Publication
London : Penguin, 1992, c1990.
Status
Available
Description
Born to British parents from families with a tradition of service in India and China, Kaye's "conversation" is rich with recollections of a carefree childhood in British-governed India (The Raj) and of a more restricted adolescence in school at "home"--In drab England so far from her real home and from her beloved father and social butterfly of a mother. This rag-bag of exotic and mundane scraps (a metaphor that Kaye establishes in the foreword) spills forth palpable scenes of family and folklore, of friendships and of memorable events.
User reviews
LibraryThing member bookwoman247
The Sun in the Morning is the autobiography of author M.M. Kaye's childhood in India during the waning days of the British Raj.
The Writing was vivid and sparkling. I could see the snow-capped Himalayas, the bright saris, birds, and butterflies, the ruined palaces and forts, the ethereal Taj Mahal;
Some of what she wrote was sharply defensive of the Raj and colonialism in general. It seemed to me that she was never able to see the system under which she grew up with anything other than the eyes of a child who grew up in an enchanted land.
This book certainly wove a spell on me. I loved it, and now I want to read, or re-read her other work, as well as more of Kipling, especially his poetry, which she often quoted.
The only other drawback with this book was the weak ending. It basically ended in a quote. There are two more volumes of her autobiography, so the problem is likely one of poor editing.
Honestly, even though there were some slight problems, I cannot stress just how much I loved this book!
The Writing was vivid and sparkling. I could see the snow-capped Himalayas, the bright saris, birds, and butterflies, the ruined palaces and forts, the ethereal Taj Mahal;
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I could smell the fangipani, the jasmine, and the spices of the bazaars. Kaye paints such beautiful pictures with words. She also beautifully captured the bliss of a childhood spent freely roaming and exploring in such fascinating surroundings while knowing that everyone you see, of any color or caste, is a friend. Some of what she wrote was sharply defensive of the Raj and colonialism in general. It seemed to me that she was never able to see the system under which she grew up with anything other than the eyes of a child who grew up in an enchanted land.
This book certainly wove a spell on me. I loved it, and now I want to read, or re-read her other work, as well as more of Kipling, especially his poetry, which she often quoted.
The only other drawback with this book was the weak ending. It basically ended in a quote. There are two more volumes of her autobiography, so the problem is likely one of poor editing.
Honestly, even though there were some slight problems, I cannot stress just how much I loved this book!
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LibraryThing member Schmerguls
I read the author's The Far Pavilions on Jan 31, 1992, with considerable regard. This book tells of her father meeting her mother in China and of the author's birth in Simla, India, on Aug 21, 1908. She then tells in great detail of her life in India, apparently recording everything she could
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remember--and far more than I found of interest. But the book became progressively more interesting as she grew older. She left India in 1919, to her intense regret, and was usually unhappy in school in England. For some of the time she was in England her parents were in India, and she was usually unhappy in school and with the relatives she was with in England. Her father finally returned to England about 1925, to her great joy, and to her greater joy she and her parents and sister returned to India in 1927. I wish she had told more about her life after that. Some of the book is fetching as she talks of olden times, but she spends little time on other than family events and this is a defect as far as I am concerned--for lots of pages in the earlier pages of the book the relting of trivia was boring. But one has a good feeling about the book overall when one finishes it. Show Less
LibraryThing member CC123
Went through and read every M.M. Kaye book many years ago. I remember I loved all of them.
LibraryThing member christinejoseph
growing up in India then being sent to board in England — good
Readers of M.M. Kaye's fiction will discover here the source of the characters, settings, and certain incidents of her novels. Most of all, they will bask in this warm account of a young woman's remarkable life--and the beginnings of a
Readers of M.M. Kaye's fiction will discover here the source of the characters, settings, and certain incidents of her novels. Most of all, they will bask in this warm account of a young woman's remarkable life--and the beginnings of a
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love affair with an India whose time has passed but which has not been forgotten. Show Less
Language
ISBN
014013896X / 9780140138962
Original publication date
1990