Scan barcode
aliciagriggs's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, and it kept me gripped and wondering what will happen next. A sad and thoughtful novel.
rachael_reading's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this book. It was the read for the month in my book club and not really sure if I would have chosen it on my own - but it definitely turned out to be a good read. The descriptions of 1920-30's Ceylon were amazing - I kept looking images up on Google to help with the imagination. Such a beautiful place to live, but then a devastating thing happens which brings up questions for Gwen and the book takes a turn into the dark corners of jealousy, confusion, grief, and ignorance. It is a bit long, but I guess it needed to be to tie It altogether – its almost like several novels in one. It was also a little predictable but overall I really enjoyed it. The narrator was amazing as well.
jacki_f's review against another edition
4.0
At the age of 19, Gwendolyn Hooper arrives in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) to join her new husband. Laurence is a widower who owns a tea plantation. Gwen is giddily in love and full of optimism about her new life. However she quickly finds that life in Ceylon is more complicated than she anticipated. Her husband seems moodier, changed. There seems to be some kind of mystery about what happened to his first wife and then Gwen stumbles across a child's grave which no one wants to talk about. The manager of the plantation is unfriendly and Laurence's sister also seems to have her own agenda. Then there is a glamorous American woman who seems very interested in her husband. When Gwen gets pregnant, she thinks that the new baby will make everything better, but instead it's quite the opposite.
I have mixed feelings about this book - it's an easy and engaging book to read with a fantastic sense of place. I really enjoyed being transported to 1920s Ceylon. However Gwen is an annoying main character who could have made half her problems go away if she would only communicate better! I also felt that many of the other characters were under-developed. The author seemed to have put a lot of thought into their back stories but less into making them fully rounded people. I wanted more clarity on various plot points - marriages would suddenly happen for example.
At the book's heart however is a good story that is set in an exotic and appealing location. I always think it's a good sign when I'm not reading a book and I find myself wondering what's going to happen to the characters.
Thank you to Penguin Books and Net Galley for giving me an advance copy to review.
I have mixed feelings about this book - it's an easy and engaging book to read with a fantastic sense of place. I really enjoyed being transported to 1920s Ceylon. However Gwen is an annoying main character who could have made half her problems go away if she would only communicate better! I also felt that many of the other characters were under-developed. The author seemed to have put a lot of thought into their back stories but less into making them fully rounded people. I wanted more clarity on various plot points - marriages would suddenly happen for example.
At the book's heart however is a good story that is set in an exotic and appealing location. I always think it's a good sign when I'm not reading a book and I find myself wondering what's going to happen to the characters.
Thank you to Penguin Books and Net Galley for giving me an advance copy to review.
hoadjie's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book!! The story the characters are amazing and you just get pulled in. I felt all the emotions of the characters. The author did an amazing job.
Great story about a young lovely lady falling in love getting married and moving to strange country, and problems she had to face on her own.
Looking forward to picking up another book by Dinah Jefferies.
Great story about a young lovely lady falling in love getting married and moving to strange country, and problems she had to face on her own.
Looking forward to picking up another book by Dinah Jefferies.
hally_p's review against another edition
5.0
Oooh this was such a great book! Exactly what I needed, a beautiful sweeping story that had me spellbound. So well written with an authentic storyline, just when I thought I knew where things were headed the twists and turns had me, I loved all the characters it couldn’t have been told any better. Will definitely be reading more of Dinah jefferies books in the near future
jbarr5's review against another edition
5.0
The tea planter's wife by Jefferies_ Dinah
Story of how time goes from past after she's gone and Gwen is the new wife and she gives Lawrence a boy. There is also a girl but she's a different color and she is able to stay in touch with the one caring for her.
Lawrence has other conquests and pursues them while keeping his wife happy.
Love learning about the tea plants and how they are processed in their plant factory.
NY Stock market crash throws the whole estate into turmoil as he must leave to tend to business, with Christine...
Things just aren't right since someone tried to kill her with drugs...
Loved the mystery and have read other book sthat state the same facts of the birth.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
Story of how time goes from past after she's gone and Gwen is the new wife and she gives Lawrence a boy. There is also a girl but she's a different color and she is able to stay in touch with the one caring for her.
Lawrence has other conquests and pursues them while keeping his wife happy.
Love learning about the tea plants and how they are processed in their plant factory.
NY Stock market crash throws the whole estate into turmoil as he must leave to tend to business, with Christine...
Things just aren't right since someone tried to kill her with drugs...
Loved the mystery and have read other book sthat state the same facts of the birth.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
twstdtink's review against another edition
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, despite the fact that it made me deeply uncomfortable for all 413 pages of it. Set in (British) Ceylon, current Sri Lanka, in the 1920's/30's, the novel covers many fascinating aspects of that era: plantation life, segregation, sexism, prohibition, the far flung effects of the Wall Street Crash. Although these topics are not new by any means, this book is unique because it takes place in such a lush and exotic country. Jefferies does a good job of keeping these topics in the background, and not overwhelming the reader, by navigating the story through the eyes of Gwen Hooper, new wife to the widowed Laurence, owner of a vast Ceylon tea empire. Gwen is just 19 at the start of the book. Her naivety keeps readers from discovering things that will later prove to be important. Which is what gives the story it's unsettling feeling. As the reader, you know that horrible things are afoot. But, the characters in the book keep behaving as if things are normal or ignoring warning signs, and the effect is that you always feel like something bad is about to happen.
samyukta_24's review against another edition
4.0
A historical novel about a newlywed couple, Gwen and Laurence Hooper, against the backdrop of a tea plantation in Ceylon. Faced with a terrible choice, the plot thickens as more and more secrets come spilling out, threatening to destroy everything Gwen has to live for.
I loved the pacing of the plot, the whole atmosphere, and the emotions of the characters throughout the book. The plot twist was also comfortably placed at a very nail-biting position. The only problem I had with the book was the portrayal of a few of the characters, such as Laurence’s overly-dramatic sister, Verity, and the “seductive American” Christina. They felt very one-dimensional to me, and their plotlines were resolved too hurriedly.
But other than that, the book was an incredibly engrossing read, with a very unique dilemma, set in a grandly atmospheric setting.
I loved the pacing of the plot, the whole atmosphere, and the emotions of the characters throughout the book. The plot twist was also comfortably placed at a very nail-biting position. The only problem I had with the book was the portrayal of a few of the characters, such as Laurence’s overly-dramatic sister, Verity, and the “seductive American” Christina. They felt very one-dimensional to me, and their plotlines were resolved too hurriedly.
But other than that, the book was an incredibly engrossing read, with a very unique dilemma, set in a grandly atmospheric setting.
ckjaer88's review against another edition
3.0
It was alright, a bit longwinded and apart from the main drama, the most part was very predictable.