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The Pavilion in the Clouds
£4.99
The Pavilion in the Clouds
A young girl's view of colonial Ceylon in this standalone novel
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About the Ebook
It is 1938 and the final days of the British Empire. In a bungalow high up in the green hills above the plains of Ceylon, under a vast blue sky, live the Ferguson family: Bella, a precocious eight-year-old; her father Henry – owner of Pitlochry, a tea plantation – and her mother Virginia. The story centres around the Pavilion in the Clouds, set in the idyllic grounds carved out of the wilderness. But all is not as serene as it seems. Bella is suspicious of her governess, Miss White's intentions. Her suspicion sparks off her mother's imagination and after an unfortunate series of events, a confrontation is had with Miss White and a gunshot rings off around the hills.
Years later, Bella, now living back in Scotland at university in St Andrews, is faced, once again with her past. Will she at last find out what happened between her Father and Miss White? And will the guilt she has lived with all these years be reconciled by a long over-due apology?
Why You'll Love This Ebook
- Discover colonial Ceylon through a young girl's eyes
- Explore family, identity, and empire in this standalone novel
- Engage with evocative historical fiction
- Read another celebrated title from Polygon - an imprint of Birlinn Ltd
Reviews
'This is one of the most enjoyable of his many enjoyable novels — McCall Smith continues to surprise as well as please' The Scotsman
'This utterly engaging standalone novel shimmers with atmosphere and family tension — a stirring, evocative psychological mystery set in 1938 as the British Empire limps through its final days' LoveReading
'He captures the nuances of female interactions so well — a nice change to read one with so many touches of gentle humour' Historical Novel Society
'Offering a child's perspective, the novel chimes with Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird' Sunday Post
'Strong characters and beautiful settings, from the mountainous tea plantation in Ceylon to the rolling hills of the Scottish countryside' Asian Review of Books
About the Author
Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the highly successful No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, which has sold over twenty-five million copies. Since then he has devoted his time to the writing of fiction and has seen his various series of books translated into over forty-six languages and become bestsellers throughout the world. These include the 44 Scotland Street novels, first published as a serial novel in the Scotsman, the Isabel Dalhousie novels, the Von Igelfeld series and the Corduroy Mansions novels.Publication Details
Publisher: Polygon (an imprint of Birlinn Ltd)
Publication Date: 05 August 2021
Print Length: 240 pages (Ebook edition)
ISBN (Ebook): 9781788854627
Format: Ebook
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