Read Along: Shadow of the Moon by M.M. Kaye

For the rest of this month and July I'm very excited to be participating in my first ever Read Along with a book that I've been meaning to read for ages but never got around to, The Shadow of the Moon by M.M. Kaye, set in India during the time of the Indian Mutiny of 1857.

First published in 1957 with sections deleted, it was re-issued in 1979 to take advantage of the popularity of her other British-Indian historical epic, The Far Pavilions, which had been released the previous year and became the
novel for which she is most famous.

My copy of Shadow of the Moon is the 1979 hardback edition "published in full as M.M. Kaye wrote it", borrowed from the stacks of my local library service.

It is in near mint condition and inside was a lovely little note from the library advising that this was an Old Treasure from their collection and to please handle with care. A moot point with me as all books that come my way are treated like treasures, but still it was sweet and made me smile.

The book jacket illustration by Dave Holmes is based on a painting by M.M. Kaye. Not only was she an author but an artist as well.

Cirtnecce @ Mockingbirds, Looking Glasses and Prejudices is our leader for this reading adventure and she has provided some very interesting background information on the political scene in India leading up to the Indian Mutiny. My other companions on the Read Along are Cleo @ Classical Carousel and Helen @ She Reads Novels.

As the Read Along has just begun, it's not too late to join us. Grab a copy of Shadow of the Moon and pop over to Cirtnecce's blog to let her know.