different societies occupying the same space and expecting to co-exist. Winter and Alex, our main characters, represent two very different aspects of India. Though both were born and to some extent, raised there, neither is actually of the land (though they both posses physical traits which allow them to fake it.) Winter, because of her sex and marriage is incorporated in British India, and Alex, even though he works for the British army, has an understanding of the Indian feelings toward the British that most people can hardly grasp. So he spends the majority of the novel sneaking around, finding information about the rebellion he believes will happen soon. Naturally, no one believes him because with the conceit of the conquerors, the British believe they are enhancing and improving Indian society and culture. Naturally our hero and heroine develop feelings for each other-which come to a head at the worst possible moment when they are hiding from Indians who are outraged enough to commit atrocities beyond belief. Like The Far Pavilions this an amazing novel full of romance, vivid descriptions of culture, places, clothing and attitudes of the time. While not quite as engaging as "Pavilions" (mostly because of the political discussions, which Kaye never really manages to make all that interesting though they should be fascinating) it is head and tails above Trade Wind .(Though of course everything Kaye writes is wonderful, it only varies by slight degrees.) Five stars. But make sure you get the complete version!

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 50's, 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.

If I could give this 100 stars, I would. This is my all time favorite book, and I've been an avid reader since I was a kid. I was delighted to find that this is finally available on kindle, because my paperback version is quite literally falling apart. This story has it all - history, great character development, romance, and writing so descriptive that I almost feel as if I've seen India with my own eyes. The historical aspect of this book covers the time when England ruled India through the John Company, and leads up to and describes in frightening detail the revolt of much of India against the British rule. You will genuinely learn a lot about this period of time. The romance is impeccably developed, slow paced and nuanced. If you are a fan of romantic comedies, then this is not the book for you, because you won't find witty repartee, graphic love scenes or hilarious predicaments. It's a serious book with earnest characters and not much levity. This is my 4th time reading this book in the 30+ years since I discovered it, and I find that I take away something different each time. What remains the same is my adoration for the characters and their story, and the high bar it sets for all other books. And my sadness every time I finish the last page.

I read this book as a teenager and remembered it fondly. I wanted to read a long, involved novel that would hold me spellbound so I thought again of this novel and knew that I had to read it again. Dealing with British India and colonial rule, I found myself paying closer attention to the political details outlined in this novel than to the romance as I did the first time around. The truth is that the characters are well-rounded and real. We've all met people like them in every society we've ever been in touch with. The story deals with the life and trials of Winter, a European child born in India who is sent to England to grow. She forever recalls the color and warmth of her native India and is not happy in England. She finally returns to India and all of the momentous changes in the country affect her. Although it is a romantic novel, it focuses on the historical much like "Gone with the Wind". I liked it even more thirty years later. I highly recommend it for a good read and a good time. My only complaint is that it is not in kindle form yet as I wanted.

This is a very well written book and I would expect nothing less from M.M. Kaye. Well researched with very good plot development and realistic in the way persons interact together. I did struggle with giving 5 stars to this book, but I err on the side of generosity as I really did enjoy my time with these characters and the story. It is no Far Pavilions though. I personally rank The Far Pavilions, Pillars of the Earth and Dune as my all time favorite books I have ever read. I think what made this just a little bit less than The Far Pavilions is the love story didn't have the passion (I'm not talking about sex here) that I thought the couple should have. Although, it did certainly towards the end of the book and it was probably accurate for the societal norms of the period. The historical side was fascinating. It had me researching events of the day online. Really interesting period in history for the English Empire and India. I also enjoy the author's philosophical insights as well. That kind of stuff is candy for my brain.

C'est une œuvre agréable à lire, avant la publication de Pavillon Lointain, pour ceux qui aiment le style de MM Kaye.

This is a book I first read about 40 years ago, it is still as good as it was then. I love it

I bought a paperback copy of this book in 1981, I still have it. But I decided that i need to preserve what is left of the book, by buying a kindle version of the book. The story is a long love story going through generations of one family to the finale. It is an historical novel, possibly without the true history behind it, the lines are slightly fuzzed now because of political correctness, the story however holds it's own against the horrors of the Indian Mutiny. Who was at fault, i will leave that to you to decide but many women, children and men were slaughtered during the mutiny but nothing has ever been said about the many women, children and men of the India who have been slaughtered previously. You can look up the characters to find there real life personae, maybe not in such a good light these days, well some of the characters are made up obviously. It is a great read and well worth it. I consider this book as one of my friends as i have been reading it since 1981, numerous occasions, never finding fault with the book. I hope you will give it try, it is worth the read.

Love reading the novels by this author. Every page is full of interest, intrigue, and/or drama.

As usual.M.M.Kaye has such a deep understanding of the Raj and India.Her "Far Pavillions' has no equal.This book is also well written.Worth reading.I was born in the last days of the Raj.