#tfp liveread

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TFP Liveread #13:

So I did it. After a month of reading, I finished M. M. Kaye's The Far Pavilions. I'm sure that after I sort out my storm of feelings, I'll be able to write a decent review, but right now...

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Wally.

:'( 

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TFP Liveread #12:

Kaye has started calling Cavagnari by his first name. Perhaps to be more intimate with him before he dies? I know these things. (I don't want another Wigram!)

Progress: Eight chapters to go. This is usually when I start reading slowly.

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TFP Liveread #11:

Wigram Battye has died. Holy shit, that hurt a lot. I had a feeling it would happen, and lo and behold, it did. You know what made me lose it? It was the servants. Why did the servants have to be so bloody loyal?! Protecting his body, carrying it all the way to Jalalabad, it speaks volumes of how great a man Wigram Battye is. Can you imagine if Kaye went into this much detail for the other deaths? Mahdoo and Koda Dad fondly remembering a young Ash as they take their last breath, Manilal's frenzied whipping before his head gets hacked off, Gobind and Sarji's shared glance as they get overwhelmed by Bhithor, Mother of God.

And Wally. Poor, dear Wally, let me love you. With this, you have finally grown up, grown out of your dreams of glory. You have now realized that there are more important things than gallantry and valour. Seriously, when his letter was sent to Ash, I could have launched into a whole new fanfic. That never happens with me! I imagine him writing, "Ash, I have lost Wigram and Mahmud Khan. I cannot lose you, too. Please, my friend, be safe." Nonononono. Even with Orestes and Pylades, this did not happen to me. Too much, Kaye, too much.

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TFP Liveread #10:

This Wigram fellow seems nice. Is he going to die?

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TFP Liveread #9:

60 % in. So far, the story can be summarized by "Once, a boy was born on a mountain. Everyone dies.".

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TFP Liveread #8:

Bad blood runs deep.

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TFP Liveread #7:

For all the antisocial behavior Ash possesses, I think he's extremely lucky to have allies so close to him that they could read his deepest thoughts. I wish I had friends like Khoda Dad and Mahdoo. The kind of relationship Ash has with them is rare to find.

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Okay, excuse the TFP drabble, but I need to do this to organize my thoughts.

TFP Liveread #6:

In the first half of the book when Ash was hiding out in the dunes, he realizes without a doubt that he has come there to kill Biju Ram. Ash is not surprised by this and attributes it to the Indian way fully rubbing off on him. However, when he gets to the critical moment, he hesitates and lets Biju Ram leave. He says that a trace of English morals still lie with him. Biju Ram has been a threat to him all his life and his continued existence will forever be a thorn on Ash's side. Despite this, Ash lets him leave with only a warning to never show his face again. Now, the big question. 

Does Ash's inaction make him a stronger or a weaker man? On one hand, he has not fully drowned himself in hate and anger enough to take a man's life. He knows when to stay his hand, be it for pity or a twisted sense of nobility. On the other hand, had he let Biju Ram go, he undoubtedly would have risked his life and those involved in his past, like Juli, Zarin, and Koda Dad. Biju Ram will forever be a thorn in his side, as well as a threat to Jhoti. Taken from this persepective, Ash's inaction is considered foolish.

So, stronger or weaker? Either can be answered depending on whose set of values you use - the English or the Indian. This is only my two cents on the matter, though.