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The Sun In The Morning: My Early Years In India And England (1990)

The Sun in the Morning: My Early Years in India and England (1990)

Book Info

Author
Rating
4.21 of 5 Votes: 5
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ISBN
0312049994 (ISBN13: 9780312049997)
Language
English
Publisher
st. martin's press

About book The Sun In The Morning: My Early Years In India And England (1990)

Wow. I really milked this one out. Three months, that's insane! But it wasn't because I didn't like it, more that I savored it in small bedtime size portions.If you're at all remotely interested in the Raj or India in general at the turn of the century, you must read this. M.M.Kaye lived a fascinating life and was able to see and experience things before the "march of progress " changed everything; and thankfully she possessed a photographic memory and could then share her lifetime of adventures with us.A few things that really stood out from this book:Her father. He really sounded like a character! Astoundingly, he spoke 11 languages and 18 dialects! Incredible!Her childhood. How many children have played in abandoned palaces, watched Tibetan villagers come across the Himalayan pass peddling their goods, or swiped tea trays on board ship during a horrendous storm (in which several other ships sank) to go 'sledding ' down the deck when the ship tipped? True life is far stranger than fiction!It wasn't all fun and laughs though. Children of the Raj knew that eventually they'd go "home " to England for schooling. (Even though the only home they knew was India and their parents would stay behind). However, WW1 was a grace for the author as it delayed the inevitable for a few years; but her brother was sent to England at age 6 (just before the war) and it was 6 years before either parent saw him again. Heartbreakingly, he did not recognize or remember any of them.I loved this book so why 4 stars and not 5? Well, the bits in England did drag a bit. The author didn't quite know what to leave out so told us everything down to which song was playing when, and what picture show they went to. Probably very interesting to pop culture fans, just not me. CONTENT:SEX: NoneVIOLENCE : None per se but a few unpleasant (yet fascinating) details about the Spanish Flu that hit India particularly hard. Apparently so many died the population couldn't afford the wood for cremation so started dumping the bodies in the rivers where they collected like decomposing dams until even the crocodile were to satiated to move.PROFANITY :Mild to nonePARANORMAL ELEMENTS : Two passages about haunted houses. One in India (pretty frightening) and one in England. I chose to remove these from my book.MY RATING : PG

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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; 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!
—Ann

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