Jim Corbett was a family friend, so perhaps I am biased, although I myself never met him, the cottage he lived in in Naini Tal was leased from my grandfather Haresh Chandra Misra, it is now a museum. Many were the times my parents and us children sat around the camp-fires in nearby Sat-Tal and they told us stories of Mr. Corbetts hunting prowress, we used to shiver with fear and walks back from the lake home through the woods in the evening after 'camp-fire' were fast and nervous! What I am trying to say is Jim Corbets books are true adventure, it all happened, his writing is simple and direct. He wites of the people in India, the forests and the animals that he loved and even though he was a hunter he respected his prey and took them cleanly. Most of all Corbett is one of the few writers who wrote in the 50's but his views are politically correct even today. If you want a book that keeps you on the edge of the seat, or makes you glance over your shoulder next time you go walking in the woods, read his books!

This is not a story of a bloodthirsty hunting fiend frenzied with the unquenchable lust to pull the trigger and spread carnage. Jim Corbett was a true hunter, sportsman and role model. He was commissioned by the government of India to go and kill man eating tigers and leopards that were running havoc amount the inhabitants of the small villages in remote jungles. Some of these beasts had over 100 recorded human kills. When Mr. Corbett was in the jungle hunting them, these man-eaters were often also hunting him. This was a day when rifles were very limited in their killing power, unlike the sophisticated weapons of today.

Man-eaters of Kumaon contains such spine tingling suspense as a time that the author spent the night in a tree by himself well within reach of the man-eater he was tracking. Other times he would make the final approach of a tiger alone with no help or support. Most of his kills were at less than 50 yards. Some were less than 50 feet!

These stories seemed so spectacular when I first read them I chalked it up to a man with an over active imagination. I started researching Mr. Corbett and reading any articles that I could find on him. To my surprise I found quite the opposite to be the fact. People that knew him well and went with him in the jungles all say that he toned the stories down because he thought if he told the whole truth no one would believe him!!

After I read the book, my wife who does not even hunt consumed it in a single day (which means the house turned into a mess). As soon as she finished, my 15-year-old son started on it and finished it one day later. This is a true classic about a true hero, the kind of which we are sadly lacking in today's world.

This book is about man-eating tigers in India and the man who hunted them. Jim Corbett was born in India, the son of a British colonial postmaster in the foothills of the Himalayas. As a boy, Corbett spent most of his time wandering in the jungle, and became not only an expert on tigers, but on all of the jungle animals and birds.When there was a man-eating tiger about, the government officials would always ask Corbett to track down and kill the man-eater (The tigers had HUNDREDS of victims!). It was a very dangerous business, and Corbett was almost killed many times. He would sit up all night over a human kill, waiting for the man-eater to come back. This book is a very suspenseful, exciting page-turner and a bloody good read!--Daniel Smith, 5th grade homeschooler

It all started when I was assigned to write a Senior paper on the little known country of Burma. In search of literature, art, history and economics I found Mandalay's Child and Dr. Prem Sharma. This book is an amazing piece which inspired a theme that I worked through my paper: suffering and hope.

In November of 2000, I had to pleasure of meeting Dr. Prem Sharma when he was in my area and visited my class at school. He talked to us about having respect for all people and their personal/religous beliefs and how important it was to realize that fighting does not help situations. Dr. Sharma, who lived in Burma during World War II, was forced to leave with his family because of the Japanense threat to the Burmese people. He moved with his family to India, but here found himself amongst the battle between the Hindus and the Muslims for Pakistan and India.

This book is truly a magnificent piece of work and something that all people, whether interested in Burma or not, should read. It gives insight into the lives of the Burmese people, the struggle for their freedom through war, and things that Dr. Sharma has witnessed in his life since the piece is partially biographical. The story is composed in a way so that the reader truly becomes attached to the family in the story. The power that this novel has over the reader is amazing -- you will shed some tears at least twice!

Dr. Sharma was a wonderful man to meet in person. He appeared very open to comments and questions about his novel and his homeland of Burma. As I correspond with him in Wisconsin through letters, I find that he is one of the most amazing people I have met in my life because of his talent and what he has been through.

As I anxiously await the publication of Dr. Sharma's other parts to the trilogy I urge everyone to pick up this novel and read it for a true experience of Burma and wonderful writing!

Mandalay's Child is a novel that is exciting, historical and philosophical. It has appeal to everyone; those who lived through the 1940s and those who wish to immerse themselves in the history of the period. The 10 year old Burmese child sees the evolution of power struggles from the vantage point of a citizen, and the feelings portrayed are poignantly current and painfully true to the headlines we hear today. Her trek through adverse weather and terrain, and through prejudice and cruelty bring to the reader a sense of the micro world that we see as a macro vision through the headlines about thousands of refugees fleeing religious and ethnic persecution. I am not a student of the dates and places and historical events recounted in the book, but it seems that those items were well researched and not fictionalized. This makes the book doubly valuable to history classes and others as a very entertaining and palatable way to devour the chronicle of those times and places visited by the storyteller. "True" fiction has a different flavor in the hands of a talented author. Authors who simply "make up" characters and events and scenes can stimulate the imagination with skill, but when you know the action had to be experienced by the heart and mind of the author, the imagination can actually produce in the reader the sobs of a participant in the drama of each day. The use of flashbacks was very deftly handled, with never a chance of reader frustration or disorientation. The character development was natural, and one simply had the feeling each of the persons one traveled with were members of one's own family. It was hard not to internalize the joys and pains of the people involved! The use of foreign words and phrases added a pungent sense of reality and authenticity, as did the reference frequently to the reaction of all five senses to the action at hand. The psychological exploration into the post traumatic stress syndrome problems of the heroine was realistic and effective, and the tragedy of war and religious fanaticism was reduced to specific feelings and injuries in characters with which one could identify. This, and the loving references to people who accepted the various paths to the mountain top of religious worship allowed the reader to deeply reexamine the conventional wisdom of many prejudices and narrow views concerning people who are different. The story was indeed reality captured in a way that lit the imagination like the flares in the night sky over Mandalay. It was riveting and exciting and even gruesome at times. But it was educational, occasionally romantic, a great story, and it stretched the mind and heart to a new level, challenging our safe and selfish world with a philosophy of kindness toward others and of a greater appreciation for our wonderful differences.

Mandalay's Child flows in a way that makes it very difficult to set down. While getting caught up in the story can make it "easy" to read, Prem Sharma has written a thought-provoking and moving book that, in many ways, is not at all emotionally "easy." In a respectful yet honest manner, Sharma describes the love within a family against a background of attrocities within a country. It is a history about which I knew nothing and I will now never forget. I eagerly await the next book in the series.

This is without doubt one of the best books I have ever read... and judging by the other reviews I'm not the first to feel this way. I was completeoy transported to the time and place of the story, I fell in love wioth Ash, I lived though all Anjuli's agonies. It's one of those books that live forever in your heart. The characters simply walk off the page and into your life, and when its over you grieve for them. I have read it three times. Generally I love books set in India and read them all, but they are of variable quality. Kaye's "Shadow of the Moon" is almost, but not quite, as good. Another novel with "Far Pavillions" effect is "Of Marriageable Age" by Sharon Maas, a love story to die for!

This book is at once a sweeping romance, a gripping adventure story, and a tale about identity and belonging. I just love it, and re-read it regularly. M M Kaye is simply the most marvellous story teller, and her descriptions of India are breath-taking too.

It is the story of Ashton/Ashok - an English boy brought up by a peripatetic father in the foothills of the Himalayas - he is about 6 years old when cholera strikes the camp and kills everyone but himself and his nurse. She takes him down into India to give him back to the safety of the English - but this is 1857 and India is in mutiny against the English. Ash, having been brought up amongst Indians can speak their languages fluently, and he is the right colouring to pass as one of the races from the North where they are paler. So his nurse escapes from the troubles with him and brings him up as her own son. This sets the stage for many of his later problems, the key one being that of his identity - for when he must later seek safety with the English and his true birth is revealed he finds it difficult to know who he truly is for he is at once Indian and English. While a boy Ash meets Anjuli, a princess in the court where he is working. She is the daughter of an Indian/Russian mother - and because of her birth, and her mother's death in the court, she is also never really properly accepted.

MM Kaye sets this story against the grand displays of Indian courts, the British army (which Ashton later joins to return to India), teeming bazaars, and the different cultures and religions of India.

Its an enormous book to get through but it is well worth pretty much every page. I've never been one for long descriptions of war, and the scenes of the siege in Afghanistan towards the end I always find a bit of a trial. That is really such a small piece of the whole novel for most of it Ash and later Anjuli too, try to work out who they are and how they fit into India, or perhaps England. Their relationships and identities are tested against their friends who enter their lives and for various reasons leave them again. It is at once incredibly tragic and wonderfully romantic. I fell in love with India the first time I read this book and subsequent readings haven't changed my opinion.

MM Kaye wrote two other real epics. Shadow of the Moon which I also really love, although it is a bit more romantic than this one - and Trade Winds which is set in Zanzibar as I remember - but the heroine in that just doesn't gel for me. The Far Pavillions is simply the best epic novel ever written (I think)

This is the 5th or 6th time I've read this magnificent novel & I still can't get enough! Her (M.M Kaye)knowledge of the Indian psyche is astounding, I can almost smell & taste the India of the 19th century. My heart ached & I was moved by the intense love between Ash & Anjuli. I felt their moments of joy & despair, Ash's confusion of which society he belonged to & Anjuli's unselfish love. I hope Ms. Kaye would consider writing a sequel (I know, it's asking too much). Right now I'm trying to persuade my (Indian) wife to read this wonderful story, she's only seen the 1984 TV mini series. I thoroughly recommend this book, thank you for a most wonderful & satisfying experience, Ms Kaye.

British General William Slim commanded English/Indian forces during most of the "forgotten" war in Burma from 1942 to 1945. Slim is now regarded as the finest English general of the Second World War (yes, better than "Monty"). In this book, written some time after the war ended, Slim tells the reader about the early mistakes which lead to the near total defeat of the English army in Burma in 1942. ----- Slim's efforts to rebuild his army and then take the offensive against the Japanese comprise the majority of the book and it makes for a very interesting story. Considering that the terrain over which most of the fighting occured was even worse than Vietnam, I learned a great deal. Contrasting his experiances in Burma with the U.S. war in Vietnam is a good thought experiment. ---- Of most interest to military historians and people interested in the Second World War. As to personal matters the book is almost completely devoid of details. Slim was very much the English Gentleman and all the interesting personal details of his life you will have to find elsewhere. ---- P.S. It contains an interesting side note about the father of the Burmese Nobel Peace Prize winner: Aung San Suu Kyi. Her father fought against the British in conjunction with the Japanese but later turned against the Japanese when he discovered that they were just going to be new imperial masters, even worse than the English. ---- Colin Glassey

Field-Marshal Slim's memoir of the Burma campaign is one of thefinest generals reports from the Second World War. He outlines thebitter and decisive British defeat by the Japanese in 1942, the slow, painful rebuilding of the British-Indian-African Army and its collaboration with the Chinese and Americans in a see-saw campaign against the Japanese in 1943, the decisive battle of Imphal in 1944 and the crushing victories of 1945. In the mountainous and jungle terrain of the Burma-India theater Slim pioneered in the use of airpower for logistical support and the development of airbridges built around air fields. In many ways this under-supported and often neglected theater fought the most modern campaign of the second world war. Slim is a revealing and deliberate author-teacher who intended this book both as a report on a great campaign and as a series of lessons for future students of the art of war. The opening hundred pages are a little slow and the place names are never easy but the book is well worth reading for anyone who would seek to understand leadership and victory in warfare.

Awhile ago, I read QUARTERED SAFE OUT HERE, the wartime memoir by George MacDonald Fraser detailing his experiences as an infantryman with the 17th Division of the 14th Indian Army as the latter pursued the retreating Japanese through Burma during the closing months of WWII. He had nothing but high praise for the army commander, Field-Marshal William Slim. This prompted me to purchase and read Slim's own account of the time and place, DEFEAT INTO VICTORY. The two books are a perfect pair for anyone interested in the India-Burma Theater of the war - perspectives from both the top and bottom of the British Army's command structure.

Slim's memoirs, first published in 1956 while he was serving as Governor General of Australia, begin with his assignment to command the 1st Burma Corps during it's desperate fighting retreat from Burma into India in 1942 after the Japanese captured Rangoon. Then later, as chief of the 14th Indian Army, he oversees the regrouping and rebuilding of the force that finally decimates the Japanese invaders at Imphal in northern India, and subsequently chases the fleeing enemy back south through Burma.

One of Slim's most notable characteristics is his evident lack of an overbearing ego. Several times in his book, he makes reference to his mistakes, errors in planning or judgement, and his deficiencies as a military commander. (Imagine that other famous British Field-Marshal of the war, the prima donna Montgomery, admitting such!) Much to his credit, Slim apparently learned hard lessons as he went along, and emerged as the better man and general for it. This, combined with his great concern for his men's morale, health, training and supply, justifies the high regard in which he was held by "rankers" such as Fraser. Churchill was wrong when he remarked, "I cannot believe that a man with a name like Slim can be much good."

The author's history of the Burma war is comprehensive - perhaps excessively so for the casual reader such as myself. His narrative includes the movement of troops as far down as battalion level, which is way more than I needed to know. Because of this, I might have awarded 4 stars instead of 5 had I been less mindful of the contribution Slim's memoir makes to the history of an almost forgotten theater of the global conflict. A keener student of the Burma campaigns is certain to appreciate these details more than I did.

Finally, there is the Field-Marshal's dry British wit, which shows all too infrequently. For example, when discussing his opposite number in the Japanese Army, Lieutenant General Kawabe, Slim writes:

"I did, however, manage to get a photograph alleged to be that of Kawabe. It showed what might have been a typical western caricature of a Japanese; the bullet head, the thick glasses, and prominent teeth were all there... When I needed cheering I looked at it and assured myself that, whichever of us was the cleverer general, even I was, at any rate, the better looking."

I was drawn to this book for various reasons: it is a historical novel, it is about India, which I find interesting, and on the top of the book it says something like "After you read this book, you feel like it should win prizes." Well- if I'm going to feel that way then of course I want to read it!

I picked it up and read it on a plane all in one sitting. This book is a perfect book for that because it pulls you into a little web of a community (Englishman, Sikhs, and Eurasians barricaded in an English encampment, fighting against an Indian uprising in 1857). You start forming alliances with the characters, cheering some, scorning others, and smiling wryly over the overall dilemma they are in, and soon you really want to know what will finally kill them all off. For all of these reasons, this is a good book. From my point of view, the absolutely most fascinating part was the role the World Fair Exposition played in this book as evidence of cultural progress, bringing these Expositions to the brilliant context they deserve, and the fact that these expats in the middle of the dessert think excessively about culture. I identify with that! However, I do see detractions to the book. It is slow in parts. Their treatment of the local prince seems weird. The cholera debate is unsurprising. The end comes quickly and adds no real lessons to the whole ordeal the community went through. For these reasons, I am not exactly rushing out to give it to my mom. However, for any serious reader and certainly for a follower of the Booker Prize, this book is well worth the trouble finding.

THE SIEGE OF KRISHNAPUR is certainly a gripping novel. It might be very well classified as a historical novel, since it is an account of the Indian Mutiny in 1857. It goes well beyond that, however. Farrell makes a wonderful use of point of view, focusing on very many different characters at different points ( he even penetrates the conscience of a dog which has a crush on an English subject at one point !), creating hilarious situations by revealing their thoughts and opinions about themselves and other characters to us. Needless to say, more often than not, these perceptions fly in the face of the perceptions of other characters. Farrell does not neglect exploring the philosophical issue, either : apart from dealing with the obvious point of the clash of cultures, he opposes rational, neoclassical characters to romantic ones,and he makes a fervent Protestant Padre sustain interesting and certainly humorous arguments with a staunch rationalist, a sarcastic atheist and a "popist" Catholic priest in the midst of the despairing situation of a siege in which the British are running out of food, dying of cholera and seeing their lifestyle crumble. If there is any flaw to THE SIEGE OF KRISHNAPURl, it is that due to the numerous characters in the novel, Farrell finds it difficult to do them justice at certain points: characters disappear and then are woven back into the narrative again, and the reader is often left wondering what has become of them in between.

For those seeking greater insights into Britain's imperial ethos, I urge you to read THE SIEGE OF KRISHNAPUR, by the late(and great)Anglo-Irish writer J.G. Farrell. It's about the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857, when thousands of native Indian Army troops (know as Sepoys) rose up against their English masters. The bloody mutiny began in Meerut barracks in May of '57 and quickly spread along a 500-mile string of cities and villages in northern India. It was finally put down five months later. Marked by appalling atrocities on both sides, thousands of Indians and hundreds of Europeans were slaughtered. The proximal cause of the uprising was the introduction of rifle cartridges greased with animal fat, which was unacceptable on religious grounds to both Hindus and Muslims. The underlying (if at the time unarticulated) cause of course rested in dissatisfaction on the part of Indians, the inhabitants of an ancient and sophisticated civilization, over their subjugation by foreigners.

In the 18th century, the presence of the British in India, most of whom were men, was generally benign and not much noticed. By the mid-nineteenth century, however, the behavior of the British toward Indians had become increasingly oppressive and arrogant, in large part due to the presence of English wives, who ghettoized the English communities and regarded all native Indians with fear and contempt. After the rebellion, such attitudes hardened and became pervasive; this in turn fed the resolve of Indians to expel the British from their country - which they did 92 years later. Although there is no record of it, at the time, a few thoughtful Englishmen must have recognized that the rebellion was an indelible sign of what would inevitably follow.

The centerpiece, if you will, of the Sepoy Rebellion was the four-month siege by the rebels of the Residency at Lucknow. The "residency" was in fact a large, walled compound which served as the British administrative center of an area consisting of thousand of square miles and millions of inhabitants. It was also the social center of the British community and the home of the "Collector", the region's chief administrative officer. THE SIEGE OF KRISHNAPUR, first published in 1973 and winner of the Booker Prize that year, is a fictionalized account of the Lucknow siege - although most of the incidents related in the book actually occurred and most of the characters are based on real people.

THE SIEGE OF KRISHNAPUR is, bar none, my favorite 20th century novel. It is a sublime book that has everything - elegant, crystalline writing, vividness, tight novelistic structure, tremendous scope and depth, action, excitement, moving, convincing sentiment, comedy and tragedy, uproarious savage satire and searing irony. Supporting these virtues is a serious philosophical discourse about the nature of human progress as it is reflected in the efforts of Westerners to "civilize" the rest of the world. For all of that, although KRISHNAPUR demands close attention, for the literate, it is a highly accessible, highly satisfying "read". I know that you'll enjoy it, and in reading it will, I believe, learn a bit more about the human condition.

Should you be inspired to learn more about the Sepoy Rebellion, I recommend Christopher Hibbert's THE GREAT MUTINY, Viking, l978. And for a trenchant, entertaining examination of day-to-day life during the Raj (from the British perspective), see PLAIN TALES FROM THE RAJ, edited by Charles Allen (Holt, Rinehart, l985)

Absurdly, J.G. Farrell died in a fishing accident in 1979. Among his other works are: TROUBLES (1970), set in Dublin in l919, THE SINGAPORE GRIP (1978), set in Singapore in the weeks immediately before the Japanese invasion of the city in 1940, and the unfinished THE HILL STATION, set in Simla in pre-independence days.

Bernard Cornwell's 'Richard Sharpe' series is one of the best historical fiction series ever written, and to have a new Sharpe adventure is a pleasure! Even better is to now have an adventure of Richard Sharpe's younger soldiering days before Wellington promoted him to Lieutenant in 1809 Spain, to read of Sharpe's adventures in India, and it is my hope that Mr. Cornwell brings us more of Sharpe's adventures in India (although I will miss reading about Sharpe's escapades,adventures, and battles with Sergeant Patrick Harper at his side). SHARPE'S TIGER, although an adventure in itself to be read at any period in the SHARPE series, is another wonderful way to introduce readers to Richard Sharpe, the best damn soldier ever in the British Army, now or ever!

I really have to hand it to all the positive reviewers for this series and this book in particular; you are right. Sharpe is outstanding and I can't wait to read more of the series. After months reading positive reviews of some of the earlier books in the series (and by earlier I mean those that were published first in time) I decided to give Cornwell a go. What I expected was a rip roaring adventure and I was not disappointed. In fact, I was esctatic! Believe everything good you read about Sharpe's Tiger: the book is fun without being light. Cornwell includes some very helpful maps and his prose is extremely colorful. He is particularly good at describing battle scenes and dialogue. Expect to finish this book at record time; its not short, its just that you will want to read just one more exciting chapter. Now, if only movies could be this good!

This is the first Sharpe novel I've read and what a mistake it was to wait so long. My general avoidance of fiction, especially of the serial nature, caused me to foolishly ignore this series. Sharpe's Tiger was a mixed blessing: Yes, I loved the book, but as another reviewer warned, I am now addicted. Thankfully, I picked the right book to start with, this being the first chronologically in Sharpe's military career.

Now, rather than go into detail about the plot and characters (which have been adequately covered in other reviews) I wanted to underscore how impressed I am with the historical accuracy. Cornwell has been first rate in his attention to detail and in describing the conditions of military life in the British Army of the period, even in drawing distinctions between regular army regiments and those of the British East India Company.

But even more impressive is the amount of research that must have gone into writing such a novel. With historical fiction you always have people such as myself looking for errors and making pedantic statements like, "But the 52nd Regiment of Foot was never involved in the attack on Java". But Sharpe's Tiger, and presumably the rest of the series, is meticulously researched. Probably not one person in 10,000 has heard of the battle of Mallavelly (the only reference I have found is in Vol.4 of Fortescue's History of the British Army which is, sadly, long ago out-of-print) yet Cornwell presents a robust picture of this engagement.

Being particularly interested in the Peninsular War (the setting for many of the other Sharpe adventures), I was elated to finally discovered what so many fans of Cornwell had known for a long time: The Sharpe series, like Hornblower, is sure to be a classic of this genre.

While at first glance this book seems to be just another bosom ripping historical romance, it is in fact much more. It is the story of Laura Hewitt, 24 year old "spinster" and her travel to India in 1857 which involves her in the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857. It has all the elements of a sweeping historical elements: brave heroine, wealthy arrogant landowner, jealousies , war, bravery, fear, a little lust. But what sets this books apart from other historical romances, is the indepth character portrayals. Initially, they may all appear shallow, but it is through the long telling of Laura's experiences in India and the seige of Lucknow that you get to feel for these characaters. Each character develops richly and is keenly drawn. The language of the book is utterly beautiful. You can feel the heat off the arid plains of India as they struggle in the horror of the rebellion. The background is so richly drawn, you can practically smell the curry. The author's description of the seige: the bugs, smell, death and fear are vivid. The characters just get better as you read, and I particularly liked her observations of Victorian life, standards and moral outlook. The worst of human behaviour is revealed in the ugliness of the seige, and yet there is where Laura finds her true nature, good and bad and richer appreciation of life. I love this book!

Well, let's just say that Ms Valerie Fitzgerald was indeed one polished storyteller when she created her award-winning novel "Zemindar" in 1981. No awkward sloppy syntax here! Sentences are clear as crystal (reminiscent in my mind of Jane Austen's own beautiful prose).
Some have compared Ms Fitzgerald's Zemindar to "Shadow of the Moon" from M.M. Kaye. Granted, both novels deal with the very same events yet it seems to me that the approaches differ somewhat. If you are interested in fiction focusing on 19th century British Raj you might want to give J. G. Farrell's "The Siege of Krishnapur" (Booker Prize Winner/1974) a try as well. I doubt you will be disappointed.
Please do consider reading Zemindar ( that is if you are lucky enough to have access to a copy). Chances are this gripping novel will take you very far in place and time from your reading chair. Enjoy!

I am never disappointed when I re-read this book every year. When I sit down to read it I know I will enjoy it each time. It seems to be a fairly authentic historical novel yet I am thoroughly involved with the characters who make this period in history come alive. If you like this book, try "Tradewind" by M.M.Kaye. I also read it over and over.

Olivia and Jai is an emotionally draining novel about love and betrayal in colonial India. This is not a romance novel in the traditional sense because it is a complicated story about two complicated individuals. If you want an intelligent love story then this is the one for you.

I first stumbled across this book when I was in high school. Back in those days, I used to go to the library, walking up and down the aisles waiting for something to jump out at me. One of those days, it was Olivia and Jai. I have read this book at least five times since and thoroughly enjoyed it every time. This past fall I was able to get an out of print copy through Amazon.

Ryman is an incredibly gifted author (something that you do not discover until about 30 pages into the book) who has a unique power to draw the reader into the story and identify with the characters so that the character's emotions deeply effect your own. To this day I am moved to tears when I read this book. Not only that, the plot is so complicated that I am always surprised at what I forgot as well as anxiously trying to remember how the story comes to its conclusion.

Not quite the romantic but an avid reader of anything historical I picked up this book just two days ago and has not set it down until I read the last page aching for more. Rebecca Ryman has written the novel in such a way that you cannot but imagine yourself in that era. With characters so believable and detailed you get to know them, grow with them and find it hard to leave them. You cannot but try to compare youself to Olivia and to want a Jai(Jeye - is the Indian pronounciation)in your life.
This love story will be hard to top.

There really should be a category for rating books that's called "Infinite Stars." "Olivia and Jai" would fit in that category for me. It goes there with "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon and "Gone With the Wind." Those would be the only ones in that category for me. Which should tell you how well-loved this book is.

This is a book that took my breath away, broke my heart, then put it back together again. The characters are very complex, and I cared for them so much that at times it seemed as though they couldn't just be fictional. I come back to the book and re-read it every couple of years just to get that feeling in my chest where it feels like I can't breathe because I am so enthralled by the love story.

It's a rare gift, this book, and I hope that you'll enjoy it as much as I have. And it is most definitely worth the effort to have it ordered from somewhere. In fact, I think I found it hidden away in a used bookstore myself. I can't imagine selling this book, but I thank my lucky stars that someone did and that I was direced to it that day. I hope that other people have the same chance to read it and soak in the story as I have.

The story of little black Sambo is truly a classic from all who remember it from our childhood.Helen Bannerman wrote this story for her two little children while traveling with them by train across India. If people would LOOK AT THE ILLUSTRATIONS they would see that Sambo is a little Indian boy from India, continents away from America and the Cival war and or South. I ran 2 independant bookstores some 12 to 14 years ago and when I finally found THE STORY OF LITTLE BLACK SAMBO in print again I'd order maybe 60 copies a week and could not keep this wonderful little storybook in stock. Almost every buyer were grandparents who could not wait to introduce their grandchildren to a book we all knew and loved. It is a must have for all collectors of wonderful literature!

When my wife asked me to try and find several classic children's books for her new baby grandson, I smiled at the mention of the titles, recalling with great fondness the stories being read to me by my mother when I was a child. Little Black Sambo was one of those stories. It is, of course, a shame that there arose some time ago individuals who equated the story with "racism". To the intelligent mind, it is truly a pity that some are so intent to find "racism" that they will envision same where none even vaguely exists.Such is the case with this fanciful, harmless classic story for children; a story that has been told to generations of children who have listened in wonder as the tigers melted into butter for (the little Indian boy) Sambo's pancakes!It is a story that returns one to a simpler time, long before child psychologists, political correctness (and who indeed is qualified to judge what is or is not CURRENTLY "correct"? Perhaps we're better off not knowing their identities, God help us!), shootings committed by school children, and all the other wonders of this wonderful Modern Age.Little Black Sambo is an American classic. As for racism: it can be found wherever one desires to find it. And if it exists not where they look, tis easy enough to invent.

A wonderful childhood book to read again even now at age 52.

The pictures of the tigers, bright clothing and how to make butter are still fresh in my mind from that story. I ran around that tree with that little boy, time and time again and I am glad that we are able to have this book available to share with our children and grandchildren.

This Book is one of the best south indian vegetarian cook book ever !!
Being a south Indian myself , i can vouch for the authencity of the recipes.....they taste exactly like mom's cooking !!!! The pictures are just gorgeous ! The only drawback , as I see it, is the lack of nutritional information.
But, most of the dishes are well balanced .
It is an absolute visual treat.

Another good book is Meenakshi ammal's " cook and see" , which is considered to be a classic like the "joy of cooking" series, but i dont think its available in US as yet.

I have to say that this is one of my favorite vegetarian cookbooks. The instructions are very clear and easy to follow. I always thought South Indian cooking required a lot of effort, but this book sure proved me wrong :)

I am myself from South India but moved to the U.S. before I could learn how to make all the traditional dishes. Occasionally mom write down a couple of recipes for me. But eversince I got this book, I do not have to bother mom. The recipes are very simple to follow once you get a hang of the basic ingredients used in South Indian cooking and the taste is unbeatable. What more, South Indian vegetarian cuisine is healthy and wholesome.