Elephant Walk

by Robert Standish

Reprint. Originally 1st American ed. New Macmillan, 1949.

Genres: Fiction, Adventure, Historical Fiction

278 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1948

About the author

Pen name of Digby George Gerahty

Digby George Gerahty (June 1898 – 6 November 1981), who wrote under the pen-names of Robert Standish, Stephen Lister, George Digby, and George Echlin, was the prolific English writer of short stories and some 80 novels. He was most productive during the 1940s and 1950s. He was also a featured contributor to the Saturday Evening Post. His novels include Elephant Walk, which was later made into a film starring Elizabeth Taylor. In the semi-autobiographical Marise (1950), Gerahty (writing as "Stephen Lister") claimed that he and two publicist colleagues had covertly "invented" the Loch Ness Monster in 1933 as part of a contract to improve business for local hotels; he repeated his claim to Henry Bauer, a researcher, in 1980.

Gerahty was the elder brother of Leslie March Gerahty (1902-1981), a prolific character actor known to audiences as Garry Marsh.

Gerahty died at his home in Valbonne, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the South of France, aged 83.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digby_G...

Reviews

[Dorcas · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
It was with an arrogant air of defiance that Tom Carey built his manor house and plantation smack across an ancient elephant trail. The locals were horrified but couldn't help but be impressed that any man should defy the "elephant people" and seemingly come off the winner.

But elephants have long memories, and once stomped on will eventually take their revenge...

This was my first Robert Standish novel and I really liked it. I did think, however, that too much of the novel was taken up with the love triangle and not enough historical/geographical interest of which there's absolutely loads in Sri Lanka. I did want to see more of the country.

But for a relatively short (under 300 pages) novel, this was an enjoyable diversion and worth a read.

I'm actually a little torn on my rating. I've been so busy with company and home renovation that this book has taken me far longer than normal to read, I couldn't immerse myself as I like to do. So I'm not sure if the 3.5 rating reflects my actual enjoyment or the fact that my reading spells were so broken up.

AREAS OF CONCERN:

Adultery is an issue on a couple of occasions but no intimacy is shown to reader.

[Gu Kun · Rating 4 out of 5]

The one-page preface starts thus:

"The last reason why this book should not have been written ceased to exist in the high summer of 1944."

Ends thus:

"In this cramped and regimented age, unable to attend to the simple details of living without the permission of a bureaucrat, it has been to me an infinite joy to write this book which is, as I see it, the epitaph of a more spacious and colourful epoch, whose tail end I was priviliged to see. Now that my task is ended, I put down my pen with a sigh of regret. In doing so I have realised that it is not only to the reader that books are a means of escape from present-day realities.


I wonder what Erasmus would have said about it all."

Are you tempted? I am.

- (page 62) "Usually George Carey was a gregarious soul, but at breakfast-time he liked to brood in silence and solitude. It wasn't until he had consumed a bowl of mixed fruits, four cups of tea and two triangles of toast, followed by the first cigarette of the day, that his orbit widened to embrace his fellow creatures."

{"Picked up" this book online at openlibrary.com ten minutes ago, right after reading friend Paul's (unfailingly appetizing) review - thanks again, Paul.}

[Annabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceedingly vivid tea farm travelogue of the halcyon days of early 20th century Ceylon, Elephant Walk is a trumpeting example of historical fiction at its finest. Narrated in imagery so fine it made me swoon and forget the generally cliched plot and predictable uncomplexity of its characters, apart from the Elephant People, and one other fellow. And he's the fellow I would have wanted most to know better, and fallen for as candidly as Ruth Carey does before the first half of the novel. For we never really get to unravel the paradox behind the piano-playing, classics-reading, genteel heel, Geoffrey Wilding. Who, to avoid conversation in lieu of a seduction, quotes Voltaire: One great use of words is to hide our thoughts.

* A fleeting preoccupation with the actor Peter Finch led me to watch Elephant Walk, where he played George Carey (seriously miscast, as was Dana Andrews as Geoffrey Wilding, now that I have read the book). Shortly after, I learned more about the movie after reading a biography on Vivien Leigh, which discussed her tempestuous affair with Finch during filming, that exacerbated her mental breakdown and inevitable abandonment of the project (she was replaced by a newly-pregnant Liz Taylor, but the long shots of Ruth Carey are of Vivien Leigh). Perhaps the behind-the-scenes drama hindered Elephant Walk from becoming the epic film it aspired to be, but viewing it, I knew I had stumbled on the brand of movie Mama sometimes spoke of, a movie that unfolds like a novel. With this assumption I was confident the book would deliver me the story on a much grander, majestic scale. How absolutely right I was.

[Charvi Janathri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Books are capable of transporting us to different times and different worlds, and this book stands true to this word.

Here’s a book that dived deep into characters, especially into their character traits, and transformed each character into a different person to who we saw at the beginning of the book.

This book begins with Tom Carey, a very successful tea planter in the country then known as Ceylon, who was not only a determined but a hardworking man as well. He hails from England and set his roots down in the lands of Ceylon. Being far-sighted yet, domineering, Tom Carey contemplates building his “Big Bungalow” blocking the path that elephants used to migrate or used to travel along, a road dedicated just for their transportation that leads to a water stream. This angers the elephants and breaks an age-old promise between elephants and humans. But Tom Carey is ignorant about the feelings of these elephants, and despite Appuhamy’ warnings (Caretaker of his house) he decides to go ahead in building this bungalow to mark his success and to leave a legacy behind for his children and grandchildren.

Tom Carey, upon the destruction of the coffee plantation, begins to invest in the tea plantation and enjoys much profit. In 1869, his son George Cerry is born, and Tom is happy, that he is got a son to leave behind his accumulated wealth. Book then follows the life of Goerge and his life in the “Big Bungalow” built by his father, in the rest of the chapters of the book.

We meet Ruth, with whom Goerge falls in love and immediately marries, and both of them travel to Ceylon and begins their new life in the “Big Bungalow” that stands high and mighty on the road named Elephant Walk.

The writer succeeds in transporting us back to the to pre WW1 era, when life was at its full bloom for everyone at Elephant walk and how lives drastically changes when the war begins, and with all that we see, Ruth transformed from a woman who was desperately clinging to Wilding, to becoming a strong-willed woman who fights back when feelings of stronger nature overwhelmed her. She decides not to give in to her attraction to Wilding and focus on saving her marriage with Goerge, to the utmost surprise of Wilding who was confident he had won her over, body and soul.

Elephant Walk/Ali Para was an extremely pleasurable read, that explored characters, and their inner most feelings and learning from mistakes. Ruth earning back her self respect which was dangerously under ruin was the most highlighting point in this story for me.

A more detailed review can be found here : https://charvisblog.wordpress.com/202...

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was about 10 years old, I saw maybe 10 minutes of the movie based on this book - a scene which involved rampaging elephants, so naturally I was intrigued when I saw this book for $1 at a used book sale!
Written in 1940, it has a lot for its time period - far away places and cultures, romance, jealousy, illicit affairs, an over-bearing yet dead father, and surprisingly, a female heroine who is smarter and stronger than the cast of male supporters!
Because of when it was written, I was expecting it to be hard to read, but it turned out to be a fast read, nothing heavy yet with a lesson for all involved...a story where the characters are really trying to find themselves and accept who they are in the world in which they live.

[Anita Perovska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Патеката на слоновите е многу повеќе од книга или филм продуциран по истата... тоа е патека на која се испреплетени многу судбини, емоции, животи и патешествија на ликовите. Книгата или ќе Ти се допадне или не, нешто слично како Лиз Тејлор на филмското платно. Или ќе ја обожаваш или ќе Ти биде досадна. Дејството ќе те однесе во едни егзотични предели, кои, доколку ја разработиш својата имагинација и доза на апстрактна перцепција верувам дека ќе добијат совршен облик.

Патеките на Рут и Џорџ ќе завршат, таму каде што од исконски времиња чекореле слоновите. Кога човечката рамнодушност ќе се испреплете со страдањата на староседелците од животинскиот свет, очекувано е да почне војна во која секој ќе го бара тоа што му е одземено.

Рут е млада англичанка која поседува раскошна убавина. Сплет на околности ќе ја поврзат нејзината судбина со богатиот земјопоседник и одгледувач на чај, Џорџ Кери. Богатството кое ќе го наследи од својот татко Том во британската колонија Цејлон (денешна Шри Ланка) и големото бенгало изградено на патеката на слоновите, многу лесно ќе ја придобијат Рут која ќе ја искористи шансата конечно да го напушти сиромашниот живот во Лондон.

Од идилична бајка, нејзиниот брак со Џорџ ќе прерасне во убиствена монотонија, која непланирано и суптилно ќе ја зближи со управителот на имотот Џофри Вилдинг. Иако нивниот однос ќе започне со огромна нетрпеливост и константни конфронтации, меѓу нив ќе се роди силна хемија која ќе прерасне во предавство и задоволување на ниски страсти.

Од другата страна на бенгалото е Апухами, верниот слуга на Џорџ, за кој стабилноста и добросостојбата на семејството на господарот се аманет кој мора да го сочува. Благодарение на неговата трпеливост и мудрост ќе успее да ги одржи дадените ветувања. Неговата улога е ненаметлива, меѓутоа толку суштествена и во духот на неговите традиционални верувања дека семејството е нераскинлива врска.

Овој роман ја обработува патеката на љубовта, како таа во одреден момент е поразена и што се' можеме да направиме за истата да опстои. Љубовта, со сите свои подеми и падови е единствената нишка која дава смисла на се'. Таму каде што вирее љубов секогаш има причина за нов почеток. Мирен. Спокоен. Бидејќи секој крај е нова приказна.

За сите љубители на филмските адаптации, посебно тие од златната доба на Холивуд, срдечна препорака. Во главната женска улога е Елизабет Тејлор, меѓутоа првичните сцени (не се преснимани) ги глуми Вивиен Ли која го напуштила снимањето поради биполарно растројство. Улогата на Џорџ Кери била планирана за Лоренс Оливие (во тоа време сопруг на Вивиен), меѓутоа тој веќе снимал друг филмски проект па истата му припаднала на Питер Финч.

[Mrs.Chardonnay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A love triangle on an exotic tea plantation in early 20th century Ceylon. I just can't say enough good things about this rare book. The library didn't even have it, so I finally dug it up on eBay after having watched the film version at least two dozen times over the past three decades. It's by far my favorite Elizabeth Taylor movie. But now, I'm a Robert Standish fan as well and plan to look up whatever else he wrote. This is the best of historical fiction -- well paced, gorgeous prose, a glimpse into another world.

[Bigwo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this epic story would make a great period piece film and was pleased to learn it's been done. I'm looking forward to viewing Elizabeth Taylor's role of Ruth.

[Jack Deighton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Elephant Walk of the title is a very prosperous tea (once coffee, till a disease blighted the crop) plantation in Sri Lanka (Ceylon as was) whose founder, Tom Carey, built “the Big Bungalow” across a traditional elephant trail. Despite being dead for years Carey’s attitudes and prescriptions for life still dominate life in the bungalow - as mediated through the main servant Appuhamy (who periodically talks to the old master at his graveside) and with the parrot Erasmus ensuring Carey’s voice is still heard regularly - with open house for other local planters. Carey’s almost middle–aged son, George, takes a trip to England. (Here, in an incidental conversation with a pair fascinated by Buddhism, “George ... remarked that the only Buddhist priest he had ever come in contact with had seemed to prefer small boys to mysticism.” Some things are universal and timeless it would seem.) George is attracted by the charms of Ruth Lakin; chiefly her ability at tennis. He soon proposes and Ruth seizes eagerly at her chance for a more comfortable existence.

Back in Ceylon the presence of a woman in the Big Bungalow puts all sorts of noses out of joint, while George’s drinking puts a strain on the marriage. An accident in which George breaks his leg throws Ruth into closer contact with George’s assistant Geoffrey Wilding. The Sinhalese plantation workers soon infer, wrongly to begin with, that their working relationship has improper aspects, but the seeds for an eternal triangle have been sown. Once the relationship has been consummated Ruth finds herself in thrall to her feelings for Wilding.

The advent of the Great War throws a spanner into their lives. Without knowing he is the father of Ruth’s unborn child Wilding leaves for Europe and news eventually comes he is missing, presumed dead. Ruth resolves to make the best of things. Wilding has been captured though and escapes to Holland. His return to Ceylon precipitates the book’s, and Ruth’s, crisis, not helped by the fact that Wilding’s war experiences have changed him.

The web of character relationships here is complex, and each has his or her own motivations. The oddnesses and assumptions of colonial life are well depicted. Appuhamy’s devotion to having things just so - as they have always been that way even if extravagantly wasteful - his acceptance of minor change to avoid dismissal, the jealousies of the beautiful Rayna, a Sinhalese outcast girl whom Appuhamy procures in an attempt to distract Wilding from Ruth. Standish’s desire to portray the Big Bungalow as a character in its own right doesn’t quite work though and while the occasional foray into the thoughts of the bull elephant injured while navigating the trail when the bungalow was being built are necessary for plot and dénouement reasons they do not accord with what knowledge of elephants I thought I possessed. (Only remembering the bungalow when approaching it? A bull elephant leading a herd rather than being solitary? Do Asian elephants differ in these regards from African ones?)

Standish didn’t have pretensions, there’s no fine writing here, but it’s a good solid piece of fiction.

[Michael David · Rating 4 out of 5]

"People who defy classification, whether men or women, cause too much perplexity."

In 2018, the iconic Gould's Book Arcade in Sydney was closing and I wanted a memento of it. I scoured the place for an appropriate book, and ended up with this novel. I picked it not because it was a classic: I had never heard of Robert Standish before then. I bought it because of its pulpy cover, and because the title was interesting.

It took me almost two years to finally decide towards reading the book, because I wanted to compare the movie with it. I've vacillated between giving it three or four stars, and decided to be nice because the terrible ending isn't reason to penalize the whole novel.

The novel starts like a layman version of Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom! The patriarchs of both novels also happened to be named Tom: Carey for this one, Sutpen for Faulkner's. Tom Carey created a huge mansion out of a place used to be an elephant path, and created a sprawling tea plantation that grew in wealth and prestige. He fathered a son, George Carey, who became the new governor of Elephant Walk.

It was in such an environment that Ruth Carey, the newly-wedded spouse of George, was brought. Geoffrey Wilding, one of George's supervisors, complicated her isolation from the world she was used to, because he was as handsome as she was beautiful. The plot's progression was quite predictable, but the characterization is one of the novel's strong suits. Although not quite as subtle as true masterpieces, the major characters of the novel are fleshed out well.

My major qualm with the novel has got to be the ending: I've never been a fan of the deus ex machina, and the rampaging elephant actually providing Ruth and George with a solution to their predicament wasn't something I enjoyed. Nevertheless, I'm giving this novel four stars because of its atmosphere and characterization (but it's 3.5, actually).

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Во британската колонија Цејлон, богатиот земјопоседник Том Кери решава да изгради голема куќа за своето идно семејство токму на местото каде поминуваат слоновите. Иако локалните мештани го предупредуваат да не влегува во војна со Племето на слоновите, тој од инает, го гради големото бенгало токму таму, за да им пркоси на сите, да биде по негово. И секој пат, кога стадото слонови проаѓа за да стигне до изворите со вода, страдаат нивите, колибите на сиромашните селани, а неретко има и човечки жртви. И секој пат настрадува и по некој од слоновите.

Години подоцна, синот на Том, Џорџ Кери, во големото бенгало ја носи својата англиска сопруга Рут. Рут е млада девојка, израсната во Лондон, ненавикната на животот во британските колонии. Таа е трн во окото за локалното население, како за Британците, така и за Сингалците. Нејзината облека по најнова лондонска мода е барем педесет години пред облеката што ја носат британските сопруги по колониите, и е, во најмала рака, скандалозна. Нејзиниот сопруг често отсуствува поради работа, а тука е и младиот помошник Џон Вилдинг. Осаменоста ги тера луѓето да направат нешта што никогаш не ни помислувале да ги направат. А верниот слуга Апухами, верен на својот стар господар Том, прави сè што е во негова моќ за господарот да биде среќен, по секоја цена.

Ова е приказна за борбата за опстанок, за колонијализмот, за љубовта и омразата, за осаменоста, за тврдоглавоста. Дефинирана е како љубовна приказна, но, јас би ја окарактеризирала како историска драма. Го следиме созревањето на ликовите, не само на Рут, туку и на Џорџ, кој упорно ненамерно живее во сенката на големиот Том Кери. А тука се и слоновите, суштествата кои отсекогаш живееле на тоа тло, и сега им дојдоа луѓето. Наместо мирно да живеат едни покрај други, луѓето им зедоа сè, и изворите со вода, и шумите кои ги претворија во ниви, и храната, и уште ги убиваат каде ќе стигнат. Човековата зла и ненаситна природа нема крај.

Според романот е снимен и филм во 1954 година, со Елизабет Тејлор во главната улога.

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 5 out of 5]

For decades, I've watched the film adaptation of this novel, with Elizabeth Taylor, seeing it more than twenty times, at least. Standish's novel is almost shocking in the way it departs from the telling of the tale the movie employs. What was an adventure film on the screen gives way to a subtle investigation of a small group of people battling against the natural instincts. Hence, the parallel with the Elephant People, especially the Old Bull, who at the end will simply not be denied his revenge upon an unsettling of the natural order of things. By that time, the key characters, George Carey and his wife, Ruth, have reconciled, and Ruth has recognized the manipulative and egotistical selfishness of her one time lover, Geoffrey Wilding. Wilding himself has been left to the jealous revenge of his young Sinhalese mistress, Rayna.

This turn of events takes place on a Ceylonese tea plantation, just before and during World War I. The outbreak of the war is also the beginning of the clash between Geoffrey and Ruth. Sent away to war, Geoffrey returns just two years later even more damaged than when he left. Physically recovered, he nevertheless exhibits a nasty tendency to employ and discard people as an enjoyable whim, taking especial pleasure in plotting against his employer, George.

The writing of this novel is elegant. It's Maugham but in a more stately and measured way. I don't think there is a single time Standish allows a sentence to become sharp and elbow its way into the narrative. It flows. But it is in the style of pre World War I fiction, although itself written during World War II and published in 1949. Perhaps this style also makes it necessary for the reader to take their time with the book, not rush over its pages too hurriedly. Take time to indulge in and enjoy the sentences. Elephant Walk is expressly not made for the audio books of today. Its style is its atmosphere.

[Marline Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mom didn’t start dinner?!?
I read this book because my mother read it. I came home one day from school, about third grade, to find my mother in the living room curled up with this book! This was so out of the normal 1960’s housewife routine as to cause me to be shocked! My mother? Reading a book in the middle of the day? I knew it must be an excellent book.
Fast-forward to last year when I saw a first edition hardback of this at a library book sale and snapped it up for the grand total of one dollar.
Well, it is a wonderfully written soap opera, the likes of which you rarely see anymore. The characters are very vivid, the omniscient point of view is perfect, the voice is observant, sharp, witty, intelligent, and sympathetic. You even get to see the plot unfold through the eyes of the elephants!
For all it’s being a classic 1940s – 50s-style British colonization novel, I did not see the ending coming. I thoroughly enjoyed this book—the descriptions are wonderful and the character reactions, believable. It’s a loving tribute to a bygone world with arch humor in some places, deeply felt sentiment and sorrow in others.
I will be keeping this one on my shelf. No wonder my mother didn’t get dinner started!

[Bookfan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good quick read, entertaining and rather engrossing. All the elements of a soap opera without the smut. A strong beginning, a good twist or two, and a good ending. An escape into a decadent long ago time in an beautiful exotic setting.

Tom Carey set into motion a series of events, he was a control freak. His decisions were not based on practicality, reason or for the welfare of anyone or anything. His decisions were ego based, and what fed his ego most was taking control of his world and all those in it. He managed to establish a means to control not only management of his plantation long after his death, but to remain steady in the day to day lives of those living near or on Big Bungalow.

The story begins as Tom Carey selected a site to build his plantation. He selected a site that would prove that he is up to the challenge of building where no one else would. On the land of the Elephant People. In his zeal to show the elephants that he is able to force his dominance upon them, he used brutality. One little bull elephant never forgot. Given time, events unfolded that Tom Carey could not control. Enjoy the story!

[Jill Bowman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was interesting and a view into an older world both time and place, that I know nothing about. Points deducted for the general treatment of women and the spanking of half naked natives, but it was a different time in so many ways.
Ultimately satisfying, though a bit dull in the middle.

[Melanie Linn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots more backstory than the movie allows, but the ending is definitely better in the movie!

[Elly Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruth Lakin and wealthy George Carey match off in a game of tennis and, soon after, express their love for each other, Ruth thinking that she could make him happy instead of asking herself whether he could make her happy. They marry and head for Ceylon where the Carey family makes their fortune in tea. Ruth is exposed to a man's world where no woman has ever been the mistress. George becomes too fond of his whiskey and Ruth meets the men in his employ including Geoffrey Wilding, but it doesn't go well, at first.

While I enjoyed this story, and it was well written, I was left feeling a bit frustrated with the relationships. I wanted to tell the characters, "Make up your mind!" And I was hoping there would be some lighthearted moments.

[Elizabeth Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this because I remembered the film and saw an early edition on eBay. I really enjoyed it to begin with. The writing is a tad old-fashioned and points are laboured too much for our modern taste, but I liked the atmosphere of the times that Robert Standish created. He explained his character's motivations thoroughly so didn't leave much to the reader's imagination, and about three-quarters of the way through I began to get a little restive. It started to get predictable, but I wanted to finish it and I'm glad I did. I was surprised in the end, it didn't go the way I thought it would. A good read and very interesting look back to early literary form.

[Ann Manning · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this amazing story when I was a young girl and was very impressed with the storyline, the characters were intriguing and the storyline about the plantation being built by the owner over a watering area where the elephants were know to go was interesting enough to keep me reading the book. The triangle of romance between the characters was also complex. I also remember the movie based upon this book staring Elizabeth Taylor and Peter Finch! I loved the movie even more than the book because it was very well done. This book was one of my favorite all time novels!

[Virginia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first grown-up book I can remember reading at about the age of 10 picked off my grandfather's library shelf. I still have memories of the elephant stampede and other adventures this book brought to life. If I were to re-read it today, I might not five it five stars, but I did based on how this one book influenced my love of reading.

[Chris Comden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Elephant Walk by Robert Standish
Series: No
Format: Hardcover
Stars: 1 1/2
Recommend: No
Would Reread: No


Was nothing like the movie.
I hardly ever say this but the movie was better then this book.

I give honest reviews and all my opinions are my own.

For more of my reviews go to Heavenly High Seas Books
https://heavenlyhighseasbooks.blogspo...

[Susie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in colonial Ceylon in the early 1900's, this book has an old fashioned feel and is the basis of the movie starring Elizabeth Taylor. Glad, that in this story at least, the elephants prevailed. Love the cover art!

[Larry Wegman · Rating 2 out of 5]

A BIG potboiler historical soap opera set in Ceylon, with a bit of presaging of Jurassic Park. It struck me as something that would have been made into a movie starring Elizabeth Taylor; I looked it up; and it was!

[Beckybrewgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's like your very own little adventure!

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

I saw the movie as a youth and it was much better than the book. I have not said said such many times in my life