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Tiger Moon
Fate brings together a talking tiger, a doomed princess, and a rascally thief in a thrilling, old-fashioned tale from an exciting, internationally acclaimed new talent.
How does a story of India begin?
Does it begin with the three rivers—the Ganges, the Yamuna, the unseen Sarasvati pouring her dreaming waters down from the snowy mountains to the hot, dry plain?
Like other great storytellers of India, newcomer Antonia Michaelis weaves a tale that is grand in spirit and earthy in humor. She introduces the young thief Farhad, master of many disguises but not of his own heart, who, with the help of a sarcastic tiger, must save a Hindu princess from marriage to a demon king. It is the unlikely friendship between boy and tiger, and the sacrifice their journey demands, that is the soul of this lushly told, beautifully felt novel.
How does a story of India begin?
Does it begin with the three rivers—the Ganges, the Yamuna, the unseen Sarasvati pouring her dreaming waters down from the snowy mountains to the hot, dry plain?
Like other great storytellers of India, newcomer Antonia Michaelis weaves a tale that is grand in spirit and earthy in humor. She introduces the young thief Farhad, master of many disguises but not of his own heart, who, with the help of a sarcastic tiger, must save a Hindu princess from marriage to a demon king. It is the unlikely friendship between boy and tiger, and the sacrifice their journey demands, that is the soul of this lushly told, beautifully felt novel.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2005
20 people are currently reading
1262 people want to read
About the author
Antonia Michaelis
129 books325 followersAntonia Michaelis has lived and taught in India. She is the author of several award-winning books published in her native language German.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews
May 16, 2012
Original review posted on The Book Smugglers
Warning: this review contains spoilers, SmuggleRAGE and Caps Lock of Fury
Trigger warning: rape
Set in magical India, Tiger Moon pays homage to Arabian Nights and Scheherazade by featuring a story within a story. Raka, a young bride married against her will to a powerful merchant who will surely kill her once he discovers she is not a virgin, tells a tale of rescue to a young servant boy (a eunuch, who is not actually a eunuch) called Lalit. She tells the story of another young boy called Farhad, a brilliant thief and reluctant hero who is engaged by the God Krishna to rescue his kidnapped daughter from a demon King. With the help of a talking white tiger, Farhad must cross India in search of an infamous, cursed jewel who will buy the princess’ freedom. Raka hopes that the story of how the reluctant hero Farhad becomes a sacrificing, courageous hero will inspire Lalit to summon the hero within in order to rescue her from certain doom.
At first glance Tiger Moon seems to be an innocuous read for children – it features a talking tiger, a sweeping adventure across the magical country of India with near-deaths, daring escapes and tales of love and hope. Plus a talking tiger whose funny banter with Farhad might just be the one good thing about Tiger Moon. But once you start peeling back its layers and carefully examine the narrative, the topics the story addresses, the meta-text and the way the story wraps up, the result is simply rage-inducing.
I don’t even know where to start: perhaps with the most obvious problem I had with the book. The narrative voice is extremely simplistic and childish. The feeling I had was that this oversimplification had a double objective: to make it accessible to children and to add a fairytale feel to the story. I think it backfired in many ways. I don’t believe in pandering to children and oversimplifying a story tends to lead to generalisations (more on that later) and therefore removing complexity from the story (please note: there is a difference between simple and simplistic. Narrative and writing can be simple and still extremely complex). This also means that the narrative voice was very childish and the characters sound very, very young to the point where I felt I was reading a book about 11 year old characters. Obviously this is not a problem per se, but the characters were much older than that and when they started getting married and having sex, it was extremely jarring as I had pictured them as children. It doesn’t help that for the vast majority of the story, the main characters are addressed as “boy” and “girl”.
That said here is a caveat: the original book was written in German and then translated into English. I don’t know how much of the prose was lost in translation.
But moving on to more important issues.
You will probably have noticed how I italicised the word magical twice so far in this review when in conjunction with “India”. There is an element of exoticising (did I just make this word up?) India that drove me UP THE WALL. Tiger Moon is professed to be a bewitching story set in magical India and from the get go the story is peppered with generalisations, words and descriptions that show how exotic, magical and chaotic India is. Incredibly offensive things like:
“Life is worth so little in India”
“In India, all stories are outlandish”
“Life in itself isn’t valued highly in India”
are presented as truths to the reader. N. K. Jemisin wrote a brilliant article for the blog a few weeks ago addressing this very issue and the following passage exemplifies exactly the problem I had with Tiger Moon:
"Calling something exotic emphasizes its distance from the reader. We don’t refer to things as exotic if we think of them as ordinary. We call something exotic if it’s so different that we see no way to emulate it or understand how it came to be. We call someone exotic if we aren’t especially interested in viewing them as people — just as objects representing their culture."
Also worth of mention and on the point: two roundtable articles published this very week at The World SF Blog in which a group of non-westerners authors and bloggers discuss (among other subjects) the issue of “what are the problematics of some Western writers tackling non-Western settings for their novels, and do they result in exoticism?” . These are quite a propos of this review and fascinating. But note: I want to make it clear that I have absolutely nothing against Western authors writing about non-western cultures. But you have got to be way more careful than the generalist, appropriative tone of Tiger Moon.
But back to the review. You know what else? The exoticism of India doesn’t even MAKE SENSE IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS NOVEL. Because the vast majority of this story is being narrated by an Indian girl to an Indian boy. WHY, in the world, would two Indian people be describing India as though they don’t know their own country?
Which brings me to my final point and the climax of the novel. This is where things get REALLY spoilery and SHOUTY. Up until the last 15 pages of this novel, I was offended and angry, already knowing this was going to be a negative review for the reasons stated above.
The final pages of Tiger Moon took it into full-on WALL-BANGER, ENRAGING, I-need-to-find-Picard’s-screencap-now territory.
The book has 448 pages. On page 433, Raka, the main character is SURPRISE! RAPED by her husband. But this is ok because she is rescued immediately after by Lalit, who is now a hero and it all magically disappears as they ride into the horizon together. There is NO reaction, repercussion, mention, NOTHING about the rape. Nothing. It is like it never happened merely ONE SECOND before they take off. It is completely gratuitous and STUPID and demeaning, it serves the story no purpose whatsoever because it has NO IMPACT on the character. It is problematic because it is gratuitous, it is even more problematic because the story and characters never address it. It made me sick.
Not to mention that the whole book ostensibly pays homage to Scheherazade. But in the end, the whole point of the story is to make the BOY become a man in order to rescue the girl and all the talk about being a “hero within” applies only to the BOYS. Obviously. Because GOD FORBID the girl be the heroine of HER OWN STORY. To the point where the hero is described as a MAN in the end because he has grown so much whereas Raka, the main character and narrator of the story who was once described as strong and fearless, remains a girl and diminishes and lets him FINISH HER STORY. How can you pay homage to Scherezade and miss the CRUCIAL POINT of her being THE INSTRUMENT OF HER OWN SALVATION?
I wish I were making this shit up.
Warning: this review contains spoilers, SmuggleRAGE and Caps Lock of Fury
Trigger warning: rape
Set in magical India, Tiger Moon pays homage to Arabian Nights and Scheherazade by featuring a story within a story. Raka, a young bride married against her will to a powerful merchant who will surely kill her once he discovers she is not a virgin, tells a tale of rescue to a young servant boy (a eunuch, who is not actually a eunuch) called Lalit. She tells the story of another young boy called Farhad, a brilliant thief and reluctant hero who is engaged by the God Krishna to rescue his kidnapped daughter from a demon King. With the help of a talking white tiger, Farhad must cross India in search of an infamous, cursed jewel who will buy the princess’ freedom. Raka hopes that the story of how the reluctant hero Farhad becomes a sacrificing, courageous hero will inspire Lalit to summon the hero within in order to rescue her from certain doom.
At first glance Tiger Moon seems to be an innocuous read for children – it features a talking tiger, a sweeping adventure across the magical country of India with near-deaths, daring escapes and tales of love and hope. Plus a talking tiger whose funny banter with Farhad might just be the one good thing about Tiger Moon. But once you start peeling back its layers and carefully examine the narrative, the topics the story addresses, the meta-text and the way the story wraps up, the result is simply rage-inducing.
I don’t even know where to start: perhaps with the most obvious problem I had with the book. The narrative voice is extremely simplistic and childish. The feeling I had was that this oversimplification had a double objective: to make it accessible to children and to add a fairytale feel to the story. I think it backfired in many ways. I don’t believe in pandering to children and oversimplifying a story tends to lead to generalisations (more on that later) and therefore removing complexity from the story (please note: there is a difference between simple and simplistic. Narrative and writing can be simple and still extremely complex). This also means that the narrative voice was very childish and the characters sound very, very young to the point where I felt I was reading a book about 11 year old characters. Obviously this is not a problem per se, but the characters were much older than that and when they started getting married and having sex, it was extremely jarring as I had pictured them as children. It doesn’t help that for the vast majority of the story, the main characters are addressed as “boy” and “girl”.
That said here is a caveat: the original book was written in German and then translated into English. I don’t know how much of the prose was lost in translation.
But moving on to more important issues.
You will probably have noticed how I italicised the word magical twice so far in this review when in conjunction with “India”. There is an element of exoticising (did I just make this word up?) India that drove me UP THE WALL. Tiger Moon is professed to be a bewitching story set in magical India and from the get go the story is peppered with generalisations, words and descriptions that show how exotic, magical and chaotic India is. Incredibly offensive things like:
“Life is worth so little in India”
“In India, all stories are outlandish”
“Life in itself isn’t valued highly in India”
are presented as truths to the reader. N. K. Jemisin wrote a brilliant article for the blog a few weeks ago addressing this very issue and the following passage exemplifies exactly the problem I had with Tiger Moon:
"Calling something exotic emphasizes its distance from the reader. We don’t refer to things as exotic if we think of them as ordinary. We call something exotic if it’s so different that we see no way to emulate it or understand how it came to be. We call someone exotic if we aren’t especially interested in viewing them as people — just as objects representing their culture."
Also worth of mention and on the point: two roundtable articles published this very week at The World SF Blog in which a group of non-westerners authors and bloggers discuss (among other subjects) the issue of “what are the problematics of some Western writers tackling non-Western settings for their novels, and do they result in exoticism?” . These are quite a propos of this review and fascinating. But note: I want to make it clear that I have absolutely nothing against Western authors writing about non-western cultures. But you have got to be way more careful than the generalist, appropriative tone of Tiger Moon.
But back to the review. You know what else? The exoticism of India doesn’t even MAKE SENSE IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS NOVEL. Because the vast majority of this story is being narrated by an Indian girl to an Indian boy. WHY, in the world, would two Indian people be describing India as though they don’t know their own country?
Which brings me to my final point and the climax of the novel. This is where things get REALLY spoilery and SHOUTY. Up until the last 15 pages of this novel, I was offended and angry, already knowing this was going to be a negative review for the reasons stated above.
The final pages of Tiger Moon took it into full-on WALL-BANGER, ENRAGING, I-need-to-find-Picard’s-screencap-now territory.
The book has 448 pages. On page 433, Raka, the main character is SURPRISE! RAPED by her husband. But this is ok because she is rescued immediately after by Lalit, who is now a hero and it all magically disappears as they ride into the horizon together. There is NO reaction, repercussion, mention, NOTHING about the rape. Nothing. It is like it never happened merely ONE SECOND before they take off. It is completely gratuitous and STUPID and demeaning, it serves the story no purpose whatsoever because it has NO IMPACT on the character. It is problematic because it is gratuitous, it is even more problematic because the story and characters never address it. It made me sick.
Not to mention that the whole book ostensibly pays homage to Scheherazade. But in the end, the whole point of the story is to make the BOY become a man in order to rescue the girl and all the talk about being a “hero within” applies only to the BOYS. Obviously. Because GOD FORBID the girl be the heroine of HER OWN STORY. To the point where the hero is described as a MAN in the end because he has grown so much whereas Raka, the main character and narrator of the story who was once described as strong and fearless, remains a girl and diminishes and lets him FINISH HER STORY. How can you pay homage to Scherezade and miss the CRUCIAL POINT of her being THE INSTRUMENT OF HER OWN SALVATION?
I wish I were making this shit up.
February 4, 2018
"You don't understand at all. It doesn't matter what's true and what's a fairy tale. That's not what matters. The dividing lines aren't as straight and simple as you think.”
I started reading this after finishing “Life of Pi” mainly because I wanted to learn more about the culture of India and I chose well because this book took me to the place that I really wanted to be at that particular moment.
Farhad Kamal, is a thief who was forced by the Hindu god Krishna to take a journey and save a princess, along the way he changed and became someone that he never envisioned himself to be and did I mention that he rode with a mythical white tiger who could turn into a stone/statue along the way? Cause he definitely did.
This is one of those cases where a book was good but is really underrated and I really enjoyed every bit of it, despite the fact that the writing style and the plot itself wasn’t perfect, the journey and the characters are really good plus the educational tour in India along the way. I like the way things ended and it gives me a nostalgic feeling every time I think of it and I had goosebumps all over me after closing the book. I just hope that more people will find their way into this wonderful story of heroism and heist.
May 17, 2012
shitlisted
tiger moon is professed to be a bewitching story set in magical india and from the get go the story is peppered with generalisations, words and descriptions that show how exotic, magical and chaotic india is.
“life is worth so little in india”
“in india, all stories are outlandish”
“life in itself isn’t valued highly in india”
the book has 448 pages. on page 433, raka, the main character is [..] raped by her husband. but this is ok because she is rescued immediately after by lalit, who is now a hero and it all magically disappears as they ride into the horizon together. there is no reaction, repercussion, mention, nothing about the rape. nothing. [..] it is completely gratuitous and [..] demeaning, it serves the story no purpose whatsoever because it has no impact on the character. it is problematic because it is gratuitous, it is even more problematic because the story and characters never address it.
[ booksmugglers | ana ]
September 7, 2016
Never heard of Tiger Moon? I hadn't, either. After finding myself thoroughly frustrated by listening to glowing online reviews (only to find that I didn't agree with the reviewers' conclusions at all), I went to our local children's bookstore to see if the salespeople there could recommend anything I might enjoy. I specifically asked for something that was well written. One of the women working there handed me this book and said it was one of her favourites. I'd never even heard the title before, but after hearing what it was about, I was intrigued.
An Indian girl named Raka finds herself sold to Ahmed Mudhi, a wealthy merchant, to be his eighth wife. The problem is, she's not a virgin, and when Ahmed Mudhi finds out, he will surely kill her. Raka spends her remaining nights telling a story to a friendly eunuch named Lalit, a fairy tale about a young thief and his white tiger on a journey to rescue a princess from her demon captor. Fantasy and reality slowly intertwine to create a tale about heroes, courage, love, and the power of stories.
I have to admit, I was a little wary going into this one because it was a translation. I'd tried reading Cornelia Funke's Inkheart years ago, and couldn't really get into it. I thought that might be because of the translation. This book was translated by the same person, so you can understand my trepidation. But perhaps it was Funke's storytelling that wasn't for me, because I didn't have any problems with the language in Tiger Moon. It didn't feel like it hadn't been written in English in the first place. The writing was beautiful and very evocative, bringing India in the early 1900s to life. I felt so immersed in the setting... the smells, the sights, the sounds. Reading this book was almost like taking a trip to another time and place (and that hasn't happened to me for a while).
The pace was excellent. The book never dragged. I wasn't as interested in Raka and Lalit's story at first, but those bits were shorter and to the point. Raka's Scheherazade-like storytelling chapters were far more interesting. That was probably due to the characters. I loved the characters in this book. They were interesting, unique, and totally different from anything I've come across in YA fiction lately. My favourite character was probably Nitish, the sacred white tiger with the talking blue eyes. Many heroes have a white horse... but Farhad got to ride a great white cat. Nitish was Farhad's constant companion throughout their journey to rescue the princess, and his observations (and insecurities) about the world were delightfully entertaining.
I have to mention the book design here. It is a beautiful book, even in paperback. The girl on the cover accurately reflects the girl in the story (no whitewashing here). The inside pages are also very pretty. The page numbers are ornamented and are placed halfway down the page, and the section breaks are decorated with Indian-themed designs. So lovely!
There were some mature themes in Tiger Moon, such as virginity and sex, so this definitely falls squarely in the young adult category. This book might also not be for the squeamish, as there are some vivid descriptions of Hindu funeral rites and cremation. But, overall, it was a great story that was well written, with characters you won't soon forget, and with just enough unanswered questions to make you keep thinking about the story long after you've finished.
http://theladybugreads.blogspot.ca/20...
An Indian girl named Raka finds herself sold to Ahmed Mudhi, a wealthy merchant, to be his eighth wife. The problem is, she's not a virgin, and when Ahmed Mudhi finds out, he will surely kill her. Raka spends her remaining nights telling a story to a friendly eunuch named Lalit, a fairy tale about a young thief and his white tiger on a journey to rescue a princess from her demon captor. Fantasy and reality slowly intertwine to create a tale about heroes, courage, love, and the power of stories.
I have to admit, I was a little wary going into this one because it was a translation. I'd tried reading Cornelia Funke's Inkheart years ago, and couldn't really get into it. I thought that might be because of the translation. This book was translated by the same person, so you can understand my trepidation. But perhaps it was Funke's storytelling that wasn't for me, because I didn't have any problems with the language in Tiger Moon. It didn't feel like it hadn't been written in English in the first place. The writing was beautiful and very evocative, bringing India in the early 1900s to life. I felt so immersed in the setting... the smells, the sights, the sounds. Reading this book was almost like taking a trip to another time and place (and that hasn't happened to me for a while).
The pace was excellent. The book never dragged. I wasn't as interested in Raka and Lalit's story at first, but those bits were shorter and to the point. Raka's Scheherazade-like storytelling chapters were far more interesting. That was probably due to the characters. I loved the characters in this book. They were interesting, unique, and totally different from anything I've come across in YA fiction lately. My favourite character was probably Nitish, the sacred white tiger with the talking blue eyes. Many heroes have a white horse... but Farhad got to ride a great white cat. Nitish was Farhad's constant companion throughout their journey to rescue the princess, and his observations (and insecurities) about the world were delightfully entertaining.
I have to mention the book design here. It is a beautiful book, even in paperback. The girl on the cover accurately reflects the girl in the story (no whitewashing here). The inside pages are also very pretty. The page numbers are ornamented and are placed halfway down the page, and the section breaks are decorated with Indian-themed designs. So lovely!
There were some mature themes in Tiger Moon, such as virginity and sex, so this definitely falls squarely in the young adult category. This book might also not be for the squeamish, as there are some vivid descriptions of Hindu funeral rites and cremation. But, overall, it was a great story that was well written, with characters you won't soon forget, and with just enough unanswered questions to make you keep thinking about the story long after you've finished.
http://theladybugreads.blogspot.ca/20...
February 16, 2021
A beautiful young girl is sold into marriage with a cruel sheik and carried away from her beloved desert. Waiting to be killed when he discovers that she is not a virgin, Raka tells her young eunuch the story of a poor thief who must rescue Krishna's daughter from a demon who wants to marry her.
The cover is a bit misleading, as the character is supposed to be older -- in fact, there is some casual sex which I wasn't expecting from a YA book.
I wavered between 3 and 4 stars on this one but decided on 3 because of some elements of the end of the story that I was unhappy with.
The cover is a bit misleading, as the character is supposed to be older -- in fact, there is some casual sex which I wasn't expecting from a YA book.
I wavered between 3 and 4 stars on this one but decided on 3 because of some elements of the end of the story that I was unhappy with.
December 20, 2013
I loved this book! LOVED LOVED LOVED it. The writing was immensely beautiful. I won't use this space to describe the plot, I will just use it to list the quotes that melted my heart. If you could see my book, I have little napkin pieces marking my favorite pages throughout the book. It looks like my book had a cold with as many tissues and napkins sticking out of its openings.
"She was different from all the women Lalit knew. She cast her eyes down like a timid girl, but when he met her gaze for the first time, those same eyes gave him a shock. There was a glow in them, and a hissing, like drops of water falling into fire." pg. 14
"She cast her eyes down so as not to scorch her patient listener with the fire in them, and began her story." pg. 20
"He slept a refreshing, light, and dreamless sleep -- a sleep as blue as air."
"'He doesn't look at all like a hero,' said the young women, pulling their scarves over their faces when the stranger rode by. Not to protect themselves from the dust, and not to hide their beauty. Farhad knew they were hiding behind veils to preserve the illusion of beauty. The newcomer, who hadn't seen all those hooked noses and crooked teeth, could imagine them as perfect. He knew all about the tricks women played." pg. 94
"The day was blue. As blue as melancholy. A vague sadness weighed down on it, and fell on Raka's slender shoulders." pg. 156
"The first drops were joined by countless others, and, seconds later, water was cascading from the clouds as if someone had turned the ocean upside down and emptied it over the earth." pg. 171
"Farhad made himself go slowly through the water. If he tried to run, he'd scare the water, as Nitish would put it, and the talkative water would tell everyone he was running away." pg. 207
"The cows of India are sacred, but that doesn't mean that anyone feeds them. They wander city streets, live on garbage, and after a while they starve to death in a very sacred way." pg. 212
"The fire was spreading and, to the tiger's horror, it was growing. It was here, there, and everywhere. He tried to tread on it, but it bit his paw. He withdrew the paw and licked it in confusion." pg. 289-290
"Her lips were not like rose petals, not like silk and velvet, not like the tender colors of dawn over the desert, or like the breath of the evening wind.
"Her lips were as rough as her hands, rough from the desert sand.
"Lips like the storm that blinds you among the dunes, like the desert's unbearable heat, like the trunks of palm trees in the oases, like the blazing sun at noon, like the sky just before it darkens with the rain that so seldom comes.
"Raka did not withdraw.
"Lalit tasted all the colors of India in her mouth." pg. 302
"He put out the fire on his head, but the next moment he saw the fire climb down the shed. Now it began eating its way forward across the field like a greedy caterpillar." pg. 318
"'I'm not just any old tiger,' he replied. 'I'm a sacred tiger. The gods made me to run races with the wind. And you found me because it was my fate to carry you. Are you trying to tell me there's such a thing as coincidence in the world?'" pg. 357
"He took Farhad's shirt in his teeth, hauled him to his feet, and the storm attacked them again with all its might. But now they had a purpose. And even in a sandstorm, it's difficult to stop someone with a purpose." pg. 382
"Lalit and Lagan
Indian love is always taboo,
and smells of cardamom.
It tastes of chili, of spices, too.
Come, it says softly, come.
Indian love is red as rage
and deep, deep blue as sorrow.
It is not easy, it is not kind,
it may not see tomorrow.
In Indian gardens, Indian love
rustles like leaves in the wind.
And should two lovers in that grove
be both of the same mind,
the wind will have this tale to tell
of longing, grief, and death;
They loved not wisely but too well
they loved to their last breath." pg. 412
"She slipped out of Lalit's embrace like a fish." pg. 415
"As usual, everyone else was stronger than him. He had learned to serve, to obey, to avoid trouble, and no one had ever taught him to rebel. because there was no point in it, he told himself. Because rebels always lost out in the end." pg. 416
"'She is beautiful,' he whispered. 'Much more beautiful than in the picture in your amulet. But there's nothing soft and yielding about her beauty. She is wild as the desert, brave as a tiger, lonely as the sun, and timorous as the rain.'" pg. 423
"Lagan opened the door to the garden, and Raka went out into it one last time. the fragrance of the nocturnal flowers mingled with the moonlight, weaving invisible fabric to clothe her naked body." pg. 440
There are still so many more beautiful passages to quote. It is really a very well-written lovely book. It is perfect in its imperfection. This isn't a book that follows a formula to be sure.
"And so this story ends as it began.
"In chaos.
"In India." pg. 438
"She was different from all the women Lalit knew. She cast her eyes down like a timid girl, but when he met her gaze for the first time, those same eyes gave him a shock. There was a glow in them, and a hissing, like drops of water falling into fire." pg. 14
"She cast her eyes down so as not to scorch her patient listener with the fire in them, and began her story." pg. 20
"He slept a refreshing, light, and dreamless sleep -- a sleep as blue as air."
"'He doesn't look at all like a hero,' said the young women, pulling their scarves over their faces when the stranger rode by. Not to protect themselves from the dust, and not to hide their beauty. Farhad knew they were hiding behind veils to preserve the illusion of beauty. The newcomer, who hadn't seen all those hooked noses and crooked teeth, could imagine them as perfect. He knew all about the tricks women played." pg. 94
"The day was blue. As blue as melancholy. A vague sadness weighed down on it, and fell on Raka's slender shoulders." pg. 156
"The first drops were joined by countless others, and, seconds later, water was cascading from the clouds as if someone had turned the ocean upside down and emptied it over the earth." pg. 171
"Farhad made himself go slowly through the water. If he tried to run, he'd scare the water, as Nitish would put it, and the talkative water would tell everyone he was running away." pg. 207
"The cows of India are sacred, but that doesn't mean that anyone feeds them. They wander city streets, live on garbage, and after a while they starve to death in a very sacred way." pg. 212
"The fire was spreading and, to the tiger's horror, it was growing. It was here, there, and everywhere. He tried to tread on it, but it bit his paw. He withdrew the paw and licked it in confusion." pg. 289-290
"Her lips were not like rose petals, not like silk and velvet, not like the tender colors of dawn over the desert, or like the breath of the evening wind.
"Her lips were as rough as her hands, rough from the desert sand.
"Lips like the storm that blinds you among the dunes, like the desert's unbearable heat, like the trunks of palm trees in the oases, like the blazing sun at noon, like the sky just before it darkens with the rain that so seldom comes.
"Raka did not withdraw.
"Lalit tasted all the colors of India in her mouth." pg. 302
"He put out the fire on his head, but the next moment he saw the fire climb down the shed. Now it began eating its way forward across the field like a greedy caterpillar." pg. 318
"'I'm not just any old tiger,' he replied. 'I'm a sacred tiger. The gods made me to run races with the wind. And you found me because it was my fate to carry you. Are you trying to tell me there's such a thing as coincidence in the world?'" pg. 357
"He took Farhad's shirt in his teeth, hauled him to his feet, and the storm attacked them again with all its might. But now they had a purpose. And even in a sandstorm, it's difficult to stop someone with a purpose." pg. 382
"Lalit and Lagan
Indian love is always taboo,
and smells of cardamom.
It tastes of chili, of spices, too.
Come, it says softly, come.
Indian love is red as rage
and deep, deep blue as sorrow.
It is not easy, it is not kind,
it may not see tomorrow.
In Indian gardens, Indian love
rustles like leaves in the wind.
And should two lovers in that grove
be both of the same mind,
the wind will have this tale to tell
of longing, grief, and death;
They loved not wisely but too well
they loved to their last breath." pg. 412
"She slipped out of Lalit's embrace like a fish." pg. 415
"As usual, everyone else was stronger than him. He had learned to serve, to obey, to avoid trouble, and no one had ever taught him to rebel. because there was no point in it, he told himself. Because rebels always lost out in the end." pg. 416
"'She is beautiful,' he whispered. 'Much more beautiful than in the picture in your amulet. But there's nothing soft and yielding about her beauty. She is wild as the desert, brave as a tiger, lonely as the sun, and timorous as the rain.'" pg. 423
"Lagan opened the door to the garden, and Raka went out into it one last time. the fragrance of the nocturnal flowers mingled with the moonlight, weaving invisible fabric to clothe her naked body." pg. 440
There are still so many more beautiful passages to quote. It is really a very well-written lovely book. It is perfect in its imperfection. This isn't a book that follows a formula to be sure.
"And so this story ends as it began.
"In chaos.
"In India." pg. 438
November 8, 2016
How does a story about India begin? Does it begin with the three great rivers? The Ganges, The Yamuna, the unseen Sarasvati pouring her dreaming waters down from the snowy mountains to the hot, dry plain. .. With a leap right into the midst of chaos? Yes, that is how it should begin.
UM !! UNDERRATED BOOK ALERT
This story sucks you in right from the beginning. The descriptions of India are beautiful, and rich. You are truly transported into India and feel as if you're travelling alongside the heroes on their travels.
Tiger Moon is about a young girl, Raka, who is bought as a wife to a rich merchant. She meets a young eunuch, Lagan, who is a Hindu just like she is. She decides to tell him a Hindu story, the story of a thief called, Farhad Kamal who accidentally steals the amulet of the Hindu God, Krishna. Krishna sends Farhad on a quest, to save his daughter who's been kidnapped by the Demon King, Ravana. And so Farhad, accompanied by a sarcastic white sacred tiger called Nitish travels across India to find and rescue the princess.
The two stories, that of Farhad and Nitish and Raka and Lagan intertwine in the most glorious fashion. It is the intertwining of these stories that really made me fall in love with this book.
I loved that this book was so different to so much other YA on the market. I mean, first of all, its set in India, instead of New York. The incorporation of Indian culture, and Hindu religion is so beautiful and melds with the story so perfectly. I was drawn in by the culture and the vibe of the book.
Her lips were not like rose petals, not like silk and velvet, not like the tender colors of dawn over the desert, or like the breath of the evening wind.
Her lips were rough as her hands, rough from the desert sand.
Lips like the storm that blinds you among the dunes, like the desert’s unbearable heat, like the trunks of palm trees in the oases, like the blasting sun at noon, like the sky just before it darkens with the rain that so seldom comes.”
And scenes like this!! So unlike all the other YA kissing I've read. The romance in the book was not too overstated. It was sweet, and I really enjoyed it. The writing is absolutely beautiful
The characters were refreshing too. Farhad, was my favourite. Quickly followed by Nitish. I loved Farhad's growth throughout the book. I loved that he was both cheeky, and compassionate. He was clever and quick-witted, but a good person and a great adventurer. I didn't expect to fall so in love with a white tiger but I did. I loved that Nitish was so brave. He was sarcastic and dramatic and the dynamic between he and Farhad was so great.
Raka isn't in the story as much, but I adored her. She was an amazing female character I enjoyed reading her so much. I also loved Lagan.
Other female characters, such as Eleanor and Sita were also strong and clever. I especially loved Sita, who was so spunky and heroic.
The ending of this book is really controversial, for obvious reasons. And while I understand alot of resentment generated because of the ending, I liked that thing weren't wrapped up completely perfectly. I felt like the events were aligned with the context of the book (It is set in British India, right in the heart of imperialism in India) I felt like the book had a really bittersweet ending, and I loved it. I loved how the stories came together and intertwined.
This story is one of the most unique and absorbing I've read in a long time. You are completely sucked into Farhad's story and the landscape he journeys across. From the roaring banks of the Ganges, to the desert oasis you feel as if you're standing in India right beside him. This book was truly one of a kind, I think everyone should pick it up.
REASONS TO READ TIGER MOON
→ Unique and under explored setting (India) too often written about in YA
→ An talking, sarcastic tiger that's like my favourite character
→ Diverse ! Characters ! bye bye white people. Where are they ?? they're not here.
→ Characters are Hindu and Buddhist and Muslim which is unusual for ya lit !
→ A story within a story.
→ A cute romance that's not overdone
→ The writing is beautiful and so absorbing
→ Fast paced, funny and just like actually a really fun story
→ GENUINELY sad and traumatic at times. Broke my heart but that's good okay
→ Honestly just doesn't have many reviews and needs more exposure
May 8, 2012
{This review originally appeared on Clear Eyes, Full Shelves.}
Tiger Moon, Antonia Michaelis's beautifully written tale of two intertwining stories of hope, despair, love and friendship glows as well with each turn of the page. The book is filled with mystical images laced with magical realism which guide the reader into a world of sacrifice and heroism.
Safia, the stunningly beautiful daughter of an impoverished high-caste father is sold to a wealthy beast of a man who covets both her virginity and her beauty--her beauty comes to the marriage intact, but not her virginity. Safia, the eighth wife, is no more to him than a lovely possession with an essential requirement of chastity. She knows that when her beastly betrothed consummates the marriage, he will learn the truth, which will result in her certain death.
Fortunately for Safia, her husband becomes ill and must wait to consummate his desire. She passes her days waiting for her death while spinning a tale for a young eunuch, a tale of Farhad who will surely save her. Time passes with fable and truth intertwining to create a dream-like world where truth and understanding transcend all obstacles
A huge white tiger with blue eyes whose name is Nitish (meaning Lord of the Right Way) gallops about the Indian desert with Farhad (which means Lotus Blossom) upon his back in search of the rare and much valued bloodstone that's the size of a pigeon egg. Nitish's leaps span the bends of a river soaring as high as the tops of giant bamboo. The earth glows red where his paws touch the ground. Farhad carries the name of Lotus Blossom as both a blessing and a heavy yoke upon his shoulders.
The young thief and trickster has never cared for anyone but himself, neither emotionally or physically. When he finds a silver amulet containing Safia's image in a lotus flower, his destiny lies before him like a mirage in the desert, always there but not close enough to touch. The lotus blossom grows from the mud pure and clean. Its strength encourages people to strive through the greatest of difficulties to bring beauty and light from the depths of murky darkness. Its stalk bends easily but holds its power and will not break. Farhad, Lotus Blossom, wears this amulet throughout a heroic journey fated to a bittersweet end.As he has never cared for others, finding himself seeking redemption for the lovely Safia, protecting the white lion and caring for a small child. Farhad is both inspired and frightened by these newly-minted emotions.
But, loving others has a downside.
Nitish must be protected from water. Farhad sits by his side all night waiting for the rain to cease. When he steps outside the next morning he sees,
The rascal who becomes a hero ferrets out the rare and valuable gem, a bloodstone the size of a pigeon egg worth untold riches, one that has turned a pure dazzling red.
Bloodstones are green with distinct red spots. Lore grew from their unique color. The spots resembled splatters of blood, so Christian cultures believed that the stone could stop bleeding and others that it was formed from the blood of Christ. Legend grew, proclaiming it could bring about change, protect its owner from the evil eye and heralded it as a symbol of justice. Remarkable power to fight evil, prevent jealousy and bring good fortune belong on its resume as well.
If it turns blood-red, it signals impending danger.
If Farhad could find and locate this blood-red gem and deliver it to the doomed bride before her wedding night, he could buy her freedom thus saving her from death. Securing the bloodstone also signifies,
Michaelis's writing flows like a soft breeze spinning me into its lovely images.
Its mystical qualities and beautiful language stay with me long after the book returns to its shelf. Safia's poignant story-telling embellished refines the prose into poetic beauty.
Tiger Moon is as...
It's a beautiful story written for lovers of language who revel in poetry written as prose. It's about a reluctant hero who finds his power like a lotus blossom that bends but will not break, a hero with a task to perform who rises from the mud becoming a beautiful blossom imbued with power and strength.
While reading Tiger Moon, I couldn't help but compare its magical realism which bends reality a way reminiscent of Salvadore Dali's famous surrealist painting, The Persistence of Memory--only in this lovely novel, these elements blend into an emotional landscape dappled with the people, places and spiritual beliefs of India.
And the heart of the hero who wasn't a hero felt both light and heavy.
Tiger Moon, Antonia Michaelis's beautifully written tale of two intertwining stories of hope, despair, love and friendship glows as well with each turn of the page. The book is filled with mystical images laced with magical realism which guide the reader into a world of sacrifice and heroism.
Safia, the stunningly beautiful daughter of an impoverished high-caste father is sold to a wealthy beast of a man who covets both her virginity and her beauty--her beauty comes to the marriage intact, but not her virginity. Safia, the eighth wife, is no more to him than a lovely possession with an essential requirement of chastity. She knows that when her beastly betrothed consummates the marriage, he will learn the truth, which will result in her certain death.
Fortunately for Safia, her husband becomes ill and must wait to consummate his desire. She passes her days waiting for her death while spinning a tale for a young eunuch, a tale of Farhad who will surely save her. Time passes with fable and truth intertwining to create a dream-like world where truth and understanding transcend all obstacles
A huge white tiger with blue eyes whose name is Nitish (meaning Lord of the Right Way) gallops about the Indian desert with Farhad (which means Lotus Blossom) upon his back in search of the rare and much valued bloodstone that's the size of a pigeon egg. Nitish's leaps span the bends of a river soaring as high as the tops of giant bamboo. The earth glows red where his paws touch the ground. Farhad carries the name of Lotus Blossom as both a blessing and a heavy yoke upon his shoulders.
The young thief and trickster has never cared for anyone but himself, neither emotionally or physically. When he finds a silver amulet containing Safia's image in a lotus flower, his destiny lies before him like a mirage in the desert, always there but not close enough to touch. The lotus blossom grows from the mud pure and clean. Its strength encourages people to strive through the greatest of difficulties to bring beauty and light from the depths of murky darkness. Its stalk bends easily but holds its power and will not break. Farhad, Lotus Blossom, wears this amulet throughout a heroic journey fated to a bittersweet end.As he has never cared for others, finding himself seeking redemption for the lovely Safia, protecting the white lion and caring for a small child. Farhad is both inspired and frightened by these newly-minted emotions.
But, loving others has a downside.
Nitish must be protected from water. Farhad sits by his side all night waiting for the rain to cease. When he steps outside the next morning he sees,
...the clouds have left behind a sky washed blue and full of birdsong.
The rascal who becomes a hero ferrets out the rare and valuable gem, a bloodstone the size of a pigeon egg worth untold riches, one that has turned a pure dazzling red.
Bloodstones are green with distinct red spots. Lore grew from their unique color. The spots resembled splatters of blood, so Christian cultures believed that the stone could stop bleeding and others that it was formed from the blood of Christ. Legend grew, proclaiming it could bring about change, protect its owner from the evil eye and heralded it as a symbol of justice. Remarkable power to fight evil, prevent jealousy and bring good fortune belong on its resume as well.
If it turns blood-red, it signals impending danger.
If Farhad could find and locate this blood-red gem and deliver it to the doomed bride before her wedding night, he could buy her freedom thus saving her from death. Securing the bloodstone also signifies,
He had something terrible with him, but he did not believe it was terrible.
Michaelis's writing flows like a soft breeze spinning me into its lovely images.
Its mystical qualities and beautiful language stay with me long after the book returns to its shelf. Safia's poignant story-telling embellished refines the prose into poetic beauty.
Fields reach out to the sky with longing… water cascades from the clouds as if the ocean turned upside down… a bodhi tree stretches against the sky like a ghostly creature with outstretched arms and hands full of leaves.
Tiger Moon is as...
...wild as the desert, brave as a tiger, lonely as the sun, and timorous as the rain.
It's a beautiful story written for lovers of language who revel in poetry written as prose. It's about a reluctant hero who finds his power like a lotus blossom that bends but will not break, a hero with a task to perform who rises from the mud becoming a beautiful blossom imbued with power and strength.
While reading Tiger Moon, I couldn't help but compare its magical realism which bends reality a way reminiscent of Salvadore Dali's famous surrealist painting, The Persistence of Memory--only in this lovely novel, these elements blend into an emotional landscape dappled with the people, places and spiritual beliefs of India.
Read
January 4, 2022Bisher mochte ich alle Bücher von ihr sehr!
Gerade die Atmosphäre ist immer so besonders, so surreal und hat was faszinierendes... vielleicht liegt es daran, dass es hier doch eher ein Kinderbuch ist. Auch hier spürt man die Atmosphäre, ähnlich wie bei 1001 Nacht, aber es hat mich leider nicht so wirklich packen können.
Ich hab nach 100 Seiten abgebrochen
Gerade die Atmosphäre ist immer so besonders, so surreal und hat was faszinierendes... vielleicht liegt es daran, dass es hier doch eher ein Kinderbuch ist. Auch hier spürt man die Atmosphäre, ähnlich wie bei 1001 Nacht, aber es hat mich leider nicht so wirklich packen können.
Ich hab nach 100 Seiten abgebrochen
July 30, 2022
Before I start this review I would like to thank my bestie Audrey for letting me borrow this book <3
Now this book is just what I needed after reading so so many depressing books in a row. This book was so light hearted and fun! I have also been looking for more books that take place in India and this just fit the criteria so well.
We follow two story lines throughout the book. One of our hero Farhad and his tiger Nitish who are on a quest to save the princess who has been kidnapped by Ravana; the demon king (which this shows similarities to the book The Ramayana where Ravana is the main antagonist in that). The other pov we follow is Safia and Lagan (who have a few name changes throughout the book). In their pov Safia is sold to someone to be his wife and is taken away from her desert home. She meets Lagan in the home she is taken to and begins to tell him the tragic story of Farhad and Nitish.
I found this book to just be perfect. The fantastical elements were amazing and really made the book. It was just so different than other fantasy novels that I have read. I also loved all the references to Hindu gods and culture throughout the book. As someone who has mostly read fantasy books that take place in european-esque worlds it was such a relief to read something different for once. I also found that last 50 or so pages to just be intoxicating and filled with actions; I just could not wait to see what happened next!
Now this book is just what I needed after reading so so many depressing books in a row. This book was so light hearted and fun! I have also been looking for more books that take place in India and this just fit the criteria so well.
We follow two story lines throughout the book. One of our hero Farhad and his tiger Nitish who are on a quest to save the princess who has been kidnapped by Ravana; the demon king (which this shows similarities to the book The Ramayana where Ravana is the main antagonist in that). The other pov we follow is Safia and Lagan (who have a few name changes throughout the book). In their pov Safia is sold to someone to be his wife and is taken away from her desert home. She meets Lagan in the home she is taken to and begins to tell him the tragic story of Farhad and Nitish.
I found this book to just be perfect. The fantastical elements were amazing and really made the book. It was just so different than other fantasy novels that I have read. I also loved all the references to Hindu gods and culture throughout the book. As someone who has mostly read fantasy books that take place in european-esque worlds it was such a relief to read something different for once. I also found that last 50 or so pages to just be intoxicating and filled with actions; I just could not wait to see what happened next!
June 29, 2009
A really neat story, that did NOT end the way I thought it would. It's almost two stories in one, but it's hard to tell where the story ends and reality begins, which is part of the charm. Farhad, the unwitting and reluctant hero of the story, is charged with trying to rescue a princess from a demon. He is aided by a sacred white tiger, a tiger with a sarcastic tongue and issues of his own. Meanwhile, in a distant land, the young bride of a tyrannical, wealthy merchant keeps her spirits up by telling a story of rescue to a house servant. It's engaging to watch Farhad and the tiger Nitish race against time against seemingly impossible odds to rescue the princess. Both grow in confidence as the story progresses. At times, this reminded me of Arabian Nights in the storytelling, although the bride's tale is one continuous story, rather than many stories. Also enjoyed the symbolism, especially with the valuable but trecherous bloodstone, which tended to cut (literally and figuratively) the hands that possessed it.
August 31, 2012
This book was beautiful, and sucked me in fairly quickly. To be honest, I wasn't sure about it when I started reading. I picked it up at the library on a whim (and because of a slight obsession with India) and I am so very glad I did. It tells the story of Safia and Lalit, both trapped in the own way, and Farhad, an unlikely and unwilling hero, accompanied by Nitish, the sacred white tiger who knows little of the world. Other characters are sprinkled in with a wonderful ease that makes the story that much more engrossing.
A lot of people are making a big deal over one of the final scenes, where Safia has given in and gone to her husband. I think a big deal wasn't made over it by the characters because we know all along that her husband is going to sleep with her. And in the time and culture that the book takes place, it's a common thing, for a man to wed a woman and consummate it whether she wants to or not. In most countries, even now, spouses can't bring charges of rape against their husband or wife. Not saying it's right, just saying that it happened.
A lot of people are making a big deal over one of the final scenes, where Safia has given in and gone to her husband. I think a big deal wasn't made over it by the characters because we know all along that her husband is going to sleep with her. And in the time and culture that the book takes place, it's a common thing, for a man to wed a woman and consummate it whether she wants to or not. In most countries, even now, spouses can't bring charges of rape against their husband or wife. Not saying it's right, just saying that it happened.
July 16, 2009
On the one hand, this was kind of a beautiful story! Fiction becomes reality, words bring life, the princess is saved, heroes are born, and all is well in the end. And it's not at all a predictable story, either, which is kind of unusual these days. BUT. The characters are likeable, not lovable. And the action is...action and not suspense. I didn't feel like I ever truly CARED about the outcome for individual characters, just for where Michaelis was going with this story--the big picture. There was just something a little bit...flat in her telling, I guess, which made the book less than what it could have been. Possibly the blame for this can be laid on the translator's shoulders, as this was originally written in German; I have no real way of knowing. I enjoyed it, but it was a long slog, and it didn't really end up touching me at all.
September 13, 2017
Good plot -> check
Evolving storyline -> check
Impressive characters -> check
This book has everything a reader asks for, but the only dealbreaker for me was: the way author handled Indian mythology.
There is part of me that found this book a little offensive. I kept shouting inside my mind, "THIS IS NOT REAL INDIA. THINGS DOESN'T HAPPEN HERE LIKE THIS." however the author always has an artistic license.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book, a lot but somewhere in the back of my mind I started to compare it with stories I knew since childhood.
I adored her writing and couldn't put the book down. The story within the story is my favorite genre now!
Evolving storyline -> check
Impressive characters -> check
This book has everything a reader asks for, but the only dealbreaker for me was: the way author handled Indian mythology.
There is part of me that found this book a little offensive. I kept shouting inside my mind, "THIS IS NOT REAL INDIA. THINGS DOESN'T HAPPEN HERE LIKE THIS." however the author always has an artistic license.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book, a lot but somewhere in the back of my mind I started to compare it with stories I knew since childhood.
I adored her writing and couldn't put the book down. The story within the story is my favorite genre now!
August 10, 2019
An engaging and entertaining tale of a would be princess, thief, magic tiger and ruthless prince. All the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of India can be found in a story that hearkens back to the original Scheherazade. Even though it seems like this would be appropriate for most youth, the end of the story has some mature content. This was originally written in German so it's been masterfully translated and I felt none of the awkwardness that can sometimes result. I highly recommend!
Read
January 15, 2025First book of the new year! I want to read more non-Western fantasy books! And also branch out from just reading East-Asian fantasy books as well. I love it when the fantasy genre gets diverse.
July 20, 2010
This book was written as an Indian epic folktale. We have an unsuspected hero who starts out as a theif and is given the mission to save Krishna's (the Hindu god of love and some other things I can't remember just now) daughter from an evil demon king. That is the story within the story because the main character, a girl from the dessert is telling this story to her future husband's servant/eunuch, which reminds me of Arabian Nights where, if i remember correctly, the new wife tells her husband, the king, a story in order to delay her execution. The circumstances are different and the way the two stories relate within the book is interesting. The story is set when the British completely controlled India and Michaelis portrays the British presence there as a source of humor or satire. The journey the hero takes was a little tiring at times, but who am I to say that's a a bad thing and it did help me understand the setting better since I know nothing about Indian geography. I think its also interesting that the author is noted to be from Germany, which doesn't mean she isn't Indian, but if she isn't Indian then as far as I know, she did a pretty good job at writing an Indian folktale. Wow, that was long.
January 20, 2023
.More reviews like this one on my blog Snapdragon Alcove
Similar to the Arabian Nights, it a story tell within a story. How the two stories of Farhad and Raka come together in the end is done remarkably well.
“You don't understand at all. It doesn't matter what's true and what's a fairy tale. That's not what matters. The dividing lines aren't as straight and simple as you think. - Raka”
― Antonia Michaelis, Tiger Moon
The writing is beautiful and takes you right in to the story. The author puts a lot of effect in describing India and its culture.
Nitish is now one of my favorite characters of all time. I want to ride on Nitish going as fast as the clouds. I love how the friendship between Nitish and Farhad form a strong bond as the story progresses. Farhad character’s growth from a cold hearted theft to a compassionate person in the end is great character devolvement.
Some of the side characters feel like their there to more the plot along. Some of them are interesting and complex during the short time there in the story. The plot is a basic hero’s journey that doesn’t end happy ever after. It is heart wreathing sad leaning more towards bitter sweet. None the less be prepared to shed a tear or two.
Similar to the Arabian Nights, it a story tell within a story. How the two stories of Farhad and Raka come together in the end is done remarkably well.
“You don't understand at all. It doesn't matter what's true and what's a fairy tale. That's not what matters. The dividing lines aren't as straight and simple as you think. - Raka”
― Antonia Michaelis, Tiger Moon
The writing is beautiful and takes you right in to the story. The author puts a lot of effect in describing India and its culture.
Nitish is now one of my favorite characters of all time. I want to ride on Nitish going as fast as the clouds. I love how the friendship between Nitish and Farhad form a strong bond as the story progresses. Farhad character’s growth from a cold hearted theft to a compassionate person in the end is great character devolvement.
Some of the side characters feel like their there to more the plot along. Some of them are interesting and complex during the short time there in the story. The plot is a basic hero’s journey that doesn’t end happy ever after. It is heart wreathing sad leaning more towards bitter sweet. None the less be prepared to shed a tear or two.
January 23, 2010
I was not expecting very much out of this book and it surprised me. The author is a German woman who spent a while in India. She writes about it with the enchantment of the outsider. The story is fast-paced, engaging, a kind of fairy tale in which the power of transforming virtue, trust, friendship, and love drive the plot.
A young woman is sold in marriage to a powerful Rajah, who becomes ill before consummating their marriage. In terror for her life, because she is not a virgin, she tells a story--which might be the story of her life--to the eunuch who looks after his harem while waiting for the Rajah to recover. In her story, a young con man is conned by Krishna into attempting to rescue his daughter, who is being held captive awaiting marriage to the demon Ravana. For this impossible task he is aided by Nitish, a sacred white tiger whom he rescues from captivity in a temple. They have to find a bloodstone, a jewel made out of a drop of the princess' blood, with which to bribe Ravana's chief servant, and cross-cross India in its pursuit. There is a seductive combination of magic, faith, and hope underlying each stage of the caper.
A young woman is sold in marriage to a powerful Rajah, who becomes ill before consummating their marriage. In terror for her life, because she is not a virgin, she tells a story--which might be the story of her life--to the eunuch who looks after his harem while waiting for the Rajah to recover. In her story, a young con man is conned by Krishna into attempting to rescue his daughter, who is being held captive awaiting marriage to the demon Ravana. For this impossible task he is aided by Nitish, a sacred white tiger whom he rescues from captivity in a temple. They have to find a bloodstone, a jewel made out of a drop of the princess' blood, with which to bribe Ravana's chief servant, and cross-cross India in its pursuit. There is a seductive combination of magic, faith, and hope underlying each stage of the caper.
March 28, 2009
I could not put this book down yesterday. The tale is a story in a story. A young woman who has been chosen for the 8th wife of a wealthy man awaits her death. He has bargained for a virgin when she well knows she is not. Luckily, he has to leave before bedding her and when he comes back he falls ill, giving her a few chances to escape, albeit she fails every time. A eunuch named Lalit becomes interested in her wild eyes and her need to escape. To pass the time, she tells him a story, of a young man who is a thief and master of disguise happening upon a locket. The locket has a picture of a young woman, who is the daughter of a god and he has set it up so the first person who finds the locket will become a hero and save his daughter from her marriage to the demon king. I just loved the way this book read, so melodic and fantastical.
November 24, 2008
Left smiling.
Am very well satisfied.
A kids book, though not so much for the overly young?
The manner it was written, the way the story was told,
reminded me of "The Never Ending Story".
The way reality and fantasy grew together and apart
only to merge again, and were then left in a sweet exhausted embrace.
A perfect story of thieves, Gods, heros,
Amazing mystical animals, demons, and antagonists,
innocents, innocence, birth and death
and the craziness of ever changing life?
It took place in such a short time and across the whole map of india.
With all the splendors and beauty, frailty and poverty.
And Shiva and his wife and a whole pantheon of Gods.
But best of all was a dirty "beggar" boy and a mangy white tiger!
Did enjoy it, simple, and wonderful.
Yup. Still smiling.
Am very well satisfied.
A kids book, though not so much for the overly young?
The manner it was written, the way the story was told,
reminded me of "The Never Ending Story".
The way reality and fantasy grew together and apart
only to merge again, and were then left in a sweet exhausted embrace.
A perfect story of thieves, Gods, heros,
Amazing mystical animals, demons, and antagonists,
innocents, innocence, birth and death
and the craziness of ever changing life?
It took place in such a short time and across the whole map of india.
With all the splendors and beauty, frailty and poverty.
And Shiva and his wife and a whole pantheon of Gods.
But best of all was a dirty "beggar" boy and a mangy white tiger!
Did enjoy it, simple, and wonderful.
Yup. Still smiling.
October 5, 2009
The official reviews list this as a grade 9-12 read but if it had been available I would probably have read it in the 6th.
The tale is a Scheherazade style tale of a tale told to forestall certain death. The story is well written, weaving together past and present, bringing the reader in as a viewer of the story as the young bride crafts a tale to persuade her young admirer to rescue her.
It layers Indian history, culture, and mythology, into a story of a powerful man who will kill to preserve his face (not an unusual twist) because his bride, while beautiful and sweet, is not "pure" in that she is not a virgin.
The story flows well, and does something very unusual - it ties up all the subplots. Tigers and lions and bears oh my....
The tale is a Scheherazade style tale of a tale told to forestall certain death. The story is well written, weaving together past and present, bringing the reader in as a viewer of the story as the young bride crafts a tale to persuade her young admirer to rescue her.
It layers Indian history, culture, and mythology, into a story of a powerful man who will kill to preserve his face (not an unusual twist) because his bride, while beautiful and sweet, is not "pure" in that she is not a virgin.
The story flows well, and does something very unusual - it ties up all the subplots. Tigers and lions and bears oh my....
December 27, 2014
Yay! I just finished this book! Took me forever to read. I'm not really sure why.
Maybe it was the fact that I really couldn't immerse myself in most of the book. Some parts were really exciting and made me keep turning the page, but much of it was really quite the opposite.
Put aside the very little bad feedback. Haha. I loved this book! It was really imaginative and fun to read. Nitish, the tiger, was definitely the best character.
I hope you take time out of your day to read this book. It may just be me, but this book was a difficult one to power read through. Enjoy!
Comment. Please. Now.
I'm out.
Maybe it was the fact that I really couldn't immerse myself in most of the book. Some parts were really exciting and made me keep turning the page, but much of it was really quite the opposite.
Put aside the very little bad feedback. Haha. I loved this book! It was really imaginative and fun to read. Nitish, the tiger, was definitely the best character.
I hope you take time out of your day to read this book. It may just be me, but this book was a difficult one to power read through. Enjoy!
Comment. Please. Now.
I'm out.
June 23, 2009
I found this book really accessable. The presentation of the Hindu Gods was very understandable. The frame of the story-a woman waiting to consumate her marriage knowing that it will lead to her murder (she is no longer a virgin and knows her husband's rage will lead to her demise)might me a bit much for 6th grade readers, though they would love the adventure of the tale. This might be a good choice for 7th grade lit circles, but I question the authenticity of it as the author is German and according to the back flap has no direct connection with India.
October 13, 2009
It took me a little while to get into this book, but once I did it completely took over my brain. While it's a traditional story in many ways, it was also unlike anything else I've ever read. I felt like I really was in India during a time when the British were steadily controlling more and more of the country, yet a widespread belief in old, powerful stories and faith persevered. Instead of being just another story about magic, it was a magical story - corny, but true.
August 25, 2010
A Romeo & Julietesque adventure set in India, complete with Indian gods, superstition, a sacred stone, talking tigers and more. Antonia uses her year spent in India to craft a tale that rings of Scheherazade and her quest to stay alive by telling tales each night of her captivity. I think she went a little overboard by throwing in 2 very unnecessary, very adult love scenes in a book of children's fantasy, which spoiled it for me.
September 15, 2014
While not horrible, I realized by the end of it that if you changed the names of the characters and the cities and the flowers, it could have taken place anywhere. I'm very interested in Indian mythology and was disappointed to have read an ordinary fairytale.
October 22, 2012
This is one book I can't wait to read again. Two tales one seemingly fantasy and another a sad reality connected through possibility.
October 25, 2016
An Indian peasant girl named Raka is sold to a wealthy merchant to serve as his eighth wife. But she knows that when he discovers she is no virgin the merchant will gladly kill her. Raka's last nights alive are spent telling the story of a thief, a tiger, and a demon to a eunuch in the merchant's palace.
I am so glad I read the Ramayana before picking up this book. It's über satisfying to hear the names of the Gods and references to the stories in the Ramayana and know exactly what they're talking about. Plus, it's a fantastic book and, for all that it's a serious religious epic, reads like a Dragon Ball novel.
The book is set up as a second story within a frame story. The hero plot tells the tale of a thief, Farhad, who steals an amulet from a lotus blossom unaware that it was placed there as bait by Krishna. Krishna is looking for a hero to rescue his demigod daughter who's been swept away to wed the demon Ravana in a month's time. But Farhad isn't much of a hero. In fact, he's pretty spineless and a liar to boot. It takes most of the story for him to both trust in himself and develop the morals and humility he'll need to complete his task. With him is his steed: a sacred white tiger named Nitish who will turn to stone should he ever touch water. Nitish provides a lot of the comedy while his rider serves up the drama. The tiger anthropomorphizes water, probably since spending a thousand years trapped on a tiny island where children throw stones at him could get grating on the pride if the water wasn't even a thinking enemy actively hoping to defeat him. Watching him discover the world around him for the first time and listening to him talk is a joy.
"Can you see the water?" the tiger asked when Farhad looked him in the eye. "Is it coming up here with us? Will it bite me?"
(Antonia Michaelis, Tiger Moon, p.80)
"Water must be very stupid to eat ashes."
(Antonia Michaelis, Tiger Moon, p.87)
Farhad made himself go slowly through the water. If he tried to run, he'd scare the water, as Nitish would put it, and the talkative water would tell everyone he was running away.
(Antonia Michaelis, Tiger Moon, p.207)
The frame story of Raka and Lagan is rather dull. It's just her trying to kill time before she gets dragged to the merchant's bedroom and inevitably killed. Lagan's character is nice enough, but the descriptions of Raka, particularly her eyes, are breathtakingly vivid.
She was different from all the women [Lagan] knew. She cast her eyes down like a timid girl, but when he met her gaze for the first time, those same eyes gave him a shock. There was a glow in them, and a hissing, like drops of water falling into fire.
(Antonia Michaelis, Tiger Moon, p.14)
All the descriptions in the book were beautiful, actually, and spent a lot of focus on color and sound. A favorite episode is when an annoyed Englishman returns from an unsuccessful hunt and finds two (sacred) cows fighting in the street and blocking the traffic. He shoots them both and the reaction is a stunning lack of sound.
This time he really had heard a scream as his bullet met its mark. And then he noticed the silence. It was absolute. The entire crowd was silent. Dozens of dark eyes were turned on him. And now Burns sensed that something was wrong.
(Antonia Michaelis, Tiger Moon, p.216)
The crowd moves in and pulls Burns and his companions off their horses, killing some of them before the British police can get to them. It's a riveting scene.
That said, I mentioned in a previous review how much I love Indian fairy stories that take place after Britain moves in and sets up shop because the stories take on an 'us against them' theme, where magic happens but the English are wearing blinders to it. In Tiger Moon there's a great deal more British involvement than I thought there'd be. It's an entertaining contrast: an Indian hero traveling on a white tiger to rescue a princess from a demon, taking the long way over a mountain to avoid the British checkpoints and roadblocks. It's like the Russian 'modern' fairy tales where the domoviye (house spirits) are Party members who praise Papa Lenin and organize committees. Except, you know, entertaining (if Goodreads recommends one more 'modern' Russian fairy story to me I'm going to scream). Plus the hero gets arrested a few times and has to trick an English girl (whom he falls for) into giving him a jewel to bribe the demon's servant, and we see a lot of other little scenes where the two cultures are forced to meet. It was refreshing to read something that gets every aspect of life in India involved. From British colonization to Hindu funeral/cremation rites. And we found out right from the start that the British were going to have a major impact on the story, because one of the first comical moments comes from Krishna going to place his trap for Farhad.
The sacred grove was one of the holiest and most ancient places of worship in India, so when Krishna saw it by daylight the next morning, he was more than annoyed to find that it now lay in the large garden of an English colonial villa.
(Antonia Michaelis, Tiger Moon, p.27)
Now for the downsides (and the soapbox):
The character of Raka is raped right at the end of the book and it serves no purpose in the context of the story other than to provide the bloody sheet test, which I'll pick apart below. Raka goes to the bedroom and, instead of choosing to confess and be killed, decides she'd rather be raped and killed. The Rajah is a proud character; even the idea that he was cheated would have been enough to send him into a rage. He's killed two wives before so it's something he has a history of doing. And the assault has no impact on her character, her story, or even her physical ability to escape.
Again, the reason for the rape is so the writer can employ the bloody sheet test, which annoys me normally but particularly in this instance. The blood comes from the tearing of the hymen which has a lot of give to it but can be torn by strenuous physical activity or if there's resistance during sex (too big, not enough preparation, not aroused/relaxed enough, being raped, etc). Being a virgin has nothing to do with it, nervousness about it being your first time and having a partner who's either equally inexperienced or who gives less than a token thought for your enjoyment does. The book made it clear what was going on, so for the bloody sheet test to work there has to be a big gap in logic that personally jolted me right out of the narrative.
Fun fact! Mother's of the time period used to send their daughters to their marriage beds with hidden needles to guarantee bloody sheets. You mean to tell me this never occurred to Raka in all the years between losing her virginity and now?
But I'm going to get off the soap box here and give it credit for at least being tasteful. It was clear what was going on but wasn't unnecessarily graphic, and it relied mostly on non-verbal physical cues to tell the reader that something's wrong. She shows up of her own free will only because there's the promise of death hanging over her, and instead of fighting back she lies there and takes it frozen with stillness and silence. Notable for a character who technically hasn't stopped talking since the hero plot started.
The ending of the book was unfortunate. Michaelis tries to mesh the frame story with the hero plot and it was rather akward, nor was it necessary. Is Raka a mystic who could see all these things happening in reality and was telling them to Lagan as they progressed? Well, no. She tells the story over three days and the hero-plot takes a month. Plus she contradicts herself later when the princess sends a message to the hero saying she'd only just learned how to get favors out of the man who cares for the carrier pigeons. But it's Lagan who's in charge of the pigeons, and when he tells her this and asks if she had something to send she tells him she'd already sent something. So is the lie in what she says to Lagan, or in the princess's letter to the hero? And how does this work with the month/three days time imbalance? But the unfortunate part is that it was turning out to be a great ending until she tried to force the story lines together. Raka despairs over being rescued and tells Lagan that the story was just a plot to encourage him to action. The ball was in Lagan's court; there was no reason to drag the hero into their reality when he was of no help by that point.
The verdict? It was a fantastic book. The frame story was dull but it took very little time, and until the ending it focused only on separating itself from the hero plot. The whole effect was spoiled early on by narrative flat out telling us that the story Raka was telling was based on her own situation, but you would have probably clued in to the parallels between events by then anyway. The ending was too ambitious for its own good, but again the flaw is solely with the frame story. The hero plot was magnificent and dreadfully entertaining. The imagery of 1900s India was stunning and involving, the plot was engaging, and the characters were touching and understandable. There's a lot to love about Tiger Moon and, much as was the case in my final judgement of The Princess Bride , the strong points in the inner story far outweigh the flaws of the frame story.
I am so glad I read the Ramayana before picking up this book. It's über satisfying to hear the names of the Gods and references to the stories in the Ramayana and know exactly what they're talking about. Plus, it's a fantastic book and, for all that it's a serious religious epic, reads like a Dragon Ball novel.
The book is set up as a second story within a frame story. The hero plot tells the tale of a thief, Farhad, who steals an amulet from a lotus blossom unaware that it was placed there as bait by Krishna. Krishna is looking for a hero to rescue his demigod daughter who's been swept away to wed the demon Ravana in a month's time. But Farhad isn't much of a hero. In fact, he's pretty spineless and a liar to boot. It takes most of the story for him to both trust in himself and develop the morals and humility he'll need to complete his task. With him is his steed: a sacred white tiger named Nitish who will turn to stone should he ever touch water. Nitish provides a lot of the comedy while his rider serves up the drama. The tiger anthropomorphizes water, probably since spending a thousand years trapped on a tiny island where children throw stones at him could get grating on the pride if the water wasn't even a thinking enemy actively hoping to defeat him. Watching him discover the world around him for the first time and listening to him talk is a joy.
"Can you see the water?" the tiger asked when Farhad looked him in the eye. "Is it coming up here with us? Will it bite me?"
(Antonia Michaelis, Tiger Moon, p.80)
"Water must be very stupid to eat ashes."
(Antonia Michaelis, Tiger Moon, p.87)
Farhad made himself go slowly through the water. If he tried to run, he'd scare the water, as Nitish would put it, and the talkative water would tell everyone he was running away.
(Antonia Michaelis, Tiger Moon, p.207)
The frame story of Raka and Lagan is rather dull. It's just her trying to kill time before she gets dragged to the merchant's bedroom and inevitably killed. Lagan's character is nice enough, but the descriptions of Raka, particularly her eyes, are breathtakingly vivid.
She was different from all the women [Lagan] knew. She cast her eyes down like a timid girl, but when he met her gaze for the first time, those same eyes gave him a shock. There was a glow in them, and a hissing, like drops of water falling into fire.
(Antonia Michaelis, Tiger Moon, p.14)
All the descriptions in the book were beautiful, actually, and spent a lot of focus on color and sound. A favorite episode is when an annoyed Englishman returns from an unsuccessful hunt and finds two (sacred) cows fighting in the street and blocking the traffic. He shoots them both and the reaction is a stunning lack of sound.
This time he really had heard a scream as his bullet met its mark. And then he noticed the silence. It was absolute. The entire crowd was silent. Dozens of dark eyes were turned on him. And now Burns sensed that something was wrong.
(Antonia Michaelis, Tiger Moon, p.216)
The crowd moves in and pulls Burns and his companions off their horses, killing some of them before the British police can get to them. It's a riveting scene.
That said, I mentioned in a previous review how much I love Indian fairy stories that take place after Britain moves in and sets up shop because the stories take on an 'us against them' theme, where magic happens but the English are wearing blinders to it. In Tiger Moon there's a great deal more British involvement than I thought there'd be. It's an entertaining contrast: an Indian hero traveling on a white tiger to rescue a princess from a demon, taking the long way over a mountain to avoid the British checkpoints and roadblocks. It's like the Russian 'modern' fairy tales where the domoviye (house spirits) are Party members who praise Papa Lenin and organize committees. Except, you know, entertaining (if Goodreads recommends one more 'modern' Russian fairy story to me I'm going to scream). Plus the hero gets arrested a few times and has to trick an English girl (whom he falls for) into giving him a jewel to bribe the demon's servant, and we see a lot of other little scenes where the two cultures are forced to meet. It was refreshing to read something that gets every aspect of life in India involved. From British colonization to Hindu funeral/cremation rites. And we found out right from the start that the British were going to have a major impact on the story, because one of the first comical moments comes from Krishna going to place his trap for Farhad.
The sacred grove was one of the holiest and most ancient places of worship in India, so when Krishna saw it by daylight the next morning, he was more than annoyed to find that it now lay in the large garden of an English colonial villa.
(Antonia Michaelis, Tiger Moon, p.27)
Now for the downsides (and the soapbox):
The character of Raka is raped right at the end of the book and it serves no purpose in the context of the story other than to provide the bloody sheet test, which I'll pick apart below. Raka goes to the bedroom and, instead of choosing to confess and be killed, decides she'd rather be raped and killed. The Rajah is a proud character; even the idea that he was cheated would have been enough to send him into a rage. He's killed two wives before so it's something he has a history of doing. And the assault has no impact on her character, her story, or even her physical ability to escape.
Again, the reason for the rape is so the writer can employ the bloody sheet test, which annoys me normally but particularly in this instance. The blood comes from the tearing of the hymen which has a lot of give to it but can be torn by strenuous physical activity or if there's resistance during sex (too big, not enough preparation, not aroused/relaxed enough, being raped, etc). Being a virgin has nothing to do with it, nervousness about it being your first time and having a partner who's either equally inexperienced or who gives less than a token thought for your enjoyment does. The book made it clear what was going on, so for the bloody sheet test to work there has to be a big gap in logic that personally jolted me right out of the narrative.
Fun fact! Mother's of the time period used to send their daughters to their marriage beds with hidden needles to guarantee bloody sheets. You mean to tell me this never occurred to Raka in all the years between losing her virginity and now?
But I'm going to get off the soap box here and give it credit for at least being tasteful. It was clear what was going on but wasn't unnecessarily graphic, and it relied mostly on non-verbal physical cues to tell the reader that something's wrong. She shows up of her own free will only because there's the promise of death hanging over her, and instead of fighting back she lies there and takes it frozen with stillness and silence. Notable for a character who technically hasn't stopped talking since the hero plot started.
The ending of the book was unfortunate. Michaelis tries to mesh the frame story with the hero plot and it was rather akward, nor was it necessary. Is Raka a mystic who could see all these things happening in reality and was telling them to Lagan as they progressed? Well, no. She tells the story over three days and the hero-plot takes a month. Plus she contradicts herself later when the princess sends a message to the hero saying she'd only just learned how to get favors out of the man who cares for the carrier pigeons. But it's Lagan who's in charge of the pigeons, and when he tells her this and asks if she had something to send she tells him she'd already sent something. So is the lie in what she says to Lagan, or in the princess's letter to the hero? And how does this work with the month/three days time imbalance? But the unfortunate part is that it was turning out to be a great ending until she tried to force the story lines together. Raka despairs over being rescued and tells Lagan that the story was just a plot to encourage him to action. The ball was in Lagan's court; there was no reason to drag the hero into their reality when he was of no help by that point.
The verdict? It was a fantastic book. The frame story was dull but it took very little time, and until the ending it focused only on separating itself from the hero plot. The whole effect was spoiled early on by narrative flat out telling us that the story Raka was telling was based on her own situation, but you would have probably clued in to the parallels between events by then anyway. The ending was too ambitious for its own good, but again the flaw is solely with the frame story. The hero plot was magnificent and dreadfully entertaining. The imagery of 1900s India was stunning and involving, the plot was engaging, and the characters were touching and understandable. There's a lot to love about Tiger Moon and, much as was the case in my final judgement of The Princess Bride , the strong points in the inner story far outweigh the flaws of the frame story.
November 16, 2021
"You don't understand at all. It doesn't matter what's true and what's a fairy tale. That's not what matters. The dividing lines aren't as straight and simple as you think."
I remember buying this book second hand without knowing that it was actually a translation of a German book, something which I wasn't too proud of, but fine. Rules are meant to be broken, etc. etc. And I've always loved books that are set in India and/or feature Indian mythology. Antonia Michaelis weaves a marvellous tale set about a hundred years back, when India was part of the British Empire. Throughout the story, Brits, Hindus and Muslims are all thrown together and their history, mythology and world intertwine. Very masterfully done! The author has apparently lived for some time in India, so I expect that her descriptions of all the cities and other places - we visit quite a few of them - have some truth in them. It makes you want to go there sooner rather than later.
The story consists of two stories that at first are separate - one of them may remind you of Sheherazade in the Arabian Nights -, but you'll soon find out that they're slowly coming together - until they converge completely at the end of the book. That too is a piece of genius, and it feels very natural as well. I wouldn't call either of them overly thrilling, but the main story does hold your attention quite well and features a few surprises, twists and action scenes.
The characters are very interesting, too, and due to the nature of those two stories converging, it's very easy to see how they all develop over the course of Tiger Moon. Well played! Farhad and Nishit are two terrific figures, and so is Raka.
The English translation was made by Anthea Bell, and although I'm not claiming to be omniscient when it comes to the English language, I must say that she's done a very good job of it. Michaelis clearly has her own style, at least for this book, and Bell has no trouble following that style and making it hers as well. It reads as if you're in a dream, or as if someone is telling you the story around a fire late at night - which was probably the author's intention too.
7.5/10
I remember buying this book second hand without knowing that it was actually a translation of a German book, something which I wasn't too proud of, but fine. Rules are meant to be broken, etc. etc. And I've always loved books that are set in India and/or feature Indian mythology. Antonia Michaelis weaves a marvellous tale set about a hundred years back, when India was part of the British Empire. Throughout the story, Brits, Hindus and Muslims are all thrown together and their history, mythology and world intertwine. Very masterfully done! The author has apparently lived for some time in India, so I expect that her descriptions of all the cities and other places - we visit quite a few of them - have some truth in them. It makes you want to go there sooner rather than later.
The story consists of two stories that at first are separate - one of them may remind you of Sheherazade in the Arabian Nights -, but you'll soon find out that they're slowly coming together - until they converge completely at the end of the book. That too is a piece of genius, and it feels very natural as well. I wouldn't call either of them overly thrilling, but the main story does hold your attention quite well and features a few surprises, twists and action scenes.
The characters are very interesting, too, and due to the nature of those two stories converging, it's very easy to see how they all develop over the course of Tiger Moon. Well played! Farhad and Nishit are two terrific figures, and so is Raka.
The English translation was made by Anthea Bell, and although I'm not claiming to be omniscient when it comes to the English language, I must say that she's done a very good job of it. Michaelis clearly has her own style, at least for this book, and Bell has no trouble following that style and making it hers as well. It reads as if you're in a dream, or as if someone is telling you the story around a fire late at night - which was probably the author's intention too.
7.5/10
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