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Book Review of The Tea Planter's Wife: A Novel

The Tea Planter's Wife: A Novel
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Set mostly in the 1920s, The Tea Planter's Wife tells the story of a young English woman, Gwen, who moves to Ceylon after marrying the owner of a large tea plantation. She soon discovers the family is hiding many secrets, including the truth about the tragic death of her new husband's first wife. Soon, our heroine has her own dark secret to keep, one which nearly tears her apart. The ending is not quite what the reader is expecting and the truth makes Gwen's actions all the more heart breaking.

One of the things the author does well is describing the Ceylonese landscape. Having been to that part of the world, I remember the vivid greens, the deep blues; the smells of the flowers... Her descriptions of the cities and the people are exactly as I remember. The setting is as much a character in the story as the people themselves.

The author did leave a few unanswered questions, however they had to do with side characters and side stories and weren't central to the plot.

Fans of Lisa See would enjoy this book, as well as fans of Downton Abby. I look forward to reading the author's other works.

I received a complimentary copy from Library Thing Early reviewers.