Enchanted Evening

Share of Summer ##3

by M.M. Kaye

In the first volume of her autobiography, The Sun in the Morning, M.M. Kaye detailed the first eighteen years of her life in India and England and introduced readers to her love affair with India. She brought to life its people, scents, vibrant colors, and breathtaking landscapes. In the second volume, Golden Afternoon, she happily returned to her beloved India after years in a British boarding school. New to the glories of the Delhi social season, M.M. Kaye recounted her delightful exploits as a vivacious young woman in Raj society.

Now, in Enchanted Evening, M.M. Kaye is a young woman forced to leave her cherished home in India when her father takes a new post in china. Though at first disoriented by the unfamiliar customs and confusing protocol of her new surroundings, it is in China that she discovers the pleasures that come from independence. Coming into her own as a painter, Kaye first meets with artistic success in China and then moves to cramped quarters in London's South Kensington neighborhood, where she begins to flourish as a writer.

With vivid descriptions and the wisdom that comes with age, M.M. Kaye looks back on the years she spent as a young woman in a world as yet unmarked by World War II's devastation.

Genres: India, Biography, Memoir, Nonfiction, Autobiography, History, 20th Century

383 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

M. M. Kaye (Mary Margaret) was born in India and spent her early childhood and much of her early-married life there. Her family ties with the country are strong: her grandfather, father, brother and husband all served the British Raj. After India's independence, her husband, Major-General Goff Hamilton of Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides (the famous Indian Army regiment featured in The Far Pavilions), joined the British Army and for the next nineteen years M. M. Kaye followed the drum to Kenya, Zanzibar, Egypt, Cyprus and Germany.
M. M. Kaye won worldwide fame for The Far Pavilions, which became a worldwide best-seller on publication in 1978. This was followed by Shadow of the Moon and Trade Wind. She also wrote and illustrated The Ordinary Princess, a children's book and authored a dozen detective novels, including Death in Kashmir and Death in Zanzibar. Her autobiography has been published in three volumes, collectively entitled Share of Summer: The Sun in the Morning, Golden Afternoon, and Enchanted Evening. In March 2003, M. M. Kaye was awarded the Colonel James Tod International Award by the Maharana Mewar Foundation of Udaipur, Rajasthan, for her "contribution of permanent value reflecting the spirit and values of Mewar".

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poignant and truely lovely finale of Kaye's 3 volume auto-biography of her early childhood and young adulthood life. I only wish she had been able to pen an additional volume (or 2) covering her marriage, children, writing success and twilight years, but am happy to have these 3 books of my favorite author.

[Maura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hated to have this book end! This third volume of her autobiography takes you through her life as she returns to India just before WWII had broken out and ends literally as she meets the man who became her husband. I wish she had another volume because I'm sure she had a ton of stories from her years following her husband around to his various military posts. I loved all her fiction and these three books were as good. A rich and satisfying read. Makes me long to see the hill stations of India in the foothills of the Himalayas, and go back in time to see Kashmir as it was then.

[Amy Chichi Hsiao · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've only done 14% so far, and it's quite entertaining. Even the misunderstandings are quite fun!

For example, reading Kaye's father entering the study in Peking house and witnessing servants doing worshiping at a painting, I could tell from the descriptions of the painting that they were actually paying respect to a Kuan-Yin Pu-sa (a Buddhist goddess considered one of the many incarnations of Buddha) instead of Lau-Fo-yeh (Tzu-Xi, the regent queen). The legendary regent queen was never treated as a goddess after her death, and the nickname Lao-fo-yeh (old Buddha) was rather her own request instead of an attempt of immortalization of her by people.


Kaun-yin Pu-Sa, one of the most noted goddesses in Buddhist tradition. Kuan-yin means Kuan-shi-yin, and literally means "listening to the world." This title means she's a listener as well as helper.

but Kaye's family, as British, did not know about this, and thought the painting they possessed was that of the late regent queen.

This misunderstanding might have something to do with the fact that Tzu-Xi enjoyed doing Pu-sa cosplay during her last years. There was indeed very few paintings of the regent queen dressed as Kaun-yin (while there were quite a few photographs left), but I very much doubt Kaye's family would be well connected enough to possess one.


Tzu-xi cosplaying Kuan-yin


A rare painting of Tzu-xi cosplaying Kuan-yin

[Evelyn Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, this last volume of Mollie Kaye's memoir has a lot of detail about places she's visited and parties she's attended. But she also included details about her love life. For a woman in her position, it would be very hard for her to support herself, but she was expected to get married. Her father's passed away, her mother's becoming more involved with visiting friends, and her sister is caught up with her young son and her own problematic marriage. There wasn't much money, and Mollie's future was not looking good. There were men who wanted to marry her, even an earl, but she had no interest in them apart from friends. Her sister-in-law drew her aside and gave her a lecture on how she should marry the latest man, because he could provide for her and her family wasn't going to.
This lecture made her realize she could never settle for a man who didn't interest her. She went back to writing books, seriously now, deciding she was going to earn a living if she couldn't fall in love.

***Spoiler below***


And while she was in the middle of writing a mystery, the man of her dreams walked into the room and she fell in love at first sight.
No, really. She included that detail in one of her books, and the editor said it was unrealistic. Her response was, "But that's how it happened with me!"

[Sonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one ends rather abruptly after she meets her future husband. It seems like there should have been another volume but maybe she wasn't up to it. I especially enjoyed the parts of these books involving her travels and interaction with the Indian people - not so much the endless parties and theatric productions. She was lucky to have seen things that will never be seen again. I learned a lot about the geography of India by poring over maps of the places she lived in and visited and it was fun to google and listen to the old tunes she mentioned.

[Terrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If M. M. "Mouse" Kaye were still on the planet I would be begging for the rest of the story! As it is, I'm glad she took the time to write what she did - remarkable

[Linda Wulf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it as much as the first two. But where is the rest of her life? I really thought it would go further.

[L F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her life was like a novel. What a truly interesting woman. She must have been a incredibly forceful and yet strangely approachable person. She knew what she wanted and didn't accept anything less.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this third and final volume of her memoirs, M.M. Kaye describes life in her twenties during the fading twilight of the British empire. It starts off with her family moving to China in the 1930s and then continues through her experiences with WW2 in India. Yet even that description does not do this book justice. Kaye's ability to describe an era and a people so distinctly set in a certain time in history is unrivaled. You get a taste of it in her "Death In..." books. But here, in her memoir, she fully leans into the world she knew.
She does ramble on a bit (I was frequently reminded of Agatha Christie's memoir) and the book ends quite abruptly (I feel like there was a lot left unsaid, such as the state of her sister's marriage, her mother's final years, and the entirety of her marriage!) but it is such a remarkable story and one that captures an era that the world will never see again. And perhaps that's for the best--she isn't blind to the faults of the British empire and its colonization of Asia. But she also lived during amazing times and she manages to capture the essence and beauty of her experience in a way that I can only ascribe to her artistic gifting.
Someone needs to write her biography because I want the rest of the story of her life! As it is, I shall settle for hunting down the first two volumes of her memoirs.

[Peter Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful memoir of life in the Raj,China,Japan,and England before WW II as lived by a middle class single woman with military connections.Such a memory to be able to recount daily life in a now forgotten time.Part travelogue,part memoir,part history but full of life, written with an open hearted honesty.Possibly more suitable to a female audience with its tales of dresses,bazars but full of interest to lovers of history and memoir.But she died before completing her life story so we’ll never know the full flavour of her married life and her writing success.

[Summer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a snapshop of a world that no longer exists, the Raj an enchanted world for wealthy Brits. M.M Kaye comes across as an intriguing woman, clever, forthright, independent and capable who manages to support herself by painting and writing after the death of her beloved father. I loved her appreciation of the Indian landscape and people and her her ability to make the most of every opportunity that presented itself. She never seems fazed by storms, leopards and tigers or by breaking down in the middle of nowhere! Well worth a read.

[Deanna Detchemendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a life! I googled a bajillion places and people as they were mentioned in this last installment of MMKaye’s autobiography, learned so much and enjoyed every minute. She communicated her love for pre-partition India—especially Kashmir and the Punjab—with remarkable detail, and also shared some interesting recollections of pre WWII British haunts in China. A remarkable account of a time, mindset, and way of life now gone.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

First published 1999
The third part of her autobiography. The first being The Sun in the Morning and the second Golden Afternoon.
A wonderful insight into a long gone world of Empire and two world wars. Kaye gives a vivid account of the India she knew and loved, people, scents, colours and landscapes. From a child's point of view though to a woman in her early 30's.

[William Rowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

she brings us into places and time long gone

India today is wonderful, and M.M. Kaye brings you to the raj and to a social order where we only see the tatters. The sexual, unwritten, of the ‘50sand ‘60s would have been interesting to my generation

[Debbie Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably my favorite volume, but it just ended! Where is volume 4?

[Ameliedanjou · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first book by Kaye, but not my last. I only read this first since it was available from my library on Kindle. I'll have to ILL some others.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely fascinating look at China in the early 1930s, as well as pre-WWII Japan and India. Kaye can be long-winded, but I didn’t mind it here. I soaked up the details.

[Josephine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given that Kaye and Goff Hamilton ended up remaining married for decades, it is only to be assumed that the subsequent six decades of Kaye's life could be summed up as "happily ever after", at least in regards relationships. That said, I too am left wondering "What happened next?" I think the three volumes of her biography were intended to cover only the early portion of her life, prior to her marriage, though given the length of these three, I can't imagine she'd have time to finish the rest at this number of words per year.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molly and her family return from China to India, in 1932 dividing their time between Delhi and the hill stations of Kashmir. Evocative descriptions of the end of the Raj, people and beautiful places. Until WW11 brings changes and responsibilities.

[Cws]

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[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Kaye's wonderful style, a chronicle of her life from her early 20s until she met her husband. What a life she led.

[Celeste McGoogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed MM Kaye's fiction, but I will miss having her autobiographical trilogy to read, now that I have finished all three. She tells of long-ago India, as she intended, but she tells of a military family finding comfort where ever they find themselves and the happy times and losses along the way. I am thankful she found the time to write it all down, and I am glad I read it.