Shadow of the Moon

By: M. M. Kaye

Narrated by: Tara Ochs

The author of The Far Pavilions returns us once again to the vast, intoxicating romance of India under the British Raj. Shadow of the Moon is the story of Winter de Ballesteros, a beautiful English heiress come home to her beloved India. It is also the tale of Captain Alex Randall, her protector, who aches to possess her. Forged in the fires of a war that threatens to topple an empire, their tale is the saga of a desperate and unforgettable love that consumes all in its thrall. Filled with the mystery of moonlit palace gardens and the whisperings of passion and intrigue, M. M. Kaye evokes an era at once of its time, yet timeless.

©1956, 1957, 1979 M.M. Kaye (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Great book

M M Kaye is a master story teller! The story of a woman’s life intermixed with historic events. A long wonderful adventure!

Hated to. have the story end

Not sure which story was better written - Shadow of the Moon. or Far Pavilion. And the narration was fantaztic.

Well worth it

If you could sum up Shadow of the Moon in three words, what would they be?

epic, spell-binding, earthy

What was one of the most memorable moments of Shadow of the Moon?

all of it

What does Tara Ochs bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I like this narrator very much. It was wonderful to hear the narrative in American English, and then the characters in British English, and the various Indian accents. Some narrators go overboard, overdo each different character. This narrator lets us know that the speaker has changed, and gives a light accent for each character.

Any additional comments?

Well worth it. Love the very long, epic novels that allow one to be lost in the experience. I've had a lot of problems with the heavy Brit accent in other books, ie Shogun, and some of the Wilbur Smith works which I had to return because it was just too hard to wade through the poor narration. Hard to tell when one character leaves off, and another begins, with the heavy Brit accent. Great to hear the narrative in Shadow of the Moon in non-Brit English! Still not sure if this will equal the superb Far Pavilions, but few audio books ever have.

Amazing story! Disappointing reader.

Would you try another book from M. M. Kaye and/or Tara Ochs?

I grew up reading M.M.Kaye's books, and loved them. I own a bedraggled first-edition copy of Shadow of the Moon, and was looking forward to hearing it as an audiobook.

I have Trade Wind also in book and audiobook form. I own The Far Pavilions in book form also. I am looking at getting that one in audiobook form, but would not consider it if it were read by Tara Ochs.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Alex Randall. He is a man of character and principle.

How could the performance have been better?

I am dismayed at the sheer number of mis-pronounced words and place names in the audiobook. If we have access to the internet to hear words we are not sure how to pronounce, it seems that Tara Ochs would also have that access, at the very least!

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

It depends on whether the movie was made by Americans or Brits.

Any additional comments?

Please choose your readers on the basis of their ability to read aloud, not on who they are.

Beautiful story.

It was a beautiful story with all the sights and sounds of a great country described in loving detail. Wish the narrator had been as good. She absolutely massacred the Indian words pronouncing them just the way that they should not be pronounced. To a person of Indian origin, which I am, this jarred so much on the ears that many a time I was tempted to put the book down and tear off my headphones. It was only the story that made me hold on. I do wish the producers had taken the trouble to choose a narrator who had been familiar with Indian words, since this was a story based in India. I generally do not like to put a point across so forcefully but this time I have got goaded beyond endurance. Her English was impeccable but then if you are telling a story about India and some of the words are in Hindi, then get the pronunciation right. The people who have bought the book have the right to expect that much in the very least.

Somewhat disappointing story about two lovers

The far pavilion was a much nicer tale about India. The story of the two lovers fails to impress a skeptical reader, the storyline is predictable, although somewhat different from the far pavilion.

Great Epic!

I felt like I was in India during the Victorian age!
A great epic book. It was fun to watch a character grow up.

Great story!

I loved the book, but I had a hard time paying attention to the narrator.

Great picture of India in a slice of time

if you love historical fiction with Romance this gives it to you.It is a vivid
picture of India when the trading company ran it up to the start of England taking over.Narrator was very good .

So amazing and heart rending!

The story is amazing. I read it once in high school and again in college. Listening to it made it come to life in a whole different way. The narrator is amazing and makes each character alive to the reader.