Panoramic, Beautiful, Smart Historical Drama

Any additional comments?

This is an extraordinary historical drama. It mostly concerns the fortunes of three British women living during the British Raj period in India. They are the wife of a missionary, a hapless and naive soldier's wife, and an engineer's wife. Their characters grow--or are crushed--as the story develops. The setting and time are shown in both their brutality and beauty. The story shifts back and forth between the present day descendant of the missionary's wife and the 19th c. era, with the emphasis on the latter. Some aspects of this book are truly heart breaking, but in a way that gives the book a great sense of historical authenticity and emotional truth. The narration is spectacular, with Welsh, Scottish, English, and Indian accents effortlessly limned. There is romance, but it is far, far more than a sappy romance. Can NOT recommend this highly enough.

9 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

vintage Rosie Thomas

What made the experience of listening to The Kashmir Shawl the most enjoyable?

Truly vintage Rosie Thomas, a captivating story in a fabulous setting.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters were so real, so varied and so believable.
The setting between rural Wales & vibrant India transported the reader.
The thread of the story made it un-put downable.

What about Nerys Hughes’s performance did you like?

I read the book but was unsure of the pronounciations so her reading helped to bring it to life for me.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I loved the description of the shawl being spread out & drifting with all the beautiful colours being seen for the first time.

Any additional comments?

I rated this book as highly as "Sun at midnight " & "White" which I have always considered superb stories.

5 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

nice story, easy listen

What made the experience of listening to The Kashmir Shawl the most enjoyable?

i actually enjoyed the grandmothers staory most i think that could have been a book on its own! not sure why the granddaughters story was such a big part, it was a bit of a let down

Have you listened to any of Nerys Hughes’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

yes but i dont want to spoil it!

2 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Adventure and Romance

Where does The Kashmir Shawl rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have always wanted to travel to Kashmir, so I loved how the setting of the novel was portrayed! The contrast between life as a privileged Brit and poor native people was well-researched and believable. The natural beauty of Kashmir, and the descriptions of the houseboats were also intriguing. The end of the British Raj was an epic time in human history, and I thought the flashbacks between then and now were an effective method of spinning a wonderful mystery. As to the romance: I did not find the main character's extra-marital affair very sympathetic or compelling. I enjoyed the narrator's voice and thought it contributed well to the story.

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Loved the Book

I loved this book , the story and the characters but feel the narrator was not a good fit. She tried to do different voices, but most of them sounded the same. She made everyone sound quite old, which they were not. This made the story more difficult to imagine in the Audible version.

This book has lingered with me

I LOVED this book. There was literally such a rich tapestry to the story, and the characters. I find myself super curious about this part of the world now. It has lingered with me and I can’t bring myself to start another book yet because I am still savoring this one. DELICIOUS.
My only small complaint, and it is so minor as to be ridiculous, however I noticed it as an irritant so I will mention it here. The narrator’s American accent was not good. The other accents were fine and her voice and story telling was engaging so don’t let this dissuade you from listening.

I LOVE KASHMIR

I read this book because I love KASHMIR.
It is historical fiction set into a story about a “PASHIMA”, a handmade Kashmiri shawl. Rosie Thomas built a story quiet cleverly using the Kashmir shawl as a focal point. I enjoyed this book. Several points of Kashmir history were incorporated of which I was not aware. ❤️

Overlong

Could have been a lot shorter to reach the same conclusion. I wanted to like it but didn't really think it was a satisfying story.

Beautiful

This was a lovely listen. Epic, beautiful, interesting and entertaining. I'd love more from this author available on audible. Yes!

not a lot of substance

I found it didn't have much substance to it and struggled to finish the book.