Vermilion Harvest: Playtime at the Bagh

by Reenita M Hora

In a politically tense Amritsar, India, Aruna, an Anglo-Indian schoolteacher, and Ayaz, a feisty Muslim law student, fall in love only to discover that courting openly is easier said than done. Not only are they from different communities, but his political activism during the tumultuous year of 1919 comes at the cost of their romance.

Against the deadline of a military order, Aruna, who is only nineteen, must find her lover and...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1953278515
• ISBN13: 9781953278517
• Release Date: July 2024
• Publisher: Indignor House, Inc.
• Length: 312 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Indian Independence, Jane Austen, Romance - all in one book!

Novelists debate the importance of plot versus character versus write style; each has advocates. Indeed, every novel needs some of each. Happily, Vermilion Harvest has all three, in generous doses. Plot? From the start, the budding relationship between a Hindi woman and a Moslem man signal a brewing crisis. The novel is set in colonial India in 1919, in a place called Amritsar. This fabled city has been a flash point in Indian affairs for generations. Gandhi, and his nascent movement, is mentioned, adding anther layer of foreshadowing to the plot. Character? The novel is narrated by Aruna, a young woman, half-Hindu but also half-British, who works as an English teacher at a local school. She meets Ayaz when she enters a down-scale eatery to avoid a sudden rain shower. Their initial meeting invokes Jane Austen, both figuratively and literally, as the characters trade quotes from Pride & Prejudice. The pride, and prejudices, of Austen’s England are reflected in colonial India, in surprising degrees. Style? Aruna’s descriptions of her self, her clothes, her actions, all add depth to her character and often rise to the level of poetry. The many threads of plot and character weave and twist around, like the delicate pallu of an Indian Sari. Aruna and Ayaz court, but secretly - too many rules, too many customs - too many barriers mean their love must be hidden away. The book ends a few decades later, with independence for India, Aruna, and more. Want details? Read the book!

Learn important history, easily!

Historical fiction is a great way to learn about something you should know about but didn’t necessarily know you should. Through this romantic historical fiction, set in 1919, Reenita M. Hora has made an anguished period of history in India very accessible. India’s awakening toward independence from Britain is mirrored in the protagonists’ awakening to their own independence. Written in a modern style, it stays grounded in the setting and time period, reflecting the biases and social rules limiting individuals. It includes extensive use of culturally correct vocabulary (glossary provided) and conversational banter about Jane Austen and Mr. Darcy reflecting the parallels between Austen’s Regency Period and late colonial India. Because of similar issues in today’s world, everyone should read this book!