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British Empire, exotic adventure.


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Hello hello. I am re-reading Burmese Days this weekend and I still find it as great as it was 7 years ago when I first read it. It got me interested in that period, people and events and I started looking for some good fiction (for now) but I only came up with A Passage to India and Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E.Lawrence. So I come to you fine people in search of similar books. I am interested especially in the subject of Imperial Britain but any adventure/history book set in the East, between let's say 1900 and 1940 will do. 

 

Thank you. 

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The Raj Quartet by Paul Scott are excellent (as was the 80s TV adaptation The Jewel in the Crown :smile: )

 

There is a book I must recommend (though the timeline is earlier than the 20th century) is Matthew Kneale's English Passengers , as this is a type of big adventure, but a wonderful book. 

 


Edited by Marie H
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MM Kaye wrote The Far Pavillions set in India during the British Raj. I haven't read it so can't give a recommendation. It's also very long, so may rule it out for you. But I have read her autobiographical books about growing up in India, which I enjoyed very much. She was born in 1908 and her father was a British Intelligence Officer in the Indian Army.

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Most of those I would have suggested have already been listed, but whilst some of the following might not hit your precise dates, they may still be of interest:

 

Kim by Rudyard Kipling: written in 1900, so a mite early, but a classic, often regarded as the first 'spy story'.  If you enjoy this, then Kiplling's short stories may well prove a useful collection to mine.

 

The Siege of Krishnapur and Singapore Grip by JG Farrell.  The former is a bit early (mid-19C setting - Indian uprising), but they are part of a series of three outstanding books that examine imperial implications. The other is Troubles, set in Ireland.

 

W Somerset Maugham wrote a number of short stories set in imperial Far East - classics.  (Rain is probably the best known).  A brilliant, if nowadays underrated, writer.

 

Two books set in India at the time of independence, so a bit after your time zone, but both brilliant and thus probably worth a mention:  Midnight's Children (Salman Rushdie) and A Suitable Boy (Vikram Seth).

 

When We Were Orphans  by Kazuo Ishiguro, partly set in Shanghai in the 1930s - not one of my favourites, but others in my book group loved it.

 

Elephant Moon by John Sweeney, set in wartime Burma, based on a real-life journey when a group of school children managed to evacuate the country with the aid of a herd of elephants.  A decent read, enjoyed even more by a number of my book group.

 

A Season in Sinji, set on an RAF base in West Africa during WW2.  Written by one of my favourite authors, JL Carr; definitely recommended!  He regarded it as his best.

 

Hope that helps!

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Holy cows how could I forget about Kipling's book? Thx a lot Will for your post. I set the 1900-1940 dates at random, thinking that most books would have their action/were written around that time but I see now that I was badly mistaken. 

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