I liked this book better than the first in the trilogy, perhaps because it spent more time in the household of Miriam's husband, Hassan, than with the British. There is also a new character, the Albino courier Ghulam Ali, whose future becomes entwined with Mariana's. And speaking of character, Mariana's development receives more attention from the author this time -- similar to an Austen heroine or maybe Anne of Green Gables, but with much higher stakes. The story is set at a pivotal point in history, and the author has placed Mariana at the heart of the action. It's all very interesting, how she is able to disguise herself simply by wrapping up in a borrowed dirty chador, but it just makes me wonder: why would Akhtar, whose chador it was, a servant whose responsibilities included laundering clothes for the household, not have washed her own chador given the opportunity? (Granted, it was originally her mother-in-law's before Akhtar liberated it from her [in the first book], but I see no reason why the chador should have still been available in its filthy state given that Akhtar was, among other things, a laundress.) A minor quibble.In this installment, Mariana has more social support than before, so when bad things happen and all looks hopeless, sometimes help turns up in surprising ways; and I don't mean from natives who saw something happen in a dream, which was the go-to scenario in the first book. Seeing that this is the second part of a three-book series, the final pages set up for the next part of our journey, while still providing some closure to the ongoing historical and personal events in Mariana's life. As you probably have guessed, I am about to go and read the final offering of this entertaining trilogy.
Do You like book A Beggar At The Gate (2004)?
Second in a series that begins with "A Singular Hostage" and finishes with "Companions of Paradise," altogether a most satisfying set of romantic historical fiction novels that offer an eye-opening look at the history of the British in 19th century India and Pakistan. This is not your standard romance -- none of the silly formulaic romance traditions -- but the growing relationship between Mariana Givens and the Muslim Hassan Ali Khan was absolutely compelling. Hurrah for an author who can transport us to a faraway place so accurately and so respectfully.
—Susanne
