Plain Tales from the Hills

Dec 5, 2025 8:25 AM

Author:Rudyard Kipling

Plain Tales from the Hills, Rudyard Kipling's first collection of short stories, established his reputation and brought India to the British imagination. Including the stories 'Lispeth', 'Beyond the Pale' and 'In the Pride of His Youth', they tell of soldiers, wise children, exiles, forbidden romances and divided identities, creating a rich portrait of Anglo-Indian society. Originally published for a newspaper in Lahore when Kipling was a journalist, the tales were later revised by him to re-create as vividly as possible the sights and smells of India for readers at home. Far from being a celebration of empire, these stories explore the barriers between races, classes and sexes, and convey all the tensions and contradictions of colonial life.

Reviews

Lynne Reid Banks jouns the growing group of responsible writers who are ambitious enough to present life as they really see it - and as we, in fact, know that it really is

—— Penelope Mortimer

One of the greatest magicians of fiction ... White's scope is vast and his invention endless

—— Observer

Patrick White is, in the finest sense, a world novelist. His themes are catholic and complex and he pursues them with a single-minded energy and vision

—— Guardian

Australia's greatest novelist

—— Geoffrey Rush

The outstanding figure in Australian fiction

—— New York Times

A delightful and rather intoxicating book. Chin has a unique voice which enchants, surprises and beguiles

—— Darian Leader

Such double happiness! Marilyn Chin in new, top form. What fun!

—— Maxine Hong Kingston

Effervescent

—— i

Wickedly fizzing dialogue... delightful prose

—— Jonathan Gibbs , Independent

Clever, well paced and structured

—— Keith Miller , Times Literary Supplement

Intriguing first novel... The narrative voice floes with wit and vigour...his debut ties author and reader in engaging knots that echo the tangled webs connecting the gossipers and photographers and their privileged fodder

—— James Smart , Guardian

It's uncommonly well written, with a bountiful supply of manic energy... Would Paul Auster kill to write a book as playful, fast-paced and unashamedly populist as this? Doubtful, but somewhere there's a "Paul Auster" who might

—— Alastair Mabbott , Herald

Sparky debut

—— Jonathan Barnes , Literary Review

Benedictus takes us on a trail of the contentious highs and lows of the rich and famous in a mixture of dark humour and sharp dialogue. For Benedictus, and his valiant debut novel, more of the same please

—— Ben Bookless , Big Issue

The story of the ultimate celeb after-party, it's a knowing wink at publishing and celebrity culture - a high-concept first novel sitting just the right side of salacious

—— Elle

The Afterparty avoids smugness partly because it has more affection that vitriol for the culture that it mocks... It's very funny, but sad, too... Well-drawn characters, smart dialogue and a canny plot

—— Anthony Cummins , The Times

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