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East of the Sun
Autumn 1928. The Kaiser-i-Hind is en route to Bombay. In Cabin D38, Viva Hollowat, an inexperienced chaperone, is worried she's made a terrible mistake. Her advert in The Lady has resulted in three unsettling charges to be escorted to India.
Rose, a beautiful, dangerously naive English girl, is about to be married to the cavalry officer she has met only a handful of times.
Victoria, the bridesmaid, is determined to lose her virginity on the journey before finding a husband of her own in India. And overshadowing all three of them, the malevolent presence of Guy Glover, a strange and disturbed schoolboy.
Three potential Memsahibs with a myriad of reasons for leaving England, but the cargo of hopes and secrets they carry has done little to prepare them for what lies ahead.
From the parties of the wealthy Bombay socialites to the poverty of the orphans on Tamarind Street, East of the Sun is everything a historical novel should be: alive with glorious detail, fascinating characters and masterful storytelling.
Rose, a beautiful, dangerously naive English girl, is about to be married to the cavalry officer she has met only a handful of times.
Victoria, the bridesmaid, is determined to lose her virginity on the journey before finding a husband of her own in India. And overshadowing all three of them, the malevolent presence of Guy Glover, a strange and disturbed schoolboy.
Three potential Memsahibs with a myriad of reasons for leaving England, but the cargo of hopes and secrets they carry has done little to prepare them for what lies ahead.
From the parties of the wealthy Bombay socialites to the poverty of the orphans on Tamarind Street, East of the Sun is everything a historical novel should be: alive with glorious detail, fascinating characters and masterful storytelling.
458 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2007
About the author
Julia Gregson
8 books186 followersMy father was in the Air Force, so after thirteen schools I left early longing to travel and have adventures. I worked as a jillaroo in the Australian outback, a girl groom, a shearer’s cook, a secretary, a hospital cleaner, and later, back in England, as a house model for Hardy Amies in London.
In the seventies, and back in Australia again, love of horses led to riding out with Mick Jagger on the set of Ned Kelly and my first published article in The Sydney Morning Herald. Gave up paid employment, poverty and panic followed, but eventually got more work as a journalist. Secretly wrote short stories that were never published. I eventually started to write regularly for Australian magazines. In the seventies, I was sent to Vietnam and India to write stories, and later to New York as a foreign correspondent for a group of Australian magazines (Sungravure) where I also worked for Rolling Stone Magazine.
During this time, spent four days with Muhammad Ali in a boxer’s training camp in Pennsylvania, interviewed Buzz Aldrin in Houston; Ronnie Biggs in a Brazilian jail at midnight; president’s wives, film stars in Hollywood and several notorious criminals. All good grist to my story-writing mill.
I enjoy writing short stories and have published in places like The Literary Review, The Times, Good Housekeeping, and read on the B.B.C.
Orion published my first novel, THE WATER HORSE, in 2005. I rode a horse across Wales to do the research- a wonderful experience- and then went to Istanbul and Scutari where the rest of the novel is set.
Writing EAST OF THE SUN involved two research trips to India, A great highlight. For MONSOON SUMMER, I went to Kerala, and lived with an Indian family, and travelled in a rice boat up many of the back waters I describe.
I’m married, have one daughter and four stepchildren and live in Monmouthshire with two rescue ponies, two chickens and a collie.
In the seventies, and back in Australia again, love of horses led to riding out with Mick Jagger on the set of Ned Kelly and my first published article in The Sydney Morning Herald. Gave up paid employment, poverty and panic followed, but eventually got more work as a journalist. Secretly wrote short stories that were never published. I eventually started to write regularly for Australian magazines. In the seventies, I was sent to Vietnam and India to write stories, and later to New York as a foreign correspondent for a group of Australian magazines (Sungravure) where I also worked for Rolling Stone Magazine.
During this time, spent four days with Muhammad Ali in a boxer’s training camp in Pennsylvania, interviewed Buzz Aldrin in Houston; Ronnie Biggs in a Brazilian jail at midnight; president’s wives, film stars in Hollywood and several notorious criminals. All good grist to my story-writing mill.
I enjoy writing short stories and have published in places like The Literary Review, The Times, Good Housekeeping, and read on the B.B.C.
Orion published my first novel, THE WATER HORSE, in 2005. I rode a horse across Wales to do the research- a wonderful experience- and then went to Istanbul and Scutari where the rest of the novel is set.
Writing EAST OF THE SUN involved two research trips to India, A great highlight. For MONSOON SUMMER, I went to Kerala, and lived with an Indian family, and travelled in a rice boat up many of the back waters I describe.
I’m married, have one daughter and four stepchildren and live in Monmouthshire with two rescue ponies, two chickens and a collie.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 896 reviews
October 31, 2014
I found this book very hard going, not because it's a difficult or demanding read - far from it - but because most of the story completely failed to engage my interest. I only kept reading in the hope that it would improve - which, thankfully, it did, albeit not until the final quarter. Part of the problem is that the characters aren't particularly likeable - Tor is annoying, Rose insipid, and Guy downright horrible (and then we're expected to care about his potential demise!) There also seems to be a lot of unnecessary description, which makes parts of the book feel extremely slow-paced and tedious. While this book did at least interest me enough to keep reading until the end, ploughing through it ultimately felt like an unrewarding endeavour.
May 27, 2009
Julia Gregson’s East of the Sun was an emotional read. It invoked boredom, annoyance, and frustration pretty quickly. The story is about three young women embarking to India. Rose is marrying a man she barely knows. Her best friend Tor is accompanying Rose officially as her bridesmaid but chiefly to secure a marriage of her own. And finally their chaperone, Viva, who returns to India to reclaim something of her past.
We get the points of view of all these characters, as well as, Rose’s fiancé, Jack. None of the points of view differ much from the other. One would have easily sufficed considering the scant storyline. This is just one of the instances where Gregson denies her novel clarity in pursuit of complexity and high page count. The novel boasts hundreds of pages of pointless descriptions. Hairstyles, drinks, meals, shopping trips, parties are detailed by the girls adding nothing to the plot. At one point one of her characters even tells another, “less is more”, the irony is grating. And after suffering every description—nothing happens. Here are three girls unprepared for the harsh realities of India at a revolutionary time, and when something that can be considered plot (finally) materializes, its not only expected but only casually mentioned before we move on to more needless descriptions.
For the first time in my life I’m actually angry at an author for producing such a pointless timesuck, but perhaps this book is your type of thing, so here are some quotes to allow the novel to speak for itself:
The character Viva, an aspiring writer, describes the sea: “ The sea: long glistening hollows laced with creamy foam; broken ice creams, clamor, bang, smack of waves. Reptilian hiss of a ship as it glides through the sea.”
In another quote the girls approach the shoreline: “Together they looked out at a faint necklace of lights across a dark and crinkling sea. A foreign town where a foreign people were cleaning their teeth and washing up their supper dishes and thinking about going to bed.”
Gregson describes a dessert cart: “the pudding trolley arrived bearing lemon meringue pies and fruit jellies, an apple soufflé, ice creams and the Indian jublies, which she found a little sickly.”
If that sounds like something you can stomach, I can only interject that Gregson rambles on in such a manner for six hundred plus pages and I conclude by not recommending this book to anyone who hasn’t harmed me in some way.
We get the points of view of all these characters, as well as, Rose’s fiancé, Jack. None of the points of view differ much from the other. One would have easily sufficed considering the scant storyline. This is just one of the instances where Gregson denies her novel clarity in pursuit of complexity and high page count. The novel boasts hundreds of pages of pointless descriptions. Hairstyles, drinks, meals, shopping trips, parties are detailed by the girls adding nothing to the plot. At one point one of her characters even tells another, “less is more”, the irony is grating. And after suffering every description—nothing happens. Here are three girls unprepared for the harsh realities of India at a revolutionary time, and when something that can be considered plot (finally) materializes, its not only expected but only casually mentioned before we move on to more needless descriptions.
For the first time in my life I’m actually angry at an author for producing such a pointless timesuck, but perhaps this book is your type of thing, so here are some quotes to allow the novel to speak for itself:
The character Viva, an aspiring writer, describes the sea: “ The sea: long glistening hollows laced with creamy foam; broken ice creams, clamor, bang, smack of waves. Reptilian hiss of a ship as it glides through the sea.”
In another quote the girls approach the shoreline: “Together they looked out at a faint necklace of lights across a dark and crinkling sea. A foreign town where a foreign people were cleaning their teeth and washing up their supper dishes and thinking about going to bed.”
Gregson describes a dessert cart: “the pudding trolley arrived bearing lemon meringue pies and fruit jellies, an apple soufflé, ice creams and the Indian jublies, which she found a little sickly.”
If that sounds like something you can stomach, I can only interject that Gregson rambles on in such a manner for six hundred plus pages and I conclude by not recommending this book to anyone who hasn’t harmed me in some way.
June 11, 2012
I am a book-aholic. I have so many books in my house that I can't always know where I got them or why or when. But sometimes when I go through the slush pile looking for something to read, I find a real gem. East of the Sun is such a gem. The story is set in the late 1920's, when Britain was still an empire, and women of a certain class were expected to marry well, even though both these norms were just beginning to change. In those days, young ladies who didn't "take" during their London season were often shipped off to India, where men outnumbered the ladies 3 to 1, to increased their chances of finding a husband. These women were derogatorily known as the "fishing fleet." This novel tells the story of 3 young women of one such voyage: Rose, beautiful and naive, who is going to India to marry a man she met only a few times before he shipped off to India; Tor (Victoria), who is going to be her maid of honor, and who would rather travel halfway round the world than stay home with her mother who is always telling her she is fat and unattractive; and their chaperone Viva, who is not much older than her charges, and has undertaken their care to return to her childhood home to get some answers about what happened to her family there. The book runs slightly over 500 pages, but I found it a quick and absorbing read, full of interesting details that make the period and place come alive, and characters that you root for even when they don't act in their own best interest. One of the best historical novels that I've read in a while.
August 22, 2009
This book tells the story of three girls, all of whom leave England for various reasons on a journey to India. Rose is leaving to get married, whilst Tor is her bridesmaid and on the hunt for a potential love interest whilst being chaperoned by a "mysterious" Viva who seeks to find out more about her past.
I found the book quite simply fairly dull reading, not demanding in the usual sense of the word, but demanding to me in the aspect it felt like a huge effort to continue reading it. I didnt particularly care what happened to either of the characters as they appeared very wooden and the author in my opinion didnt "bring them to life" very effectively at all.
I chose this book after having enjoyed other "indian literature" novels such as a suitable boy by Vikram Seth etc however, this book is on a completely different level to those others, at the best, very average. Not outstanding or special, just average and barely readable.
If you like your characters 2D, your plots pointless and rambling and to invoke feelings within yourself such as boredom, frustration and eagerness to finish the book, then this is for you. If not, I wouldn't recommend it at all. Okay perhaps for an easy beach read however as although it is quite bad, it certaintly isnt the worst thing Ive ever read.
I found the book quite simply fairly dull reading, not demanding in the usual sense of the word, but demanding to me in the aspect it felt like a huge effort to continue reading it. I didnt particularly care what happened to either of the characters as they appeared very wooden and the author in my opinion didnt "bring them to life" very effectively at all.
I chose this book after having enjoyed other "indian literature" novels such as a suitable boy by Vikram Seth etc however, this book is on a completely different level to those others, at the best, very average. Not outstanding or special, just average and barely readable.
If you like your characters 2D, your plots pointless and rambling and to invoke feelings within yourself such as boredom, frustration and eagerness to finish the book, then this is for you. If not, I wouldn't recommend it at all. Okay perhaps for an easy beach read however as although it is quite bad, it certaintly isnt the worst thing Ive ever read.
September 4, 2012
I am a fan of Julia Gregson. Her novels, with their international focus, are truly fascinating to me. I have learned so much; this is a much better way to learn than sitting in all of the boring geography classes that I attended during my 18 years of education.
"East of the Sun" focuses on " The Fishing Fleet", and the English women who sailed from England to India in 1928 in search of husbands. These ships were called TFF due to the fact that they were often packed with English women travelling to India ( part of the British Empire) to find husbands after having little success in their home country.
The women's lives remained entertwined, but very different at the same time. Both the beauty of India (wildlife, geography and people) and the horrors ( extreme poverty, abuse at the hands of the British, and ethnic strife) were detailed.
I was also very impressed with the women who had moved to India to teach, work as social workers and live other types of courageous, independent single lives in this era.
I am looking forward to another Gregson book this week: "Band of Angels".
"East of the Sun" focuses on " The Fishing Fleet", and the English women who sailed from England to India in 1928 in search of husbands. These ships were called TFF due to the fact that they were often packed with English women travelling to India ( part of the British Empire) to find husbands after having little success in their home country.
The women's lives remained entertwined, but very different at the same time. Both the beauty of India (wildlife, geography and people) and the horrors ( extreme poverty, abuse at the hands of the British, and ethnic strife) were detailed.
I was also very impressed with the women who had moved to India to teach, work as social workers and live other types of courageous, independent single lives in this era.
I am looking forward to another Gregson book this week: "Band of Angels".
May 12, 2010
When I started this book I was really excited about it and could hardly put it down. I thought maybe I had found another The Far Pavillions. I did like some of the descriptions about India, the people, the food, the poverty ect. and I was quite interested for about 250 pages but I began feeling like the story began to drag a bit and I was just reading a so so romance novel, but then again, it wasn't a romance. Then because there is a bit of a mystery I hoped that the author would develope that part of the story a bit more but once again, I was let down. It wasn't a mystery. I didn't really care for Viva one of the characters, she was so emotionally constipated that she drove me crazy. Another thing that bothered me about the book is that this book takes place in the early thirties when people were supposedly a little more moral than they are today and that "good girls" didn't sleep around. I felt that these characters had todays morals instead of the thirties.
I had hoped for a great epic adventure and was very dissapointed. Maybe I had too many expectations but I think this book was a waste of my time.
I had hoped for a great epic adventure and was very dissapointed. Maybe I had too many expectations but I think this book was a waste of my time.
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May 7, 2012I must have liked it because I finished it right? I mean life is too short to waste your time reading a badly written book? Although I have a feeling I didn't really like it.
I couldn't care about any of the characters. I simply did not like them. Any of them. Tor was a bit to pathetic and her ending was simply too neat and tidy. Rose...well actually I think I quite like her a tiny bit. She had back bone and well did what she needed to do to a certain degree. But really none of them appealed to me.
I found this book to be a very weak imitation of the likes of "Jewel in the Crown", "Passage to India" and "Kingfishers catch fire". It was as if she was trying too hard to recreate the sparkling characters of Waugh, Mitford and Wodehouse. They seemed too forced. Contrite almost. I also found the ending a little too predictable.
India is a magical place and this story lacked any colour, magic or sparkle.
Yet I still finished it. Curioser and curiouser. Lets simply blame it on the cold or flu I was suffering from at the time.
I couldn't care about any of the characters. I simply did not like them. Any of them. Tor was a bit to pathetic and her ending was simply too neat and tidy. Rose...well actually I think I quite like her a tiny bit. She had back bone and well did what she needed to do to a certain degree. But really none of them appealed to me.
I found this book to be a very weak imitation of the likes of "Jewel in the Crown", "Passage to India" and "Kingfishers catch fire". It was as if she was trying too hard to recreate the sparkling characters of Waugh, Mitford and Wodehouse. They seemed too forced. Contrite almost. I also found the ending a little too predictable.
India is a magical place and this story lacked any colour, magic or sparkle.
Yet I still finished it. Curioser and curiouser. Lets simply blame it on the cold or flu I was suffering from at the time.
May 6, 2017
Much more successful than my last book! I enjoyed this historical fiction tale set during the British Raj - books set in this time period are a guilty pleasure of mine. It doesn't match the awesomeness of M.M. Kaye, one of my favorite authors, but this book is in the same general area as Shadow of the Moon, which is one of my favorite books of all time. If you're into sweeping epics set during tumultuous periods about likeable characters, give it a go.
April 23, 2010
While the idea of exotic 20th century India and the extravagances of British high society conjured up exotic spices, elephant rides and afternoon tea, I got lost in the translation I guess, because there were whole paragraphs that seemed misplaced and hard to follow. I didn't understand some of the passages and skipped over them instead. The dialogue was tiresome and very, very repetitive, the characters were flat and uninteresting (except Ce Ce-- she was funny and Guy). But there were so many that when it could have gotten interesting, it just didn't. Was Ce Ce having an affair? The author went on for pages about certain events (kidnapping) and then dropped a line or two to follow up in the next chapter as if it wasn't really important afterall, ie kidnapping, Guy and poor Nigel. And talk about tying up loose ends, the whole kidnapping incident was a good example of how do I get out of this. This could have been a very good novel had it been a few hundred pages shorter, the characters been fully developed, and the dialogue more witty.
May 1, 2022
It has been a long time since I enjoyed such an intriguing story that includes women ... and only women! Their journey in India and the way they venture into the unknown, the unexpected, and the suspense behind each of their story ... added such a fantastic flavor to this book.
I wouldn't say that it had a wow factor to it, but I would recommend this book for inspiration, courage, and the insightful meaning that it brings out.
I wouldn't say that it had a wow factor to it, but I would recommend this book for inspiration, courage, and the insightful meaning that it brings out.
July 26, 2011
4.5
For the past ten years or so I've been trading birthday books back and forth with one of my closest friends from High School. It is truly one of the highlight of my birthday to receive a book that I know I'm going to love. The best part for me is that most of the books like this one have beautiful friendship themes. I always envision us as the characters in the book. This time we were two young Brits headed over to India in the late 1920's, with all the vigor and excitement of marriage and exciting new people and places to look forward to. The author created such vivid imagery of India both the beautiful parts as well as some of the unsavory parts like the horrible smells from the slums. It was a fairly thick book, but was a quick read because the story really pulled me in. Three women were highlighted in the book and I enjoyed spending time with each of them.
Here is one of my favorite lines from the book, "That if you were lucky, very lucky indeed, there were one or two people in your life who you could tell the unvarnished truth to-shell and egg. And these people held the essence of you inside them." I feel blesses to have a few friends and family around me that know all my unvarnished truths. I remember a few years ago getting together with this birthday book friend an another friend from our youth. The years all melted away and somehow it was freeing to be able to talk with these friends that knew my whole history. I could say things without fear of judgment or feeling like I walked away saying the, "wrong thing." Thanks Erin and Kelly for that magical day! I hope we can do it again sometime! And thanks Erin for another truly wonderful book. I can't wait for next year.
For the past ten years or so I've been trading birthday books back and forth with one of my closest friends from High School. It is truly one of the highlight of my birthday to receive a book that I know I'm going to love. The best part for me is that most of the books like this one have beautiful friendship themes. I always envision us as the characters in the book. This time we were two young Brits headed over to India in the late 1920's, with all the vigor and excitement of marriage and exciting new people and places to look forward to. The author created such vivid imagery of India both the beautiful parts as well as some of the unsavory parts like the horrible smells from the slums. It was a fairly thick book, but was a quick read because the story really pulled me in. Three women were highlighted in the book and I enjoyed spending time with each of them.
Here is one of my favorite lines from the book, "That if you were lucky, very lucky indeed, there were one or two people in your life who you could tell the unvarnished truth to-shell and egg. And these people held the essence of you inside them." I feel blesses to have a few friends and family around me that know all my unvarnished truths. I remember a few years ago getting together with this birthday book friend an another friend from our youth. The years all melted away and somehow it was freeing to be able to talk with these friends that knew my whole history. I could say things without fear of judgment or feeling like I walked away saying the, "wrong thing." Thanks Erin and Kelly for that magical day! I hope we can do it again sometime! And thanks Erin for another truly wonderful book. I can't wait for next year.
May 12, 2009
A generally well-plotted book about three English women who travel to India shortly before their lot were ousted from the subcontinent: Viva, a woman who spent her early childhood in India and is seeking some sort of closure about her past; Rose, who travels to marry a man with whom she's had 4 conversations; and Tor, Rose's cheif bridesmaid who longs to escape her overbearing mother.
Most of the writing about India that I have read has been by Rushdie, Arundhati Roy, and V. S. Naipul, so perhaps I was expecting something more spectacular and more overly political. I enjoyed the book, but spent most of my reading time with the nagging feeling that something was missing.
For a novel that takes place in India and shifts POV between characters using a close third-person, I was a little disappointed that no space was given to the perspective of an Indian person. One could argue that it's a book about the "fishing fleet," women who traveled to India to nab a husband, but Jack, Rose's husband, is given voice in several chapters. There are, of course, Indian characters, but they mostly stare wide-eyed at their employers or hiss "Leave India" through car windows. Ah, colonialism. This lack, for me, counteracted what I think the author was tryign to do, which was to demonstrate some of the varying perspectives on colonialism and how even some of the most beneficient projects of the British had unintended consequences.
Most of the writing about India that I have read has been by Rushdie, Arundhati Roy, and V. S. Naipul, so perhaps I was expecting something more spectacular and more overly political. I enjoyed the book, but spent most of my reading time with the nagging feeling that something was missing.
For a novel that takes place in India and shifts POV between characters using a close third-person, I was a little disappointed that no space was given to the perspective of an Indian person. One could argue that it's a book about the "fishing fleet," women who traveled to India to nab a husband, but Jack, Rose's husband, is given voice in several chapters. There are, of course, Indian characters, but they mostly stare wide-eyed at their employers or hiss "Leave India" through car windows. Ah, colonialism. This lack, for me, counteracted what I think the author was tryign to do, which was to demonstrate some of the varying perspectives on colonialism and how even some of the most beneficient projects of the British had unintended consequences.
April 2, 2014
I love historical fiction, I always feel like I'm getting something for nothing. Not only do I learn about a period of time and a way of life, but I get to read a story about people and the obstacles that life presents for them.
East of the Sun begins in 1928 during the British Raj of India which lasted from 1858-1947. It is the story of three women who are as different from each other as night to day, but are thrown together and travel to India for reasons which I won't reveal (spoiler). It is a lovely, beautifully written account of their quests, their disappointments, their discoveries, and their redemption. But more importantly, each will grow and flourish in the heat and dazzling colors of the Indian continent to become a wiser and truer self.
East of the Sun begins in 1928 during the British Raj of India which lasted from 1858-1947. It is the story of three women who are as different from each other as night to day, but are thrown together and travel to India for reasons which I won't reveal (spoiler). It is a lovely, beautifully written account of their quests, their disappointments, their discoveries, and their redemption. But more importantly, each will grow and flourish in the heat and dazzling colors of the Indian continent to become a wiser and truer self.
February 6, 2014
A lovely sense of the times of the Raj in India.
This book starts out with great promise, with the crossing from England to India in the Kaiser-i-Hind. As we sailed, we met the four characters who are central to this story.
Viva needs to return to India to retrieve an old trunk that belonged to her dead parents. Rose is travelling to marry captain Jack Chandler, a man she hardly knows, and her friend and companion, Tor (Victoria) is to be her bridesmaid. Tor is also hopeful of finding herself a husband so she doesn't have to return back home to her overbearing mother. The party is completed by Guy Glover, an unstable boy of sixteen, who has been expelled from his school in England.
Viva is acting as chaperone to her young companions and although she is not much older than they are, her previous experience in India has persuaded the parents of her suitability.
This was the late 1920s and the time of the Raj was drawing to a close. We sensed the building of tension in the background of the narrative and towards the end of the novel, fewer and fewer boats were arriving at the port. Possibly not the best time to arrive in India, but the girls were full of enthusiasm and determined to make a go of their new lives.
It's always good to learn something from a book, and what this book taught me about was the 'fishing fleet', the name given to well connected young ladies who fail to find a husband in the London season. Many of them then travelled to India in search of marriageable men, where the ratio of men to women was three to one.
My one problem with the book was the Guy Glover story-line, which seemed to be added just to give the book a bit of excitement, but for me, this didn't work and was responsible for the four, rather than five stars.
This book starts out with great promise, with the crossing from England to India in the Kaiser-i-Hind. As we sailed, we met the four characters who are central to this story.
Viva needs to return to India to retrieve an old trunk that belonged to her dead parents. Rose is travelling to marry captain Jack Chandler, a man she hardly knows, and her friend and companion, Tor (Victoria) is to be her bridesmaid. Tor is also hopeful of finding herself a husband so she doesn't have to return back home to her overbearing mother. The party is completed by Guy Glover, an unstable boy of sixteen, who has been expelled from his school in England.
Viva is acting as chaperone to her young companions and although she is not much older than they are, her previous experience in India has persuaded the parents of her suitability.
This was the late 1920s and the time of the Raj was drawing to a close. We sensed the building of tension in the background of the narrative and towards the end of the novel, fewer and fewer boats were arriving at the port. Possibly not the best time to arrive in India, but the girls were full of enthusiasm and determined to make a go of their new lives.
It's always good to learn something from a book, and what this book taught me about was the 'fishing fleet', the name given to well connected young ladies who fail to find a husband in the London season. Many of them then travelled to India in search of marriageable men, where the ratio of men to women was three to one.
My one problem with the book was the Guy Glover story-line, which seemed to be added just to give the book a bit of excitement, but for me, this didn't work and was responsible for the four, rather than five stars.
July 14, 2009
East of the Sun: A Novel
It has been along time since I have been as excited about writing a review as I am for East of the Sun: A Novel by Julia Gregson!! I actually got up this morning grabbed the book, looking for my bookmark to continue, only to realize I had finished it last night!
Yes - this is the story of 3 women and 1 man who for various reasons embark on a life changing trip to India. It is the 1920's and India is experiencing "growing pains" - an independent India is not far off.
BUT - this book is so much more! Julia Gregson skillfully introduces characters that you will love and, in some cases, love to hate! Her portrayal of India (the country) will put you on the ship, next to Viva, Tor, Rose and Guy! Even the bad guys are so vividly and completely fleshed out that - you "get" their anger and where it comes from.
Told from the viewpoint of Viva (though occasionally attention is pointed back on her) the chaperone who is not much older (or for that matter experienced) than the parties in her charge. You will love the beautiful innocence that is Rose - going to India to become a bride and blossoming to her place as a strong grown woman. The fun and bold Tor - who battles her weight, her mother and her own self-image, but finds that when you stop looking - good things come to you. Last the turbulent Guy - you want to hate him but Gregson explains the views of the day and the lack of knowledge about mental health issues...in true manic/depressive style he gets better, then disappoints...constantly troubled!
You will cry - you will laugh out loud - you won't want this one to end...
January 25, 2012
In 1929, much had changed in the world of the British aristocracy. Old families of wealth, were now not so rich, and their daughters were getting more and more difficult to marry off. If the “season” passed without so much as a proposal of marriage, there was one option left to a single girl: become one of the “fishing fleet”. Thousands of British girls of marrying age, set sail for India in the hopes of catching husbands.
East of the Sun is a fascinating look at that time in the form of a novel about three British women who embark on a journey to India. One, is already due to be married once she gets there, the second is her friend (who is hoping to find a husband), and the third is their slightly older chaperone. Viva (the chaperone) seeks not a husband, but closure on her tragic young life, by traveling to the India of her youth, to find what her family left for her.
Gregson writes a fun and fascinating look at a turbulent time, through the eyes of these three young women. There’s nothing too heavy, here. It’s almost a beach read, but I did learn something new, and that’s always rewarding!
East of the Sun is a fascinating look at that time in the form of a novel about three British women who embark on a journey to India. One, is already due to be married once she gets there, the second is her friend (who is hoping to find a husband), and the third is their slightly older chaperone. Viva (the chaperone) seeks not a husband, but closure on her tragic young life, by traveling to the India of her youth, to find what her family left for her.
Gregson writes a fun and fascinating look at a turbulent time, through the eyes of these three young women. There’s nothing too heavy, here. It’s almost a beach read, but I did learn something new, and that’s always rewarding!
September 13, 2013
Great book. Fabulous author. An inspiration to me, and partly because of this book, I began writing myself. Read it six years ago, so can't go in to detail here. If you haven't read it, you're in for a treat.
March 31, 2019
Ένα υπέροχο βιβλίο με φόντο την εξωτική Ινδία σε μια εποχή αλλαγών στα τέλη της δεκαετίας του '20.Τρεις υπέροχες πρωταγωνίστριες δένονται με μια ξεχωριστή φιλία. Δυνατό βιβλίο, συγκινητικό, το συνιστώ ανεπιφύλακτα!
July 9, 2019
" Dobro pogledaj današnji dan. Jer to je život. U njegovu kratku tijeku počiva sva stvarnost postojanja. jer jučer je tek sjećanje, a sutra samo mašta. "
February 8, 2018
3.5 stars (rounding down)
This is the story of 3 British young ladies in the late 1920's as they travel and live in India. Rose is going to marry a british soldier in the Indian cavalry. Tor is her best friend and bridesmad, who is also hoping to find a husband to escape her mother and Viva, slightly order, who has been hired as their chaperone. Viva was born in India but when family tragedy struck she was sent back to England for boarding school. She has fond memories of her early life in India and wants to retrieve some family belongings. Viva is also chaperoning a troubled teenage boy, Guy, who ends up causing problems both on the trip and in India.
I thought that Gregson did a great job with the sense of time and place. I especially loved the life aboard the ship and the friendships. Once the woman arrived in India and split up, I felt that the narrative stalled a bit, and the characters became a bit more one-dimensional. It was a fairly fast read for a longer book (I read most of it in about 4 days). There was a lot that was packed into the story but I felt that Viva's story became very melodramatic, especially . Overall, I would recommend the book for someone interested in historical fiction set in India and doesn't mind descriptive passages to create a sense of time and place.
This is the story of 3 British young ladies in the late 1920's as they travel and live in India. Rose is going to marry a british soldier in the Indian cavalry. Tor is her best friend and bridesmad, who is also hoping to find a husband to escape her mother and Viva, slightly order, who has been hired as their chaperone. Viva was born in India but when family tragedy struck she was sent back to England for boarding school. She has fond memories of her early life in India and wants to retrieve some family belongings. Viva is also chaperoning a troubled teenage boy, Guy, who ends up causing problems both on the trip and in India.
I thought that Gregson did a great job with the sense of time and place. I especially loved the life aboard the ship and the friendships. Once the woman arrived in India and split up, I felt that the narrative stalled a bit, and the characters became a bit more one-dimensional. It was a fairly fast read for a longer book (I read most of it in about 4 days). There was a lot that was packed into the story but I felt that Viva's story became very melodramatic, especially . Overall, I would recommend the book for someone interested in historical fiction set in India and doesn't mind descriptive passages to create a sense of time and place.
November 29, 2019
2.5 ... sweet . Like a chick-lit set in 1928, not my usual cup of tea but I did enjoy it and it was an easy read . I did like the descriptions of India . If you like a predictable end then this is for you . As an aside it actually goes nowhere and not fast as it’s quite a chunky book .
September 25, 2017
novela ligeira e cor de rosa que soube bem ler em contexto de férias. permitiu também conhecer melhor hábitos e costumes de uma india nos últimos anos do colonialismo inglês
March 26, 2010
I did enjoy this but did not find it as captivating as I had expected to, both from reviews read and from the fact that it won the UK Romantic Novel of 2009 award. It was an enjoyable read though maybe my opinion was clouded because a favourite author of mine did not win the award.
In 1928, three young women leave the United Kingdom to start what they hope will be new lives in India. The first protagonist we meet is Viva Holloway who wishes to return to India having spent some of her childhood there. She has very confused memories of the past and hopes that sorting these out will give her peace of mind and freedom from her demons. She is twenty eight and finds herself working her passage to India as chaperone to the other three protagonists of the story, all at least ten years or so her junior.
Rose, niave and anxious about her future is travelling to India to marry her fiancé Captain Jack Chandler in Bombay, a man she barely knows. She is accompanied by her best friend Victoria ‘Tor’ Sowerby who was to be her bridesmaid. While Rose is moving to India for love, Tor hopes to find love whilst there. So that she does not have to return home to England and her over powering mother.
Full of hope and excitement these young women are far from prepared for all that lies ahead of them in India. All looking for that fairy tale ending the girls all become close friends as they mature into stronger individuals.
The young man Guy who is the third young person whom Viva chaperones on the journey, turns out to be a most unpleasant and confused young man due to mental health issues, that were not properly understood. He actually turns out to aggravate a lot of the problems they later have in India.
For me the novel was more a historical novel of suspense than strongly romantic, the story is rather dramatic at times as it is set in the period of violence caused by the coming of the end of British rule in India. Viv, Rose, Tor and Guy are all trying to cope with their own personal problems and battles for independence, amidst the background of a country fighting for the very same thing.
In all this was a vividly descriptive and enjoyable read.
Julia Gregson
'East of the Sun' has been published in Italy as ' Matrimonio a Bombay'/ 'Marriage in Bombay'. Although in Italian this video depicts a delighful picture of the story.
http://www.youtube.com/user/LindyLouM...
In 1928, three young women leave the United Kingdom to start what they hope will be new lives in India. The first protagonist we meet is Viva Holloway who wishes to return to India having spent some of her childhood there. She has very confused memories of the past and hopes that sorting these out will give her peace of mind and freedom from her demons. She is twenty eight and finds herself working her passage to India as chaperone to the other three protagonists of the story, all at least ten years or so her junior.
Rose, niave and anxious about her future is travelling to India to marry her fiancé Captain Jack Chandler in Bombay, a man she barely knows. She is accompanied by her best friend Victoria ‘Tor’ Sowerby who was to be her bridesmaid. While Rose is moving to India for love, Tor hopes to find love whilst there. So that she does not have to return home to England and her over powering mother.
Full of hope and excitement these young women are far from prepared for all that lies ahead of them in India. All looking for that fairy tale ending the girls all become close friends as they mature into stronger individuals.
The young man Guy who is the third young person whom Viva chaperones on the journey, turns out to be a most unpleasant and confused young man due to mental health issues, that were not properly understood. He actually turns out to aggravate a lot of the problems they later have in India.
For me the novel was more a historical novel of suspense than strongly romantic, the story is rather dramatic at times as it is set in the period of violence caused by the coming of the end of British rule in India. Viv, Rose, Tor and Guy are all trying to cope with their own personal problems and battles for independence, amidst the background of a country fighting for the very same thing.
In all this was a vividly descriptive and enjoyable read.
Julia Gregson
'East of the Sun' has been published in Italy as ' Matrimonio a Bombay'/ 'Marriage in Bombay'. Although in Italian this video depicts a delighful picture of the story.
http://www.youtube.com/user/LindyLouM...
August 20, 2023
Korektno. To je prvo što mi pada na pamet kad pomislim kako komentirati ovu knjigu. Knjiga dobro prikazuje englesko društvo tog doba, Indiju i događanja u njoj puno lošije. Likovi su dobro prikazani, pogotovo tri glavne junakinje te se može dobiti dobar dojam o tome kakve su. Ipak, meni je najveći problem lik Guya Glovera. Bespotrebno ubačen, nedorečen, nedovršen, a kao važan za radnju. Knjiga je mogla potpuno bez njega. A najgori dio mi je taj s otmicom gdje ona pobjegne, ali otmičari ju više nikad ne potraže. Autorica se trebala držati stila povijesnog romana, ovaj izlet u krimi stilu je potpuno bezvezan i nepotreban. Ocjena 2,5, ali prema trojci, pa nek budu 3 zvjezdice.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 13, 2009
What a treat to read this book on the beach! I highly recommend you grab this book, your towel and a comfy beach chair and enjoy! Don't forget your sunscreen, because you will lose all track of time in the sun as you savor this story. It unfolds like the best BBC production. It captured my imagination because of its characters, its location (India) and it's plot. Loved it and highly recommend it!
From Publishers Weekly
British author Gregson bows in America with her fast-paced second novel, an absorbing international period drama concerning three young Englishwomen and a troubled boy journeying to India in the late 1920s. The eldest at 25, Viva Holloway is an orphan hoping to retrieve her lost parents' personal effects; she's paying her way by chaperoning three younger travelers. Rose Wetherby is going to India to be married; Victoria Tor Sowerby is Rose's bridesmaid; and 16-year-old Guy Glover is returning home after getting expelled from school for stealing. Throughout, narrative shifts reveal the travelers' perspectives and fears: Viva is haunted by a childhood and family she barely remembers; Rose is growing increasingly nervous about how little she knows of her fiancé; and Tor is eager, after a disappointing deb season in London, to find a husband of her own and avoid returning to England. Guy's strange behavior makes it clear he's unstable, and before long, he's assaulted a member of a powerful Indian family, setting off a frightening chain of events for both himself and Viva. Gregson's rich imagery, strong characters and gripping plot make this a resonant page-turner. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserv
From Publishers Weekly
British author Gregson bows in America with her fast-paced second novel, an absorbing international period drama concerning three young Englishwomen and a troubled boy journeying to India in the late 1920s. The eldest at 25, Viva Holloway is an orphan hoping to retrieve her lost parents' personal effects; she's paying her way by chaperoning three younger travelers. Rose Wetherby is going to India to be married; Victoria Tor Sowerby is Rose's bridesmaid; and 16-year-old Guy Glover is returning home after getting expelled from school for stealing. Throughout, narrative shifts reveal the travelers' perspectives and fears: Viva is haunted by a childhood and family she barely remembers; Rose is growing increasingly nervous about how little she knows of her fiancé; and Tor is eager, after a disappointing deb season in London, to find a husband of her own and avoid returning to England. Guy's strange behavior makes it clear he's unstable, and before long, he's assaulted a member of a powerful Indian family, setting off a frightening chain of events for both himself and Viva. Gregson's rich imagery, strong characters and gripping plot make this a resonant page-turner. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserv
July 14, 2009
East of the Sun: A Novel
It has been along time since I have been as excited about writing a review as I am for East of the Sun: A Novel by Julia Gregson!! I actually got up this morning grabbed the book, looking for my bookmark to continue, only to realize I had finished it last night!
Yes - this is the story of 3 women and 1 man who for various reasons embark on a life changing trip to India. It is the 1920's and India is experiencing "growing pains" - an independent India is not far off.
BUT - this book is so much more! Julia Gregson skillfully introduces characters that you will love and, in some cases, love to hate! Her portrayal of India (the country) will put you on the ship, next to Viva, Tor, Rose and Guy! Even the bad guys are so vividly and completely fleshed out that - you "get" their anger and where it comes from.
Told from the viewpoint of Viva (though occasionally attention is pointed back on her) the chaperone who is not much older (or for that matter experienced) than the parties in her charge. You will love the beautiful innocence that is Rose - going to India to become a bride and blossoming to her place as a strong grown woman. The fun and bold Tor - who battles her weight, her mother and her own self-image, but finds that when you stop looking - good things come to you. Last the turbulent Guy - you want to hate him but Gregson explains the views of the day and the lack of knowledge about mental health issues...in true manic/depressive style he gets better, then disappoints...constantly troubled!
You will cry - you will laugh out loud - you won't want this one to end...
September 4, 2015
A solid 3.5 for me. I actually have this in ebook & paperback form, apparently I was so drawn to the story I had to buy it twice. I'm on a bit of a British Colonialism in India jag at the moment (after finally getting to watch The Jewel in The Crown this summer & now highly anticipating Indian Summers soon to air on Masterpiece)so I dove right into this. I was satisfied enough with the story of Viva, the chaperone of Rose, Tor and the odd end of the story Guy (so odd an end, that he's not even mentioned in the book blurb or summary). Viva was in search of a trunk left to her by her deceased parents, Rose is travelling to India to marry Jack whom she's met a handful of times & Tor (Victoria) is on the husband hunt, apparently so called "The Fishing Fleet". Most of their journey to discovery is interesting but the story did feel a bit slow in the middle. I quite enjoyed the parts covering the passage on the ship and the descriptions of India in a particular time and place on the cusp of something major was well done. Still, I would have liked a bit more of the perspective of an Indian character or two. As it stands they were background dressing mostly and not very deeply rendered at all and I think some of them could justifiably have been more to better effect. So, my main issue is that this felt a bit light on the actual Colonialism & it's ripples through society. That aside, I did enjoy the book and am glad that I read it. This was my first read of Julia Gregson but I do have her Jasmine Nights as well so will read her again. I'd recommend this one to historical fiction fans & fans of the time & instance.
June 8, 2009
East of the Sun is a wonderful summer read. The author's lyrical description of time and place transports the reader to India in the 1920s with all the wonder of a far away land and the tension of the times.
The reader travels with three young women from London to India aboard a luxury liner. Each of the girls is very much on her own journey and struggling in her own way to grow-up and find her place in the world. Rose; beautiful, kind and gentle seems to be in control of her life and have everything going for her. Tor; Rose's best friend, is desperate to find the man of her dreams and be swept off her feet so that she never has to return to London and her critical, nagging mother. Viva is chaperoning the girls who see her as worldly and wise, but Viva has taken on possibly more than she can handle as she has a third charge in her care; the sullen and unpredictable, Guy. And dear, plucky Viva is running from demons of her own; a tragic past which continues to torment her and rule her life.
A very worthwhile read with vividly drawn, likable characters who will worm their way into your heart. The backdrop of India as it struggles for independence from Britain adds dramatic tension and real danger to this rich and unusual coming of age story. Highly recommended.
The reader travels with three young women from London to India aboard a luxury liner. Each of the girls is very much on her own journey and struggling in her own way to grow-up and find her place in the world. Rose; beautiful, kind and gentle seems to be in control of her life and have everything going for her. Tor; Rose's best friend, is desperate to find the man of her dreams and be swept off her feet so that she never has to return to London and her critical, nagging mother. Viva is chaperoning the girls who see her as worldly and wise, but Viva has taken on possibly more than she can handle as she has a third charge in her care; the sullen and unpredictable, Guy. And dear, plucky Viva is running from demons of her own; a tragic past which continues to torment her and rule her life.
A very worthwhile read with vividly drawn, likable characters who will worm their way into your heart. The backdrop of India as it struggles for independence from Britain adds dramatic tension and real danger to this rich and unusual coming of age story. Highly recommended.
May 3, 2009
A quiet read for a stay-at-home with a warm blanket and purring cat on my lap day. The storyline was interesting (but felt long).
I took a long time to warm up to most of the characters. I didn't really feel I developed a deeper understanding of India, although I did feel I had a better sense of what it might have been like to be British during that time in that place.
The take-away for me was centered around the orphanage. Good-hearted people trying to help fill a desperate need in constructive ways may in fact create more problems than solutions.
The book ended on an overall good note. I appreciated that.
I took a long time to warm up to most of the characters. I didn't really feel I developed a deeper understanding of India, although I did feel I had a better sense of what it might have been like to be British during that time in that place.
The take-away for me was centered around the orphanage. Good-hearted people trying to help fill a desperate need in constructive ways may in fact create more problems than solutions.
The book ended on an overall good note. I appreciated that.
January 26, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed this very British romantic story of young love and coming of age set in late 1920's India. While fairly lightweight (you are pretty sure the main characters will end up happy), the author finds a way to make her characters compelling, their friendships sweet, and conversations amusing. Good picture of British colonialism and the disaffected ex-pat community at the time as well as the rumblings of the Indian uprising to come. Creates a sense that though the social/sexual mores of the time were markedly different from the present, people were people. I looked forward to picking up this book at day's end and was not sorry that it's a satisfying, long read.
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