Book Review / The Sapphire Widow by Dinah Jefferies

 

A sweeping, breath-taking story of love and betrayal from the Number One Sunday Times bestselling author of The Tea Planter's Wife.

Ceylon, 1935. Louisa Reeve, the daughter of a successful British gem trader, and her husband Elliot, a charming, thrill-seeking businessman, seem like the couple who have it all. Except what they long for more than anything: a child.

While Louisa struggles with miscarriages, Elliot is increasingly absent, spending much of his time at a nearby cinnamon plantation, overlooking the Indian ocean. After his sudden death, Louisa is left alone to solve the mystery he left behind. Revisiting the plantation at Cinnamon Hills, she finds herself unexpectedly drawn towards the owner Leo, a rugged outdoors man with a chequered past. The plantation casts a spell, but all is not as it seems. And when Elliot's shocking betrayal is revealed, Louisa has only Leo to turn to...

Published:  22nd February 2018

Publisher:  Viking

Goodreads :  Click here - opens in new window

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...

I always look forward to reading a story by this author as I know the story is going to be beautiful.  The descriptions of the scenery alone just makes you feel like you are right there where the story takes place, like this one which is in Sri Lanka.  I can't say whether the descriptions are acurate because I've never visited but it felt real.  Along with that, I liked the mystery of Louisa's husband, Elliot.  Who was he and what secrets did he have?  

What I wasn't fond of with this story...

This was a very slow read for me but this may be my fault as I was interested in the story for the mystery of Louisa's husband and it just took a long while to get to the point.  I also found that the character of Louisa could have been portrayed better, for example I felt like she could have had more depth to her and given more strength than she had given that she has already travelled away from the home country that she knows and her family, to live with her husband in a new country.  I felt that she could have been a stronger character than I experienced when reading the story.   That said, I did enjoy the story for what it is but this would have been a 5 star read if written slightly differently, for me.