Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Author Focus: M.M. Kaye

Mary Margaret Kaye was born in 1908 in India, and lived there much of her childhood and early married life.  She also spent time in Kenya, Zanzibar, Egypt, Cyprus and Germany, because of her husband's military career.


M.M. Kaye has written more books than the ones I will mention here, but these are the ones with which I'm familiar.  


Historical Novels
The Far Pavilions - my favorite novel and one I re-read about every 4-5 years.  It takes place in India about twenty or thirty years after the Indian Mutiny.  It's a long book, but rich in detail and tells a wonderful story of an English boy who spends the first eleven years of his life growing up Indian, and the impact that had on his adulthood (and that description doesn't begin to do justice to the story but I'm afraid if I go into any more detail than that, I won't be able to stop!)


Shadow of the Moon - also takes place in India but during the years leading up to, and during the Mutiny.  


Trade Wind's locale is the island of Zanzibar.  It tells the story of a naive, idealistic  English girl who goes there to visit family and the growing experiences she has there as she sees what life is really like.




All three of these novels give you a good idea of what was happening historically, while at the same time telling a gripping story.  I highly recommend them!




Suspense novels
Death in Berlin
Death in Zanzibar
Death in the Andamans
Death in Cyprus
Death in Kashmir
Death in Kenya


These are all shorter than the historical novels, and far less involved but no less entertaining.  If you enjoy mysteries, try them!


M.M.Kaye has also written a wonderful autobiography in three volumes.  I've only read the first one but it's one of my goals to find the other two and read them as well.
The Sun in the Morning
Golden Afternoon
Enchanted Evening


Happy Reading!












5 comments:

  1. Far Pavilions is my fave novel, too. Well, that and The Name of the Rose (Eco). But they fill totally different needs.

    And I HAD to post because I cannot stand the "1 comments" thing on this site.

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  2. This is not a comment either.

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  3. I love these books. In fact it was Debbie who introduced me to the mysteries.

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