Companions of Paradise

Mariana Givens #3

by Thalassa Ali

In A Singular Hostage and A Beggar at the Gate , Thalassa Ali introduced us to the lush, intriguing world of nineteenth-century British India—and to Mariana Givens, a brave, beautiful Englishwoman. Now, as vengeful Afghan tribesmen close in, Mariana must face the repercussions of her marriage to a Punjabi Muslim, and choose between the people she calls her own—and the life that owns her heart.

Mariana Givens aches to return to the rose-scented city of Lahore, home of Hassan Ali Khan, the Muslim stranger she has come to love, his mystical family, and his prescient little son. But her own reckless behavior has sent her into exile at the British cantonment near Kabul, on the eve of the First Afghan War. There, she embarks on a dangerous double life, pretending to be a proper young Victorian lady while secretly traveling Kabul’s violent, fascinating streets to visit the Sufi seer who possesses the answers she needs.

But the mystic’s help comes with a price, and her family wants her to marry a British officer. As Afghanistan descends into violence and her hopes of rescue fade, Mariana must make a fateful can she abandon her old life and allow herself to be drawn toward her destiny—whatever it may be?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, India, Romance, Historical, Historical Romance, Ebooks

332 pages, Paperback

First published December 4, 2006

About the author

Thalassa Ali is an American who married a Pakistani and lived in Lahore for 12 years, before returning to Boston to become a successful stockbroker. She is the daughter of two archaeologists, one British. Ali is the author of two previous novels featuring Mariana Givens, A Singular Hostage and A Beggar at the Gate. Although she now lives in Boston, she has never lost her deep connection to Pakistan, the country she calls her second home.

Reviews

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the trilogy overall but by the end, the main character really annoyed me. The British were ridiculous with their costly arrogance. I really liked her husband and his family though.

[Natasa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is well written and the local detail is fantastic, the sights and scents of India and Afghanistan are well evoked, but I couldn’t entirely engage with this story, with the heroine and with the overall theme of a woman torn between two cultures.

[Karen Lovell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last book of the trilogy and I was just as captivated as the previous two. I love the mingle of history, mystism and the journey for peace that Mariana faces. The British aristocracy at the time gossiped about Mariana, she certainly raised a few eyebrows and I like the fact she feels so strongly and differently from the other mensahibs. The heroine is way before her time in the acceptance of other cultures and religions unconditionally. Very cleverly written and I just wish there were more as I cam to love the characters so much...I will keep the trilogy however and revisit them from time to time. :)

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned much about Afghanistan around 1878 - 1880 when the British invaded from India and made fools of themselves and were slaughtered by the Ghilzai. And I learned more of the ways of the Followers of the Path at that time too. My Pakistani friends assure me that the history in this novel is accurate. If I make it to the British Museum some day, I'll defintely look for letters from some of the British who were in Kabul during this time.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down! It was such an interesting description of history! The details are exciting! It was also interesting to read some things about the Islamic religion and their beliefs and traditions. And there's a little romance, which is always nice. I liked the whole series.

[Susanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third and final book in Thalassa Ali's romantic historical fiction series that began with "A Singular Hostage" and continued with "A Beggar at the Gate." I LOVED these books. What a fascinating look at the history of Pakistan, and the misguided arrogance of the British in 19th century India. The heroine, Mariana Givens, is most appealing, an awkward young woman sent to India in the hope that she'll finally find a husband, but who continues to be inappropriately interested in military history and native customs, to the horror of her protective Aunt and Uncle. By this third and final volume, she and the rest of a mighty outpost of the British army are in Kabul, Afghanistan where smug generals declare that they have achieved their aims by installing an Afghan puppet to rule in British interests, while a tragic reality gathers force beyond their silly dinner parties. This is a VERY tense read -- I wondered til the bitter end if Mariana would ever be reunited with the mystical step-child Saboor and the husband, Hassan Ali Khan, that she barely knew.

It is easy to sniff at the foolishness of the British all those years ago; harder to wonder if U.S. involvement in modern day Afghanistan isn't as misguided. Kudos to Thalass Ali for giving us much to think about, couched in a fine and compelling story.

[Kb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe it was the hopelessness of the historical situation (which the author could do nothing about), but I was not as happy with this book as a finale to Mariana's trilogy. The character of the dancing boy was delightful, but I did not like the way he and Mariana parted company at the end. One thing I did like was Mariana's struggle to comprehend -- that is, to absorb into her world view -- that Christianity, Islam, and Judaism share the same roots, so that it was not blasphemous to recite a Muslim prayer referring to God as Allah.

The fate of the British in Afghanistan in 1841-42 was so horrific (and, what was worse, avoidable) that it was hard to read as the situation kept getting worse. I did a quick bit of side research on some of the actual historical figures and I feel that the author did a great job of bringing them to life.

Unfortunately, the book dwelt too much on the declining British situation and not enough on Mariana's reunion with her husband Hassan and his family. I would at least have liked to see them travel together back to Lahore and rejoin Saboor. Some hint of how the rest of their lives turned out would have been nice, too. (Maybe the trilogy was meant to be a series that never happened?) Anyway, this was a great trilogy that fell flat at the end. The author could have given us more, but instead left us hanging, hence only 3 stars.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love historical fiction - so this was fascinating. It relates the epic, nineteeth-century struggle between Britain and Russia for control of Central Asia. For all its remoteness and high, inaccessible mountains, Afghanistan ( think silk route) played an important role in this Great Game. I gave it a 3 because the love story was a little weird - but the history wonderful.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it till about the last ten or so pages. You feel the character grow in in this book and then at the end she reverts to her weaknesses as if she hadn't learned anything after all. Plus, it feels like the author didn't want to write the last chapter. Just as everything starts to resolve, it ends. I like my happy endings!!! Let me enjoy it for a few minutes!

[Jen Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this series. I loved the fact that it was historical fiction about an area of the world I know nothing about and a time period that fascinates me. I looked up some of the characters on Wikipedia and from what I learned on there the author is right on in how she developed them through the story. Wonderful ending to a wonderful journey.

[Jennifer Jeffries · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, it is a fitting end to the series. Not what I expected - more to do with our heroine's struggle than the emerging relationship, which I hoped for. Ne'er mind. A good yarn.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best of the trilogy. Just a touch of romance, but mostly very interesting historical fiction. Fantastic descriptions of India/Afghanistan with a very helpful glossary.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

book three

[Jenifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe 2 stars is a bit harsh. As is the case with most book series, it looses steam and there isn't much that can save it. Ending just didn't work for me.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this series. It was a random find at the library and since I love a good historical romance, these were a nice surprise.

[Bish Denham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over-all I enjoyed the trilogy, but this last book left me disappointed. I give it three star only because of the historical context that the author does a fine job with. The British in Afghanistan and their doomed exit was truly a horrific event in history. Mariana, on the other hand, has lost her independent feistiness that she had in books one and two. She has become self-absorbed in herself and the question of whether or not she will return to her husband Hassan or continue the charade of being unmarried and accept the hand of the British officer Harry Fitzgerald. That whole scenario just doesn't play out very well for me. It's all so hypocritical. I would have much preferred to see Mariana roll up her sleeves and help with the wounded, help with starving women and children, than be the near non-character that she was.

It got so that by the last quarter of the book I was skimming... The ending was a huge disappointment.

[Antonija · Rating 4 out of 5]

"... ponos Afganistancu znači sve. Bilo koji od njih, a osobito pripadnik plemena Paštuna, spremno će žrtvovati i vlastiti život kako bi nešto dokazao ili obranio određeno načelo. Nikada neće zaboraviti uslugu, gosta će braniti do smrti i pružit će utočište svakome tko primjereno zamoli, pa čak i onome tko je ubio člana njegove obitelji. (...)
'Ako Afganistančeva čast iziskuje osvetu', rekao joj je njezin stari učitelj, 'osvetit će se bez obzira na cijenu. U Indiji imamo izreku: Neka me Bog čuva od zuba zmija, kandži tigra i osvete Afganistanca.'"

"'Slabost proizlazi iz nedostatka pozornosti', blago je rekao. 'Čovjek koji juri amo-tamo, koji zanemaruje svoju dužnost i svoja obećanja, koji zaboravlja potrebe drugih i pokorava se sebičnim zahtjevima svojeg srca, nikada neće pronaći mir.'"

"...iako je put možda težak, cilj je nezamislivo lijep."

[Abeer Ishtiaq · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the trilogy but I thought the end was abrupt. I would have loved a bit more detail on Mariana and Hassan's meeting at the end. I am a romantic at heart so I'd have loved to read something about the reunion their feelings etc.
I felt like I was cheated out of that. Other than that I loved it. As someone who grew up in Pakistan it was fun to rehash the history. The history of the Indian sub continent is long and I have never read the details of this time period so thoroughly enjoyed that.

[Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.9 stars. The series is almost as good as shadow of the moon and other Kaye's books, and it's unique in it's own way.
I liked the aspect of the mystical baby and the Indian father rather than another European romance set in India and in this the books were the most unique I've read in this genre.
The h was foolish and thoughtless at times but she was also brave and I definitely felt for her, and also felt like she gave way to people around her too much as well-but all this is to the good since it had good character development and kept me interested to the end.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books are awesome at conveying life in India during this time period. But I can’t get over the way women were treated back then, by either culture.

[Christina Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting historical novel. Many characters made it hard to get into at beginning. But it's a touching moving story of a British lady in Kabul in 19th century.

[Elise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first in the trilogy, the second was less enjoyable but still good, and this third was a disappointment. The joyful discovery of Indian Muslim culture was absent, and the characters did not develop at all. I tried to remember that the story was an analogy for the soul's separation from the divine, but there was no strength in the characters to make it feel like a warrior's tale. I was disappointed, as the Persian poetry and mystic elements of the first book were enticing, and the characters were interesting and believable. Here, Mariana's snobbery is less believable - surely she would have matured after what she went through? The quality of the writing was also better in the first book. There are still some interesting references to spiritual elements, and some moments and characters that are memorable, thus the two stars. It just wasn't happy - which I guess I wanted it to be!

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marianna Givens travels with the Britsh army to Afghanistan and to their disastrous defeat in the mid 1880's. Her spiritualism grows as she accepts that she belongs with her Muslim husband's mystical family.

[Tmny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never felt quite invested in this book.

3 stars for beautiful descriptions and language, but the protagonist became way too annoying in the end to be able to hold the threads of the story together.

[Marie80 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Конечно, ја комплетирав трилогијата!Не очекував баш така да заврши,да бидам искрена малку се разочарав бидејќи поинаку го замислував крајот, но сепак задоволна сум од сите три дела.И благодарам на мојата драга пријателка Вики од која ја добив книгата како подарок.

[TienvoorNegen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last part of three.
Liked it for the memories of my travels through India and the great 19th century India feel it gave me.
It won't replace the far pavilions though.. That one was much much better ..

[Laura Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall okay.

[Ivana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exellent, Strong Characters and exellent plot. A suiting ending!

[Jozo Mandić · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ne razumim, ovo e kraj?!? Kakav je ovo kraj?!?! Nakon jako dobrog uvoda i odlične druge knjige dobijem ovakav kraj?!?!? Veliko razočarenje. Stvarno veliko!!!

[Taya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slabija od prethodna dva nastavka.