Historical fiction book · Curated
The Far Pavilions
M. M. Kaye · historical fiction
Orphaned in the Himalayan foothills and raised as a Hindu, Ashton Pelham-Martyn is later claimed by British India as an officer—then falls in love with an Indian princess promised to another man, as the Raj and the Second Anglo-Afghan War tear his loyalties in two. M. M. Kaye’s novel is Victorian historical romance of nineteenth-century India: identity, empire, and a love story on the scale of the old panoramic sagas.
Why read it: A widely searched Raj historical novel (and 1984 miniseries)—romance and adventure in British India, and an Asian counterpart to Victorian London and New Zealand goldfields already on the shelf.
About this historical novel
The Far Pavilions by M. M. Kaye is historical fiction set around 1847–1879 in the Victorian / Gilded Age period with key settings including India, Himalayas, Punjab, Afghanistan. Orphaned in the Himalayan foothills and raised as a Hindu, Ashton Pelham-Martyn is later claimed by British India as an officer—then falls in love with an Indian princess promised to another man, as the Raj and the Second Anglo-Afghan War tear his loyalties in two. M. M. Kaye’s novel is Victorian historical romance of nineteenth-century India: identity, empire, and a love story on the scale of the old panoramic sagas.
On HisFic we tag it under 2. Historical romance and 6. Adventure & epic so you can pair it with similar story types. Recurring themes include empire, identity, love, loyalty, and war. A widely searched Raj historical novel (and 1984 miniseries)—romance and adventure in British India, and an Asian counterpart to Victorian London and New Zealand goldfields already on the shelf.
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Plot summary
Orphaned in the Himalayan foothills and raised as a Hindu, Ashton Pelham-Martyn is later claimed by British India as an officer—then falls in love with an Indian princess promised to another man, as the Raj and the Second Anglo-Afghan War tear his loyalties in two. M. M. Kaye’s novel is Victorian historical romance of nineteenth-century India: identity, empire, and a love story on the scale of the old panoramic sagas. A widely searched Raj historical novel (and 1984 miniseries)—romance and adventure in British India, and an Asian counterpart to Victorian London and New Zealand goldfields already on the shelf.
Subgenres
Eras
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Regions & places
Asia
India · Himalayas · Punjab · Afghanistan · British Raj
Themes
- empire
- identity
- love
- loyalty
- war
Tags
bestseller · romance · epic