The Pavilion in the Clouds

This is one of the most enjoyable of his many enjoyable novels The ScotsmanIt is 1938 and the final days of the British Empire. In a bungalow high up in the green hills above the plains of Ceylon, under a vast blue sky, live the Ferguson family: Bella, a precocious eight-year-old; her father, Henry,owner of a tea plantation;and her mother, Virginia, a woman out of step in her community. The story centers aroundtheir home, affectionately called The Pavilion in the Clouds, set in the idyllic grounds carved out of the wilderness.But all is not as serene as it seems. Bella is suspicious of the intentions of her governess, Miss White.Her suspicionignitesher mothersimagination, causingan unfortunate series of eventsthat reverberate throughout the years.