
The Tea Planter's Wife (Paperback)
Dinah Jefferies (author)Published: 03/09/2015
Nineteen-year-old Gwendolyn Hooper is newly married to a rich and charming widower, eager to join him on his tea plantation, determined to be the perfect wife and mother.
But life in Ceylon is not what Gwen expected. The plantation workers are resentful, the neighbours treacherous. And there are clues to the past - a dusty trunk of dresses, an overgrown gravestone in the grounds - that her husband refuses to discuss.
Just as Gwen finds her feet, disaster strikes. She faces a terrible choice, hiding the truth from almost everyone, but a secret this big can't stay buried forever . . .
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
ISBN: 9780241969557
Number of pages: 448
Weight: 309 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 27 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
My ideal read; mystery, love, heart-break and joy - I couldn't put it down
-- Santa MontefioreBeautifully written and heart rending, this has a magical setting with a real sense of period. -- Katie Fforde
A gloriously atmospheric and tension-filled novel that centres on the separation of a mother and her child. Immensely enjoyable, poignant and compelling -- Isabel Wolff
Vibrant and compelling - Dinah Jefferies perfectly captures the flavour of colonial Ceylon -- Rosanna Ley
I was spellbound from beginning to end -- Deborah Rodriguez
A wonderful book, deeply touching and an unforgettable read that swept me away. I loved it. -- Kate Furnivall
Dark secrets lie at every turn, hidden beneath layers of 1920s racism and the fearfulness of a crumbling colonial power, making for a thoroughly gripping tale. But what I loved most of all. . . is the moving way in which Dinah writes about the loss of children and the redemptive power of love. -- Liz Trenow
A terrific emotional and atmospheric read -- Elizabeth Buchan
Deeply atmospheric and utterly engrossing -- Lucy Cruickshanks
Rich and incredibly evocative, historical fiction at its best...it's just spellbinding * Sunday Express *
A full-blown escape into the past
* Independent *A gripping tale of love, jealousy, greed and tragedy * Woman and Home *
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“A five star read in every sense!”
Dinah Jefferies really knows how to transport a reader to the places she writes about. And this tale set on a tea plantation in old Ceylon is visually stunning….
I love Dinah’s writing as she notices and evokes the...
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“Captivating and evocative”
When 19 year old newly wed Gwendolyn arrives in 1920's Ceylon to join her much older husband Laurence, the owner of a tea plantation, she is excited and looking forward to her new life. However, the reality is...
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“Good, but wanted just a bit more!”
The setting of Ceylon in this novel creates a vivid backdrop for a story full of secrets and more surprises than I was expecting. The characters are well constructed, although personally I found Gwen passive, jealous... More
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