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The World Beyond
1855, Lucknow. As tensions simmer in the heat of colonial India, a prince of Avadh and an English woman defy their societies' prejudices to fall in love. But in a world where private happiness is at the mercy of wider events, even as Salim and Rachael are drawn closer together, their privileged lives are about to be torn apart. Trouble begins when the British annex Avadh and banish the king. Determined to recover what is rightfully his, Salim seizes the chance to fight back when a small mutiny flares into bloody rebellion against British rule. As unrest spreads across the subcontinent, the ancient city of Lucknow proves one of the most dangerous places to be. Torn between their loyalties to each other, their families and the opposing sides that threaten to raze the city to the ground, can Salim and Rachael's love prove strong enough to rise above the devastation surrounding them, and survive together to a world beyond?
350 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 25, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 6, 2017
This book is set in India in the late 1850s before and during the Indian rebellion against the British. The two main characters, Prince Salim and English woman Rachel meet through a joint love of music and eventually fall in love in the midst of their warring people.
To start off with I will say that I enjoyed the audio narration of this. The narrator was of Indian descent and obviously knew how to pronounce all the places and names correctly which made for an enjoyable read. Her English accents were also excellent.
However the story fell really flat for me. My library app actually made a mistake and I thought I was going to be listening to the authors other book. So I was waiting for that story to start happening and was confused until I realised the mistake. While Salim and Rachel were cute, there was so much back and forth it got irritating. It also took so long for anything to properly happen between them.
This book did serve to make me very angry though at the way the Brits treated the Indian native. My blood was boiling for so much of the rebellion scenes. While I did learn a lot more about how Indian people had to leave under British rule at the time (and I do think it hit close to home due to my own county's relationship with Britain), I did find some of the names and what was happening within the rebellion confusing. The timeline for me was a bit messy, I could never figure out how much time had actually passed.
There were a few moments where Rachel was just a massive drip and irritated me immensely. When she got annoyed at Salim for being a part of the rebellion, I almost ripped out my earphones. How dare she 'hate him' for wanted to take his country back and make his people safe. I would have left her then and there. At points she talked about some of the English had to live during the time but I had absolutely no sympathy whatsoever for them with how some other characters were treated during the course of the book.
So overall, I wasn't mad about this book and I'm just glad it's over.
To start off with I will say that I enjoyed the audio narration of this. The narrator was of Indian descent and obviously knew how to pronounce all the places and names correctly which made for an enjoyable read. Her English accents were also excellent.
However the story fell really flat for me. My library app actually made a mistake and I thought I was going to be listening to the authors other book. So I was waiting for that story to start happening and was confused until I realised the mistake. While Salim and Rachel were cute, there was so much back and forth it got irritating. It also took so long for anything to properly happen between them.
This book did serve to make me very angry though at the way the Brits treated the Indian native. My blood was boiling for so much of the rebellion scenes. While I did learn a lot more about how Indian people had to leave under British rule at the time (and I do think it hit close to home due to my own county's relationship with Britain), I did find some of the names and what was happening within the rebellion confusing. The timeline for me was a bit messy, I could never figure out how much time had actually passed.
There were a few moments where Rachel was just a massive drip and irritated me immensely. When she got annoyed at Salim for being a part of the rebellion, I almost ripped out my earphones. How dare she 'hate him' for wanted to take his country back and make his people safe. I would have left her then and there. At points she talked about some of the English had to live during the time but I had absolutely no sympathy whatsoever for them with how some other characters were treated during the course of the book.
So overall, I wasn't mad about this book and I'm just glad it's over.
April 30, 2018
Beautiful cover.
Bad writing.
Disappointing.
Bad writing.
Disappointing.
June 14, 2014
This book was a disappointment. Having recently finished M. M. Kaye's novels set in India, I was looking forward to an equally captivating story. However, even though the main historical events in this novel were the same as in Kaye's 'Shadow of the Moon', the story felt disjointed and lacking in depth and detail. The characters' dialogues often sounded unnatural and the book, sadly, failed to impress.
December 9, 2019
1855 in Lucknow in India, tensions rise and a rebellion is simmering. An English girl falls in love with and Indian Prince.
I wanted to enjoy this, but found I couldn't care less about the characters, or what happened to them. The story felt rushed and didn't ring true for me making it hard to pick the book up and carry on with the story, so I skimmed the end of it. Others have loved it though, so what do I know.
I wanted to enjoy this, but found I couldn't care less about the characters, or what happened to them. The story felt rushed and didn't ring true for me making it hard to pick the book up and carry on with the story, so I skimmed the end of it. Others have loved it though, so what do I know.
October 28, 2017
Such a beautiful story set during the rule of the Mughal empire and when the British was taking over India. The love story between a prince and a Firangi... How their love survived and how dis they fight to be with each other. Sangeeta really took me back into time.
April 15, 2015
I loved this book. I read this book with an eagerness and finished it quickly. Still I awarded it only three stars.
Why? The reason is the poorness of its construction. What a grand atmosphere Sangeeta got! Year 1855, city Lucknow,a dethroned Nabob and his clan, love between a prince and a British girl, Sepoy revolution. Every spice was in her hand yet she could not made the polao properly.
There are several discrepancies throughout the book.
First and foremost is the scene where Selim met Rachael in a music shop! If she wanted to learn Indian music, she well could have summoned the owner of the shop. She did not need to wear burkha to visit that shop.
Then the incident of Tiger hunting. One can easily guess that the situation was made only bring Selim and Rachael close enough.
There are many more occasions where you will feel that the situation lacks enough details; the expression of the characters are not proper; few descriptions clearly will remind you of the scenes from Ray's renowned film 'The chess player' etc.
Overall, the content and thus the book could have been better if Sangeeta herself would have been little more mature and experienced of human emotions. More historical details were also needed to enhance the deepness of the plot.
However, as the language is fluid as summer breeze, you can of course make out little time to read it for once.
Why? The reason is the poorness of its construction. What a grand atmosphere Sangeeta got! Year 1855, city Lucknow,a dethroned Nabob and his clan, love between a prince and a British girl, Sepoy revolution. Every spice was in her hand yet she could not made the polao properly.
There are several discrepancies throughout the book.
First and foremost is the scene where Selim met Rachael in a music shop! If she wanted to learn Indian music, she well could have summoned the owner of the shop. She did not need to wear burkha to visit that shop.
Then the incident of Tiger hunting. One can easily guess that the situation was made only bring Selim and Rachael close enough.
There are many more occasions where you will feel that the situation lacks enough details; the expression of the characters are not proper; few descriptions clearly will remind you of the scenes from Ray's renowned film 'The chess player' etc.
Overall, the content and thus the book could have been better if Sangeeta herself would have been little more mature and experienced of human emotions. More historical details were also needed to enhance the deepness of the plot.
However, as the language is fluid as summer breeze, you can of course make out little time to read it for once.
July 23, 2012
A love story against a historical backdrop has immense potential to be a creative piece of art. Unfortunately "The World Beyond" staggers throughout, fails to meet the expectations that get created with such a strong subject.
Weak plot, lack of research, and mediocre writing skills lead this book to be an average product.
Weak plot, lack of research, and mediocre writing skills lead this book to be an average product.
March 29, 2019
I don't normally read romantic-type novels, but the historical setting of this one intrigued me enough to pick it up at the library. The romance element is somewhat cliched: white girl falls for Indian prince and of course her parents are your typical racist colonials... and then a war breaks out which threatens to wreck everything. The author does not shy away from depicting the brutality of the colonial forces as they try to suppress a rebellion by fed-up Indians who have had enough of being treated like slaves in their own country. There is plenty of detail in the depiction of the various cultural and religious festivals to the point you can really picture them in your mind - although it might have been better to put the glossary at the start so the reader can familiarise themselves with terms first.
The dialogue gets a bit repetitive at times, but it's a decent read if you want some escapism.
The dialogue gets a bit repetitive at times, but it's a decent read if you want some escapism.
December 13, 2012
Reads like a young adult novel.
Our book group was a bit disappointed with this book, considering the excellent ratings it has received on Amazon.co.uk. It read rather like a young adult book, lacking depth in both characters and events. Covering an interesting period in the history of India, it failed to provide enough details of the history of the uprising and was heavily anti British. Even members of our group who were not British felt that the author had a bit of a chip on her shoulder.
Salim is a prince of Advah, a member of the ruling family in Lucknow; it is 1855 and Queen Victoria is on the throne in England. Salim and his close friend, Ahmed, live a life of luxury and splendour. Nawab Wajid Ali Shah is the king of this area, but he is suspicious of the motives of the British, particularly the East India Trading Company.
Salim crosses paths with Rachael in the local market. He is captivated by her white hands. When he later hears her play piano through the window of her colonial home, he is smitten by her music.
These two are from widely differing backgrounds but are irrevocably drawn to one another. However, the frictions between the native Indians and their ruling invaders are rising and when these build to a head, a union between a British girl and an Indian Prince becomes ever more problematic.
The book was not particularly well written and there were certain phrases that were repeated so many times that they became irritating - Salim exclaimed 'Ya Ali' with every other sentance and Rachael begins all her questions with 'Pray, tell me'. Other than this there was very little attempt made to speak appropriate to the times.
The tiger hunting scene was particulary clunky in its presentation.
This should have been the perfect combination for me - Historical fiction set in an exotic location, but unfortunatley it failed to deliver and never raised itself beyong mediocre.
Disappointing.
Our book group was a bit disappointed with this book, considering the excellent ratings it has received on Amazon.co.uk. It read rather like a young adult book, lacking depth in both characters and events. Covering an interesting period in the history of India, it failed to provide enough details of the history of the uprising and was heavily anti British. Even members of our group who were not British felt that the author had a bit of a chip on her shoulder.
Salim is a prince of Advah, a member of the ruling family in Lucknow; it is 1855 and Queen Victoria is on the throne in England. Salim and his close friend, Ahmed, live a life of luxury and splendour. Nawab Wajid Ali Shah is the king of this area, but he is suspicious of the motives of the British, particularly the East India Trading Company.
Salim crosses paths with Rachael in the local market. He is captivated by her white hands. When he later hears her play piano through the window of her colonial home, he is smitten by her music.
These two are from widely differing backgrounds but are irrevocably drawn to one another. However, the frictions between the native Indians and their ruling invaders are rising and when these build to a head, a union between a British girl and an Indian Prince becomes ever more problematic.
The book was not particularly well written and there were certain phrases that were repeated so many times that they became irritating - Salim exclaimed 'Ya Ali' with every other sentance and Rachael begins all her questions with 'Pray, tell me'. Other than this there was very little attempt made to speak appropriate to the times.
The tiger hunting scene was particulary clunky in its presentation.
This should have been the perfect combination for me - Historical fiction set in an exotic location, but unfortunatley it failed to deliver and never raised itself beyong mediocre.
Disappointing.
May 25, 2015
The world beyond offers readers a glimpse of the events that took place during the annexation of the mughal kingdom of Avadh. The story alternates between perspectives of the muslim prince Salim and a young British woman of high rank as they fall in love. The writing style was quite inadequate, and the story line was very cliche and elementary. I was hoping that Bhargava would delve into some of the racial prejudices at the time, and focus on the tensions that could have arose between the two families. Bhargava was not good in developing the characters subtly, and instead gave outright descriptions of their traits and personality, which gave the book a blunt and unappealing feel. There were many redundancies throughout the novel, such as Salim's constant repetition of "Ya Ali" and Rachael's "Pray tell me". Overall, I would not recommend this book to reader's interested in historical fiction.
September 12, 2015
This book was amazing! I read it because it was set in a part of India that my Dad came from but it was set at a time when the British were starting to take over in India and shows a very different world from now. It is a very interesting book about a love between people living in two different worlds. The main female character in the story was strong and knew her own mind and it gave you an insight into the differences in culture between the British and the Indians of that time. I liked the fact that it was not a normal predictable romance but one set against a backdrop of changes and uprisings. It also leaves you not quite knowing where it will go or how it will end so it is not predictable there either. If you want a book which gives you history, a feisty female character, the glamour of a different India and people who make difficult decisions in challenging times then this is the book for you!
September 1, 2016
Set in colonial India this is a beautiful, tragic, love story. There ia a lot of sad things that happen, and it's not quite a perfect happily ever after. The only reason I gave this 4 instead of five stars is I'm tired of heroines being these clueless children for most of a book. Eventually she grows up. I know she was probably written that way becuase she was such a sheltered person, as most daughters of wealthy british parents would be of the time. She does have strength though, and in the end it's fully realized.
July 24, 2013
A historical fiction based during 1857.
vivid description of moghul culture and nice characterisation.
Indian boy, British girl love story at the back-drop of war. There can be nothing better than this for a romance lover.
worth a read :)
Read my whole review here : http://jigar-doshi.com/2012/08/the-wo...
vivid description of moghul culture and nice characterisation.
Indian boy, British girl love story at the back-drop of war. There can be nothing better than this for a romance lover.
worth a read :)
Read my whole review here : http://jigar-doshi.com/2012/08/the-wo...
August 9, 2015
A good old fashioned love story. Light reading. Loved it though I was not too fond of the ending as it does not end like most love stories where boy gets girl or vice versa. Enjoyed it so much that I finished it in record time
August 1, 2012
A charming first novel with well-drawn characters. Lots of romance in an exotic setting. Looking forward to more by this author.
September 21, 2014
The Love stories between boundaries. Fast reading.
October 2, 2015
A different setting to what I have read before and that's what kept me riveted, the book transports you to a set of a Bollywood movie with the glamour and splendour and the dramatic dialogue.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews