Olivia And Jai

Mar 08, 2013 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, big-fat-saga, 4-stars, read-in-2013, india-africa, victoriana

Rating: 4.5 stars

Screwed-up brooding badboys make my heart and loins a-flutter, and Jai is one hell of a tortured soul. Born in 19th century India to an Indian serving girl and an unknown Englishman, he belongs to neither community and has spent his life enraged and embittered. He's ruthlessly built up his business empire, and just as ruthlessly has built a barrier around himself. He cares for nothing or no-one, his black heart angry and alone. Yum.

Olivia is a feisty young American, sent to li...more

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Dec 10, 2009 Oriana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, asian, french, historical-fiction, keepers, victorian, indian, english, the-ones-i-cannot-live-without

Olivia & Jai is one of those books with a slight old fashioned feeling that left a wonderful impression the first time I read it a couple years ago. I wanted to reread it and see if the magic still worked.

We first meet Olivia O’Rourke, a 23 years old American with an unusual education and lots of character, during her stay in India where she spends a year with her maternal aunt, Lady Bridget Templewood, and her family. The young woman is completely in love for this new land and its culture....more Olivia & Jai is one of those books with a slight old fashioned feeling that left a wonderful impression the first time I read it a couple years ago. I wanted to reread it and see if the magic still worked.

We first meet Olivia O’Rourke, a 23 years old American with an unusual education and lots of character, during her stay in India where she spends a year with her maternal aunt, Lady Bridget Templewood, and her family. The young woman is completely in love for this new land and its culture. Every opportunity she gets, to great despair of her snobbish aunt, she’s out exploring Calcutta and doing the best she can to get to meet the locals.

One evening, during a ball, she meets a mysterious man, Jai Raventhorne. They are both curious about each other, but when Olivia mentions his name to her family, they are all shocked and immediately warn her to keep her distances from him. Clearly there’s something going on between Raventhorne and the Templewoods and nobody seems interested to talk about it or explain the reasons of the quarrel to the young American. This situation only provokes Olivia’s curiosity about Jai…

Not long after, Olivia and Jai start to meet in secret, both unable to stop the growing attraction between them. If the young woman accepts her feelings more easily, Jai tries to keep his distances at first and warns her often that despite his love, he cannot give her what she wants. Olivia is in love and she never imagined Jai’s revenge towards her family or the unbearable pain caused by his treason…

Olivia is a charming mix of wisdom and innocence. Raised by her free thinking father in the States, she was always encouraged to give her opinion and be an independent woman. Her English aunt is completely appealed by this upbringing! She is decided to transform the young woman into a lady and find her an English husband.

If I couldn’t sometimes suspend my disbelief when I read about Olivia leaving the house all alone and spend hours in the local markets or riding, I did enjoy her curiosity about the Indian culture and the fact that she tried to break free from the quite strict British society rules and seek for something else.

Her love for Jai might seem sometimes a bit naïve and suddenly excessive, but it’s her first love and she was completely swept away by the dark and mysterious young man. His happiness is her happiness. She gave herself completely to Jai without any constraints.

Jai is Eurasian and his illegitimacy is often the center of all gossip among the local British society. He is arrogant, conceited, obnoxious and sometimes, a real pain. He is also a self made man. Nobody knows who his parents were, but he made his way into the world and built an empire. He does some terrible things, but here remains the talent of Rebecca Ryman, even during the worst moments I could never really hate Jai. He never became an unsympathetic character and I would imagine it was a hard task for the author to keep him going as a real person with its faults and qualities.

There are some small aspects that kept me from giving this book 5 stars. The language was a little too modernized sometimes, but it won’t spoil any enjoyment.
This is a story of love and revenge with some twists and turns but everything works almost perfectly for me. The character development, especially Olivia who changes so much all along the story, is quite remarkable. Also the descriptions of 19th century India are enthralling. I remember especially Olivia’s visit to the market and it was so vivid I could almost taste the pastry she was eating.

Rebecca Ryman is the pen name of an Indian writer, Asha Bhanjdeo, who only wrote three books under this name: Olivia & Jai, The Veil of Illusions (the sequel of Olivia & Jai) and Shalimar. Unfortunately, she died in 2003.

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Aug 20, 2008 Misfit rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

A fabulous tale of star crossed lovers in 19C India. The story begins in Calcutta in 1848 as Olivia O'Rourke arrives from California to spend time with her mother's sister, Lady Bridget Templewood. Used to the freer life she shared with her father, Olivia chafes under the rigid morals of British Society, but then she accidentally meets a man reviled by her family, Jai Ravenstone. Jai is a Eurasian with a mysterious past who against all odds built up a successful shipping empire.

Despite her fami...more

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Aug 23, 2011 Krissie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

So, after one of the ladies from my church's knitting group loaned me this novel, along with two others she thought I might enjoy, it took me forever to actually start reading them. Olivia and Jai is the first of them, and really, I'm dern glad that I waited. Dolores offered these books during my semester at school, and if I had started reading this right away, I would have died (figuratively). This is not a lighthearted, temporary escape from life; this is an epic. It isn't meant to be read in...more So, after one of the ladies from my church's knitting group loaned me this novel, along with two others she thought I might enjoy, it took me forever to actually start reading them. Olivia and Jai is the first of them, and really, I'm dern glad that I waited. Dolores offered these books during my semester at school, and if I had started reading this right away, I would have died (figuratively). This is not a lighthearted, temporary escape from life; this is an epic. It isn't meant to be read in a weekend; it took me three or four weeks, and if I'd felt the need to rush it, the experience of reading it would have soured immensely. As a story dependent upon the culture of the time and place, there is a lot of explanation of that time and place, as well as background into how some characters came to be as they are. Without such explanations, much of the plot would have made little or no sense to those modern readers who are unversed in the ways of "the British Raj." As my experience with this time and place is limited to the live-action version of The Jungle Book (also Disney), I include myself among those hypothetically confused readers.

However, even with all the insight into the culture and customs of the time, Ryman keeps the reader engaged ("the reader" in this case being me, not necessarily everyone). I did frequently feel the need to put the book down and find something else to do or read, but there was never a question of returning to it, and I was never away from it for more than one book at a time. I had to know what happened, how it turned out. Not finishing this book would probably have driven me batty. I once read that those people who flip to the last page of the book before they get there are control freaks and have since broken myself of that habit. But sometimes, I can't resist; I have to have some clues about who goes where with whom at the end. This was one of those times. I couldn't leave it to the author: I peeked. Even then, Ryman kept me guessing up until the end. And despite the abrupt turn-around that I can't say more about for fear of spoiling it all for everyone else, I bought it. I believed that the characters in question could and would execute the sudden about-face and find the solution that they did. Which is always a difficult task, especially since I tend to be kind of a skeptic.

Also difficult to achieve is to convince the reader to feel sympathy for all the characters in the novel, not just the protagonist(s). This was an important goal for Ryman, since her antagonists are protagonists and vice versa (a dichotomy that I find satisfying, since people in real life are never as flat and static as to simply be "good" or "bad"), and it is a goal that I feel she met with acceptable skill. While certain characters obviously induced more sympathy from me, I couldn't dislike anyone. Well, except for Peter Barstow; he was slimy. yick.(less)

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Dec 19, 2009 Historical Tapestry rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: alex-reviews, 2009

Olivia & Jai is one of those books with a slight old fashioned feeling that left a wonderful impression the first time I read it a couple years ago. After writing my Why I Love...Historical Fiction set in India, I wanted to reread it and see if the magic still worked.

We first meet Olivia O’Rourke, a 23 years old American with an unusual education and lots of character, during her stay in India where she spends a year with her maternal aunt, Lady Bridget Templewood, and her family. The young...more Olivia & Jai is one of those books with a slight old fashioned feeling that left a wonderful impression the first time I read it a couple years ago. After writing my Why I Love...Historical Fiction set in India, I wanted to reread it and see if the magic still worked.

We first meet Olivia O’Rourke, a 23 years old American with an unusual education and lots of character, during her stay in India where she spends a year with her maternal aunt, Lady Bridget Templewood, and her family. The young woman is completely in love for this new land and its culture. Every opportunity she gets, to great despair of her snobbish aunt, she’s out exploring Calcutta and doing the best she can to get to meet the locals.

One evening, during a ball, she meets a mysterious man, Jai Raventhorne. They are both curious about each other, but when Olivia mentions his name to her family, they are all shocked and immediately warn her to keep her distances from him. Clearly there’s something going on between Raventhorne and the Templewoods and nobody seems interested to talk about it or explain the reasons of the quarrel to the young American. This situation only provokes Olivia’s curiosity about Jai…

Not long after, Olivia and Jai start to meet in secret, both unable to stop the growing attraction between them. If the young woman accepts her feelings more easily, Jai tries to keep his distances at first and warns her often that despite his love, he cannot give her what she wants. Olivia is in love and she never imagined Jai’s revenge towards her family or the unbearable pain caused by his treason…

Olivia is a charming mix of wisdom and innocence. Raised by her free thinking father in the States, she was always encouraged to give her opinion and be an independent woman. Her English aunt is completely appealed by this upbringing! She is decided to transform the young woman into a lady and find her an English husband.
If I couldn’t sometimes suspend my disbelief when I read about Olivia leaving the house all alone and spend hours in the local markets or riding, I did enjoy her curiosity about the Indian culture and the fact that she tried to break free from the quite strict British society rules and seek for something else.

Her love for Jai might seem sometimes a bit naïve and suddenly excessive, but it’s her first love and she was completely swept away by the dark and mysterious young man. His happiness is her happiness. She gave herself completely to Jai without any constraints.

Jai is Eurasian and his illegitimacy is often the center of all gossip among the local British society. He is arrogant, conceited, obnoxious and sometimes, a real pain. He is also a self made man. Nobody knows who his parents were, but he made his way into the world and built an empire. He does some terrible things, but here remains the talent of Rebecca Ryman, even during the worst moments I could never really hate Jai. He never became an unsympathetic character and I would imagine it was a hard task for the author to keep him going as a real person with its faults and qualities.

There are some small aspects that kept me from giving this book 5 stars. The language was a little too modernized sometimes, but it won’t spoil any enjoyment.
This is a story of love and revenge with some twists and turns but everything works almost perfectly for me. The character development, especially Olivia who changes so much all along the story, is quite remarkable. Also the descriptions of 19th century India are enthralling. I remember especially Olivia’s visit to the market and it was so vivid I could almost taste the pastry she was eating.

Rebecca Ryman is the pen name of an Indian writer, Asha Bhanjdeo, who only wrote three books under this name: Olivia & Jai, The Veil of Illusions (the sequel of Olivia & Jai) and Shalimar. Unfortunately, she died in 2003. (less)

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Sep 13, 2012 Erin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was just delightful. The setting is just breathtaking and made me wish I could go back in time to India in the 1850s. Olivia is an American visiting her British aunt in India. While at a party, she steps outside, tired of the insipid revelers and she meets Jai Raventhorne, a man with a HUGE chip in his shoulder, and it is the beginning of the end for pretty much her entire family. Of course, the title makes it pretty clear that these two characters are going to fall besottedly in love...more

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Aug 21, 2011 Captaincow rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: g-romance, g-realistic-fiction, g-historical-fiction, t-foreign-culture, g-drama, favorites

Ich war mal der festen Überzeugung, dass historische Romane nichts für mich sind. Aber scheinbar hatte ich immer nur die falschen Romane in der Hand. Zahlreiche Bücher, die in den vergangenen 200 Jahren in Asien spielen, konnten mich vom Gegenteil überzeugen. Zuletzt war das eben "Wer Liebe verspricht" von Rebecca Ryman.

Wer Liebesgeschichten oder dicke Bücher nicht besonders mag, dem würde ich von diesem Buch abraten. Aber allen anderen kann ich es nur empfehlen! Rebecca Ryman versteht es, den L...more

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Jan 28, 2012 Susanne rated it 2 of 5 stars

I like a good romance from time to time and a romance set in an exotic locale is an added plus -- but I expect the setting and time-frame to feel authentic. I object STRONGLY to 600 plus pages of overblown melodrama supposedly set in the 1840s in British India with characters that speak and act as if it were 1950. How in the world can a character like Estelle, cosseted young miss from a prominent British family exclaim: "I say, wasn't old Lady B an absolute scream this afternoon? As for your fac...more

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Mar 30, 2010 Naima rated it 5 of 5 stars

oh wow. this is one of those books that i could not put down after i got hooked. i stayed up early into the morning because i could not stop without knowing how it ended. I loved this book. Like Gone With The Wind loved this book.

Although it is romantic and has a happy ending, I found myself so caught up in the twists of the plot and the changes the characters go through that the romance between Olivia and Jai became of lesser importance (in regards to my enjoyment of the book) that enjoying wha...more

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Nov 06, 2011 Sarah Wagner rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, india, romance

A grand romance set in nineteenth-century India, Olivia and Jai tells the tale of American Olivia O'Rourke and her turbulent relationship with Jai Raventhorne, a haste-caste merchant. As the story progresses, Jai is revealed to be ever more entangled in the affairs of Olivia's relatives in India and Olivia herself transforms from Jai's lover to his worst enemy. The plot includes many twists and turns and plenty of revenge and destruction. I really wish there were more books written like this, wi...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Elif rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Meine Meinung
„Wer Liebe verspricht“ hielt ich anfangs für einen sehr kitschigen Titel, doch jetzt, nachdem ich das Buch gelesen habe, könnte ich mir keinen passenderen vorstellen. Doch nicht nur der Titel haben mich anfangs skeptisch gemacht – wäre mir das Buch nicht wärmstens empfohlen worden, ich hätte das Buch wahrscheinlich nicht gelesen, da mein Interesse bislang nicht bei der indischen Kolonialzeit lag. Doch so kann man sich irren.
Wenige Seiten haben ausgereicht und ich war so gefesselt,...more Meine Meinung
„Wer Liebe verspricht“ hielt ich anfangs für einen sehr kitschigen Titel, doch jetzt, nachdem ich das Buch gelesen habe, könnte ich mir keinen passenderen vorstellen. Doch nicht nur der Titel haben mich anfangs skeptisch gemacht – wäre mir das Buch nicht wärmstens empfohlen worden, ich hätte das Buch wahrscheinlich nicht gelesen, da mein Interesse bislang nicht bei der indischen Kolonialzeit lag. Doch so kann man sich irren.
Wenige Seiten haben ausgereicht und ich war so gefesselt, dass sich regelrechte Aufregung in mir breit machte, weil ich schon lange mehr kein solch fesselndes und rundum gelungenes Buch gelesen habe. Schon zu Anfang war ich fasziniert davon, wie gut die einzelnen Charaktere ausgearbeitet sind. Jeder hat seine eigene Tiefe und diese ist so ausgefeilt, wie ich sie bisher selten in Romanen erlebt habe. Zudem habe ich die Protagonistin Olivia sehr schnell ins Herz geschlossen und mit ihr mitgelitten, weil sie so ein wundervoller, selbstloser, starker und kluger Charakter ist und ich mich in vielen Dingen mit ihr identifizieren konnte. Außerdem ließ sie noch authentischer wirken, dass auch sie nicht fehlerlos ist, was letztendlich auf jeden Charakter zutrifft. Jeder hat seine schlechten Seiten und wird nicht idealisiert. Die ganzen verschiedenen Gedanken und Sichtweisen der Charaktere waren unheimlich interessant, ich hatte regelrecht das Gefühl, die Personen und deren Psychen mit jeder neuen Begebenheit persönlich kennenzulernen. Auch wenn das meiste aus der Sicht Olivias in der personalen Erzählperspektive geschildert wird, so schlüpft der Erzähler hin und wieder auch in die Perspektive anderer Charaktere.
Des Weiteren muss ich der Autorin und ihrem Schreibstil ein Kompliment machen. Knappe 800 Seiten und keine zu viel. Die Seiten sind nur so verflogen und ich war viel zu schnell beim Ende angelangt. Der Schreibstil ist sehr passend, nicht zu archaisch, aber das damalige Jahrhundert authentisierend. Es gibt, genau wie ich es mag, viele Dialoge, aber auch schöne Beschreibungen, sodass man sich alles bildlich vorstellen kann.
Zu guter Letzt die Liebesgeschichte – ich nahm an, dass dieses Buch ein schöner, kitschiger Schmöker sein würde, à la Nicholas Sparks zum Beispiel. Doch weit gefehlt. Natürlich ist die Liebe zwischen Olivia und Jai der Dreh- und Angelpunkt, doch die Szenen mit den beiden überwiegen nicht. Im Gegenteil – nur an wenigen Stellen würden Gegner vom Kitsch mit den Augen rollen, die restliche Handlung ist einfach nur mitreißend und tragisch.

Fazit
Diesen Roman empfehle ich ausnahmslos jedem. Er ist schlicht und einfach fesselnd und sehr klug ausgebaut. Wem eine große Charaktervielfalt gefällt und wen eine gewisse Tragik nicht stört, der sollte sich dieses Buch schleunigst zulegen. Auch Leseratten, die keinen Kitsch mögen, würde diese Geschichte gefallen, da der Kitsch keinesfalls überwiegt. Und vor allem, selbst wenn ihr kein Interesse an der indischen Vergangenheit habt – ihr werdet euer Interesse schon bald nach dem Lesen entdecken und das Buch verschlingen. Zumindest war das bei mir der Fall und ich bin froh, ein weiteres Buch zu meinen Lieblingsromanen zählen zu können. Von mir gibt es – wie sollte es auch anders sein? - 5 von 5 Sternen.(less)

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Feb 18, 2010 Danielle O rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a very long book-- 644 pages. And it wasn't until I was about a quarter of the way through that I really got into it. However, if you can get through the first 200 pages, this book is well worth the read!

If you love novelists like Austen or the Brontes, you will truly enjoy Olivia and Jai. It is written very similarly to nineteenth century British novels and with similar themes.

This book is the ultimate love story, but it's also full of revenge, conflict, and hatred. It takes place in...more

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Jul 21, 2012 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, historical-fiction, should-be-classic

Rebecca Ryman, or Asha Bhanjdeo as her real name was, was brilliant at describing emotions, and people's reactions and behavior, and was very convincing in her writing.
I like these kind of books, where the present can only be described by the past, where people are products of a dark society and how they finally break through this barrier of hate they have developed. I have seen them before, Heathcliff, Mr De Winter, Jean Valjean are examples, and they are very well crafted. So are Jai Raventhor...more Rebecca Ryman, or Asha Bhanjdeo as her real name was, was brilliant at describing emotions, and people's reactions and behavior, and was very convincing in her writing.
I like these kind of books, where the present can only be described by the past, where people are products of a dark society and how they finally break through this barrier of hate they have developed. I have seen them before, Heathcliff, Mr De Winter, Jean Valjean are examples, and they are very well crafted. So are Jai Raventhorne.

Jai is such a product of society. He is so driven by hate and revenge that he punishes people all around him, even people he cares about. Nothing is as important as his crusade and it consumes him entirely. The relentless, cold, ruthless character seems to be damaged beyond repair. What is the reason for his evil, criminal deeds? What will happen when the young, openminded woman, so different from the english judgmental society, enters his life? I understand he feels trapped when he is no longer able to control his emotions with hate, and it's really interesting to see Jai struggling with his new feelings and refusing to capitulate. Their meeting means problems, and Olivia is soon in the middle of a terrible crossfire between Jai and the people he has sworn to destroy.

Olivia is an interesting character, as well, and I was really fascinated how cruel she can be when pushed to the test. I was afraid she and Jai would literally kill each other. They have everything against them, and nothing in their favour. It is always heart-breaking to see people wrongly treated become destructive, and self-destructive even, but at the same time, it's fascinating, because somewhere deep within, they're desperate for approval more than anything and when they come into contact with love they are so confused and fragile. Jai is a layered character and Ryman was successful at provoking the reader in the same way as Olivia was provoked. I totally understand her love, hate and sorrow as well as I understand her own actions, even though I think they are very cruel.

Those who like Wuthering heights, Gone with the wind and Rebecca will definitely like this one.

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May 28, 2013 Patty Solis sanz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Tendré cuidado de no destripar demasiado, ya que lo que vale la pena son los giros, sorpresas de la trama y las sensaciones que deja atrás, esta historia debo aceptar en un principio no me cautivaba demasiado (en las primeras páginas) pero rápidamente me sumergí en la India colonial, para ser más precisos, en Calcuta a mitad del siglo XIX, donde los ingleses eran los amos y señores de aquellas tierras bastas y exóticas, donde como grandes conquistadores intentaban imponer su hegemonía sobre el p...more Tendré cuidado de no destripar demasiado, ya que lo que vale la pena son los giros, sorpresas de la trama y las sensaciones que deja atrás, esta historia debo aceptar en un principio no me cautivaba demasiado (en las primeras páginas) pero rápidamente me sumergí en la India colonial, para ser más precisos, en Calcuta a mitad del siglo XIX, donde los ingleses eran los amos y señores de aquellas tierras bastas y exóticas, donde como grandes conquistadores intentaban imponer su hegemonía sobre el país, donde su “aparente superioridad” obligaba a los nativos a vivir bajo su yugo, su escala de valores y de moral, convirtiéndose ellos en sirvientes y seres indeseados por aquellos que llegaron a invadir su tierra, haciéndolos sentir como parias, en Calcuta los ingleses que la habitaban eran aun de mente más cerrada y menos permisiva que los que vivían en Inglaterra, por supuesto mas mojigatos.

A esta Calcuta llego Olivia, una americana que fue criada por su padre, una chica de 23 años acostumbrada a decir lo que piensa, en temas que generalmente las inglesitas “decentes” no dicen ni “pio” y menos las que viven en la India, por consejo de su padre fue a visitar a su tía, Lady Bridget (hermana de su difunta madre), viviría con ella, su tío y su prima Estelle, una chica de 18 años, chismosa y consentida pero que idolatra a Olivia, estaría con ellos durante 12 meses, para descansar del ajetreo de la fiebre del oro de su vida en California y para crear lazos con su familia materna en aquella colonia británica, donde podría desenvolverse entre las más respetadas familias inglesas.

Es así que vemos desde los ojos de Olivia la vida colonial, los paisajes, las costumbres, la comida, el clima en esa lejana tierra, desde el principio ella quedo cautivada por todo eso, aunque la rutina de las chicas de su edad la hastiaba al igual que el afán de su tía por casarla y llevarla a reuniones sociales, caminatas, donde ella tenía que plantarse cerrar la boca y sonreír y soportar las cháchara de las damas, cuando lo que ella quería es participar en los debates de los hombres, de temas como comercio, política, ganado y todo lo que había aprendido con su padre, en ocasiones su tío le permitía expresarse en esos temas, ella quería mucho a su tío, ambos tocaban temas que la apasionaban e interesaban y aprendía de todo eso.

En una de las reuniones ocasionales a las que acudió, Olivia sintiéndose frustrada y extrañando su vida en América tomo camino hacia un malecón junto al rio, donde desahogándose dio rienda suelta a las lagrimas, en esa intimidad saco todo lo que llevaba dentro, hasta que sintió una extraña presencia que la observaba, en ese instante es cuando conoce a JAI Raventhorne, con el cual mantuvo una conversación, en ese momento no pudo distinguir sus rasgos ya que él se mantenía a la sombra, solo capto un atisbo de su increíble mirada de ojos grises, pero quedo muy intrigada por ese hombre, con sus palabras y con su voz, al parecer el sabia todo sobre ella y su familia, era educado, pero jamás lo había visto en alguna otra reunión. Pero lo que más le impresiono es la reacción de sus tíos al extenderles los saludos que aquel extraño les había mandado, la conmoción fue tal que hasta su tía cae desmayada.

A partir de ahí nos iremos sumergiendo en la red de intrigas, venganzas, misterios familiares que rodean a Olivia y Jai, nadie lo quiere en Calcuta, es un mestizo, su nombre es pronunciado con recelo, eso hace crecer aun más la curiosidad hacia Jai, empiezan a encontrarse en secreto y ella cae irremediablemente enamorada de él, se ven a escondidas, pero no puede penetrar su coraza, presiente que él no le conviene, que la lastimaría, hasta el mismo hace lo imposible para alejarla de él, le advierte que el no es bueno, que nunca ha querido a nadie, no le cuenta nada de el mismo, ella lo ama a tal grado que no le importa nada, su amor es puro, me pareció a veces excesivo, el siempre misterioso, jamás sabemos lo que piensa, trata constantemente de alejarse de Olivia, pero ella no lo permite.

Un día ocurre un suceso que es donde la trama del libro da un giro brutal, da pie a que aquella Olivia que conocimos cambie por completo, que sus sentimientos hacia Jai cambien de intención pero no de intensidad, el odio, el amor, la traición, el dolor, dan rienda a suelta a una serie de decisiones que Olivia tomara y que cambiaran su vida.

Se sufre bastante, todo en esta historia es intenso, el amor, el odio, el rencor, en momentos tenía que dejar de leer para respirar, mi corazón estaba encogido, este libro TRANSMITE, aunque no estuviera contenta con algunas situaciones, me hacía sentir en verdad amor, odio, dolor o cual sentimiento que Olivia experimentara, ambos personajes son vengativos, de los mas que he conocido, así que a las que les gustan este tipo de historias amor-odio la disfrutaran bastante.

Los personajes no tienen demasiadas apariciones juntos, ni escenas con alto contenido erótico, pero no hacen falta ambas cosas, para hacer de esta historia de amor tan conmovedora.(less)

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Jan 22, 2013 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reading-list

I started this book on a recommendation from a friend, and it took for-ev-er for me to get into it. This is not the kind of book I usually pick out for myself, so I think that is why I was reluctant to read it. Until about 200 pages into it I just didn't care too much about what was going on. Jai is one of those brooding, tormented types that women tend to swoon over, and I knew Olivia would fall in love with him just because he was dark and forbidden. (For some reason I have an issue with the w...more I started this book on a recommendation from a friend, and it took for-ev-er for me to get into it. This is not the kind of book I usually pick out for myself, so I think that is why I was reluctant to read it. Until about 200 pages into it I just didn't care too much about what was going on. Jai is one of those brooding, tormented types that women tend to swoon over, and I knew Olivia would fall in love with him just because he was dark and forbidden. (For some reason I have an issue with the whole eye color thing too. I don't know why, but so many leading men have strange eye colors that it has become cliche.) It bugged me to no end that he was so emotionally abusive to her, and yet she still kept going back for more punishment. Why do women think it's romantic to read about women being caught in an abusive cycle? I expected more from Olivia because she was described as so gritty, determined, and unconventional in British colonial society. I thought she would be stronger--like Jane Eyre with Mr. Rochester. But alas, that wasn't the case. She turned to pudding every time she was with him. Thankfully her strong will and intelligence come into full play later in the book.

I guess it is the snobby English-major in me that does not like melodramatic romance novels. To be fair, I must admit this isn't strictly a "romance novel." After one steamy love scene, the story takes a totally different turn than I expected. Olivia certainly goes through her share of heartbreaks and disappointments. There is good character development, and I found myself becoming interested in them--even the secondary characters changed and became deeper over time. The "happy" ending was what I predicted, but redemption came too quickly and easily for my satisfaction (the last 10 or so pages out of 644).

Irritations: There are parts where the story lags or has too much description. The author overuses italics and exclamation! points! The characters speak far too modern for a book that is supposed to be set in the 19th century--especially Estelle, who sounds like a 1950's teenybopper.

I do love a good historical novel, and the author lived in India so I expect the description of the culture, society, and caste divisions are accurate. And the overall message of not letting hate consume you is a good one.

In all my negativity, I can't deny I stayed up late many a night to see what would happen next. It is fun once in a while to get sucked in to a book like this if you can willingly suspend your inner book critic. Obviously, I couldn't entirely. If it is romance in abundance you are looking for, this isn't the book for you. Most of the book is about how to make someone you love suffer immensely.

I would describe this book as one part Passage to India, one part Gone With the Wind, and one part Twilight ;) I prefer my epic love stories to be more along the lines of Out of Africa, but to each his own.(less)

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Nov 21, 2010 Nikki rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Those who enjoy an old-time style novel in the vein of Gone With The Wind

Shelves: historical-fiction, own, india, romance, 2010

This novel was well-written and written in a style that would make one believe it was actually written around the time the events in the novel occurred. However, it was not done in a stuffy, dull sort of way as so many novels from the era have been written. The characters immediately grab you and make you want to read more about their lives and about what is to come.

The first half of the novel I would call the Indian Gone With The Wind. It definitely had the feel of that novel and the characters...more

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Jan 10, 2010 Phair rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: india-fiction, historical-fiction

Pretty good but a l-o-o-ng book that did drag a bit in spots. I figured out the "big secret" early on but still enjoyed. Author kept a huge number of balls in the air right to the end and left me wanting to search out the sequel to see what additional loose ends might be tied up. I did feel the heroine was a tad anachronistic for the period- riding *astride* in this propriety-ridden society of the British Raj with nary an eyebrow raised??

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Jun 17, 2013 Helen rated it 1 of 5 stars

I went to a lot of trouble to find this book and to be honest it started out really well. Then it got all moody with a couple of star crossed lovers and their undying love for each other blah blah blah and I lost interest in their exploits. I zoomed over the book to get the gist of the story and the reason for jai's hatred of Olivia's uncle etc. but it felt like a harlequin/mills & Boone romance. Too bad that my opinion differed greatly as so many others had given this book five stars.

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Jan 31, 2009 Clara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Clara by: Mom, Margaret

Olivia and Jai... it took me a while to like the book. For the longest time, I couldn't relate to any of the characters, didn't care what happened to any of them, etc. It's a very long book and was hard to get through maybe even the first half. But as it went on and the romance of Olivia and Jai progressed, I began to enjoy it. It's kind of a combination cheap romance novel and epic tale.

1 like · like · see review

May 16, 2010 Luckngrace rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

I LOVED this book! Exotic India plus inconvenient love plus family secrets plus woman beats the odds makes this one a winner. Only con: This was an OLD paperback with typeface so little I could hardly read it. Get out the magnifying glass everyone!!!

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May 11, 2013 Katja rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ein richtiger Frauenschmöker! Ach - Olivia verliebt sich in den indischen Kolonien in den Erzfeind. Ein richtiger Kerl, der viel Ärger und vor allem noch mehr Tränen verursacht. - Urlaubslektüre vom Feinsten. Aber wahrlich nur für Frau.

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Apr 29, 2012 Dinjolina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Weird, horrible, dark….but also thrilling.
Lies, deceit, but also love. And forgiveness.
Whole lifetimes of unhappiness, but a bitter sweet hope that last.

It hurt me, it draqined me, but I still loved it!

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Dec 15, 2012 Chika rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novels

Dieser Roman war sehr sehr gut. Ich bin KEIN Fan von Liebesgeschichten, aber ich verschlang dieses Buch in einem Zug. Nicht nur spannend, aber man erfährt auch vieles über das koloniale Indien.

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Jun 28, 2012 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this when I was a teen and still think about it to this day. I loved Jai and the whole setting. I had never read a book based in India before. I'm sorry I don't remember much more.

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Feb 27, 2012 Terri rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a big old Historical Romance set in 1800's India. I have no idea where I got the book (I have the actual "book", not on my Kindle) but I really enjoyed it once I got into it! For me it was very similar to a Gone With the WInd type book - with lots of characters, plot twists, and history, plus a love story. I probably would have read it a lot faster but I had to read some other things in the middle and had to put it away for awhile.

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Oct 18, 2011 Tiff rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

This book is absolutely amazing. It has ruined me for so many other books that would have been decent, had I not experienced what a REAL book/story is all about! I recommend this to all book lovers.

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Nov 03, 2012 Ami rated it 5 of 5 stars

A historical romance, set in 19th Century India. The descriptive language is adept and you really feel transported. I love this book- it is one of my all time favourite 'classics'.

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Dec 29, 2011 Denise Oyler rated it 5 of 5 stars

Read this book when home alone after surgery and it was a perfect choice to fill my days. Absolutely loved this book! Had twists and turns that kept me captivated, yet ended beautifully.

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Nov 05, 2009 Shivanee (Novel Niche) rated it 5 of 5 stars

My lone concession to the romantic bodice-ripper. I must have read this novel at least ten times, in fragments. You know...the juicy bits.

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Mar 10, 2011 Tricia rated it 3 of 5 stars

A very long romance novel but I did learn a few things about life in 19th Century India, and I always enjoy a historical novel.

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