A beautifully written novel that you will have trouble putting down. “The Tea Planter’s Wife” by Dinah Jefferies is rich with descriptions of Ceylon in the 1920’s, both historical and visual. I was mesmerized by the vivid images of the landscape, homes, and clothes of the era. The novel is filled with love, suspense, heartbreak, and mystery.
Gwendolyn Hooper, just nineteen years old marries Laurence, the owner of a tea plantation in Ceylon. She leaves her home in England and begins her new married life in Ceylon. Life in Ceylon is not as she has hoped. The plantation workers are resentful, and her sister-in-law is trouble. Gwendolyn has many unanswered questions about Laurence’s first wife and her mysterious death.
Gwendolyn becomes pregnant, and with the birth, she makes a decision that will haunt her the rest of her life. She also finds the racism in Ceylon hard to understand and want to try to change the conditions for the plantation workers and their families.
There are many family secrets that are interwoven throughout the book and finally, in the ending are exposed. This is a page turning novel that will not disappoint you. The only disappointment will be when you are finished reading it; you will want for more.
I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in order to write this review.