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.  

Book Review / The Missing Sister by Dinah Jefferies

A stolen sister. A daughter determined to uncover the truth.

Belle Hatton has embarked upon an exciting new life far from home: a glamorous job as a nightclub singer in 1930s Burma, with a host of sophisticated new friends and admirers. But Belle is haunted by a mystery from the past - a 25 year old newspaper clipping found in her parents' belongings after their death, saying that the Hattons were leaving Rangoon after the disappearance of their baby daughter, Elvira.

Belle is desperate to find out what happened to the sister she never knew she had - but when she starts asking questions, she is confronted with unsettling rumours, malicious gossip, and outright threats. Oliver, an attractive, easy-going American journalist, promises to help her, but an anonymous note tells her not to trust those closest to her. . .

Belle survives riots, intruders, and bomb attacks - but nothing will stop her in her mission to uncover the truth. Can she trust her growing feelings for Oliver? Is her sister really dead? And could there be a chance Belle might find her?

Published:  28th February 2019  

Publisher:  Penguin

Goodreads :   Click here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:     Historical Fiction, Romance and Mystery

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story...  There is just something about this author's writing that both draws me and keeps me in its grasp with its beautiful descriptions and plot that I never want to leave it.  This is one of those books.  The best part of this book (and, honestly, every book I've read so far by this author) is the atmosphere she builds with the descriptions of locations and characters that paints such a colourful picture in my head.   Also, with this story, you have the added mystery of what happened to the sister that Belle never knew that she never had.

Would I recommend...  Absolutely!  If you are fan of historical romance and mystery pick this one up now!  If you are new to this author, this book is a good a place than any to start.

 

Book Review / The Silk Merchant's Daughter by Dinah Jefferies

 

Dinah Jefferies' stunning new novel is a gripping, unforgettable tale of a woman torn between two worlds...

1952, French Indochina. Since her mother's death, eighteen-year-old half-French, half-Vietnamese Nicole has been living in the shadow of her beautiful older sister, Sylvie. When Sylvie is handed control of the family silk business, Nicole is given an abandoned silk shop in the Vietnamese quarter of Hanoi. But the area is teeming with militant rebels who want to end French rule, by any means possible. For the first time, Nicole is awakened to the corruption of colonial rule - and her own family's involvement shocks her to the core...

Tran, a notorious Vietnamese insurgent, seems to offer the perfect escape from her troubles, while Mark, a charming American trader, is the man she's always dreamed of. But who can she trust in this world where no one is what they seem?

The Silk Merchant's Daughter is a captivating tale of dark secrets, sisterly rivalry and love against the odds, enchantingly set in colonial era Vietnam.

Published:   1st January 2016

Publisher:   Penguin

Goodreads :   Click here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:     Historical Fictional and Romance 

Pages:   400 pages, Hardcover 

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...  Yet another absolutely beautifully written story by Dinah Jefferies.  At the fear of repeating myself too much with this author but what draws me in each and every time is the beautifully written descriptions of locations and characters.  This time we are in Vietnam, a place that I have not visited but certainly feel like I have now with the way this book was written!  A wonderful story about family dynamics and love amongst the backdrop of the lead up to the Vietnam war...

Would I recommend...  100%  If you love historical fiction or would like to try - get this in your hands now!

Book Review / The Separation by Dinah Jefferies

What happens when a mother and her daughters are separated, and who do they become when they believe it might be forever?

Malaya 1955. It’s the eve of the Cartwright family’s departure from Malaya. Eleven-year-old Emma can’t understand why they’re leaving without their mother, or why her taciturn father is refusing to answer her questions.

Returning from a visit to a friend sick with polio, Emma’s mother, Lydia, arrives home to an empty house ─ there’s no sign of her husband Alec, her daughters, or even the servants. The telephone line is dead. Acting on information from Alec’s boss, Lydia embarks on a dangerous journey across civil-war-torn Malaya to find her family.
​
The Separation is a heart-wrenching page-turner, set in 1950s Malaya and post-war England.


Published:     19th June 2014
Publisher:  Penguin
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Owned

MY REVIEW

It has been a little while since I last picked up a book by this author but I had forgotten just how beautiful her writing is.  This story is split into two perspectives - the first being from the view of the mother, Lydia, who returns home to discover that both her husband and two children have moved away.  She understands that her husband had got an urgent job in another location and moved quickly with her to follow them when she can so we follow her as she travels the very hard and troubling path.  The second part of this story is that we follow Lydia's daughters as they travel with their father to their new home.

This truly was a heartbreaking story where you have a mother who is separated from her children and not sure how long it will take or whether it is possible for her to see them again.  Along the way, Lydia also meets several other characters including a boy who she is asked if he can accompany her on her journey to safety.  She agrees but there is more to this boy's history than she realises.  

This was such a beautiful story in a mainly sad kind of way and I would highly recommend. 

Book Review / Before the Rains by Dinah Jefferies

A romantic, heart-wrenching tale of love against the odds from the Number One Sunday Times bestselling author
 
1930, Rajputana, India. Since her husband's death, 28-year-old photojournalist Eliza's only companion has been her camera. When the British Government send her to an Indian princely state to photograph the royal family, she's determined to make a name for herself.

But when Eliza arrives at the palace she meets Jay, the Prince's handsome, brooding brother. While Eliza awakens Jay to the poverty of his people, he awakens her to the injustices of British rule.

Soon Jay and Eliza find they have more in common than they think. But their families - and society - think otherwise. Eventually they will have to make a choice between doing what's expected, or following their hearts. . .


Published:     23rd February 2017
Publisher:  Penguin
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher

MY REVIEW

This book took me completely by surprise.  I picked up this one firstly (and honestly) it was the cover that drew me in.  That gorgeous blue and the Indian backdrop; it just intrigued me.  Bright coloured covers always draw me in; sometimes for the better but not always!  Its been a little while since I had read a historical fiction book and I felt now was a good time to pick another one up (I am a very seasonal reader and tend to pick up more complicated, historic, thriller like books in the autumn and winter months and reading more lighter, mostly romantic, reads in the spring and summer.

What I loved about this book.  I could talk for a very long time about this but just to name a few...  Firstly, the romance side of it.  There's a bit of a will they wont' they situation going on between Jay and Eliza.  You then have each of their backgrounds, both completely different but linked for some reason that I won't spoil right now in this review.  I liked that twist in the story; a twist that I was not expecting at all!  I also liked the fact that despite it being 1930 when women were supposed to be seen and not heard, Eliza was not one of those women.  She was different and it was very interesting to watch her struggle to get along with the many people that she came across.  Along with the above, you also have the history and the ways of the people in 1930s India.  Some very interesting and some very disturbing things that I learnt and I very much hope do not still go on today in real life.

This book just swept me away.  I enjoyed every last word and will definitely be picking up more by this author.