The Great Hill Stations of Asia

Rating:
Summary: The Great Hill Stations of Asia lauded.
Review: "Should be required reading for anyone contemplating an Asian journey." --New York Times Book Review. 6/7/98 END

Rating:
Summary: Many Informations about a forgotten world
Review: Barbara Crossette makes us discover the Hill Stations of Asia, from Pakistan to the Philippines and Indonesia, built by British, French, Dutch and Americans to escape the tropical climate when air conditionning did not make it bearable yet.

She does it with a richness of detail about the place, how it was built, who were the people and the atmosphere, the ecological challenge posed by the the buildings in high altitude, the evolution of the stations after independance and the return of Asian people with the Asian boom.

Book is revealing because in some instances Westerners spent 6 months in those places including the Vice-Roy of India and his court, ruling their vast dominions in Asia from above the clouds.

Rating:
Summary: An engaging and informative narrative of S and SE Asia
Review: Crossette's narrative of her journey to a selection of Asian hill stations is much more than just a personal travel journal. She provides an entertaining mix of history, politics, religion, and native lore. The stories in the book are not limited to the hill stations alone, but concern the entire regions South and Southeast Asia. Her descriptions of the unpleasant lowland cities and some distinctly Asian traditions are particularly engrossing. This is a great book for someone who would like an introduction to the area delivered in an easy-to-read format. Those who are already familiar with hill stations and the history of the region may find the book dull. The book is written from an Anglo-Western perspective, with a chapter of rather surprising American flag-waving at the end. Americans will be delighted and surprised by accounts of historical figures' visits to the area, such as Mark Twain's trip. Brits, I assume, will already have some knowledge of the area, its history, and famous characters. The average American will get a thorough introduction to Asia's culture and history and most will be surprised by how interesting it is. On the negative side, I found the meandering writing style a bit disruptive. Crossette jumps from travel journal to political commentary to regional descriptions without smooth segues. While the material is compelling (to someone interested in the region), the inconsistent style gives the book a choppy feel which detracted from my enjoyment. Overall, I recommend The Great Hill Stations of Asia for anyone interested in learning about South and Southeast Asia from an unusual and insightful perspective.

Rating:
Summary: An enchanting book offering history and comtemporary news
Review: Ever since I learned about this book on Booknotes I have wanted to read it, but never had the time until now. I enjoyed the book a great deal. I had no idea what Hill Stations were, was pretty vague on the colonial history of India, nor have I been able to clearly understand the cultural transitions since independence and partition. My sense of the British and American exploits in southeast Asia prior to the Second World War are even more slight.

The Hill Stations were places the colonists (particularly the British) built up in the mountains to get away from the heat and disease of the tropical lowlands. They tended to live lavishly and in the case of Simla, built the summer capital there. This book is a wonderful introduction to that history in Pakistan, India, Sri Lank, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Since the end of the colonial period these stations have been taken over by the governments in some cases and in others by private enterprise. The author visited all of the stations she talks about in the book and gives us very interesting observations on what has been kept intact (if decayed) from the former times (including bad cuisine and slow service in one station) and what has been modernized and to what effect. In almost all cases the vastly increased domestic populations have led to more building at the expense of the local flora and especially the fauna.

I think the saddest visit she describes is the military ruination of Burma (now Myanmar) by its removal of history, education, and learning from its population. Just hideous, but unfortunately, far from unique. The detail and personal experiences of this tragedy add to the value of the really marvelous little book.

If you know about these places from your own experience you may or may not like what the author has to say. I came to this book completely ignorant of these places and may still be. However, I enjoyed the tour this book gave me and I think it taught me a great deal. The author provides a nice bibliography for further reading and an index

Rating:
Summary: An enchanting book offering history and comtemporary news
Review: Ever since I learned about this book on Booknotes I have wanted to read it, but never had the time until now. I enjoyed the book a great deal. I had no idea what Hill Stations were, was pretty vague on the colonial history of India, nor have I been able to clearly understand the cultural transitions since independence and partition. My sense of the British and American exploits in southeast Asia prior to the Second World War are even more slight.

The Hill Stations were places the colonists (particularly the British) built up in the mountains to get away from the heat and disease of the tropical lowlands. They tended to live lavishly and in the case of Simla, built the summer capital there. This book is a wonderful introduction to that history in Pakistan, India, Sri Lank, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Since the end of the colonial period these stations have been taken over by the governments in some cases and in others by private enterprise. The author visited all of the stations she talks about in the book and gives us very interesting observations on what has been kept intact (if decayed) from the former times (including bad cuisine and slow service in one station) and what has been modernized and to what effect. In almost all cases the vastly increased domestic populations have led to more building at the expense of the local flora and especially the fauna.

I think the saddest visit she describes is the military ruination of Burma (now Myanmar) by its removal of history, education, and learning from its population. Just hideous, but unfortunately, far from unique. The detail and personal experiences of this tragedy add to the value of the really marvelous little book.

If you know about these places from your own experience you may or may not like what the author has to say. I came to this book completely ignorant of these places and may still be. However, I enjoyed the tour this book gave me and I think it taught me a great deal. The author provides a nice bibliography for further reading and an index

Rating:
Summary: A lot of information but no magic
Review: Great Hill Stations of Asia brought me a lot of information about South and South East Asia culture, the type of people which frequented those places, the people and tribes living around them, how the stations were built, how they could be accessed, how they evolved and how they kept their position in the Asian boom after the decline that followed the departure of the Europeans half a century ago, the ecological dangers that are facing some of them and much more.

Unfortunatly you do not find back the magic of Imperial Simla and the vice-royal court with one of the most elaborate regal etiquette that existed in the 19th and 20th century (King Edward said he learned about regal splendour for the first time of his life by staying at the mansion of the governor of Bombay which was only a minor official), the escape from heat that were Darjeeling, Murray and other places, the special atmosphere they must have witnessed in those colonial societies as long they existed and the cultural exchange of those Westerners and the local people united together for a season.

So interesting but not tentalizing.

Rating:
Summary: good collection
Review: Hill Stations are an interesting topic of colianialsm in Asia. Hill Stations are interesting because it is where westerners tried to maintain their lifestyles in Asia and taking in Asian populations in the schools. Also, the differences in different colonies is interesting to see. In places like South Asia, Hill Stations you saw a mix of them because they had Westen missionaries and Western traders while in the Phillipeans you saw the only American Hill stations and they were mainly missionaries.

Rating:
Summary: A muddled view
Review: The hill stations of India are wonderful places: decaying but they capture some of the magic of the land. Some of my most fond memories are about the time spent at these hill stations as a boy. So we do need a writer to communicate this magic to the wide world. Unfortunately, Crossette is not this writer. She doesn't approach the places with any sympathy, let alone the reverence they deserve. Crossette is too eager to peddle her political and social theories about the divide between the highlands and the lowlands, races and religions. These theories are too simplistic and they detract from the narrative.