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Oriental Lake #2
The Lake Palace
The Lake Palace, an enchanting historical novel set in British India during the Burma Campaign in WWII.
India,1944: Iris Walker, daughter of the British Political Agent in the princely state of Ranipur, is a volunteer nurse, caring for soldiers wounded fighting the Japanese on the border with Burma. One evening the maharajah invites Iris and her parents to a dinner at the Lake Palace, where she meets the enigmatic Edward Stark, a friend of the prince. Edward is dashing, kind and considerate, and the attraction is instantly mutual.
But Edward is en route to a special mission in the Naga Hills, meaning they have only days together before Iris is once again left alone. To distract herself from longing for Edward, Iris volunteers to work in a mobile hospital unit travelling behind the front line of the 14th Army where she sees the horrors of war first hand and realises how precious and precarious life can be.
In 1985, Iris, newly widowed, returns to India on holiday. A visit to the now neglected Lake Palace, brings back bitter memories from the 1940s that Iris cannot now let rest. She embarks on a journey into the Naga Hills to uncover long-buried truths from the war years.
The Lake Palace is the follow-up to The Lake Pavilion, although it can be read as a standalone book.
India,1944: Iris Walker, daughter of the British Political Agent in the princely state of Ranipur, is a volunteer nurse, caring for soldiers wounded fighting the Japanese on the border with Burma. One evening the maharajah invites Iris and her parents to a dinner at the Lake Palace, where she meets the enigmatic Edward Stark, a friend of the prince. Edward is dashing, kind and considerate, and the attraction is instantly mutual.
But Edward is en route to a special mission in the Naga Hills, meaning they have only days together before Iris is once again left alone. To distract herself from longing for Edward, Iris volunteers to work in a mobile hospital unit travelling behind the front line of the 14th Army where she sees the horrors of war first hand and realises how precious and precarious life can be.
In 1985, Iris, newly widowed, returns to India on holiday. A visit to the now neglected Lake Palace, brings back bitter memories from the 1940s that Iris cannot now let rest. She embarks on a journey into the Naga Hills to uncover long-buried truths from the war years.
The Lake Palace is the follow-up to The Lake Pavilion, although it can be read as a standalone book.
246 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 30, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
December 23, 2021
I LOVE Ann Bennett but...
...this book was way too short. An interesting story as well as sad, but predictable. Ann, you can do much better than this!
...this book was way too short. An interesting story as well as sad, but predictable. Ann, you can do much better than this!
February 1, 2022
Very realistic description of India, but a bit anti-climatic towards the end.
May 19, 2022
India,1944: Iris Walker, daughter of the British Political Agent in the princely state of Ranipur, is a volunteer nurse, caring for soldiers wounded fighting the Japanese on the border with Burma. One evening the maharajah invites Iris and her parents to a dinner at the Lake Palace, where she meets the enigmatic Edward Stark, a friend of the prince.Edward is dashing, kind and considerate,and the attraction is instantly mutual.
But Edward is en route to a special mission in the Naga Hills, meaning they have only days together before Iris is once again left alone. To distract herself from longing for Edward, Iris volunteers to work in a mobile hospital unit travelling behind the front line of the 14th Army where she sees the horrors of war first hand and realises how precious and precarious life can be.
In 1985, Iris, newly widowed, returns to India on holiday. A visit to the now neglected Lake Palace, brings back bitter memories from the 1940s that Iris cannot now let rest. She embarks on a journey into the Naga Hills to uncover long-buried truths from the war years.
Naga are several indigenous communities in North-East India and Upper Burma.
V Force was a reconnaissance, intelligence-gathering and guerrilla organisation established by the British against Japanese forces during the Burma Campaign in WWII.V Force was envisaged as a "stay behind force".The force was organised into six area commands, corresponding to the Indian Civil Service administrative areas, which in turn corresponded to the ethnicity of the inhabitants of the various parts of the frontier. The area commanders and other officers were rarely Regular Army officers; the qualification for appointment was more often expert knowledge of the local language and peoples.Comilla is a city in the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh.Comilla Cantonment is an important military base and the oldest in East Bengal. It was widely used by the British Indian Army during WWII. The Battle of Imphal took place in March-July 1944.Kohima,Nagaland was one of WWII's bloodiest battles.Kohima and Imphal were the turning points in the Burma Campaign.
But Edward is en route to a special mission in the Naga Hills, meaning they have only days together before Iris is once again left alone. To distract herself from longing for Edward, Iris volunteers to work in a mobile hospital unit travelling behind the front line of the 14th Army where she sees the horrors of war first hand and realises how precious and precarious life can be.
In 1985, Iris, newly widowed, returns to India on holiday. A visit to the now neglected Lake Palace, brings back bitter memories from the 1940s that Iris cannot now let rest. She embarks on a journey into the Naga Hills to uncover long-buried truths from the war years.
Naga are several indigenous communities in North-East India and Upper Burma.
V Force was a reconnaissance, intelligence-gathering and guerrilla organisation established by the British against Japanese forces during the Burma Campaign in WWII.V Force was envisaged as a "stay behind force".The force was organised into six area commands, corresponding to the Indian Civil Service administrative areas, which in turn corresponded to the ethnicity of the inhabitants of the various parts of the frontier. The area commanders and other officers were rarely Regular Army officers; the qualification for appointment was more often expert knowledge of the local language and peoples.Comilla is a city in the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh.Comilla Cantonment is an important military base and the oldest in East Bengal. It was widely used by the British Indian Army during WWII. The Battle of Imphal took place in March-July 1944.Kohima,Nagaland was one of WWII's bloodiest battles.Kohima and Imphal were the turning points in the Burma Campaign.
April 29, 2022
The Lake Palace
Uttar Pradesh India 1985 / 1944
A historical novel that is interesting and intriguing. It takes place primarily in India, at the end of British Rule. Many British subjects who were born in India and felt at home there, whose families lived there and worked there, observed the lifestyle changes when India achieved independence .
Such is the story of Iris Walker who was born in India and loved it.
Turmoil holds a lot of fear and mysterious and frightening things happen. From the memories of the superb parties at the clubhouse and in The Lake Palace with the Maharajah and His Family, to the exit of the royal family the changes were life changing and dramatic. From the clubhouse life of the British families in India to the nursing in the brutal war and attacks of the fighting in the mountains, was a dramatic lifestyle change. The Battle of Imphal was the beginning of the troubles with Japan against India. Crown rule or the British Raj lasted 89 years in India.
Iris found something curious about the past when she was in her 20’s that would not let her rest. From unanswered letters of special friends and to their innocence of youth. This book is a marvellous read, with great knowledge from 1944 and 1985 in India. I definitely would recommend this book.
Uttar Pradesh India 1985 / 1944
A historical novel that is interesting and intriguing. It takes place primarily in India, at the end of British Rule. Many British subjects who were born in India and felt at home there, whose families lived there and worked there, observed the lifestyle changes when India achieved independence .
Such is the story of Iris Walker who was born in India and loved it.
Turmoil holds a lot of fear and mysterious and frightening things happen. From the memories of the superb parties at the clubhouse and in The Lake Palace with the Maharajah and His Family, to the exit of the royal family the changes were life changing and dramatic. From the clubhouse life of the British families in India to the nursing in the brutal war and attacks of the fighting in the mountains, was a dramatic lifestyle change. The Battle of Imphal was the beginning of the troubles with Japan against India. Crown rule or the British Raj lasted 89 years in India.
Iris found something curious about the past when she was in her 20’s that would not let her rest. From unanswered letters of special friends and to their innocence of youth. This book is a marvellous read, with great knowledge from 1944 and 1985 in India. I definitely would recommend this book.
November 4, 2022
In Ranipur, India in 1944, Iris Walker, daughter of the British Political Agent, works as nurse, caring for soldiers wounded fighting the Japanese on the border with Burma. At a gala at the maharajah's Lake Palace, she meets Edward Stark, and they find themselves falling in love in the days leading up to him leaving on a special mission in the Naga Hills. After Edward leaves, Iris volunteers at a mobile hospital unit behind the front lines, where she sees the horrors of war first-hand. Soon, Iris and her family leave India just before the Independence, and she never hears from Edward again. Forty years later, newly widowed Iris takes a trip back to India, where all her favorite memories lie, to see if she can find out what happened to Edward. This is the fourth book I've read by this author, and I really appreciate learning about the history of India through British Raj and into its Independence.
January 5, 2022
incredible story!
I have loved every Ann Bennett book I’ve read, including “The Lake Palace”! She is gifted in weaving together the present with the past, keeping the reader intrigued and guessing until the end. I love her descriptions of India during the 1930s and 1940s, I feel as if I’ve really traveled there through her words. I’ve always been fascinated with India and her stories make me want to travel there. Look forward to Ann Bennett’s next book!
I have loved every Ann Bennett book I’ve read, including “The Lake Palace”! She is gifted in weaving together the present with the past, keeping the reader intrigued and guessing until the end. I love her descriptions of India during the 1930s and 1940s, I feel as if I’ve really traveled there through her words. I’ve always been fascinated with India and her stories make me want to travel there. Look forward to Ann Bennett’s next book!
June 15, 2022
This is an interesting romance because,,,how can there be a happy ending? A woman in her sixties travels back to the place where she was happiest and fell in love for the first time, magical India, In the shadow of a Maharaj's lake palace. I like that this spirited character has carried the memory of a love experienced in just a few weeks for forty years-a true romantic I can definitely relate to.
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March 17, 2022I enjoyed this book about Iris, a older widow, who travels to India to rediscover the places she enjoyed as a privileged child. One of her special places to visit was the maharaja’s opulent place on the lake. It was here that she met her first love and on this trip to India she wants to find out what happened to him and why he disappeared from her life.
May 28, 2022
The Lake Palace
I was attracted to this book by its title and my father’s own involvement in Burma. It didn’t disappoint and I felt I was on the journey with Iris; the name of a dear friend from Sri Lanka. This book had everything, romance, history, the train journey through India ~ so descriptive ~ friendships, adventure and I’m really sorry to have reached the end!
I was attracted to this book by its title and my father’s own involvement in Burma. It didn’t disappoint and I felt I was on the journey with Iris; the name of a dear friend from Sri Lanka. This book had everything, romance, history, the train journey through India ~ so descriptive ~ friendships, adventure and I’m really sorry to have reached the end!
October 20, 2022
An easy read. Set in colonial India and the modern day.
I'm not sure how historically accurate it is but it makes a great setting and I did like the characters as they represented different types of colonial Raj women.
This is my perfect holiday read. It doesn't require a lot of deep thinking and the story keeps me wanting to read on.
I'm not sure how historically accurate it is but it makes a great setting and I did like the characters as they represented different types of colonial Raj women.
This is my perfect holiday read. It doesn't require a lot of deep thinking and the story keeps me wanting to read on.
November 11, 2023
I have loved all the books I have read by Ann Bennett set in the Far East and this was no exception. Set on the India/Burma border it tells the story of Iris and her experience of love and war there. This was quite a short book but there would have been no point padding it out to tell the story. I loved Iris but could not stand opinionated Elspeth.
July 14, 2024
The history element of this quick historical fiction book was particularly good. I love learning historical anecdotes I otherwise would never com across buried in interesting stories.
This is a really short book and I felt like it could have been longer, but overall Ann Bennett’s “oriental palace” series I believe they’re called have been very solid.
This is a really short book and I felt like it could have been longer, but overall Ann Bennett’s “oriental palace” series I believe they’re called have been very solid.
September 6, 2025
Impossible to put down
As everything else I’ve read of Ann Bennett gorgeous. In addition to how much I learn about the period, culture, geography, historical events, I am every time amazes anew about Ann’s understanding and description of human motivations and characters, situations and interactions, in other words human nature
As everything else I’ve read of Ann Bennett gorgeous. In addition to how much I learn about the period, culture, geography, historical events, I am every time amazes anew about Ann’s understanding and description of human motivations and characters, situations and interactions, in other words human nature
February 1, 2022
details British India in 1940’s.
Takes you through life’s twists and turns as happens sometimes. A persons interest in learning the truth by going to such length by taking a hard and dangerous journey through remote places.
Takes you through life’s twists and turns as happens sometimes. A persons interest in learning the truth by going to such length by taking a hard and dangerous journey through remote places.
February 18, 2022
Wonderful
I couldn’t stop reading this book. The story had me hooked from the beginning. I needed to know what happened. Very evocative of the times and historical moments. Recommended read.
I couldn’t stop reading this book. The story had me hooked from the beginning. I needed to know what happened. Very evocative of the times and historical moments. Recommended read.
March 26, 2022
A lovely read
I throughly enjoyed this book. It tells of 2 60 plus ladies returning to India following a 40 year absence. Reliving the past and lost loves.
The book is enchanting. My only criticism being it could have been longer.
I throughly enjoyed this book. It tells of 2 60 plus ladies returning to India following a 40 year absence. Reliving the past and lost loves.
The book is enchanting. My only criticism being it could have been longer.
July 3, 2022
Originally very excited to read this book. I’ve never read a novel by this author yet. I found it underwhelming. It read a bit like a draft of a story and I was left thinking it could have been much more developed.
August 4, 2022
great read
We thoroughly enjoyed this, I felt totally immersed in the story. Such a beautiful story line. I have only visited India once and fell in love with it -this took me back
We thoroughly enjoyed this, I felt totally immersed in the story. Such a beautiful story line. I have only visited India once and fell in love with it -this took me back
June 17, 2023
Preferred this book to the first in the colonials series. Nice to see a reference to Deepak from the first book.enjoyable read about iris's quest to find out what happened to Edward stark. Her reliving her memories of the India where she was born.
April 8, 2024
Great Book
I loved this book. It blended in really well with the Lake Pagoda which I finished right before this book. Ann Bennett is an excellent writer and I'm ready to read another. Don't miss these two books.
I loved this book. It blended in really well with the Lake Pagoda which I finished right before this book. Ann Bennett is an excellent writer and I'm ready to read another. Don't miss these two books.
January 8, 2022
I gave this 4 stars but 3 1/2 is more appropriate. Finished reading on January 7th.
January 9, 2022
Well written, well researched, fabulous book. Links in gently with previous book but if not read that doesn't matter at all. Highly recommended.
February 12, 2022
Easy reading book loved the story and the setting in India
Currently Reading
March 1, 2022Couldn’t put it down also read The Lake Pavilion they go together.
April 19, 2022
A fascinating novel about India and the British rule full of real history one womens fight for survival an intense read of relationships and friendship.
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September 15, 2022Great book,loved the story.
September 27, 2022
This book
This was a beautifully written book.A wonderful heart breaking story but one that painted such an amazing picture of India before the English left
This was a beautifully written book.A wonderful heart breaking story but one that painted such an amazing picture of India before the English left
December 16, 2022
Loved it, very easily devoured and really connected with the characters too.
February 11, 2025
Interesting historical time period but the storyline was a bit predictable. Felt like I’d read the book before even though I haven’t.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews