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4th out of 284 books
—
220 voters
Shadow of the Moon
by
M.M. Kaye
Part One Of Two Parts
The author of THE FAR PAVILIONS returns us once again to the vast, intoxicating romance of India under the British Raj. SHADOW OF THE MOON is the story of Winter de Ballesteros, a beautiful English heiress come home to her beloved India. It is also the tale of Captain Alex Randall, her protector, who aches to possess her. Forged in the fires of a war t
...morePaperback, 803 pages
Published
June 12th 1980
by Bantam Books
(first published 1957)
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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
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
This book is mostly set in India as the 19th century Sepoy Rebellion against the British gathers pace and attacks with devastating results.
I enjoyed parts of it to a 4 star level, particularly Sabrina’s heartbreaking story, and Winter’s neglected childhood in England, her long journey back to India, her new life there with the awful Conway, and her dramatic escape as the Rebellion took savage hold.
So why only a 3 star rating? There was plenty of ‘he thought, she thought’ between our would-be-lov...more
I enjoyed parts of it to a 4 star level, particularly Sabrina’s heartbreaking story, and Winter’s neglected childhood in England, her long journey back to India, her new life there with the awful Conway, and her dramatic escape as the Rebellion took savage hold.
So why only a 3 star rating? There was plenty of ‘he thought, she thought’ between our would-be-lov...more
9 likes · like · see review
This is a very sweaty and pungent novel. Romantic historical drama at it's best and how it should be, like an over ripe plum. Though slightly profic ( not sure if that is a word???) Young Winter de Ballesteros with the warm ivory skin and blue black hair dreams of exotic India. A nice contrast between the cool up right cold England with the more colourful blinding Inida, yes I got that one, yet Kaye did drop in some Spanish blood to make her fiery and emotional against the stoic Lieutenant Alex...more
3 likes · like · see review
One of my all time favourite books! I fell in love with this novel as a 14 year-old and have spent the last nearly two DECADES trying to remember the name of it. Finally, thanks to Goodreads, I was able to dig up the title, and then I scored myself a treasured rare copy!
At last reunited with M.M. Kaye's epic masterpiece, I have been spellbound and enthralled for the last week, hating every minute spent away from my book. This tale of love, courage & survival set in India during the bloodthir...more
At last reunited with M.M. Kaye's epic masterpiece, I have been spellbound and enthralled for the last week, hating every minute spent away from my book. This tale of love, courage & survival set in India during the bloodthir...more
4 likes · like · see review
A sweeping romantic epic. Somewhat reminiscent of Wuthering Heights in it's charming setting description...and in the use of weepy, waifish women as catalysts to the overarching plot.
While I spent the first half of the book having great difficulty sympathizing with the young, delusional, and allegedly enchanting protagonist, Winter, I felt compelled to keep reading for a number of reasons. Not the least of which involved a fascination with Captain Alex Randall. His stanch honor code was nearly...more
While I spent the first half of the book having great difficulty sympathizing with the young, delusional, and allegedly enchanting protagonist, Winter, I felt compelled to keep reading for a number of reasons. Not the least of which involved a fascination with Captain Alex Randall. His stanch honor code was nearly...more
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...more
13 likes · like · see review
When I first read "Shadow of the Moon" as a young girl freshly enamored of M M Kaye's writing and my first encounter with her work in "The Far Pavilions". I was both disappointed and relieved at the reduced scale. Although it weighs in at 400+ pages (depending on your addition) it does not touch the level of geo-political rhetoric that Far Pavilions some times fell into. But with characters that are just as strong and clearly developed it is a much more, to me at any rate, enjoyable read.
I must...more
I must...more
Shadow of the Moon is another of Kaye's sweeping historicals, following the lives of several individuals caught up in the Indian Mutiny of 1857. Winter, the daughter of a Spanish aristocrat and the granddaughter of an English earl, was born in India and longs to return. She gets her chance when her great-grandfather dies and she's sent off to marry a commissioner there - a man many years her senior.
The grand account of Winter's journey to India and life there is intermingled with much discussio...more
The grand account of Winter's journey to India and life there is intermingled with much discussio...more
Jun 25, 2009
Alice
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Alice by:
Rachael and Willow
Shelves:
religious-experience,
personal-library
A group of older friends I had when I was 16 introduced me to M.M. Kaye. The first book of hers I read was Shadow of the Moon. Due to school commitments I think it took me almost a week and I hated every moment I wasn't with this book.
From the very beginning this book enchanted me. It is filled with the very essence of India and its people. For years Alex was the epitome of everything that was perfect in a man- in some ways he still is. He does, at any rate, remain one of my all time favorites...more
From the very beginning this book enchanted me. It is filled with the very essence of India and its people. For years Alex was the epitome of everything that was perfect in a man- in some ways he still is. He does, at any rate, remain one of my all time favorites...more
4 likes · like · see review
Mar 10, 2013
Gayle Mullen
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
own,
historical
My mother had a Doubleday Book Club copy that was about half the intended length and I read it when I was a teenager. Later, she found a copy at a used book store and bought it for me (and it still had its dust jacket). Then, the book was restored to it's complete length and I was finally able to purchase it. For the first time I got to read the entire, unabridged story and fell in love with it all over again.
M.M. Kaye wrote about India as if she had been there during the time of the Sepoy Rebel...more
M.M. Kaye wrote about India as if she had been there during the time of the Sepoy Rebel...more
Like another reviewer, I read this book in high school when it was only a couple hundred pages long and loved it. I always wanted to read it again and a couple of years ago, I found the full novel (612 pages) at a secondhand bookstore in Charlottesville, VA called Read It Again Sam.
As an aside, this bookstore is great - huge, very well organized and, best of all, a really knowledgeable owner.Highly recommended!
But back to the book. While it's obviously fits into the romance genre, the main attra...more
As an aside, this bookstore is great - huge, very well organized and, best of all, a really knowledgeable owner.Highly recommended!
But back to the book. While it's obviously fits into the romance genre, the main attra...more
Apr 21, 2010
Laura
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Virginie, Chrissie
Recommended to Laura by:
Misfit
My book just arrived from UK, after a long trip of 3 months.
Page 109:
Winter de Ballesteros starts her trip back to India in order to marry Conway.
Page 295:
Winter marries Conway, unfortunately. But she saved Alex's life for an ambush.
WHAT A BOOK!! As my friend Misfit said: in the last 200 pages, just try to keep your breath. This is the third book by MM Kaye I read and I always regret when one of her book ends.
Page 109:
Winter de Ballesteros starts her trip back to India in order to marry Conway.
Page 295:
Winter marries Conway, unfortunately. But she saved Alex's life for an ambush.
WHAT A BOOK!! As my friend Misfit said: in the last 200 pages, just try to keep your breath. This is the third book by MM Kaye I read and I always regret when one of her book ends.
612 pages long. Mostly war scenes in India during the 1850's. Too much blood and suffering, too much pig-headed bravado "defending" the Brits in India against "mutineers" (aka Indian people). She tries to show the balance of emotions in the few British who loved India and tried to integrate. I recommend reading "Far Pavilions" instead. It is more unabashadly a Cinderella story, without quite so much blood and guts.
Apr 26, 2010
Merry
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
those who enjoy a long adventure
Recommended to Merry by:
BCBC - Laura
Shelves:
bcbc-to-read
Four stars - as those who know me … I rarely give out five stars!
Many pages, but that is because the author was diligent in giving us historical details with the adventures and struggles of a very likeable couple caught in the middle of a clash between two cultures. The story takes place during the Indian Mutiny of 1857. A very knowledgeable author, M.M. Kaye was born in Simla, the summer capital of the Raj and she was the descendant of a battery commander in the siege of Delhi and the daughter...more
i don't care if there's cheesy bits, i must've read this book through at least eight times, and always pick it up to look at on the rare occasion when i can't sleep. set in colonial india, there's riots and history and violence and, yes, a ridiculously romantic main plot. i am not ashamed. i love this book.
This is my favorite novel ever, and I have read it more than eight times. It is an "escape" love affair for me. It is a piece of historical fiction. I love it from cover to cover. M.M. Kaye describes India so thoroughly and beautifully, you feel that you have lived there yourself. It is the story of the uprising of Indian sepoys against the East India Trading Company (and basically all foreigners), and the events that led up to that catastrophic event in the year 1853, 100 years before I was bor...more
M.M. Kaye writes excellent novels about British India. With her background of living in India with both a father and husband involved in the British-Indian military, she provides ample detail about the culture and politics of the time period. Her historical commentary might get somewhat ponderous, but I found it fascinating. I also appreciate how she shows both sides of the situation. Her characters show the strengths and weaknesses in both the British and Indian people.
Kaye's characters and the...more
Kaye's characters and the...more
I remember this! It showed up in my Updates feed here on GR because Hannah is reading it and I thought I remembered it after reading just the title but was sure after reading the little blurb. I used to have a little collection of M.M.Kaye I started back in the 80's after a knee injury kept me off my feet for weeks. It all began with The Far Pavilions of course and that led to a mad scramble to read all her books set in INdia. (That whole India love affair began in 1979 with the Secret Garden) I...more
2 likes · like · see review
The author proves to be a gifted storyteller as she again skilfully weaves a rich tapestry in telling an epic tale set around the momentous Indian mutiny of 1857, that ironically resulted in even more overwhelming dominance of the country by the British Crown subsequently. As in the Far Pavilions the reader is again immersed in the exotic sights, sounds and smells of colonial India that only a writer who had lived through and experienced them as MM Kaye did, could convey. This time though, the a...more
This book is historical fiction at it's finest! It is beautifully well written as are all of M.M. Kaye's books. It is a story of what it was like to live in India as an Englishman (or woman) during the reign of Queen Victoria.
If you like more historical and less fiction this book is for you. It has quite a bit of political history, and towards the end graphic battles. The story takes second seat in my opinion, and not having the attention for politics or battles, I found my attention wandering...more
If you like more historical and less fiction this book is for you. It has quite a bit of political history, and towards the end graphic battles. The story takes second seat in my opinion, and not having the attention for politics or battles, I found my attention wandering...more
The first time I read this book, it was a Doubleday Book Club copy from the 1950's that belonged to my mother. I was hooked. The backdrop of history was as much a character of the story as Winter and Capt. Alex Randall were. M.M. Kaye blended history and fiction with such exquisite care, it was hard to separate them. I read this book numerous times, and kept it for myself until my mother found a copy at a used book store (with a dust jacket) and took hers back. Later, I discovered that the Doubl...more
This was one long, sweeping, epic saga. Over 700 pages. Did I mention this was long? After finishing it, I felt like I just completed a college course in British/Indian relations during the 1850s. It was a fascinating historical novel with some great period romance thrown in--however, at times I felt a bit bored by all the lengthy, detailed, tedious explanations of EVERYTHING. But with that said, somewhere around page 300, I also stayed up until 3:47AM on a weeknight (I was so tired the next day...more
This was a very long book. The first part of the book (100pgs+) were just to prepare you with history of what had happened so the real story could start. Then there was a lot of dialogue about warfare that I thought could have been done in 1 - 2 pages but sometimes would take a chapter. The end of the book left you with questions as to what happened to some of the other characters. There were a few characters that I thought should have been developed, but weren't. This book is over 900 pages. I...more
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After “The Far Pavillions” from M. M. Kaye, I had read some of her other mystery novels primarily related to murders in African countries. I was searching for “Shadow of the Moon” for a long time but did not find it anywhere. Finally I was able to read it last year. The theme of this book and “The Far Pavillions” is similar in many aspects but it does not bind you as much as the story of Ashton and Princess Juli.
This is a story set during Indian War of Independence...more
After “The Far Pavillions” from M. M. Kaye, I had read some of her other mystery novels primarily related to murders in African countries. I was searching for “Shadow of the Moon” for a long time but did not find it anywhere. Finally I was able to read it last year. The theme of this book and “The Far Pavillions” is similar in many aspects but it does not bind you as much as the story of Ashton and Princess Juli.
This is a story set during Indian War of Independence...more
One of the most amzingest books ive ever read! i just loved it!
A fabulous historical romance set during the Indian Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. I have heard of this book for years but never had the pleasure of reading it until now. The book is quite well written and full of historical facts that accurately portray the bloated excesses of the East India Trading Company of England and the horrific reprisals exacted on the sizable British population of India during the mutiny. I am not a big romance novel reader but, like I Capture the Castle (another old and fabulou...more
MM Kaye has to be one of my all time favourite authors! She captures the spirit and the ideals of Raj and pre-Mutiny India so well that one can almost smell the scents and see the dirt, danger, beauty and magic of early colonial India. Winter de Ballesteros is initially a rather annoying character, and while you always know that she will end up with the hero, the poor couple go through some truly terrible times. For me, the most amazing thing in this book was the descriptions of the actual Mutin...more
"We shall see the ruin, in one day or in twenty days, of what might have been the finest army in the world. And though we shall build it up again, it will never be the same. We shall turn half that army against its fellows, and play off Sikh against Mussulman and Mussulman against Hindu, and Gurkhas against both. There will be atrocities on both sides--on all sides. The East drops straight into barbarism when it is frightened or enraged, and we shall follow its example and call it revenge--as I...more
Oct 04, 2009
Juliana
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Everyone, and anyone
Recommended to Juliana by:
Auntie Huhu
Shelves:
books-you-stay-up-too-late-reading
This book was different than any kind of book I had ever read. It was utterly captivating the whole way through. The ending was very satisfying, though it was quite broad.
The characters literally jump off the page, and are so realistic it's sometimes hard to believe this novel is a work of fiction. How unfair that these characters cannot come to life in human form!
The lonely, innocent Winter. The drunken, cruel, cunning Conway. The wonderful, intelligent, hard-working Alex. The naive, loyal Lo...more
The characters literally jump off the page, and are so realistic it's sometimes hard to believe this novel is a work of fiction. How unfair that these characters cannot come to life in human form!
The lonely, innocent Winter. The drunken, cruel, cunning Conway. The wonderful, intelligent, hard-working Alex. The naive, loyal Lo...more
2 likes · like · see review
This one is in the generation before Far Pavilions (but these are a completely different set of characters). In both books I feel like I have learned a lot about India and its history. Winter is an interesting character, I really enjoyed her exchanges with Alex in the early part of their acquintance. I enjoyed the intrigue and espionage leading up to the sepoy mutiny. Alex is conflicted but unlike Ash he does not have problems with identity. Kaye is very descriptive and can make a scene very cre...more
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M. M. Kaye(Mary Margaret) was born in India and spent her early childhood and much of her early-married life there. Her family ties with the country are strong: her grandfather, father, brother and husband all served the British Raj. After India's independence, her husband, Major-General Goff Hamilton of Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides (the famous Indian Army regiment featured in The Far Pavi...more
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“Common sense will nearly always stand you in better stead than a slavish adherence to the conventions.”
—
15 people liked it
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I've read them both! Trade Wind happens to be my favorite book of all time, and M.M. Kaye is on...more
Nov 25, 2012 08:19pm
Nov 26, 2012 02:02am