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Himalayan Summer
THE HIMALAYAN SUMMER is a spellbinding novel of the British Raj period, the quest to find a child, and a love story beyond boundaries - for all fans of THE TEA PLANTER'S WIFE and of Louise Brown's earlier novel, EDEN GARDENS.
"Beautifully written, you can smell the spices, feel the heat, and your heart will break. You will laugh, cry and you will want a sequel", Lovereading.com
Ellie Jeffreys arrives in Darjeeling with her British husband, en route to Kathmandu. They have ten-month-old, golden-haired twins, and despite appearing to be a happy family, Ellie's relationship with the overbearing, philandering Francis is disintegrating.
At a cocktail party, Ellie meets Hugh Douglas, a maverick explorer and botanist. Despite the rumours surrounding Hugh, Ellie is drawn to him. A year later, Nepal is devastated by a catastrophic earthquake and in a falling building, Ellie is forced to make an instant, and terrible, decision: she has time to save only one of her children. When she returns for her son's body the next day, it has gone. Ellie knows he cannot have disappeared; someone, somewhere has her child, and it is to Hugh that she turns for help.
"Beautifully written, you can smell the spices, feel the heat, and your heart will break. You will laugh, cry and you will want a sequel", Lovereading.com
Ellie Jeffreys arrives in Darjeeling with her British husband, en route to Kathmandu. They have ten-month-old, golden-haired twins, and despite appearing to be a happy family, Ellie's relationship with the overbearing, philandering Francis is disintegrating.
At a cocktail party, Ellie meets Hugh Douglas, a maverick explorer and botanist. Despite the rumours surrounding Hugh, Ellie is drawn to him. A year later, Nepal is devastated by a catastrophic earthquake and in a falling building, Ellie is forced to make an instant, and terrible, decision: she has time to save only one of her children. When she returns for her son's body the next day, it has gone. Ellie knows he cannot have disappeared; someone, somewhere has her child, and it is to Hugh that she turns for help.
352 pages, Paperback
First published March 9, 2017
12 people are currently reading
239 people want to read
About the author
Louise Brown
5 books22 followersSee also: T. Louise Brown, how the name is printed in some editions.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Louise has lived in Nepal and travelled extensively in India and Pakistan, sparking her enduring love of South Asia. She was a Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Asian Studies at the University of Birmingham, where she taught for nearly twenty years. In research for her critically acclaimed non-fiction books she’s witnessed revolutions and stayed with a family of traditional courtesans in the old city of Lahore.
Louise has three grown-up children and lives in Birmingham.
Her previously published books are: SEX SLAVES: THE TRAFFICKING OF WOMEN IN ASIA (Virago 2001); THE TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY IN NEPAL (Routledge 1995); WAR AND AFTERMATH IN VIETNAM (Routledge 1991); THE DANCING GIRLS OF LAHORE, a personal account of life in a Pakistani brothel quarter; and EDEN GARDENS about Maisy, the daughter of a Raj with an unexpected story to tell (Headline 2016).
Her lastest book THE HIMALAYAN SUMMER was published by Headline in 2017.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Louise has lived in Nepal and travelled extensively in India and Pakistan, sparking her enduring love of South Asia. She was a Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Asian Studies at the University of Birmingham, where she taught for nearly twenty years. In research for her critically acclaimed non-fiction books she’s witnessed revolutions and stayed with a family of traditional courtesans in the old city of Lahore.
Louise has three grown-up children and lives in Birmingham.
Her previously published books are: SEX SLAVES: THE TRAFFICKING OF WOMEN IN ASIA (Virago 2001); THE TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY IN NEPAL (Routledge 1995); WAR AND AFTERMATH IN VIETNAM (Routledge 1991); THE DANCING GIRLS OF LAHORE, a personal account of life in a Pakistani brothel quarter; and EDEN GARDENS about Maisy, the daughter of a Raj with an unexpected story to tell (Headline 2016).
Her lastest book THE HIMALAYAN SUMMER was published by Headline in 2017.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 23, 2017
I really love the cover. And the blurb enticed me too!
I wanted to get my mind set for this read because we are talking NOT WOMEN in the U.K.
This is Himalaya, India, Nepal and Tibet in the 1930s.
Life, culture is so different.
Women and children are treate differently.
Ellie may have a British husband but he's very overbearing and controlling. He wants control and Ellie does all his bidding and filfills his needs and wants.
They have twin of the tender age of 10 months. They are fair in hair color.
It's a case of, what you see isn't all what it seems. Because although to intense purposes they look like a happy couple it's very deceiving.
The bit that had my mouth gaping open was when the earthquake took place. How would you feel if you could save just one of your children?
I was so in that heartbreaking decision with her.
When Ellie returns later to recover the body of her son it's to find someone has taken it.
She doesn't turn to her husband though.
All in all, just who wins out in strength of courage, in the search for the body of her son.
Beautiful scenic narration, outstanding storytelling at its best with such emotion.
A must read.
My thanks to Headline for my copy
I wanted to get my mind set for this read because we are talking NOT WOMEN in the U.K.
This is Himalaya, India, Nepal and Tibet in the 1930s.
Life, culture is so different.
Women and children are treate differently.
Ellie may have a British husband but he's very overbearing and controlling. He wants control and Ellie does all his bidding and filfills his needs and wants.
They have twin of the tender age of 10 months. They are fair in hair color.
It's a case of, what you see isn't all what it seems. Because although to intense purposes they look like a happy couple it's very deceiving.
The bit that had my mouth gaping open was when the earthquake took place. How would you feel if you could save just one of your children?
I was so in that heartbreaking decision with her.
When Ellie returns later to recover the body of her son it's to find someone has taken it.
She doesn't turn to her husband though.
All in all, just who wins out in strength of courage, in the search for the body of her son.
Beautiful scenic narration, outstanding storytelling at its best with such emotion.
A must read.
My thanks to Headline for my copy
December 23, 2019
3.5*
A book set in a strong location is an amazing thing – I’m quite clearly in the wrong place if I don’t think that. But a book set in a location you really want to travel to is extra great. For quite a while now, Nepal has been top of my ‘must travel to’ list. After reading The Himalayan Summer, Nepal is even further up the list – if that’s possible. I want to go to see the coral mountains for myself!
The book starts out in Darjeeling in 1933, and Ellie is married to Francis, a drunk, self-righteous, unlikeable character. A few months later, they and their twins make the long journey to Nepal – avoiding elephants on the track. It’s here that Ellie meets Hugh again, an explorer with a certain charm and excitement, something her cheating husband has never and never will possess. It’s pretty obvious what’s going to happen…
Within a day of their arrival at Kathmandu, for the second time in her life, Ellie finds herself in an earthquake that will quite literally tear through her life. She has to make a decision impossible for any mother, which one of her children will she save?
Not a shocker, mainly because it’s written in the blurb, but she chooses to save her daughter. She then spends the rest of the book trying to locate her son – if indeed he is still alive. It’s well written, something I’d expected after reading Eden Gardens, and it’s incredible on location. Kathmandu (and surrounding areas) are quite clearly well researched and beautifully described, as are the customs and culture.
Ellie as a character is quite difficult to like, I found her a bit annoying to be honest, but that’s not a negative. I think she was supposed to be hard to warm to. It added another level to her character and to the story. Besides, the overly likeable characters of Maya and Hugh made up for her slightly irritating behaviour.
The narrative flows really nicely and develops at a great pace. There are unexpected dark turns as well as coral highlights. A slight negative perhaps is how predictable the ending is, but overall a good book full of the beauty of the Himalayas.
A book set in a strong location is an amazing thing – I’m quite clearly in the wrong place if I don’t think that. But a book set in a location you really want to travel to is extra great. For quite a while now, Nepal has been top of my ‘must travel to’ list. After reading The Himalayan Summer, Nepal is even further up the list – if that’s possible. I want to go to see the coral mountains for myself!
The book starts out in Darjeeling in 1933, and Ellie is married to Francis, a drunk, self-righteous, unlikeable character. A few months later, they and their twins make the long journey to Nepal – avoiding elephants on the track. It’s here that Ellie meets Hugh again, an explorer with a certain charm and excitement, something her cheating husband has never and never will possess. It’s pretty obvious what’s going to happen…
Within a day of their arrival at Kathmandu, for the second time in her life, Ellie finds herself in an earthquake that will quite literally tear through her life. She has to make a decision impossible for any mother, which one of her children will she save?
Not a shocker, mainly because it’s written in the blurb, but she chooses to save her daughter. She then spends the rest of the book trying to locate her son – if indeed he is still alive. It’s well written, something I’d expected after reading Eden Gardens, and it’s incredible on location. Kathmandu (and surrounding areas) are quite clearly well researched and beautifully described, as are the customs and culture.
Ellie as a character is quite difficult to like, I found her a bit annoying to be honest, but that’s not a negative. I think she was supposed to be hard to warm to. It added another level to her character and to the story. Besides, the overly likeable characters of Maya and Hugh made up for her slightly irritating behaviour.
The narrative flows really nicely and develops at a great pace. There are unexpected dark turns as well as coral highlights. A slight negative perhaps is how predictable the ending is, but overall a good book full of the beauty of the Himalayas.
August 4, 2017
Wonderful story.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The descriptions of the scenery, the lives of the characters and storyline kept me enthralled. It was interesting to look up the places on Google Earth and see where the characters travelled. There were awful and likeable characters who kept my interest throughout.
Looking forward to reading the next book by Louise Brown.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The descriptions of the scenery, the lives of the characters and storyline kept me enthralled. It was interesting to look up the places on Google Earth and see where the characters travelled. There were awful and likeable characters who kept my interest throughout.
Looking forward to reading the next book by Louise Brown.
October 3, 2017
I was not impressed with the writing at first, bored of how overboard Brown had gone to show Francis as a waste of space. Unconvinced that Ellie would have chosen him, unsure of what kind of person Ellie was.
The byline of the book: 'when a mother sees her twins in danger, which one will she save', is rubbish if it is meant to indicate what the story is about - this is no Sophie's choice, and far better for it.
Things improved as the book went on, as the party had to traverse the mountains, as Ellie's unthinking white privilege meets a country where foreigners are unclean.
In short, I fell under the books spell.
The byline of the book: 'when a mother sees her twins in danger, which one will she save', is rubbish if it is meant to indicate what the story is about - this is no Sophie's choice, and far better for it.
Things improved as the book went on, as the party had to traverse the mountains, as Ellie's unthinking white privilege meets a country where foreigners are unclean.
In short, I fell under the books spell.
June 27, 2019
Well researched and brilliantly written
October 23, 2019
Beautifully descriptive writing about a place that the author knows well and loves.
Her characters are well developed and most thoroughly un-likeable. They are products of the time about which she writes when westerners generally and British in particular felt far superior to all other beings, particularly people whose skin was of a different tone.
Even the protagonist, Ellie, Lady Northwood, is only redeemed by her fierce determination to find her lost child. Her foolish, scatterbrained idea to take her children to Nepal and her cry of "But I'm American" when she behaves insensitively toward the local people annoyed this reader.
Understanding that Ellie has been emotionally damage by her childhood experiences fail to make her a nice person - everything about her is irritating.
Well done, Louise Brown, it's not often that I feel so cross with the heroine of a story.
I had to keep reminding myself that it was 1933/34
Ellie certainly perseveres in her search for Tom and learns much about life, love and loss in the journey.
Her characters are well developed and most thoroughly un-likeable. They are products of the time about which she writes when westerners generally and British in particular felt far superior to all other beings, particularly people whose skin was of a different tone.
Even the protagonist, Ellie, Lady Northwood, is only redeemed by her fierce determination to find her lost child. Her foolish, scatterbrained idea to take her children to Nepal and her cry of "But I'm American" when she behaves insensitively toward the local people annoyed this reader.
Understanding that Ellie has been emotionally damage by her childhood experiences fail to make her a nice person - everything about her is irritating.
Well done, Louise Brown, it's not often that I feel so cross with the heroine of a story.
I had to keep reminding myself that it was 1933/34
Ellie certainly perseveres in her search for Tom and learns much about life, love and loss in the journey.
June 12, 2017
My Rating ~ 3.5* -> 4*
‘When a mother sees her twins in danger, which one will she save?’
The Himalayan Summer is the latest novel by author Louise Brown.
Published by Headline Review (March 2017), The Himalayan Summer is described as ‘a heart-wrenching, compelling novel of a mother’s search for her son, and a love that stands the test of time and circumstance.’
Set in the 1930’s with the stunning back-drop of Darjeeling and Nepal, I was very intrigued to see if I would be transported back to a very different time and era.
Please read on to find out if I was….
The Himalayan Summer is a book with one of those covers that just grabs you and pulls you right in. The landscape portrayed is a suggestion of what to expect when you turn the pages.
The book opens in San Francisco, April 1906. The earthquake that would destroy so much and cause such devastation tears apart Ellie Jeffrey’s home, taking the life of her young brother, Bobby, and leaving Ellie with a permanent ache in her heart.
1933 and Ellie is now in Darjeeling, having married Lord Francis Northwood in a whirlwind romance. Knowing he was a drinking man, Ellie was completely unaware of the overbearing and controlling nature of Francis. ‘She’d been swept along on a tide of wine and champagne…she hadn’t obeyed her own usually solid judgement.’
After the birth of her two children, twins Tom and Lizzie, Ellie’s heart is so full of love for them that she is willing to put up with her feelings of disgust toward her husband. He is the father of her children and therefore it is her duty to remain his wife. Francis has very high notions of himself as the next great white hunter and likes nothing better than to spin a story at the club after copious amounts of alcohol. His need to be noticed is funded by Ellie’s inheritance and even though he makes many attempts to journey further into the jungle without her, Ellie insists that where he goes, she goes.
Accompanying Ellie with the children is the very well portrayed character of Nanny Barker. Poor old Nanny Barker suffers greatly from the Indian climate. Her wish is to return to the cool, fresh English weather but her place is with Lord Northwood as she has been in the employment of his family for many years and knows no other life. ‘She should have been pushing the grand Silver Cross perambulator around Kensington Gardens, basking in the respect of lesser nannies whose children were not aristocrats.’
A chance meeting, at a party, with maverick explorer Hugh Douglas, opens up Ellie’s eyes to a different world, a different life but an unobtainable one…one that is beyond her reach.
As their journey of exploration continues, the family leave the relative comforts of Darjeeling and move onward to The Kingdom of Nepal, where the beauty of the region takes Ellie’s breath away. The views, the people, the colours, the climate all assail the senses for Ellie and immediately she is drawn to the wonders of the region.
But that’s where the happiness ends for Ellie. Ensconced in the palace of a Maharaja, Ellie soon feels claustrophobic by the opulence of it all. ‘It wasn’t what she’d imagined; they were staying in a Nepali copy of the Palace of Versailles’.
After settling in to their new accommodation, she decides to make a trip into Kathmandu in order to get a closer look at it’s natural beauty .
With the twins and Nanny Barker by her side, Ellie soon finds herself in the middle of a living nightmare, as an earthquake hits the region. In a split decision Ellie has only the time to grab one child to safety and this is Lizzie. As soon as she is able, she returns to the exact spot only to discover that there is no trace of Tom, his body has disappeared.
Ellie’s world comes crashing down again for the second time in her life. First her brother Bobby, forever lost to her in death, after the San Francisco earthquake and now her son, Tom, missing. Ellie is unwilling to accept this. Francis loses himself even more in the debauched lifestyle that he lives, with some rather unsavory characters by his side. Francis really has no redeeming features to speak of. He is, what would be termed, a leech who prevails on others.
Ellie makes a plan and with the unexpected appearance of Hugh Douglas, she sets off on a mission to find out what happened to Tom. Her journey takes her through regions and borders with very tough roads to pass but unwavering in her quest Ellie will stop at nothing or for no-one.
Louise Brown has written a book about the strength of a mother’s love and the bond she has for her children. The setting is wonderful with descriptions that just come to life on the pages.
In places I did grapple with some of the language used, which, I felt, was unexpectedly quite crude for the style of the book. Also the likelihood of the main character living through two such catastrophic seismic events is in reality highly unlikely. But these are just very personal quibbles that others may think nothing of, so do please read the book and make your own judgement on this. It is after all a book of fiction, a place where we leave reality behind us and just jump in.
The Himalayan Summer is a very picturesque novel, with very vivid descriptions and smells evoking the time and place of the British Raj. An enjoyable Summer read to awaken the senses.
‘When a mother sees her twins in danger, which one will she save?’
The Himalayan Summer is the latest novel by author Louise Brown.
Published by Headline Review (March 2017), The Himalayan Summer is described as ‘a heart-wrenching, compelling novel of a mother’s search for her son, and a love that stands the test of time and circumstance.’
Set in the 1930’s with the stunning back-drop of Darjeeling and Nepal, I was very intrigued to see if I would be transported back to a very different time and era.
Please read on to find out if I was….
The Himalayan Summer is a book with one of those covers that just grabs you and pulls you right in. The landscape portrayed is a suggestion of what to expect when you turn the pages.
The book opens in San Francisco, April 1906. The earthquake that would destroy so much and cause such devastation tears apart Ellie Jeffrey’s home, taking the life of her young brother, Bobby, and leaving Ellie with a permanent ache in her heart.
1933 and Ellie is now in Darjeeling, having married Lord Francis Northwood in a whirlwind romance. Knowing he was a drinking man, Ellie was completely unaware of the overbearing and controlling nature of Francis. ‘She’d been swept along on a tide of wine and champagne…she hadn’t obeyed her own usually solid judgement.’
After the birth of her two children, twins Tom and Lizzie, Ellie’s heart is so full of love for them that she is willing to put up with her feelings of disgust toward her husband. He is the father of her children and therefore it is her duty to remain his wife. Francis has very high notions of himself as the next great white hunter and likes nothing better than to spin a story at the club after copious amounts of alcohol. His need to be noticed is funded by Ellie’s inheritance and even though he makes many attempts to journey further into the jungle without her, Ellie insists that where he goes, she goes.
Accompanying Ellie with the children is the very well portrayed character of Nanny Barker. Poor old Nanny Barker suffers greatly from the Indian climate. Her wish is to return to the cool, fresh English weather but her place is with Lord Northwood as she has been in the employment of his family for many years and knows no other life. ‘She should have been pushing the grand Silver Cross perambulator around Kensington Gardens, basking in the respect of lesser nannies whose children were not aristocrats.’
A chance meeting, at a party, with maverick explorer Hugh Douglas, opens up Ellie’s eyes to a different world, a different life but an unobtainable one…one that is beyond her reach.
As their journey of exploration continues, the family leave the relative comforts of Darjeeling and move onward to The Kingdom of Nepal, where the beauty of the region takes Ellie’s breath away. The views, the people, the colours, the climate all assail the senses for Ellie and immediately she is drawn to the wonders of the region.
But that’s where the happiness ends for Ellie. Ensconced in the palace of a Maharaja, Ellie soon feels claustrophobic by the opulence of it all. ‘It wasn’t what she’d imagined; they were staying in a Nepali copy of the Palace of Versailles’.
After settling in to their new accommodation, she decides to make a trip into Kathmandu in order to get a closer look at it’s natural beauty .
With the twins and Nanny Barker by her side, Ellie soon finds herself in the middle of a living nightmare, as an earthquake hits the region. In a split decision Ellie has only the time to grab one child to safety and this is Lizzie. As soon as she is able, she returns to the exact spot only to discover that there is no trace of Tom, his body has disappeared.
Ellie’s world comes crashing down again for the second time in her life. First her brother Bobby, forever lost to her in death, after the San Francisco earthquake and now her son, Tom, missing. Ellie is unwilling to accept this. Francis loses himself even more in the debauched lifestyle that he lives, with some rather unsavory characters by his side. Francis really has no redeeming features to speak of. He is, what would be termed, a leech who prevails on others.
Ellie makes a plan and with the unexpected appearance of Hugh Douglas, she sets off on a mission to find out what happened to Tom. Her journey takes her through regions and borders with very tough roads to pass but unwavering in her quest Ellie will stop at nothing or for no-one.
Louise Brown has written a book about the strength of a mother’s love and the bond she has for her children. The setting is wonderful with descriptions that just come to life on the pages.
In places I did grapple with some of the language used, which, I felt, was unexpectedly quite crude for the style of the book. Also the likelihood of the main character living through two such catastrophic seismic events is in reality highly unlikely. But these are just very personal quibbles that others may think nothing of, so do please read the book and make your own judgement on this. It is after all a book of fiction, a place where we leave reality behind us and just jump in.
The Himalayan Summer is a very picturesque novel, with very vivid descriptions and smells evoking the time and place of the British Raj. An enjoyable Summer read to awaken the senses.
June 27, 2019
Well researched and brilliantly written
October 29, 2017
This wonderful tale is written in 1930 from Tibet , where life is far from different to the present day.
We meet Ellie who is British with a over breaking, controlling and very drunk husband , who wants his all all his all his needs taken care of of.
Ellie is not happy but he is the father to her beautiful twins and from the outside they look like the happy family but that's far from the truth.
fate had a more twisted life for Elie as she loses one child and can not save them both and moThers worst nightmare.
The story tells of when she returns to collect her sons body, she finds that it is not there. She ropes in Huge Dougles to help her with the mission of finding her sons body and she will not stop still she finds him.
This story is written from a mothers strength , which I like from Louise Brown stories, with her beautiful descriptions of the stories surroundings that makes the story feel so real.
So go grab a copy and read this beautiful tale.
July 18, 2019
This was a book that kept me wanting to know what happened. The descriptions of Nepal reminded me of our visit a few years ago even though the time in the novel was 1930s and we visited just a few years ago before the latest earthquake in 2015.
The heroine, Ellie is very believable as she is far from perfect. Her husband is a toff and only married Ellie for her money - he would fit better in Kenya in Happy Valley and indeed that is where he ends up.
As the earthquake takes place has to make a horrific decision, a bit like "Sophie's Choice" and has to choose to save one of her twins. When she returns to look for the other, Tom, she is told that someone found him and took him and so begins her search for her missing child.
Ths search takes her literally over mountains and through harsh countryside with the help of Hugh who is an adventurer, explorer.
This is a very emotional read and left me feeling quite heart broken in the end.
The heroine, Ellie is very believable as she is far from perfect. Her husband is a toff and only married Ellie for her money - he would fit better in Kenya in Happy Valley and indeed that is where he ends up.
As the earthquake takes place has to make a horrific decision, a bit like "Sophie's Choice" and has to choose to save one of her twins. When she returns to look for the other, Tom, she is told that someone found him and took him and so begins her search for her missing child.
Ths search takes her literally over mountains and through harsh countryside with the help of Hugh who is an adventurer, explorer.
This is a very emotional read and left me feeling quite heart broken in the end.
January 29, 2019
Lovely and heartbreaking all at the same time.
Very descriptive.
Most of the book was centered around the search for Tom and I found it ended on a very emotional note as soon as he was found and I was left in tears.
Ellie was so enthralled with her surroundings and her love for her children that she was content to just leave her husband to his own devices.
How she allowed him to carry on the way he did for so long was unbelievable. I had hoped he would have died of his infection but he survived.
It broke my heart when he had her committed but thank goodness (Sushilla at least had a heart and) for Hugh.
I was very happy that Ellie was able to open her self up to love again, though it was short lived.
All in all I enjoyed it.
Very descriptive.
Most of the book was centered around the search for Tom and I found it ended on a very emotional note as soon as he was found and I was left in tears.
Ellie was so enthralled with her surroundings and her love for her children that she was content to just leave her husband to his own devices.
How she allowed him to carry on the way he did for so long was unbelievable. I had hoped he would have died of his infection but he survived.
It broke my heart when he had her committed but thank goodness (Sushilla at least had a heart and) for Hugh.
I was very happy that Ellie was able to open her self up to love again, though it was short lived.
All in all I enjoyed it.
September 14, 2019
I haven’t read anything by this author before, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I chose this book as the blurb sounded interesting and I was not disappointed. I enjoyed reading this book, I like the author’s writing style and thought she did a great job with describing the scene, the characters and the events that happened. The story is one of a mother’s nightmare event when she has to quickly grab her child to save their life, but having twins is only able to save one. I loved how she didn’t give up though on finding her other child and was prepared o do whatever it took to find him again. This is a lovely story and if this is your genre then I’d encourage you to read it.
October 27, 2022
3.5 stars
This book was enjoyable. It started slowly with the typical buffoon type of Englishman who lives in India. Ellie, his wife, is made of stronger stuff. She and her twin children accompany her husband on a hunting trip to Nepal, where they are caught in the 1934 earthquake. Her son is lost but they cannot find a body. Elle embarks on a journey to find her son, who she is convinced is alive.
After the earthquake, the story picked up and by the end, I couldn't put it down as I needed to find out what happened.
This book was enjoyable. It started slowly with the typical buffoon type of Englishman who lives in India. Ellie, his wife, is made of stronger stuff. She and her twin children accompany her husband on a hunting trip to Nepal, where they are caught in the 1934 earthquake. Her son is lost but they cannot find a body. Elle embarks on a journey to find her son, who she is convinced is alive.
After the earthquake, the story picked up and by the end, I couldn't put it down as I needed to find out what happened.
September 4, 2017
Buon ritmo e svolgimento non scontato per una storia che riesce a essere evocativa di luoghi e sapori oltre che di sentimenti. Personaggi tutto sommato sfaccettati e descrizioni dei viaggi e degli spostamenti abbastanza avventurosi. Mi ricorda la Jefferies degli esordi, che ultimamente secondo me ha perso un po' la vena migliore. Spero che l'autrice continui su questo filone! Molto bella la copertina e notevole il finale.
September 18, 2021
In 1933 American Ellie is in Darjeeling with her husband Francis and their two children, where she meets explorer Hugh. A few months later she and the family are in Nepal during an earthquake and her son Tom disappears. A well written story, not a soapie like the back cover implies. Great descriptions of the culture, landscape and people of India, Nepal and Tibet. As someone who's been to India and Nepal a number of times I found it a fascinating read.
June 29, 2017
I loved the gorgeously, wonderful location of ‘The Himalayan Summer’. I’ve always wanted to visit the Himalayas, Tibet in particular, the setting drew me in completely and fuelled my enjoyment of this book. The cover is beautiful and promised escape to exotic, breath-taking and magical places, I’m happy to say with Louise Brown’s superb descriptions of the Himalaya’s, I was transported to another time and place.
This is a tale of the powerful love a mother has for her child. All through the book I couldn’t help but wonder what I would do if faced with the same horrifying situation as Ellie. She is a woman possessed when it comes to finding her son and stops at nothing to find him.
There were some truly hateful characters in this book, I love to hate people as I’m reading about their exploits and ‘The Himalayan Summer’ certainly offered two of the worst fictional human beings I’ve come across lately – Ellie’s husband, Francis and his buddy Davies. These two are just awful awful creatures. Francis is a drinker and only cares about hunting exotic game, Davies is attracted to money and power. And young girls.
I only have a small niggle, some of language just didn’t seem to fit with the story or the time period. At times it was a little brash. However, like I said this was only a minor issue for me, the location made up for it in my opinion.
I did find the ending slightly predictable and I didn’t enjoy this as much as ‘Eden Gardens’ also by Louise Brown. But I still enjoyed it and it was a great story to escape with.
This is a tale of the powerful love a mother has for her child. All through the book I couldn’t help but wonder what I would do if faced with the same horrifying situation as Ellie. She is a woman possessed when it comes to finding her son and stops at nothing to find him.
There were some truly hateful characters in this book, I love to hate people as I’m reading about their exploits and ‘The Himalayan Summer’ certainly offered two of the worst fictional human beings I’ve come across lately – Ellie’s husband, Francis and his buddy Davies. These two are just awful awful creatures. Francis is a drinker and only cares about hunting exotic game, Davies is attracted to money and power. And young girls.
I only have a small niggle, some of language just didn’t seem to fit with the story or the time period. At times it was a little brash. However, like I said this was only a minor issue for me, the location made up for it in my opinion.
I did find the ending slightly predictable and I didn’t enjoy this as much as ‘Eden Gardens’ also by Louise Brown. But I still enjoyed it and it was a great story to escape with.
January 10, 2022
Wow
I thought this would be another boastful book about the British Empire. I was so wrong. This is an emotional experience about all the people involved . I appreciate the history lesson and the truth.
I thought this would be another boastful book about the British Empire. I was so wrong. This is an emotional experience about all the people involved . I appreciate the history lesson and the truth.
June 19, 2017
Mooi boek
Speelt rond 1930 in India en Nepal
Speelt rond 1930 in India en Nepal
September 19, 2017
The last two chapters of th book made me feel good about the book.
March 1, 2017
A wonderful saga set in the dramatic backdrop of the Himalayas starting in India through to Nepal and Tibet in the 1930's. You can feel the isolation and beauty. A great insight into the lives of the colonists during this period. Great characters written so well to love and despise. Ellie is a fantastic woman - strong and determined and literally crosses a mountain to find her child. Some lovely light moments as in the descriptions of the Nanny and some heartbreaking ones also. I loved this book and recommend to those who enjoy historical fiction.
April 8, 2017
Thanks Headline and netgalley for this ARC.
History repeats itself but disasters do too. This novel reminds us of our responsibility to the whole world not just where we live. Love, grief, adventure, and family
History repeats itself but disasters do too. This novel reminds us of our responsibility to the whole world not just where we live. Love, grief, adventure, and family
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