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 it

Very well written the story lines meshed and I hope Bruno and Mytah live happily ever after

Exquisite

What a fabulous book. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it and having been to Ladakh found the atmosphere was captured magnificently. Prose is rich and a delight to absorb, the plot is gripping. Excellent narration.

Enjoyable

Surprisingly a good read. This book didn't get very high of ratings, but I really enjoyed it. The book began with Mair Ellis, who was going through her parent's belongings and found a Kashmir shawl. The book traced the Kashmir shawl and its story. This led to Mair learning about her grandmother and how the Kashmir shawl had belonged to her and thus began the story about the lives of the three women who ended up living together for a while in India during the war. The characters were so well developed that you felt like you know them. And there I will stop except to say, this was such an enjoyable read.

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. ❤️