Define Epithetical Books The Rose of Tibet
| Title | : | The Rose of Tibet |
| Author | : | Lionel Davidson |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 256 pages |
| Published | : | June 13th 1994 by Mandarin (first published 1962) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Thriller. Adventure. Mystery. Historical. Historical Fiction. Cultural. China. Suspense |
Lionel Davidson
Paperback | Pages: 256 pages Rating: 3.62 | 863 Users | 105 Reviews
Commentary To Books The Rose of Tibet
Several chapters in, feeling as though I’d stumbled into either or both of a H. Rider Haggard novel, or “Lost Horizon”, and looking for the film which really ought to have been made (starring Harrison Ford), I felt that I simply MUST find out something more about the author, of “The Rose of Tibet”, Lionel Davidson. On reading http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obitu... my jaw dropped open. What praise indeed from Graham Greene, Daphne du Maurier, Philip Purser, and Frederick Forsyth. What had since happened to this man whose work had been likened to John le Carré and Eric Ambler?Do not omit to read the Preface of “The Rose of Tibet” Much valuable information is contained there; for the text of this book is anything but a quiet and sedate read.
Davidson cleverly and almost seamlessly sets the principle scenes of his fictional tale within the the mid-C20th history of Tibet. He then proceeds to blur the boundaries between fact and fiction by incorporating some of the real life characters of the time: the Dalai Lama, Heinrich Harrar, Peter Aufschnaiter, Arthur Hopkinson, his publisher, and others.
Whilst writing by reference to a collection of old Indian Ordnance Survey maps, Davidson makes no serious attempt to similarly mirror the topology of the factual Tibet. Rather refreshingly, I don’t think Lhasa was mentioned more than thrice.
Davidson pens such squealingly appealing tongue-in-cheek lines as “The proclivities of the holy women of Yamdring had come, certainly, as a great surprise to him. He didn’t think they would surprise the astrological correspondent of the ‘Hindustan Standard’ ”. Davidson kept this reader constantly on tenterhooks, looking to find out as to whether this book would turn out to be a complete ‘Ripping Yarns’ of an adventure; or something considerably greater?
Only on reading of a thousand priestesses, (remember, the real Tibet was, and is, very much a man’s world) did I wince slightly, before turning to speculate as to whether or not Ian Fleming might have borrowed more than a few ideas from Davidson! There again, looking at “The Rose of Tibet” from a different viewpoint, I thought it open to parody; but if that was subsequently done, I can think of no example.
Where Davidson really surprised me was by his ruthlessly subtle injection of superbly observed sharp humour into the story of high adventure in a strange land that he tells here so rivetingly well. The sixty-seven year old Governor of Hodzo (Ch.8) with his air cushion, is just one such picture of delight. The hero of this novel, Charles Houston (swiftly, in my mind, Harrison Ford c. 1981), is likewise probed, and found to be human “he saw that to survive he would have to exercise the combined talents of a Scheherazade and a demon lover, and he was not feeling up to it”(p.165).
There is so much that I dare not write here for fear of spoiling surprises within so very many perfectly believable yet unexpected twists and turns of the exhilaratingly adventurous plot. The final extraordinary escape through and out of Tibet, and the encounter with a bear, will forever rest in my mind as amongst the most vivid, precise, and exciting descriptive prose I have yet read. Right to the very last line, this book doesn’t let go of its reader. Why Lionel Davidson is not better known, and his books more widely read today, I simply cannot conjecture.
Point Books Toward The Rose of Tibet
| Original Title: | The Rose of Tibet |
| ISBN: | 0749317167 (ISBN13: 9780749317164) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Rating Epithetical Books The Rose of Tibet
Ratings: 3.62 From 863 Users | 105 ReviewsNotice Epithetical Books The Rose of Tibet
Another novel with a somewhat ambiguous ending. An English school teacher, Charles Houston journeys to Tibet to find his brother who has disappeared under mysterious circumstances. This novel is action driven and has a lot to recommend it. Loved the setting of Tibet, the mystery of the country and culture. The novel is set during 1950, a dangerous time in Tibet. Charles plays a cat and mouse game with the Chinese army in his quest for freedom after he uncovers the truth behind the disappearanceThere are two things that struck me about Lionel Davidson. One, he has a legion of famous authors who love him and write eye catchingly fond blurbs for him. In short if Graham Greene gushes I read, Stephen king not so much partially because I am a snob but also I like authors who are miserly in their praise, do not nurture young talent, and don't open their mail. To the book which induced such august happiness. It's a pure escapist cracking yarn. Man seeks brother in Tibet shortly before the
There's been renewed interest recently in Davidson's work because he writes well and plots well. The Rose of Tibet is a story of a story in a story, and thus framed gives it an elusive, intangible quality much like a Cornell box picture. Charles Houston travels to forbidden Tibet just as communist China prepares to invade. He is looking for his much loved half-brother, and encounters many adventures and hardships along the way. The shadow of Kipling and Rider Haggard fall across the story and,
No, I didn't think much of this at all. To think that it was written by the author of "Kolymsky Heights" (albeit a few decades apart)!Our hero goes in search of his half-brother into the depths of mystic Tibet, encounters local mumbo-jumbo, falls in love, has to escape the invading Chinese...Like the curate's egg, it was good in parts and showed a promise never really achieved.Disappointing.
Davidson has been called the master thriller writer you've never heard of. He wrote at least two books in the thriller genre, 'Kolymski Heights,' and 'The Rose of Tibet,' - both are terrific reads. I was so involved in the story that I started waking early to read more--usually after reading late into the night. Be warned if you choose to read it yourself. There is a slow beginning involving a publishing company before the story gets going. It's as if Davidson is clearing his throat. Persevere.
Lionel Davidson is (was ?) a brilliant writer, I have also read his Kolymsky Heights and A Long road to Shiloh. The Rose of Tibet is of the same quality.This story is about an Englishman that ventures on a whim into Tibet and barely makes it back. The book has a very strong story with a lot of very interesting facts about Tibet. The harrowing journey back is gripping, with very well described scenes of survival in the harsh winter. I really recommend it.
Graham Greene said, "I hadnt realised how much I had missed the genuine adventure story."Daphne du Maurier said, "It has all the excitement of King Solomon's Mines."No argument from me. That's exactly what it is, a cracking good adventure story. Davidson one-ups Haggard by evoking a sense of the fantastic without having to resort to fantasy/SF explanations, and he gives the old model of the adventure story a new spin by having it revealed via a framing narrative (with its own, much more low-key
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