The Towers of Silence (1971)

I didn't like this as much as the previous one. I guess it's because the point of view was from someone who was a relatively minor character before. But I saw a beauty in the way Barbie Batchelor's inner voice - much louder than her actual voice - was shown to analyse situations around her, especially towards the end of the book. A sadness descends upon the reader after it is over - the events described are, for the most part, a repeat of the previous book, and the reader knows of most if not all the happenings. But only with this book does the full extent of those changes upon everyone's lives become clear. ( )

The events are mostly seen through the eyes of Barbara Batchelor, the retired missionary who becomes companion to the old Mabel Layton in Rose Cottage, Pankor. It is perhaps the saddest of the Raj quartet so far (I don't want to give spoilers, for the story see the account of each book on wiki), and most of the Brits are really insufferable, especially the ghastly Mildred. Sometimes the style is OK, at others I really want to send a bag of commas to Paul Scott with instructions on how to use them. The illustrations in this edition are by Finn Campbell-Notman, and I like most of them (though would have liked more), they are spare and very quiet. However one is very annoying; it shows Mildred reflected in a mirror where her reflected hair is all wrong, and Barbie in a baggy brown skirt - when we know she is wearing her heliotrope suit which has a straight skirt with back pleat (Scott goes into incredible detail). And at the precise moment quoted, Barbie has grabbed Mildred's arm. ( )

1813 The Towers of Silence A Novel by Paul Scott (read 25 Nov 1983) This is the third volume of The Raj Quartet. It tells much more about events first referred to in the second volume. Much of it is told from the viewpoint of Barbara Batchelor, a spinster who knew Edwine Crane and lived with Mabel Layton till Mabel died June 7, 1944. This book again is extremely readable, and now Scott makes me think of Henry James--but again, easier to follow. His is a major talent. ( )

The third. ( )