The Sapphire Widow

Das ist das 3. Buch der Autorin, das ich gelesen habe und für mich ist es das schwächste. Schön fand ich,dass man eine Romanfigur aus einem anderen Buch wiedergetroffen hat. Man muss aber das andere Buch nicht kennen, es hat keine Auswirkung auf das Verständnis dieses Romans. Die Handlung hier ist leider sehr vorhersehbar und es werden einzelne Handlungselemente,die Potential hätten, Spannung zu erzeugen, einfach durch Zeitsprünge nicht ausgeschrieben, als wenn die Autorin zum Schluss keine Lust mehr gehabt hätte, noch länger an dem Buch zu schreiben. Vielleicht hat sie sich selbst zu sehr gelangweilt...nichtsdestotrotz kann man es als Zeitvertreib ohne Anspruch lesen, es wird dann nur nicht lange im Gedächtnis bleiben.

4 1/2 star read. I own all of Jeffries' books as I find her immensely readable. This book was a Richard and Judy's UK Book Club selection for Summer 2018 and I can see why. We meet Louisa Reeve in Ceylon in 1935, married to reckless Elliot. Louisa is pining over the miscarriages she's had to endure and Elliot is increasingly absent. When Elliot dies tragically, Louisa discovers that her husband betrayed her, was a liar and owed a ton of money to unsavoury men. While trying to sort out his finances, she meets a man who becomes important to her. But life is not done with throwing her curves and she learns what is important to her. I found this a really good and interesting read and look forward to reading other books by this author.

A very good book. So interesting reading about Ceylon. I had no idea how we get cinnamon. This author is at the top of her game. I have read several of her books.

Es ging so, habe schon bessere Bücher gelesen. Lucinda Riley und vor allem Nora Roberts sind bessere Autoren.

The Sapphire Widow has everything I love about Dinah Jefferies' novels: the exotic scent of spices, the clammy heat, the vivid colours of flowers and sunsets, the shriek of monkeys and the gentle chirping of foreign insects on the breeze. On the very first page we are transported to a cinnamon plantation in 1930s Ceylon and the landscape remains a glorious backdrop throughout. The story revolves around the Louise Reeve, married to a businessman called Elliot. She would love to have a child but has had a miscarriage and a stillborn child instead. Apart from this her marriage seems happy enough, although he is often away from home. And then Elliot dies suddenly, tragically, and bit by bit she finds he had a whole other life she knew nothing about. We watch as her grief turns to anger and bewilderment. How is it possible to be married for so long and not know your spouse at all? How can you pick up your life and carry on after such a betrayal? The novel is full of sensual textures: the silk of Louisa's dresses, the feel of the ocean on her skin. For me, it's the most romantic Dinah Jefferies novel so far, and I've read them all. If you can't afford a holiday in the Far East this year, let this novel take you there instead.