Synopsis, 26 Aug 2008
Collection of nine short stories on the subjects of universal human passions interwoven with the heat, the vastness and the loneliness of India

Synopsis, 26 Aug 2008
Collection of nine short stories on the subjects of universal human passions interwoven with the heat, the vastness and the loneliness of India

A portrait of India, 13 Jun 2008
A deceptively simple story, written in a clear, economical and direct style. Set in India both before and after the British Raj, it is as much a portrait of a country as it is a story of two women. I could really feel the heat and dust of the title and the atmosphere and culture of India are well evoked.

The plot has two strands. One is set in 1923, and revolves around Olivia, the bored British wife of a civil servant working in India. She is drawn into the circle of the charismatic Nawab of Khatm, an Indian prince. The second strand is composed of diary entries by Olivia's step-grandaughter, who has travelled to India in the 1970s to explore her family's past. The two interweave nicely, with some parallels developing.

Despite its simplicity, this is a readable and enjoyable story which retains momentum. I was a bit disappointed with the ending which was unsatisfying - the story built to a climax only to fizzle out.
I felt that it rather let down the rest of the writing. But it was certainly an intimate portrait both of India and of human nature in general, and explored some of the issues around colonialism in a gentle but probing way. I would certainly recommend it to anyone with an interest in India, but not to those who prefer books with lots of action.


THE HEAT OF THE ROMANCE...THE DUST OF ITS ASHES..., 01 Jan 2003
This is a well written book that explores Anglo-Indian relations through the power of romance. Set in two distinct eras, colonial India of the nineteen twenties, during the time of the Raj, and the independent, freewheeling India of the nineteen seventies, during the time when India was a mecca for disenfranchised youth, it tells the story of two women.

One story is that of Olivia, the wife of a minor district official in colonial India, who in 1923 caused great scandal by running off with the Nawab, a local Indian prince. Divorced by her husband, Douglas, for this scandalous transgression, Olivia remains in India, while Douglas remarries.

The second story is that of the narrator, a descendant of Douglas and his second wife. During the nineteen seventies, fascinated by the story of the now deceased Olivia, she goes to India, visiting those locations where Olivia had lived and those which would have been a part of her existence at the time. As did Olivia, she falls under India's spell. As did Olivia, she, too, has an Anglo-Indian love affair, and picks up where Olivia left off, giving the reader a powerful sense of de-ja vu.

The book is a beguiling story of two women from two different generations who come under the spell of India. The book is evocative of British colonial India, as well as of India of the nineteen seventies. During both eras, Anglo-Indian relations are pivotal to the budding romances. The book is evocative of the rythyms of Indian life in all its richness and tumultuousness, as well as its lingering poverty and superstitions. It is redolent of a time gone by and hopeful of what is to come. It is also an interesting dichotomy of the good and bad in both cultures, Anglo and Indian, and the influence that both cultures have on these two women, who are so different, yet so alike.

This is a book that whets the appetite, leaving the reader wanting more than the author is prepared to give. It is, nonetheless, a book well worth reading. The book was also made into a Merchant Ivory film starring Julie Christie and Greta Scacchi.

This book won the Booker in 1975, NOT 1983, 27 Jul 1999
The Amazon synopsis is in error--I couldn't figure out why a book that came out in 1975 had won in 1983, then I checked some lists, including Amazon's Awards list and found '83 was wrong. Interesting book, but not on my all time greats list.

touching, 15 Jun 1999
This is an enjoyable novel that can be read in a few hours. Olivia, the Nawab, Harry and everyone else were believable. The picnic scene w/ musical chairs (lots of unresolved tension) was delicious. I loved it & highly recommend all of Ms. Jhabvala's other novels :)

Very Enjoyable, 21 May 1999
The best novel I have ever read depicting an Indian Story Line. Though the author is not considered an Indian, she displays her thoughts in a classical but respectful way....

Synopsis, 26 Aug 2008
Collection of nine short stories on the subjects of universal human passions interwoven with the heat, the vastness and the loneliness of India

A portrait of India, 13 Jun 2008
A deceptively simple story, written in a clear, economical and direct style. Set in India both before and after the British Raj, it is as much a portrait of a country as it is a story of two women. I could really feel the heat and dust of the title and the atmosphere and culture of India are well evoked.

The plot has two strands. One is set in 1923, and revolves around Olivia, the bored British wife of a civil servant working in India. She is drawn into the circle of the charismatic Nawab of Khatm, an Indian prince. The second strand is composed of diary entries by Olivia's step-grandaughter, who has travelled to India in the 1970s to explore her family's past. The two interweave nicely, with some parallels developing.

Despite its simplicity, this is a readable and enjoyable story which retains momentum. I was a bit disappointed with the ending which was unsatisfying - the story built to a climax only to fizzle out.
I felt that it rather let down the rest of the writing. But it was certainly an intimate portrait both of India and of human nature in general, and explored some of the issues around colonialism in a gentle but probing way. I would certainly recommend it to anyone with an interest in India, but not to those who prefer books with lots of action.


THE HEAT OF THE ROMANCE...THE DUST OF ITS ASHES..., 01 Jan 2003
This is a well written book that explores Anglo-Indian relations through the power of romance. Set in two distinct eras, colonial India of the nineteen twenties, during the time of the Raj, and the independent, freewheeling India of the nineteen seventies, during the time when India was a mecca for disenfranchised youth, it tells the story of two women.

One story is that of Olivia, the wife of a minor district official in colonial India, who in 1923 caused great scandal by running off with the Nawab, a local Indian prince. Divorced by her husband, Douglas, for this scandalous transgression, Olivia remains in India, while Douglas remarries.

The second story is that of the narrator, a descendant of Douglas and his second wife. During the nineteen seventies, fascinated by the story of the now deceased Olivia, she goes to India, visiting those locations where Olivia had lived and those which would have been a part of her existence at the time. As did Olivia, she falls under India's spell. As did Olivia, she, too, has an Anglo-Indian love affair, and picks up where Olivia left off, giving the reader a powerful sense of de-ja vu.

The book is a beguiling story of two women from two different generations who come under the spell of India. The book is evocative of British colonial India, as well as of India of the nineteen seventies. During both eras, Anglo-Indian relations are pivotal to the budding romances. The book is evocative of the rythyms of Indian life in all its richness and tumultuousness, as well as its lingering poverty and superstitions. It is redolent of a time gone by and hopeful of what is to come. It is also an interesting dichotomy of the good and bad in both cultures, Anglo and Indian, and the influence that both cultures have on these two women, who are so different, yet so alike.

This is a book that whets the appetite, leaving the reader wanting more than the author is prepared to give. It is, nonetheless, a book well worth reading. The book was also made into a Merchant Ivory film starring Julie Christie and Greta Scacchi.

This book won the Booker in 1975, NOT 1983, 27 Jul 1999
The Amazon synopsis is in error--I couldn't figure out why a book that came out in 1975 had won in 1983, then I checked some lists, including Amazon's Awards list and found '83 was wrong. Interesting book, but not on my all time greats list.

touching, 15 Jun 1999
This is an enjoyable novel that can be read in a few hours. Olivia, the Nawab, Harry and everyone else were believable. The picnic scene w/ musical chairs (lots of unresolved tension) was delicious. I loved it & highly recommend all of Ms. Jhabvala's other novels :)

Very Enjoyable, 21 May 1999
The best novel I have ever read depicting an Indian Story Line. Though the author is not considered an Indian, she displays her thoughts in a classical but respectful way....

A portrait of India, 13 Jun 2008
A deceptively simple story, written in a clear, economical and direct style. Set in India both before and after the British Raj, it is as much a portrait of a country as it is a story of two women. I could really feel the heat and dust of the title and the atmosphere and culture of India are well evoked.

The plot has two strands. One is set in 1923, and revolves around Olivia, the bored British wife of a civil servant working in India. She is drawn into the circle of the charismatic Nawab of Khatm, an Indian prince. The second strand is composed of diary entries by Olivia's step-grandaughter, who has travelled to India in the 1970s to explore her family's past. The two interweave nicely, with some parallels developing.

Despite its simplicity, this is a readable and enjoyable story which retains momentum. I was a bit disappointed with the ending which was unsatisfying - the story built to a climax only to fizzle out.
I felt that it rather let down the rest of the writing. But it was certainly an intimate portrait both of India and of human nature in general, and explored some of the issues around colonialism in a gentle but probing way. I would certainly recommend it to anyone with an interest in India, but not to those who prefer books with lots of action.


THE HEAT OF THE ROMANCE...THE DUST OF ITS ASHES..., 01 Jan 2003
This is a well written book that explores Anglo-Indian relations through the power of romance. Set in two distinct eras, colonial India of the nineteen twenties, during the time of the Raj, and the independent, freewheeling India of the nineteen seventies, during the time when India was a mecca for disenfranchised youth, it tells the story of two women.

One story is that of Olivia, the wife of a minor district official in colonial India, who in 1923 caused great scandal by running off with the Nawab, a local Indian prince. Divorced by her husband, Douglas, for this scandalous transgression, Olivia remains in India, while Douglas remarries.

The second story is that of the narrator, a descendant of Douglas and his second wife. During the nineteen seventies, fascinated by the story of the now deceased Olivia, she goes to India, visiting those locations where Olivia had lived and those which would have been a part of her existence at the time. As did Olivia, she falls under India's spell. As did Olivia, she, too, has an Anglo-Indian love affair, and picks up where Olivia left off, giving the reader a powerful sense of de-ja vu.

The book is a beguiling story of two women from two different generations who come under the spell of India. The book is evocative of British colonial India, as well as of India of the nineteen seventies. During both eras, Anglo-Indian relations are pivotal to the budding romances. The book is evocative of the rythyms of Indian life in all its richness and tumultuousness, as well as its lingering poverty and superstitions. It is redolent of a time gone by and hopeful of what is to come. It is also an interesting dichotomy of the good and bad in both cultures, Anglo and Indian, and the influence that both cultures have on these two women, who are so different, yet so alike.

This is a book that whets the appetite, leaving the reader wanting more than the author is prepared to give. It is, nonetheless, a book well worth reading. The book was also made into a Merchant Ivory film starring Julie Christie and Greta Scacchi.

This book won the Booker in 1975, NOT 1983, 27 Jul 1999
The Amazon synopsis is in error--I couldn't figure out why a book that came out in 1975 had won in 1983, then I checked some lists, including Amazon's Awards list and found '83 was wrong. Interesting book, but not on my all time greats list.

touching, 15 Jun 1999
This is an enjoyable novel that can be read in a few hours. Olivia, the Nawab, Harry and everyone else were believable. The picnic scene w/ musical chairs (lots of unresolved tension) was delicious. I loved it & highly recommend all of Ms. Jhabvala's other novels :)

Very Enjoyable, 21 May 1999
The best novel I have ever read depicting an Indian Story Line. Though the author is not considered an Indian, she displays her thoughts in a classical but respectful way....

Synopsis, 26 Aug 2008
Collection of nine short stories on the subjects of universal human passions interwoven with the heat, the vastness and the loneliness of India

A portrait of India, 13 Jun 2008
A deceptively simple story, written in a clear, economical and direct style. Set in India both before and after the British Raj, it is as much a portrait of a country as it is a story of two women. I could really feel the heat and dust of the title and the atmosphere and culture of India are well evoked.

The plot has two strands. One is set in 1923, and revolves around Olivia, the bored British wife of a civil servant working in India. She is drawn into the circle of the charismatic Nawab of Khatm, an Indian prince. The second strand is composed of diary entries by Olivia's step-grandaughter, who has travelled to India in the 1970s to explore her family's past. The two interweave nicely, with some parallels developing.

Despite its simplicity, this is a readable and enjoyable story which retains momentum. I was a bit disappointed with the ending which was unsatisfying - the story built to a climax only to fizzle out.
I felt that it rather let down the rest of the writing. But it was certainly an intimate portrait both of India and of human nature in general, and explored some of the issues around colonialism in a gentle but probing way. I would certainly recommend it to anyone with an interest in India, but not to those who prefer books with lots of action.


THE HEAT OF THE ROMANCE...THE DUST OF ITS ASHES..., 01 Jan 2003
This is a well written book that explores Anglo-Indian relations through the power of romance. Set in two distinct eras, colonial India of the nineteen twenties, during the time of the Raj, and the independent, freewheeling India of the nineteen seventies, during the time when India was a mecca for disenfranchised youth, it tells the story of two women.

One story is that of Olivia, the wife of a minor district official in colonial India, who in 1923 caused great scandal by running off with the Nawab, a local Indian prince. Divorced by her husband, Douglas, for this scandalous transgression, Olivia remains in India, while Douglas remarries.

The second story is that of the narrator, a descendant of Douglas and his second wife. During the nineteen seventies, fascinated by the story of the now deceased Olivia, she goes to India, visiting those locations where Olivia had lived and those which would have been a part of her existence at the time. As did Olivia, she falls under India's spell. As did Olivia, she, too, has an Anglo-Indian love affair, and picks up where Olivia left off, giving the reader a powerful sense of de-ja vu.

The book is a beguiling story of two women from two different generations who come under the spell of India. The book is evocative of British colonial India, as well as of India of the nineteen seventies. During both eras, Anglo-Indian relations are pivotal to the budding romances. The book is evocative of the rythyms of Indian life in all its richness and tumultuousness, as well as its lingering poverty and superstitions. It is redolent of a time gone by and hopeful of what is to come. It is also an interesting dichotomy of the good and bad in both cultures, Anglo and Indian, and the influence that both cultures have on these two women, who are so different, yet so alike.

This is a book that whets the appetite, leaving the reader wanting more than the author is prepared to give. It is, nonetheless, a book well worth reading. The book was also made into a Merchant Ivory film starring Julie Christie and Greta Scacchi.

This book won the Booker in 1975, NOT 1983, 27 Jul 1999
The Amazon synopsis is in error--I couldn't figure out why a book that came out in 1975 had won in 1983, then I checked some lists, including Amazon's Awards list and found '83 was wrong. Interesting book, but not on my all time greats list.

touching, 15 Jun 1999
This is an enjoyable novel that can be read in a few hours. Olivia, the Nawab, Harry and everyone else were believable. The picnic scene w/ musical chairs (lots of unresolved tension) was delicious. I loved it & highly recommend all of Ms. Jhabvala's other novels :)

Very Enjoyable, 21 May 1999
The best novel I have ever read depicting an Indian Story Line. Though the author is not considered an Indian, she displays her thoughts in a classical but respectful way....

A portrait of India, 13 Jun 2008
A deceptively simple story, written in a clear, economical and direct style. Set in India both before and after the British Raj, it is as much a portrait of a country as it is a story of two women. I could really feel the heat and dust of the title and the atmosphere and culture of India are well evoked.

The plot has two strands. One is set in 1923, and revolves around Olivia, the bored British wife of a civil servant working in India. She is drawn into the circle of the charismatic Nawab of Khatm, an Indian prince. The second strand is composed of diary entries by Olivia's step-grandaughter, who has travelled to India in the 1970s to explore her family's past. The two interweave nicely, with some parallels developing.

Despite its simplicity, this is a readable and enjoyable story which retains momentum. I was a bit disappointed with the ending which was unsatisfying - the story built to a climax only to fizzle out.
I felt that it rather let down the rest of the writing. But it was certainly an intimate portrait both of India and of human nature in general, and explored some of the issues around colonialism in a gentle but probing way. I would certainly recommend it to anyone with an interest in India, but not to those who prefer books with lots of action.


THE HEAT OF THE ROMANCE...THE DUST OF ITS ASHES..., 01 Jan 2003
This is a well written book that explores Anglo-Indian relations through the power of romance. Set in two distinct eras, colonial India of the nineteen twenties, during the time of the Raj, and the independent, freewheeling India of the nineteen seventies, during the time when India was a mecca for disenfranchised youth, it tells the story of two women.

One story is that of Olivia, the wife of a minor district official in colonial India, who in 1923 caused great scandal by running off with the Nawab, a local Indian prince. Divorced by her husband, Douglas, for this scandalous transgression, Olivia remains in India, while Douglas remarries.

The second story is that of the narrator, a descendant of Douglas and his second wife. During the nineteen seventies, fascinated by the story of the now deceased Olivia, she goes to India, visiting those locations where Olivia had lived and those which would have been a part of her existence at the time. As did Olivia, she falls under India's spell. As did Olivia, she, too, has an Anglo-Indian love affair, and picks up where Olivia left off, giving the reader a powerful sense of de-ja vu.

The book is a beguiling story of two women from two different generations who come under the spell of India. The book is evocative of British colonial India, as well as of India of the nineteen seventies. During both eras, Anglo-Indian relations are pivotal to the budding romances. The book is evocative of the rythyms of Indian life in all its richness and tumultuousness, as well as its lingering poverty and superstitions. It is redolent of a time gone by and hopeful of what is to come. It is also an interesting dichotomy of the good and bad in both cultures, Anglo and Indian, and the influence that both cultures have on these two women, who are so different, yet so alike.

This is a book that whets the appetite, leaving the reader wanting more than the author is prepared to give. It is, nonetheless, a book well worth reading. The book was also made into a Merchant Ivory film starring Julie Christie and Greta Scacchi.

This book won the Booker in 1975, NOT 1983, 27 Jul 1999
The Amazon synopsis is in error--I couldn't figure out why a book that came out in 1975 had won in 1983, then I checked some lists, including Amazon's Awards list and found '83 was wrong. Interesting book, but not on my all time greats list.

touching, 15 Jun 1999
This is an enjoyable novel that can be read in a few hours. Olivia, the Nawab, Harry and everyone else were believable. The picnic scene w/ musical chairs (lots of unresolved tension) was delicious. I loved it & highly recommend all of Ms. Jhabvala's other novels :)

Very Enjoyable, 21 May 1999
The best novel I have ever read depicting an Indian Story Line. Though the author is not considered an Indian, she displays her thoughts in a classical but respectful way....

Evocative, 04 May 2005
The nine chapters in this book represent nine different imagined lives that the author might have had. You have to be told this in the preface, since you would not guess it. In each chapter the narrator and her parents have different names and are different people. Each story is plot-wise completely self-contained and could be read separately; but as we have been told that they are one person's fantasies of a life she could have led, we are more aware than we otherwise might have been that there is a similarity of tone and of feeling in all these stories, and that the themes that recur - a continental refugee background, experiences in India and in the United States, triangular relationships, artists of tempestuous temperament, and a kind of dependency by the central character on other people in the story - draw on genuine autobiographical material. It is all most beautifully done. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala writes so well, and the different personalities in the stories come magnificently alive - indeed some of them, especially the artists, are almost bigger than life. Melancholia is offset with humorous observation. The settings are evocative: the ones in India may be familiar from other novels about that country; but I have never yet read better descriptions of life in the London boarding houses where so many German or Austrian refugees started their lives in Britain.

Synopsis, 26 Aug 2008
Collection of nine short stories on the subjects of universal human passions interwoven with the heat, the vastness and the loneliness of India

A portrait of India, 13 Jun 2008
A deceptively simple story, written in a clear, economical and direct style. Set in India both before and after the British Raj, it is as much a portrait of a country as it is a story of two women. I could really feel the heat and dust of the title and the atmosphere and culture of India are well evoked.

The plot has two strands. One is set in 1923, and revolves around Olivia, the bored British wife of a civil servant working in India. She is drawn into the circle of the charismatic Nawab of Khatm, an Indian prince. The second strand is composed of diary entries by Olivia's step-grandaughter, who has travelled to India in the 1970s to explore her family's past. The two interweave nicely, with some parallels developing.

Despite its simplicity, this is a readable and enjoyable story which retains momentum. I was a bit disappointed with the ending which was unsatisfying - the story built to a climax only to fizzle out.
I felt that it rather let down the rest of the writing. But it was certainly an intimate portrait both of India and of human nature in general, and explored some of the issues around colonialism in a gentle but probing way. I would certainly recommend it to anyone with an interest in India, but not to those who prefer books with lots of action.


THE HEAT OF THE ROMANCE...THE DUST OF ITS ASHES..., 01 Jan 2003
This is a well written book that explores Anglo-Indian relations through the power of romance. Set in two distinct eras, colonial India of the nineteen twenties, during the time of the Raj, and the independent, freewheeling India of the nineteen seventies, during the time when India was a mecca for disenfranchised youth, it tells the story of two women.

One story is that of Olivia, the wife of a minor district official in colonial India, who in 1923 caused great scandal by running off with the Nawab, a local Indian prince. Divorced by her husband, Douglas, for this scandalous transgression, Olivia remains in India, while Douglas remarries.

The second story is that of the narrator, a descendant of Douglas and his second wife. During the nineteen seventies, fascinated by the story of the now deceased Olivia, she goes to India, visiting those locations where Olivia had lived and those which would have been a part of her existence at the time. As did Olivia, she falls under India's spell. As did Olivia, she, too, has an Anglo-Indian love affair, and picks up where Olivia left off, giving the reader a powerful sense of de-ja vu.

The book is a beguiling story of two women from two different generations who come under the spell of India. The book is evocative of British colonial India, as well as of India of the nineteen seventies. During both eras, Anglo-Indian relations are pivotal to the budding romances. The book is evocative of the rythyms of Indian life in all its richness and tumultuousness, as well as its lingering poverty and superstitions. It is redolent of a time gone by and hopeful of what is to come. It is also an interesting dichotomy of the good and bad in both cultures, Anglo and Indian, and the influence that both cultures have on these two women, who are so different, yet so alike.

This is a book that whets the appetite, leaving the reader wanting more than the author is prepared to give. It is, nonetheless, a book well worth reading. The book was also made into a Merchant Ivory film starring Julie Christie and Greta Scacchi.

This book won the Booker in 1975, NOT 1983, 27 Jul 1999
The Amazon synopsis is in error--I couldn't figure out why a book that came out in 1975 had won in 1983, then I checked some lists, including Amazon's Awards list and found '83 was wrong. Interesting book, but not on my all time greats list.

touching, 15 Jun 1999
This is an enjoyable novel that can be read in a few hours. Olivia, the Nawab, Harry and everyone else were believable. The picnic scene w/ musical chairs (lots of unresolved tension) was delicious. I loved it & highly recommend all of Ms. Jhabvala's other novels :)

Very Enjoyable, 21 May 1999
The best novel I have ever read depicting an Indian Story Line. Though the author is not considered an Indian, she displays her thoughts in a classical but respectful way....

A portrait of India, 13 Jun 2008
A deceptively simple story, written in a clear, economical and direct style. Set in India both before and after the British Raj, it is as much a portrait of a country as it is a story of two women. I could really feel the heat and dust of the title and the atmosphere and culture of India are well evoked.

The plot has two strands. One is set in 1923, and revolves around Olivia, the bored British wife of a civil servant working in India. She is drawn into the circle of the charismatic Nawab of Khatm, an Indian prince. The second strand is composed of diary entries by Olivia's step-grandaughter, who has travelled to India in the 1970s to explore her family's past. The two interweave nicely, with some parallels developing.

Despite its simplicity, this is a readable and enjoyable story which retains momentum. I was a bit disappointed with the ending which was unsatisfying - the story built to a climax only to fizzle out.
I felt that it rather let down the rest of the writing. But it was certainly an intimate portrait both of India and of human nature in general, and explored some of the issues around colonialism in a gentle but probing way. I would certainly recommend it to anyone with an interest in India, but not to those who prefer books with lots of action.


THE HEAT OF THE ROMANCE...THE DUST OF ITS ASHES..., 01 Jan 2003
This is a well written book that explores Anglo-Indian relations through the power of romance. Set in two distinct eras, colonial India of the nineteen twenties, during the time of the Raj, and the independent, freewheeling India of the nineteen seventies, during the time when India was a mecca for disenfranchised youth, it tells the story of two women.

One story is that of Olivia, the wife of a minor district official in colonial India, who in 1923 caused great scandal by running off with the Nawab, a local Indian prince. Divorced by her husband, Douglas, for this scandalous transgression, Olivia remains in India, while Douglas remarries.

The second story is that of the narrator, a descendant of Douglas and his second wife. During the nineteen seventies, fascinated by the story of the now deceased Olivia, she goes to India, visiting those locations where Olivia had lived and those which would have been a part of her existence at the time. As did Olivia, she falls under India's spell. As did Olivia, she, too, has an Anglo-Indian love affair, and picks up where Olivia left off, giving the reader a powerful sense of de-ja vu.

The book is a beguiling story of two women from two different generations who come under the spell of India. The book is evocative of British colonial India, as well as of India of the nineteen seventies. During both eras, Anglo-Indian relations are pivotal to the budding romances. The book is evocative of the rythyms of Indian life in all its richness and tumultuousness, as well as its lingering poverty and superstitions. It is redolent of a time gone by and hopeful of what is to come. It is also an interesting dichotomy of the good and bad in both cultures, Anglo and Indian, and the influence that both cultures have on these two women, who are so different, yet so alike.

This is a book that whets the appetite, leaving the reader wanting more than the author is prepared to give. It is, nonetheless, a book well worth reading. The book was also made into a Merchant Ivory film starring Julie Christie and Greta Scacchi.

This book won the Booker in 1975, NOT 1983, 27 Jul 1999
The Amazon synopsis is in error--I couldn't figure out why a book that came out in 1975 had won in 1983, then I checked some lists, including Amazon's Awards list and found '83 was wrong. Interesting book, but not on my all time greats list.

touching, 15 Jun 1999
This is an enjoyable novel that can be read in a few hours. Olivia, the Nawab, Harry and everyone else were believable. The picnic scene w/ musical chairs (lots of unresolved tension) was delicious. I loved it & highly recommend all of Ms. Jhabvala's other novels :)

Very Enjoyable, 21 May 1999
The best novel I have ever read depicting an Indian Story Line. Though the author is not considered an Indian, she displays her thoughts in a classical but respectful way....

Evocative, 04 May 2005
The nine chapters in this book represent nine different imagined lives that the author might have had. You have to be told this in the preface, since you would not guess it. In each chapter the narrator and her parents have different names and are different people. Each story is plot-wise completely self-contained and could be read separately; but as we have been told that they are one person's fantasies of a life she could have led, we are more aware than we otherwise might have been that there is a similarity of tone and of feeling in all these stories, and that the themes that recur - a continental refugee background, experiences in India and in the United States, triangular relationships, artists of tempestuous temperament, and a kind of dependency by the central character on other people in the story - draw on genuine autobiographical material. It is all most beautifully done. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala writes so well, and the different personalities in the stories come magnificently alive - indeed some of them, especially the artists, are almost bigger than life. Melancholia is offset with humorous observation. The settings are evocative: the ones in India may be familiar from other novels about that country; but I have never yet read better descriptions of life in the London boarding houses where so many German or Austrian refugees started their lives in Britain.

A portrait of India, 13 Jun 2008
A deceptively simple story, written in a clear, economical and direct style. Set in India both before and after the British Raj, it is as much a portrait of a country as it is a story of two women. I could really feel the heat and dust of the title and the atmosphere and culture of India are well evoked.

The plot has two strands. One is set in 1923, and revolves around Olivia, the bored British wife of a civil servant working in India. She is drawn into the circle of the charismatic Nawab of Khatm, an Indian prince. The second strand is composed of diary entries by Olivia's step-grandaughter, who has travelled to India in the 1970s to explore her family's past. The two interweave nicely, with some parallels developing.

Despite its simplicity, this is a readable and enjoyable story which retains momentum. I was a bit disappointed with the ending which was unsatisfying - the story built to a climax only to fizzle out.
I felt that it rather let down the rest of the writing. But it was certainly an intimate portrait both of India and of human nature in general, and explored some of the issues around colonialism in a gentle but probing way. I would certainly recommend it to anyone with an interest in India, but not to those who prefer books with lots of action.


THE HEAT OF THE ROMANCE...THE DUST OF ITS ASHES..., 01 Jan 2003
This is a well written book that explores Anglo-Indian relations through the power of romance. Set in two distinct eras, colonial India of the nineteen twenties, during the time of the Raj, and the independent, freewheeling India of the nineteen seventies, during the time when India was a mecca for disenfranchised youth, it tells the story of two women.

One story is that of Olivia, the wife of a minor district official in colonial India, who in 1923 caused great scandal by running off with the Nawab, a local Indian prince. Divorced by her husband, Douglas, for this scandalous transgression, Olivia remains in India, while Douglas remarries.

The second story is that of the narrator, a descendant of Douglas and his second wife. During the nineteen seventies, fascinated by the story of the now deceased Olivia, she goes to India, visiting those locations where Olivia had lived and those which would have been a part of her existence at the time. As did Olivia, she falls under India's spell. As did Olivia, she, too, has an Anglo-Indian love affair, and picks up where Olivia left off, giving the reader a powerful sense of de-ja vu.

The book is a beguiling story of two women from two different generations who come under the spell of India. The book is evocative of British colonial India, as well as of India of the nineteen seventies. During both eras, Anglo-Indian relations are pivotal to the budding romances. The book is evocative of the rythyms of Indian life in all its richness and tumultuousness, as well as its lingering poverty and superstitions. It is redolent of a time gone by and hopeful of what is to come. It is also an interesting dichotomy of the good and bad in both cultures, Anglo and Indian, and the influence that both cultures have on these two women, who are so different, yet so alike.

This is a book that whets the appetite, leaving the reader wanting more than the author is prepared to give. It is, nonetheless, a book well worth reading. The book was also made into a Merchant Ivory film starring Julie Christie and Greta Scacchi.

This book won the Booker in 1975, NOT 1983, 27 Jul 1999
The Amazon synopsis is in error--I couldn't figure out why a book that came out in 1975 had won in 1983, then I checked some lists, including Amazon's Awards list and found '83 was wrong. Interesting book, but not on my all time greats list.

touching, 15 Jun 1999
This is an enjoyable novel that can be read in a few hours. Olivia, the Nawab, Harry and everyone else were believable. The picnic scene w/ musical chairs (lots of unresolved tension) was delicious. I loved it & highly recommend all of Ms. Jhabvala's other novels :)

Very Enjoyable, 21 May 1999
The best novel I have ever read depicting an Indian Story Line. Though the author is not considered an Indian, she displays her thoughts in a classical but respectful way....