Let me say at the outset, I loved this book. It kept me
reading late, late into the night, so you know it's intriguing. It's also different, an emotionally rich tale of
love lost and found, set in India (and London) in 1857 and 1861. But I wasn't far
into the first half when I realized I needed the following: (1) a glossary (for
terms like patois, zenana, sepoy and grisaille), (2) an Urdu-English dictionary
(or at least a translation of the phrases and dialog in that language), and (3)
a map of India. If she ever does a deluxe edition, I recommend she include
those things. But even without them, the story was amazing, more complex than
her others.
It begins as Emmaline Martin travels to India to join her fiancé,
a self-absorbed, cruel colonel in the British East India Company's army and an
impoverished man of noble birth who only wants Emma for her money. The marriage
was her parents' idea—her parents who are killed on the ship bringing Emma to
India.
Emma arrives in Delhi emotionally bruised but fascinated
with the country. She finds the life of an Englishwoman in Delhi's British
society to be boring and, as an artist, she wants to see the colors and people
in the bazaar but it's just not safe. She meets Julian Sinclair, cousin to her fiancé
and heir to a dukedom and is instantly attracted to the handsome British
nobleman who has Indian blood and understands the unhappiness of the Indian
people living under the rule of the British.
Julian believes there will be an uprising, but he can't get
the attention of the British. Of course, he isn't wrong. Much of the first book
deals with the uprising and the horrible things Emma witnesses and experiences
during that time. Julian and Emma have already realized their love for each
other when they are separated in the ensuing battles.
The second half takes place 4 years later when, back in
London, Emma and Julian are living as empty shells, he believing she was killed
in India and she believing he didn't come for her.
There are many twists and turns in this unique first romance
of Duran's as she immerses us in the tumultuous times in India when the Indian
soldiers in the British East India Company's army (the sepoys) mutinied in
various parts of the country. But in this tale, there is also treachery in the
British ranks based on greed.
Duran introduces us not only to a wonderful hero, who loves
Emma consistently throughout the book, and a heroine, who is sensitive and brave,
but also to some great secondary characters who give you a feeling for the time
and the place.
It's a story of survival in war, of learning to understand
another culture and its effects on the people who are exposed to it, and of
true love that marks you for life. The emotion feels real, not contrived. And the
love scenes fit the story. Highly recommended!
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I. Loved. This. Book. I also loved this review. It's a challenging book in some aspects, and sugarcoats nothing, as Emma and Julian's world, and their experiences, are harsh, but the emotional payoff is well worth the rougher aspects. I think it may be time for a reread.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, Anna. I'm glad you liked the review. I only wish she had included a map (I kept having to look things up!) and translated some of the phrasing. But it was a stunning story. Her later ones are not as good in my opinion.
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