She allows herself to kiss her perfect child just once. She wraps the baby in her last gift: a hand-knitted cardigan, embroidered with a water lily pattern. ‘You’re better off without me,’ she whispers and although every step breaks her heart, she walks away. 1910, India. Young and curious Alice, with her spun-gold hair, grows up in her family’s sprawling compound with parents as remote as … with parents as remote as England, the cold country she has never seen. It is Raju, son of a servant, with whom she shares her secrets. Together, their love grows like roses – but leaves deep thorns. Because when they get too close, Alice’s father drags them apart, sending Raju far away and banishing Alice to England…
1944. Intelligent and kind Janaki is raised in an orphanage in India. The nuns love to tell the story: Janaki’s arrival stopped the independence riots outside the gates, as the men on both sides gazed at the starry-eyed little girl left in a beautiful hand-knitted cardigan. Janaki longs for her real mother, the woman who was forced to abandon her, wrapped in a precious gift…
Now old enough to be a grandmother and living alone in India, Alice watches children play under the tamarind trees, haunted by the terrible mistake she made fifty years ago. It’s just an ordinary afternoon, until a young girl with familiar eyes appears with a photograph and Alice must make a choice. Will she spend the rest of her life consumed by dreams of the past, or can she admit her mistakes and choose love and light at last?
A stunning and heartbreaking novel about how a forbidden love can echo through the generations. Readers who love Lucinda Riley, Kathryn Hughes and The Storyteller’s Secret will be captivated.
Readers absolutely adore The Orphan’s Gift:
‘Utterly spellbinding and so beautifully written… Will draw you in and immediately transport you… This heart-warming and heartbreaking novel is a story of friendship, of love, of tragedy and loss… I absolutely LOVED it as I have ALL of Renita’s novels… Couldn’t put it down and as always the tissues were definitely needed.’ NetGalley Reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘So beautiful!… As I was reading, I was crying… Well written and the characters were really brought to life.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘Wow! This was an incredible story… Fantastic and the emotions were so real.’ Goodreads Reviewer
‘I kept turning the pages until my eyes blurred. I just wanted to hear how all of the stories would come together… Look forward to checking out her other books!’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘Could not put this book down, a real page-turner. Definitely will be recommending this book to other readers, love to read more books from this author.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘I could not put this story down… The ending was perfect!… This book is captivating, sad and then more sad added in. This was a quick read for me but super enjoyable.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘Transported me to another world… The characters are vibrant and dance off the page. I couldn’t stop once I started. I laughed and cried.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘This book was so good! The characters were so well rounded, you felt like you actually knew them! The plot was so good you didn’t want the book to end!’ Goodreads Reviewer
‘This book has everything… I loved each and every character and felt every emotion that they did.’ Rachel Marie’s Blog ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️more
5 big stars! I LOVED this book. Whew, it sends you through the emotional ringer but it’s unforgettable, like all books of this wonderful author, Renita d’Silva. The Orphan’s Gift depicts British and Indian relations under the British Raj, ruled by a caste system, with love between races not permitted. Alice is the daughter of a cold British Commissioner; Raju is the young son of Alice’s Indian nanny, who is more of a mother to Alice than her own mother was. As they get older, the two childhood friends eventually fall in love. Alice’s family is outraged, and force her to return to England.
The story switches to Janaki, who is left as a baby to grow up in an Indian orphanage, but yearns with all her heart to know who her parents are. The tale is heartbreaking, masterful, set across multiple time periods ranging from 1905 to 1986, and told through multiple POVs to describe stories of heartbreak, broken families, grief, longing, and ultimately, redemption. Besides the emotional pull of these characters, what is extraordinary about Ms. d’Silva’s writing is her skill in describing settings, sounds, smells, and what it *feels* like to be in England in the 1940s or India in the 1920s, including the period of India’s rioting between Hindus and Muslims and the ugliness of England’s colonization. Again, you feel that you are there. This book is epic, thrilling, and will take your breath away. Highly recommended. Five stars!
4.5 Stars
1909, India. Alice Harris is an English girl growing up in India with her emotionally distant parents. Her father is the deputy commissioner for the British government and her mother spends her days in bed longing to return to England. Alice spends most of her time with her nanny, Ayah, and her son, Raju. Alice and Raju are the best of friends, but when they become too close as teenagers, it leads to tragic consequences for Raju and his family.
1944, India. Eight-year-old Janaki lives in an orphanage run by nuns. She is a kind and optimistic girl who longs to be adopted by a loving family. From there, we follow Janaki’s heartbreaking journey to becoming a successful doctor.
This is a beautifully written and heartbreaking tale of love, family, loss, regrets, and healing. Set mostly in India, this story spans two generations and tells the story of two girls growing up under completely different circumstances. The writing style is compelling, and the author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story right from the start and instantly transported me to the beautiful country of India, with its rich culture, delicious food, sweltering heat, and the daily lives of the Indian people who were fighting for their country’s independence. The characters were so well-written that I felt what they were going through. This book shows readers that your past doesn’t have to define you or shape your future, and the importance of moving forward and learning to forgive yourself.
This wonderful and heart-wrenching story will stay with me for a very long time. If you enjoy historical fiction, then I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I have always loved this authors work and, this one is no exception, though I must say I often didn’t like one of the main characters too much, but it is what made the story so interesting.
A story of complicated relationships, a forbidden love, and what that can do to families and feelings.
In 1909 India, we meet Alice the young daughter of a British couple, Her father works for the British government and her mother takes care of the home. Alice does not feel connected to either parent as they hardly show her any affection.
Raju, a young Indian boy who is around the same age as Alice, and the son of her nanny, become inseparable and enjoy a wonderful childhood of freedom and friendship. Alice feel more Indian that British, a country she has never seen.
But as Alice and Raju grow up, feelings become stronger and Alice is sent to England by her father who doesn’t like what he sees between the two childhood friends, and not returning for five years.
This story takes place at the time of The British Raj, the rule by the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent .
The story takes us between a couple of time lines, in 1944, we meet Janaki, who lives in an Orphanage in India, left there as a new born, dressed in a beautiful hand knitted cardigan, but never knowing who her parents were.
This stories chapters go between Alice and Janaki finally ending in 1986 as we see what and who the characters are and how they got to this point. There is so much between these pages, that will keep you reading.
The author always has such a wonderful way of describing thing, whether a feeling, or a scene, we feel the smells, colors, atmosphere of India in every description.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book.