What do you think?
Rate this book
Peacock #1
The Emerald Peacock
INDIA... A LAND OF PASSION AND DANGER, LOVE AND BETRAYAL
They eloped to an exotic palace high in the majestic hills. Bianca O'Neil, a beautiful Irish girl and Sher Khan, the passionate Prince of Tigers, ruler of Lambagh, and heir to the Peacock Throne.
It was a turbulent passion... shadowed by treachery and greed, consumed by the flames of rebellion that swept the country and ultimately challenged by enemies who coveted the emblem of Sher Khan's power--the rare and wondrous jewels of... THE EMERALD PEACOCK.
They eloped to an exotic palace high in the majestic hills. Bianca O'Neil, a beautiful Irish girl and Sher Khan, the passionate Prince of Tigers, ruler of Lambagh, and heir to the Peacock Throne.
It was a turbulent passion... shadowed by treachery and greed, consumed by the flames of rebellion that swept the country and ultimately challenged by enemies who coveted the emblem of Sher Khan's power--the rare and wondrous jewels of... THE EMERALD PEACOCK.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
About the author
Katharine Gordon
8 books10 followersKatharine Gordon was born on 1916 in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK, but she grew up in India, and except for occasional trips to her mother-in-law's home in Kent or her own family in Scotland has spent her life in India, Africa and in Cyprus. She worked as Secretary to E. A. Army Wardens in Nairobi, Kenya, from 1950 to 1951; as Immigration Officer at the Immigration Department in Nairobi from 1954 to 1957; and as Consular Clerk at British Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, from 1964 to 1969. She married an English RAF pilot retired after World War II and flew as an airline captain, and it was while he was on long trips that she began to write. She wrote many manuscripts, some twenty in all, and finally submitted The Emerald Peacock, based on a true story, for publication in 1978, wich she won the Authors' Club First Novel Award, and in 1979 the Romantic Novel of the Year Award of Special Merit by the Romantic Novelists' Association.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 29, 2012
Earlier this year, I read and fell in love with M.M. Kaye's book "The Far Pavilions." Once I finished it, I started combing the internet for other books set in the time of the British Raj in India. This book is the first of a series by Katharine Gordon, published in the 1970s, and it was difficult to find. I eventually bought a used copy from Amazon.
This book was not at all what I was expecting, but I still enjoyed it. The back of the book describes the plot as the story of Bianca (an Irish girl) and Sher Khan (and Indian prince) and the difficulties their love faces during the time of the Sepoy Mutiny. That really only describes the first 150 pages or so of this book. To me, the story was about three women: European Bianca, her Indian step-daughter Sara, and her adopted half-caste daughter Muna. These three women, despite the fact that they are in the same family, all have extremely different experiences in India because of their different backgrounds. Personally, I found Muna's story to be the most interesting. The book is split into two sections, the first set in 1857, and the second set in 1868. Throughout the story, Gordon does an excellent job of maintaining a sense of threat and menace. Although it sometimes read a bit like the plot of a soap opera, I thought this book had characters with real depth and emotion.
I enjoyed reading this, but I did miss the political intrigue and the wealth of detail about Indian culture that is present in Kaye's "The Far Pavilions."
This book was not at all what I was expecting, but I still enjoyed it. The back of the book describes the plot as the story of Bianca (an Irish girl) and Sher Khan (and Indian prince) and the difficulties their love faces during the time of the Sepoy Mutiny. That really only describes the first 150 pages or so of this book. To me, the story was about three women: European Bianca, her Indian step-daughter Sara, and her adopted half-caste daughter Muna. These three women, despite the fact that they are in the same family, all have extremely different experiences in India because of their different backgrounds. Personally, I found Muna's story to be the most interesting. The book is split into two sections, the first set in 1857, and the second set in 1868. Throughout the story, Gordon does an excellent job of maintaining a sense of threat and menace. Although it sometimes read a bit like the plot of a soap opera, I thought this book had characters with real depth and emotion.
I enjoyed reading this, but I did miss the political intrigue and the wealth of detail about Indian culture that is present in Kaye's "The Far Pavilions."
June 21, 2012
pure escapist romance. I loved it.
February 15, 2019
Book 1 was amazing.
Book 2 was like, what? And also what?
Book 2 was like, what? And also what?
June 14, 2008
rereading this book - trying to find good books to read with a class about India next term.
Well, I won't use this with a class. It was a good read, although one of the heroines (the tale is sort of in two parts) drove me nuts. This being said, I suppose as a 16 year old in the 1860's we can't expect too much. Hard to tell if my copy is complete as the book ends at the bottom of the page... but all the stories are resolved, so it's not disturbing.
Well, I won't use this with a class. It was a good read, although one of the heroines (the tale is sort of in two parts) drove me nuts. This being said, I suppose as a 16 year old in the 1860's we can't expect too much. Hard to tell if my copy is complete as the book ends at the bottom of the page... but all the stories are resolved, so it's not disturbing.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews