La Segunda Guerra Mundial sacude Europa y sus posesiones de ultramar. En la India, proliferan los movimientos revolucionarios entre una sociedad dividida. Los días que preceden al monzón son el marco de una historia de amor escrita en tiempos de guerra.
Año 1942. Sam Hawthorne, capitán de las fuerzas armadas estadounidenses, llega a la selva birmana con el objetivo de rescatar a una misionera del cruel asedio japonés. Tras el éxito de esta arriesgada operación, Sam planea su marcha hacia un pequeño principado al norte de la India dispuesto a averiguar el paradero de su único hermano, que se encuentra desaparecido. Allí se aloja en casa de un alto funcionario indio; solamente cuenta con cuatro días, pero son suficientes para que el joven y la bella hija de su anfitrión se entreguen a un amor tan fulminante como imposible: la joven está prometida a un príncipe indio. Junto a ella, Sam descubre un universo fascinante en el que no podrá rehuir a su destino.

Having read this author before and loving her books, I was really looking forward to The Splendor of Silence by Indu Sundaresan. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as pleased with this book as I had hoped. There’s a lot going on, it’s partly a historical history, partly a love story, an partly a mystery. And I think that is the reason I was left slightly unsatisfied, simply too much going on and a feeling that some of the story was slipping through the cracks.

Starting in the 1960’s a young woman, grieving over the death of her father, Sam, receives a trunk from India and learns about her unknown mother from the unidentified letters enclosed within. We are then drawn back to 1942 and the events surrounding her parents who meet and fall in love over the course of four days in the small principality of Rudrakot, in the northwest of India. If the focus had remained on these two people, I think the story would have benefited but other minor characters were also given detailed storylines.

This story touches on many events that were happening at that time, from the world war, to India stirring with a desire to throw off the British yoke for independence. A fascinating time and place, I wanted to be swept away with an touching storyline about this rapidly changing society but instead I felt the narrative was broken into too many pieces and it lost much of it’s appeal. Still I would definitely try another of her books as I love her exotic settings and her insights into the mysterious country of India. ( )

The year is 1942. A great plot and a very sensible and well-researched take on the presence of the British in India. Also, a rather skillful way of presenting the events, not revealing things all once and keeping the reader's interest. Every chapter starts with an excerpt from a book about the presence of the British in India (I have never thought there was that MUCH written about it... it's a whole reading list right there!...), though one of the protagonists is an American captain. I was impressed by such mature writing from a relatively young author, even though it's her 3rd novel chronologically and not part of the the trilogy with which she started her historical fiction writing; I've read her first novel, and remember being impressed by her writing even then - very beautiful, expressive prose. This novel aims at the romantic in a reader. A love story, a mystery, a history lesson.
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I really loved this book. It brought India to life for me. I found it so well written. ( )

Amazing book. The characters are compelling, and the story is sad but beautiful. ( )