The Kashmir Shawl: A Novel
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Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Sorting through her parents’ possessions after their deaths, Mair Ellis discovers a Kashmir shawl that once belonged to her Welsh grandmother, Nerys Watkins. Nestled within the folds of this exquisite handwoven piece is an envelope containing a single lock of hair. Curiosity drives Mair to trace the history of the shawl, a quest that takes her from Wales to India. As she pieces together her grandmother’s past, the two women’s stories intertwine, transporting the reader between the Kashmir of WWII and the present day. The bulk of the novel belongs to Nerys, a missionary’s wife whose undemonstrative husband urges her to spend the winter in Srinigar with a friend while he spreads Christianity in remote settlements. Nerys is forever changed in this romantic city, blossoming in an illicit affair while being swept up in the dangerous unraveling of another’s. The consequences resurface nearly seven decades later, leaving Mair with a life-altering decision. An avid traveler and thorough researcher, Thomas brings the flavors and colors of India to life with vivid detail and develops characters so real one feels a kinship. An engrossing, intelligent, and satisfying read, this publication is the American debut of a UK best-seller. --Diane Holcomb
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"Thomas's novels are beautifully written." --Marie Claire
"A master storyteller." --Cosmopolitan
"Rosie Thomas writes with beautiful, effortless prose, and shows a rare compassion and a real understanding of the nature of love." --The Times
"A master storyteller." --Cosmopolitan
"Rosie Thomas writes with beautiful, effortless prose, and shows a rare compassion and a real understanding of the nature of love." --The Times
More About the Author
Rosie Thomas is the author of numerous critically acclaimed, bestselling novels. She has won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award twice, for her novels Iris & Ruby and Sunrise. Born in a small village in northern Wales, Thomas discovered a love of traveling and mountaineering when her children were grown. In the years since, she has climbed in the Alps and the Himalayas, competed in the Peking to Paris car rally, trekked in the footsteps of Shackleton on South Georgia Island, and spent time on a tiny Bulgarian research station in Antarctica. To research The Kashmir Shawl, she traveled to Ladakh and Kashmir.
Learn more about Rosie at www.rosiethomasauthor.com.
Learn more about Rosie at www.rosiethomasauthor.com.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By
Posie
on March 11, 2012
Format: Kindle Edition
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This book was a jolly good read that keeps you page turning to the end. I found it quite educational as well as I know nothing of that part of the world. The blend of going from the 1940s to the present day was beautifully done. Highly recommended.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By
David A. Bede
on June 9, 2012
Format: Paperback
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This one took me a while to wade through - and I loved every page.
A sprawling wartime tale of secrets and betrayals and personal growth and more than a little tragedy, it's not light bedtime reading. Most of the time it's not light, period. Both Nerys Watkins and her granddaughter suffer the misfortune of watching close friends live through personal tragedies while dealing with their own difficulties along the way. It's a compelling story, but what really makes the book shine is its character development. All the characters - even the minor ones - are vividly drawn, and by the time it's all over you feel like you know them all very well. The Kashmir locale is portrayed vividly as well, both in the 1940s and today as well as the crucial differences between the two.
If some of the subplots lead to conclusions that are less than plausible, for the most part Thomas avoids fairy-tale endings, even when we would no doubt prefer those for the characters we now know so well. It's worth taking your time to savor all the details.
A sprawling wartime tale of secrets and betrayals and personal growth and more than a little tragedy, it's not light bedtime reading. Most of the time it's not light, period. Both Nerys Watkins and her granddaughter suffer the misfortune of watching close friends live through personal tragedies while dealing with their own difficulties along the way. It's a compelling story, but what really makes the book shine is its character development. All the characters - even the minor ones - are vividly drawn, and by the time it's all over you feel like you know them all very well. The Kashmir locale is portrayed vividly as well, both in the 1940s and today as well as the crucial differences between the two.
If some of the subplots lead to conclusions that are less than plausible, for the most part Thomas avoids fairy-tale endings, even when we would no doubt prefer those for the characters we now know so well. It's worth taking your time to savor all the details.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By
Caza
on July 22, 2012
Format: Kindle Edition
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Great story line and it provided a fantastic insight into colonial India, which I loved, but the story progressed a bit too slowly for my liking. It isn't a book I would highly recommend if you are the sort of reader who likes to be engrossed in the story and characters early on, but that is my opinion.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By
Jules
on January 21, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition
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The test of a good read is, in my opinion, rushing through a boring task (like housework) in order to sit down and read a few chapters. Conversely, one may avoid reading towards the end of a good book, not wanting the story to end. The Kashmir Shawl was such a book.
I've always enjoyed reading about Colonial India and its relationships with neighboring states. I located most of the locations mentioned in the book on a world map, and followed Nerys and Mair's journeys with great interest. This was my first book by this author, and I was impressed with how thoroughly she researches her history. To enjoy a book and actually learn a little bit about history is a great combination. The characters were richly drawn, with the women seemingly stronger than the men. Caroline's and Nerys's romantic affairs were treated with dignity no matter what the outcome, or the reasons behind them. The men were for the most part very stiff, caught up in their own roles of the Raj in that period of history. Then again, the book is more about the women left behind than the military battles of that time. If the final link between the past and present stories was a little implausible, it did allow for the story to finally wind down, with an expected and pleasant ending.
Seven years of employment in a bookstore have taught me that many novels labeled and located in the "romance" section are actually just good historical fiction. I encourage anyone who enjoys a good book, a la Maeve Binchy and Kate Morton (to name a few) to try this one.
I've always enjoyed reading about Colonial India and its relationships with neighboring states. I located most of the locations mentioned in the book on a world map, and followed Nerys and Mair's journeys with great interest. This was my first book by this author, and I was impressed with how thoroughly she researches her history. To enjoy a book and actually learn a little bit about history is a great combination. The characters were richly drawn, with the women seemingly stronger than the men. Caroline's and Nerys's romantic affairs were treated with dignity no matter what the outcome, or the reasons behind them. The men were for the most part very stiff, caught up in their own roles of the Raj in that period of history. Then again, the book is more about the women left behind than the military battles of that time. If the final link between the past and present stories was a little implausible, it did allow for the story to finally wind down, with an expected and pleasant ending.
Seven years of employment in a bookstore have taught me that many novels labeled and located in the "romance" section are actually just good historical fiction. I encourage anyone who enjoys a good book, a la Maeve Binchy and Kate Morton (to name a few) to try this one.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By
Robin McKay
on March 28, 2013
Format: Hardcover
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The Kashmir Shawl is a beautifully woven tale. It captured the feel of Colonial India and did a wonderful job of bring to life the characters.
The story begins when Mair Ellis, while helping her siblings clear out their Father's house, finds a beautiful shawl carefully tucked away. Within the folds of the shawl she discovers a lock of hair. The siblings conclude this must have been a memory from the days of their Grandmother, Nerys Watkins and her missionary husband Evan, who were assigned to India. Mair decided to travel in her missionary grandparents foot steps to find the purpose of this carefully preserved treasure.
Thomas does a masterful job of telling the tale of Nerys. As the granddaughter slowly traces the story of the shawl, the reader is able to experience the adventure and romance in the lives of both Narys and Mair.
The story begins when Mair Ellis, while helping her siblings clear out their Father's house, finds a beautiful shawl carefully tucked away. Within the folds of the shawl she discovers a lock of hair. The siblings conclude this must have been a memory from the days of their Grandmother, Nerys Watkins and her missionary husband Evan, who were assigned to India. Mair decided to travel in her missionary grandparents foot steps to find the purpose of this carefully preserved treasure.
Thomas does a masterful job of telling the tale of Nerys. As the granddaughter slowly traces the story of the shawl, the reader is able to experience the adventure and romance in the lives of both Narys and Mair.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By
Didda
on August 5, 2012
Format: Kindle Edition
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I have not finished this book yet, but I am really enjoying it. Rosie Thomas is a writer I find easy to read.
This book holds my interest as the story is a gentle tale of a woman finding her roots and exploring the the history of a grandmother's life in a foreign country. The contrast of the luxury living of her grandmother's new friends and the austere life of a missionary's wife is compelling.
I am enjoying the way the book weaves the grandmother's (Nerys) story with the present day journey of the young woman (Mair) in finding who she really is - a journey of history, discovery and culture and of love.
This book holds my interest as the story is a gentle tale of a woman finding her roots and exploring the the history of a grandmother's life in a foreign country. The contrast of the luxury living of her grandmother's new friends and the austere life of a missionary's wife is compelling.
I am enjoying the way the book weaves the grandmother's (Nerys) story with the present day journey of the young woman (Mair) in finding who she really is - a journey of history, discovery and culture and of love.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By
Rita Whelan
on May 19, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition
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This writer thoroughly did her research into the history of India during the war. You were transported to Kashmir and the other villages that the missionaries traveled to. The characters especially the women were extremely strong and likeable. This is a story or rather a saga of love, history, tragedy. I had no choice but give it 5 stars ! Highly recommend.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By
E. Lucas
TOP 500 REVIEWER on April 29, 2013
Format: Hardcover
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"The Kashmir Shawl" is an epic that spans countries and generations, following one woman's search to uncover the story of her grandmother.
Mair and siblings are sorting through their dead father's belongings when Mair finds a beautiful shawl, and within the shawl a lock of hair. The exquisite craftsmanship of the shawl captures Mair's imagination, and she recalls that her grandmother, Nerys, the owner of the shawl, once lived in India with her missionary husband.
Mair decides to journey to India to uncover her grandmother's history, and her story alternates with that of Nerys as a young, newly married woman.
This is an engrossing, interesting novel, and while I enjoyed both perspectives, Nerys' was my favorite--her devotion to the two friends she makes in India, and her love and sexual awakening with Rainer, made for compelling, emotional reading. While Mair is also a good character, and I enjoyed her journeys through India, it was Nerys who really captured my attention. The author made both an exotic country and a particular era in time come alive for me.
I would recommend this novel to readers who enjoy historic fiction, fiction about strong bonds between women, and romantic fiction.
Mair and siblings are sorting through their dead father's belongings when Mair finds a beautiful shawl, and within the shawl a lock of hair. The exquisite craftsmanship of the shawl captures Mair's imagination, and she recalls that her grandmother, Nerys, the owner of the shawl, once lived in India with her missionary husband.
Mair decides to journey to India to uncover her grandmother's history, and her story alternates with that of Nerys as a young, newly married woman.
This is an engrossing, interesting novel, and while I enjoyed both perspectives, Nerys' was my favorite--her devotion to the two friends she makes in India, and her love and sexual awakening with Rainer, made for compelling, emotional reading. While Mair is also a good character, and I enjoyed her journeys through India, it was Nerys who really captured my attention. The author made both an exotic country and a particular era in time come alive for me.
I would recommend this novel to readers who enjoy historic fiction, fiction about strong bonds between women, and romantic fiction.
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