#1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • 1920s Ceylon: A young Englishwoman marries a charming tea plantation owner and widower, only to discover he’s keeping terrible secrets about his past, including what happened to his first wife, that lead to devastating consequencesIn this lush, atmospheric page-turner, nineteen-year-old Gwendolyn Hooper has married Laurence, the seductively mysterious owner of a vast … mysterious owner of a vast tea empire in colonial Ceylon, after a whirlwind romance in London. When she joins him at his faraway tea plantation, she’s filled with hope for their life together, eager to take on the role of mistress of the house, learn the tea business, and start a family. But life in Ceylon is not what Gwen expected. The plantation workers are resentful, the neighbors and her new sister-in-law treacherous. Gwen finds herself drawn to a local Sinhalese man of questionable intentions and worries about her new husband’s connection to a brash American businesswoman. But most troubling are the unanswered questions surrounding Laurence’s first marriage. Why won’t anyone discuss the fate of his first wife? Who’s buried in the unmarked grave in the forest? As the darkness of her husband’s past emerges, Gwen is forced to make a devastating choice, one that could destroy their future and Gwen’s chance at happiness.
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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.
My ideal read; mystery, love heartbreak and joy–I couldn’t put it down.
The Tea Planter’s wife is a mysterious sweet, loving story. It starts out with Gwen coming to Ceylon to be with her husband.
You go allow with Gwen with her struggles and learning curves of being a mother and wife to her twins and what is going on with Ceylon culture.
When one of her children is colored she does not know if it was her husband or someone else’s child. She fights with herself when she gives her daughter to a village. That is when she gives birth to her twins. She has a household servant named Naveena.
Gwen had to deal with not only decision to what she made but also her sister in law. She dealt with that and her raising her son. You are lean so much history and culture of Ceylon at that time as well. You meet Tamil and Sinhalese worker that were part of Tea Plantation.
It was very interesting to me having lived in Sri Lanka for a total of eight years between 1983 and 1999.
I knew of the uprisings on the plantations and of the early intermarriages. I found the sense of impending doom unsettling!
Some say this is a a romance novel. It does have that with some unpredictable twists. The family has haunting secrets that weave itself into the story line. This makes for an interesting mystery plot.
The big secret finally revealed! Why didn’t Laurence tell his new wife about his first child?
Good story.
This story was a great look into the tea production industry as well as a twisted look at the marital relationships of the protagonists. The main character gives birth to twins, one of whom was not white as she and her husband were. She thinks back to a ball she attended at which she became very drunk. A male friend accompanied her to her room where she blacked out she spends years believing that the girl child she gave up because of her dark skin was the child of rape while the white son was her husband’s child. The plot of the story thickens leading to an unpredictable ending. I finished this book over a month ago and it still haunts me.
It kept you guessing
Somewhat misleading–emphasis on misleading clue annoying–two non-white babies to caucasian couples–a stretch to say the least……
Great historical fiction set in post war Ceylon. I loved the setting and the wonderful characters.
Life on tea planation in the early 20s Lots of twists
This book was very engaging, both tragic and haunting, but with a very redeeming end for the main characters. Would highly recommend
I really enjoyed this book. The author immerses you in the atmosphere of the beauty of Ceylon. I didn’t see the plot twist coming, but was finally able to figure it out prior to the end. No spoilers here. An enjoyable and immersive read.
Ceylon just before modernization and still during British colonial rule, it was a great place back then and a perfect setting for a novel today. The story is well researched and peopled by a satisfying array of characters quite appropriate to both time and place. Characters caught up in rapidly changing social norms and the erosion of economic security both bred by the new internationalism. It is a good story well told by a writer who knows her craft and her subject matter very well and therefore is one that draws us in, entertains us and toys with our emotions. A good read well worth your time and attention.
And riveting!
Very engaging. Complicated relationships and struggles. Addresses racism.
Delightful story of cultural challenges.
Wonderful,wonderful. Best book in a long time
Excellent colorful very informative of customs great reading.