I am one of those who love to read about the British Colonial period and The Tea Planter’s Wife will take you back to 1920’s Ceylon. The tea plantation is a delightful backdrop for this compelling story.
Honestly speaking, what tempted me to read this book was the beautiful cover. But let me assure you, this book is more than a pretty cover. The terrific storyline, the setting and the characters will capture your attention from the beginning to the very end.
The Tea Planter’s Wife is British novelist Dinah Jefferies‘s second novel which was published in 2015. She is a novelist, short story and article writer.
Here’s an excerpt from the novel:
Nineteen-year-old Gwendolyn Hooper steps off a steamship in Ceylon eager to begin her new life as a married woman. But the husband who greets her is distant, secretive and brooding. Laurence is forever away working, leaving his young English bride to explore the vast tea plantation alone. Wandering into forbidden places, Gwen finds locked doors, trunks filled with dusty dresses, a tiny overgrown grave- clues to a hidden, unspeakable past.
Set in 1920’s Ceylon during the British rule, it starts with nineteen-year-old English bride Gwendolyn Hooper embarking on a journey from her home in England to Ceylon to start a new life as a rich tea planter’s wife.
After a whirlwind romance Gwendolyn is married to widower and owner of several tea plantations, Laurence Hooper. He is secretive, at times distant and always busy and Gwendolyn has a difficult time settling in. And when she finally starts settling down….
She soon discovers secrets while wandering in the vast tea plantation, but is distracted by her own pregnancy. After giving birth everything changes as Gwendolyn has a secret to keep, when she is faced with a terrible choice in the delivery room.
The Tea Planter’s Wife is an enjoyable read and loved the detailed and beautiful description. This atmospheric and intense novel captures the essence and flavors of colonial era very well.
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