The Sandalwood Tree

Mar 27, 2012 Sharon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, historical-fiction

Rich in details and history, The Sandalwood Tree will keep the reader turning pages. A book that teaches while telling a great story is worth reading, and this book meets that criteria.

Martin, Evie, and Billy leave Chicago to live in India while Martin, a historian, documents the end of the British Raj. As they settle into a small town amid brilliant color, strange customs, and agonizing poverty, the tapestry of the story begins.

Against the wallpaper of a solid but troubled marriage and religi...more

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Mar 08, 2011 Tara Chevrestt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, historical-fiction, india, shelf-awareness, 2010-release

This is a lovely and informative novel. The setting is India, both 1947 and 1858. There are five love stories in a way.. There's the heroine, Evie and Martin. They are married with a five year old boy. Their marriage was wonderful until Martin went to serve in WW2... now things are falling apart. Evie thought that coming to India would bring them closer together, but they have simply "exported" their unhappiness... In order to save their marriage, Martin must get rid of his inner demons and both...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Arijana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Lagana priča.. pomalo "klišej" nazovimo to tako :-/ Dvije žene u prošlosti, jedna u sadašnjosti koja pronalazi pisma i dnevnik jedne od njih.. Jako mi se svidio opis Indije, dosta je temeljita što se toga tiče.. Nekako sam si u glavi čak mogla i zamisliti cijelu priču :-)) Kraj mrvicu predvidljiv, nekak sam ga očekivala :-) ali sve u svemu zanimljiva, lagana pričica koja će vas ako ničim drugim zarobiti opisima prekrasne Indije :-)

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Nov 05, 2012 Joan rated it 1 of 5 stars

This was an annoying book. Right from page 2 when Evie Mitchell refers to Gandhi as "a skinny little man in a loincloth". I wondered how Indian readers would regard this.

One narrative is set mid-20th C with Evie and her husband and son travelling to India on a Fulbright Scholarship. She appreciates the purpose behind the scholarship "to foster a global community" little in the rest of the book indicates she the scholarship is doing that for her. And little time is devoted to her husband, Martin...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is an intriguing novel with a story within a story. It is about a young mother, Evie, raising a young son while coping with a husband who is struggling with the trauma of surviving WWII. A unique but dramatic career opportunity takes them to India in 1947 just before the partition. The unrest between the Muslims and the Hindus adds to the unrest in the young couple's marriage. Just after settling into their home, Evie discovers some letters written by a young woman, Adela, nearly one hundre...more

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Mar 01, 2012 Pauline rated it 3 of 5 stars

If you are looking for a light read and want to better understand the history of India, this is for you.
This historical novel takes you back in time to two important years in India. Two British expats, Evie and Martin Mitchell, arrive with their son in Masoorla in 1947. Their marriage is strained because of his suppressed wartime memories and her struggle to make a new life in an unknown country, just at the end of British rule and Partition. Evie finds some letters from the 19th century and is...more

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Sep 04, 2011 Carole rated it 4 of 5 stars

We first meet Evie and Martin as they are travelling to their new home in India where an old Sandalwood Tree with long oval leaves and pregnant red pods presided over the front of their new house.

Martin had come back from the war with combat fatigue, he wanted everything neat and tidy - it was about control, Evie knew, but she didn't know how to deal with it. By coming to India she hoped that their cracked marriage would be mended with exotic glue, and they would rediscover the charmed world the...more

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

I read and reviewed this book as part of the Transworld Reading Group Challenge.

I am very partial to well told dual time-frame stories although I usually find the contemporary narrative weaker so this is a rare gem indeed, a dual time frame narrative with both stories set in the past, both in India, one in 1947 and the other in the mid 19th century. I’m delighted to report that both stories drew me in from the opening pages and I was sad to finish this very engaging novel.

In the 1947 setting, Ev...more

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Aug 18, 2011 Helen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, review-copies

I had high hopes for The Sandalwood Tree as I love historical fiction set in India - and I'm pleased to say that it didn't disappoint me at all.

This novel consists of two storylines, both of which take place during an important period of India's history. In 1947 we meet an American woman, Evie Mitchell, who has moved to India with her husband, Martin, and five-year-old son Billy. Martin, a historian, is planning to study the end of British rule and the process of Partition (the separation of Hin...more I had high hopes for The Sandalwood Tree as I love historical fiction set in India - and I'm pleased to say that it didn't disappoint me at all.

This novel consists of two storylines, both of which take place during an important period of India's history. In 1947 we meet an American woman, Evie Mitchell, who has moved to India with her husband, Martin, and five-year-old son Billy. Martin, a historian, is planning to study the end of British rule and the process of Partition (the separation of Hindus and Muslims which led to the creation of Pakistan). As the Mitchells try to settle into their new life it becomes obvious that there are big problems in their marriage. Martin, who served in the US army during World War II, is still haunted by some of the things he experienced in Germany and is suffering from what we might now call post-traumatic stress disorder.

Soon after moving into their new house in the village of Masoorla, Evie discovers some old letters hidden behind a loose brick in the wall. The letters were written by two British women, Felicity Chadwick and Adela Winfield, who lived in the same house during the 1850s - a time of rising tension between the British and Indian people, leading to the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857. Evie is intrigued and begins to search for more information about the two Victorian women. As she slowly uncovers Felicity and Adela's story through a series of letters, diaries and historical documents, she starts to see some similarities between her own life and theirs.

Elle Newmark's descriptions of India are filled with colour and detail. Whether she's writing about the food prepared by Habib, the Mitchells' cook, a monkey swinging from the branches of a tree, or a perfume stall at the bazaar, her images really help to bring the book's setting to life. Because most of the story is told from Evie's perspective and she is new to India, seeing everything for the first time, we can experience all the sights, sounds and smells along with her. We also share Evie's fascination with Adela and Felicity and we feel her frustration every time she attempts to address the problems with her marriage.

Reading The Sandalwood Tree is an excellent way to learn about India's history and culture and Elle Newmark makes everything easy to understand. But it's also a great story with a beautiful setting, fascinating plot and complex characters who grow and change over the course of the novel. The transitions between the two periods are handled perfectly, moving smoothly from Evie's story to Felicity and Adela's, and it was interesting to see the parallels and connections between them. I found I enjoyed both storylines equally - each one would have been strong enough to form a complete novel on its own, but it's the way the two are interwoven that makes this book special. (less)

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Aug 14, 2011 Leeswammes rated it 5 of 5 stars

About the book: There are two storylines in this book. The first is the story of American Evie Mitchell, who has recently moved to India with her husband Martin and their five-year old son Billy. It’s 1947 and there are troubles ahead for India. Martin is researching the process of India becoming independent from England and especially the Partition (in which Pakistan and Bangladesh were formed).

Evie isn’t interested in joining the other ex-pats and wants to experience India first-hand. Her husb...more About the book: There are two storylines in this book. The first is the story of American Evie Mitchell, who has recently moved to India with her husband Martin and their five-year old son Billy. It’s 1947 and there are troubles ahead for India. Martin is researching the process of India becoming independent from England and especially the Partition (in which Pakistan and Bangladesh were formed).

Evie isn’t interested in joining the other ex-pats and wants to experience India first-hand. Her husband was part of unmentionable events as an american soldier in Germany in the second world war, and their relationship isn’t going very well. When she finds some letters hidden in her house, she is intrigued, as the letters are 100 years old.

The second storyline is about the writers of the letters, Felicity and Adela, two English young women in the 1850s. Felicity was born in India but sent to England to live with Adela and her parents when she was eight years old. Later she moves back to India and an interesting story follows, complete with scandals.

What I thought: This book drew me in from the first few pages. The atmosphere in India, the smells, colors, people and everything else is described so beautifully.

The story itself is very interesting, with both Evie and Felicity going against the grain and not fitting in with the people around them. That was also a weak point of the book, because some of the stories of Evie and Felicity were too similar, and sometimes I wasn’t sure whose story I was reading.

Finding old letters and discovering a story from them has been done so often, but in this book it really worked. It was fun that sometimes the reader knew things that Evie hadn’t discovered yet. At first, it seemed that Evie wouldn’t find out more than what she’d read in a few letters, but eventually, and with some help of others, she found out the whole story of Felicity and Adela.

What I liked about this book, too, is that the (re)search into Felicity’s story doesn’t overtake Evie’s life completely. When she has husband troubles and when there is a scare involving her son, she puts everything aside and it becomes totally unimportant to her. I liked that a lot, as in some books, the search into the past seems to become the main issue of the book, while what happens in the present, should always be most important.

Absolutely wonderful read!(less)

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Aug 09, 2011 Sharon Goodwin rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Sandalwood Tree is the first book in my The Transworld Book Group Reading Challenge.

Evie and Martin are travelling by train in India to get to the village of Masoorla where they will be based while Martin, an historian, will be reporting on Partition. Evie tells us the sights she sees on this journey and so we are introduced into the sights, sounds and smells of India. Evie is hoping that India will bring their relationship back to the idyll it was before WWII.

Straight away we can see the ri...more The Sandalwood Tree is the first book in my The Transworld Book Group Reading Challenge.

Evie and Martin are travelling by train in India to get to the village of Masoorla where they will be based while Martin, an historian, will be reporting on Partition. Evie tells us the sights she sees on this journey and so we are introduced into the sights, sounds and smells of India. Evie is hoping that India will bring their relationship back to the idyll it was before WWII.

Straight away we can see the rift that is between Evie and Martin and compared to the relationship they had with each since first meeting and before WWII, we are able to understand how much their interactions with each other have changed. The way she copes with this is to clean and so she finds the collection of letters while trying to clean the blackened bricks behind the cooker.

From this point on, the story weaves between Evie and Martin’s life now (in the 1940’s) and Felicity and Adela’s life in the 1850’s. We find out why and how the two Victorian ladies meet and how rebellious they are in living to find their own joy in life. Later on in the story, both stories merge. I loved the way the author has written parts of each century intertwined – for example with the afghan that was first made in the 1850’s but is now around the shoulders of Evie and when the ‘kitchen’ that was first installed by Felicity and Adela but now being used by Evie and Martin.

Evie and Martin’s story is written in the first person from Evie’s perspective. It is chatty and down to earth and pulls you in from an emotional and a sensory aspect. It is through Evie that I experienced all the exoticness that is India – from the women cooking over their cow dung fires on the dusty roadsides to the opulent silken saris. I smelt the spices and the smoke and experienced the monsoon. As Evie visited the perfume stall at the bazzar and even when she laid down for the henna tattoo, I was also there by her side. I felt so very frustrated alongside Evie each time she made an advancement of truce to Martin and was knocked back. During the trauma they have to go through I was also having panic attacks with her and shared her drugged sleep. Each time Evie finds another missing piece to the puzzle of Felicity and Adela’s life in India, I too was intrigued and wanted to find out how we could find out where the next letter/journal/historical record was …………………… and coming up with my own ideas!

Felicity and Adela’s chapters are written in the third person, which also works really well. Aside from the letters (which are found and read in the 1940’s) we get to learn about their life in India. The Sepoy Rebellion becomes more real for us as opposed to Evie reading about it in an historical book. We also get to experience briefly the Holi – the spring festival of colours. I loved the fashion (if you could afford it!) in the 1850’s of hiring dressmakers and holding swatches up to your face to see if the colour suited.

After Martin’s confession, they have emotions to overcome other than those they feel for each other. I saw this as the start of the healing process even though it was still painful. I thought this was exactly how any two people would have felt. The author has this emotional journey exactly right.

My romantic heart really enjoyed the final few pages. It was such a fitting ending!

A moral I thought worth mentioning highlighted in the story – don’t judge people by the mask they present to the world because you really have no idea what is their reality!

The Sandalwood Tree is an amazing journey through a different culture involving love, secrets, passion and emotions. (less)

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Jun 01, 2011 Leslie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-reviews, famous-people, historic-fiction, fiction, historical-romance, mystery, romance, suspense

Article first published as Book Review: The Sandalwood Tree by Elle Newmark on Blogcritics.

1947 is the year of Britain’s withdrawal from India; it is also a time of civil unrest. Planned Partition is set to happen even against the will of Gandhi. It is a dangerous time to both visitors as well as the differing factions in India. It is during this war-torn strife that Martin Mitchell wins a Fellowship to study in India. He is there to document the end of the 200 years of British Raj. Arriving wit...more Article first published as Book Review: The Sandalwood Tree by Elle Newmark on Blogcritics.

1947 is the year of Britain’s withdrawal from India; it is also a time of civil unrest. Planned Partition is set to happen even against the will of Gandhi. It is a dangerous time to both visitors as well as the differing factions in India. It is during this war-torn strife that Martin Mitchell wins a Fellowship to study in India. He is there to document the end of the 200 years of British Raj. Arriving with his wife Evie and son Billy they settle into their new home with care.

Evie plans to use the time to work on her marriage, Martin is not the same man she married. The War in Europe changed him into an angry and introspective man. While Evie is cleaning and making the bungalow ready, she finds some letters hidden behind a brick in the chimney.Why are they hidden? Just that question alone creates a mystery that envelopes Evie's curiosity.

There is something about the letters and the two young women that intrigue her. Curious as to why the letters were hidden, it makes her want to know more about these young women. Dated from 1846-1851 they follow the lives of Adela Winfield and Felicity Chadwick. There is something fascinating about reading how life was in a prior time.

As her life with Martin continues to erode, she immerses herself in the mystery and romance that becomes clear through the writing of these long ago notes. The small parcel of letters she finds is not enough and she decides to make a quest to find whatever information she can to learn their true story. Beginning at the cemetery, it guides her to the church where parish records are kept. It is here in the records she finds further letters and records of the lives of Adela and Felicity. Further search for information takes her into the bazars and temples of India, looking for more. It is during this further search that she learns of a dark secret. This secret only further drives a wedge in her marriage.

Will her marriage ever be the same? In The Sandalwood Tree by Elle Newmark, we follow the lives of the Mitchell family as well as the lives and times of the two young Englishwomen, Adela and Felicity. The letters are wonderful and well detailed taking you back to an earlier time and place. As you follow their story, you forget they are not in the here and now, and like Evie you want to know more. The details are scintillating and their actions are bold for the times, yet they demand your admiration. From their lives in England to their relocation to India, they remain fast and true to the end. They are the best of friends with a secret that could certainly put them at risk. Will it be worth it?

Evie follows a path, fraught with danger and intrigue to find the answers to the lives of these young women putting herself and her family in danger in the process. Evie is a strong and caring young woman with a heart of gold. But she is beginning to lose her patience with her husband and it makes her reckless. Her relationship with her son is amazing. Newmark has developed a character with humor as well as panache. She has different nicknames for Billy that she brings out frequently sharing a charming and unique side of her that draws you in.

Martin has a secret and is unwilling to share the burden with Evie. It eats at him and shadows everything he is and longs to be. He is in an obvious self-destructive phase, and yet periodically you can see the man behind the pain. He is flawed and yet remarkable, but can he recover from the shadow that haunts him?

Billy is absolutely charming and wins your heart with his conversation and actions. He is an extremely bright child and is able to twist everyone he meets around his finger. The danger around the family is very real and creates a tenseness, an uneasiness hard to overcome.

The backdrop is beautiful, and Newmark does a wonderful job of capturing the sights and sounds of India and shares them with us, making you feel like you are there in that place at that time. She weaves danger and suspense throughout the story, creating an irresistible and fast-paced read. We are there with Evie when she is researching and I found I wanted to know about the Englishwomen's lives as much as she did. It is a story in a story and yet written with a wonderful clarity, a sassiness and verve that pulls you in and does not let go until the very end. Even then, you find yourself thinking about the characters and wanting more.

This is a wonderful work of fiction and would be an exceptional book for a book club and reading group. It is a must-have for your library, a book you can take out and read over, and due to the intricate detail you would find information you may have missed the first time. This is an remarkable story, with a setting you can feel and characters right out of life.

This book was received free from the publisher. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material. (less)

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May 08, 2011 Grace rated it 4 of 5 stars

In 1947, American historian and veteran of WWII, Martin Mitchell, wins a Fulbright Fellowship to document the end of British rule in India. His wife, Evie, convinces him to take her and their young son along, hoping a shared adventure will mend their marriage, which has been strained by war.

In their house, hidden behind a brick wall, Evie discovers a packet of old letters, which tell a strange and compelling story of love and war involving two young Englishwomen who lived in the same house in...more

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May 02, 2011 Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, non-erotic

It is the mid-twentieth century and (importantly) the aftermath of WWII. Evie Mitchell, husband and young son travel to India. It is the end of British rule, and the very start of enormous political strife within the country. However, political machinations are mostly a matter of backdrop. In all points, it is individuals who matter in this exquisitely written novel.

Parallel love stories twine the lives of Evie and Martin (and a few friends) from the twentieth century, realistically with the li...more It is the mid-twentieth century and (importantly) the aftermath of WWII. Evie Mitchell, husband and young son travel to India. It is the end of British rule, and the very start of enormous political strife within the country. However, political machinations are mostly a matter of backdrop. In all points, it is individuals who matter in this exquisitely written novel.

Parallel love stories twine the lives of Evie and Martin (and a few friends) from the twentieth century, realistically with the lives or histories of people who lived in their same home nearly 100 years before.

The incredibly rich and detailed backdrop is all the sights and sounds and smells of a foreign land, as it can only be experienced through the eyes of a person completely new to it. And Evie is somehow both open to the amazing world around her and the experiences of others, and simultaneously, purposefully, insulated. She lives there, but remains, in some sense, always a tourist. She adores Rashmi, her native housekeeper, but wants all her servants to learn English rather than she, in this foreign land, attempting to learn the language. She is intrigued by the histories of past lives and the impact and relationships of those lives of those of today, but not, it seems, in the case of the natives. This doesn't mean that a Hindu is left merely a shadow character - indeed, few could be more amusing than her cook, who will one day declare the imminense of an eggplant, and the next, disown it completely. Even so, the truly important people here are all of a western civilization or heritage. Through superb characterization, Newmark easily demonstrates how this was not an oversight on the part of the writer. This subtle failing is a purposeful part of Evie's, and somehow it makes her more human; exposes a fear or a failure any expatriot might identify with and it generates both impatience and sympathy in the reader.

Her husband Martin's failure is more secret, more defined, and ultimately a catalyst for the future. Their relationship, doubtful at the start, does change throughout, though Evie's struggle to reach her husband is less important (to her) than her struggle to uncover and connect to the past. The dangers, possible loss, and emotion turmoil they will face is sometimes foreshadowed, but often not. There are physical dangers – possible loss – as well as the emotional strife.

Newmark's contribution to serious literature must be acknowledged...yet the overall appeal of this specific storyline is limited. Literary fans will grumble at some points, while romance fans, at others. Still, I found this book utterly worth reading and I will be looking forward to her next, because her skill with the written word is most obvious.

originally posted at http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...(less)

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Apr 03, 2011 Stephanie D. rated it 4 of 5 stars

I devoured with great realish The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark and so very much looked forward to reading her newest book, The Sandalwood Tree. As she brought to life Venice in The Book of Unholy Mischief, Newmark gives us a colorful and dramatic India as the setting of The Sandalwood Tree. Setting again is key; India almost feels like a major character in The Sandalwood Tree.

Here, two storylines almost one hundred years apart pivot around key events in Indian history. In 1947, Evie...more I devoured with great realish The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark and so very much looked forward to reading her newest book, The Sandalwood Tree. As she brought to life Venice in The Book of Unholy Mischief, Newmark gives us a colorful and dramatic India as the setting of The Sandalwood Tree. Setting again is key; India almost feels like a major character in The Sandalwood Tree.

Here, two storylines almost one hundred years apart pivot around key events in Indian history. In 1947, Evie accompanies her husband, Martin, with her son, Billy, to Simla. Their enchantment with India is soon tested, however, when Partition, the official date of the creation of Pakistan and the uprooting and separation of Hindus and Muslims comes sooner than expected. While they wait out the instability and upheaval, Evie finds a packet of letters hidden behind a brick in their house. It is a tantalizing, but incomplete, record of correspondence from the mid-1800s between two Englishwomen, Adela Winfield and Felicity Chadwick.

With the chaos of Partition swirling around her and her relationship with Martin disintegrating day by day, Evie becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to Adela and Felicity.

The Sandalwood Tree alternates between Evie’s time and the time of Adela and Felicity, the eve of the Sepoy Rebellion of the British Raj. Newmark plunges us deep in the heart of British-occupied India in both storylines with vivid descriptions and a glimpse into the political, religious, and cultural clashes between the British and the Indians.

I was mesmerized by the setting and historical aspects of The Sandalwood Tree and fascinated by Adela and Felicity’s stories, but I had a hard time connecting with Evie’s character. She was so enamored with Adela and Felicity that she repeatedly made questionable choices. For example, in one scene she is walking around town when she witnesses a mob burning a car and beating a man. Does she go back to the safety of her house? No, she keeps going because she is in a quest for truth about something that happened almost a hundred years ago.

Also, the various sources she gathers to piece together what happened to Adela and Felicity - letters in a wall in one house, in a ceiling in another house, journals secreted in unlikely places - seem unnecessarily complicated. I think the dual plots had enough tension and surprises that the book didn’t need Evie chasing all over town. It was almost silly, considering that her marriage was falling apart and that the chaos of Partition was at the door.

However, The Sandalwood Tree has plenty of other elements to make an intriguing novel – the allure of India, forbidden loves, exciting historical events, and writing that stimulates the senses. I really wanted to go to India after reading this book; but I couldn’t so I just had some naan and spicy curry. (less)

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Mar 29, 2011 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars

It is 1947. Americans Martin and Evie have come to India because historian Martin has won a Fullbright scholarship to study the Partition. Evie has insisted on coming along in the hopes of bridging the distance that has grown between them ever since Martin returned from the battlefields of Europe.

Things don't go as Evie had hoped, however, as the distance between them seems to widen as they try to settle into their new surroundings.

One day, as Evie is cleaning the bungalow in which they've been...more

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Mar 14, 2011 Freida rated it 5 of 5 stars

“….death steals everything but our stories.”

Martin was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to study history at the University of Delhi in 1946, so his family, Evaleen, and Billy go along with him to India. The university placed them in a small bungalow where Felicity Chadwick and Adela Winfield had lived nearly 100 years before. Adela left parts of her journal hidden in parts of the house and grounds.

Martin came home with a secret from World War II and Eva keeps her discovery of the journal a secre...more

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Jan 06, 2011 Althea Ann rated it 3 of 5 stars

I couldn't help kinda sorta feeling that this book was intentionally crafted to appeal to Sarah Waters fans. But my feeling could be attributed to the fact that I had Waters' 'The Little Stranger next on my queue, and was impatient to start it.
The Sandalwood Tree isn't as good as Waters - but it's still an enjoyable book.; I very much enjoyed the vivid depictions of rural India. However, I felt that the connection between the American woman in India in 1947 and the Victorian lady in the same lo...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Sandalwood Tree by Elle Newmark is a gripping story that examines relationships in all their glory and complexity. Marriages, friendships, families, religious groups, and class systems (just to name a few) are intertwined throughout the novel creating characters and experiences that have true depth. Evie Mitchell is a wife and mother in 1947. When her husband travels to India to document the end of British rule, Evie and their young son accompany him. Her marriage is severely strained becaus...more The Sandalwood Tree by Elle Newmark is a gripping story that examines relationships in all their glory and complexity. Marriages, friendships, families, religious groups, and class systems (just to name a few) are intertwined throughout the novel creating characters and experiences that have true depth. Evie Mitchell is a wife and mother in 1947. When her husband travels to India to document the end of British rule, Evie and their young son accompany him. Her marriage is severely strained because her husband has severe PTSD from WWII and India is on the brink of war over the partition dividing Hindus and Muslims throughout India. Soon she finds a pack of letters written between two Englishwomen in 1857 hidden inside her bungalow. The letters begin a search into a deep friendship between two women and the events that shaped their lives also bring insight into her own situations.

The Sandalwood Tree drew me in from the beginning and stayed on my mind even when I was not reading it. The book flashes between 1857 and 1947 without seeming choppy at all and I was interested in the main storyline and all of the side storylines equally. The story contains twists and turns that are entirely believable but not expected. I must admit that in certain parts of the book I cried openly! (particularly towards the end) I must also say that I know nothing about India or its history but that did not hinder my enjoyment of the story. Ms. Newmark makes the inclusion of Indian culture seamless and relevant. The best part about the book, however, is the message of love and togetherness. For example, “If I must choose between joy and caution, I choose joy” is one of my favorite quotes from the novel and stuck with me even after I finished reading.

This book is definitely worth reading. Get your favorite blanket, a tasty cup of tea, and settle in for a great read. Five stars!

Oh, and if you are interested, check out www.ellenewmark.com. She writes a blog, provides book club aides, and there is also a great Q&A section.(less)

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Aug 20, 2011 Yvann S rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“Death steals everything but our stories.”

It’s the story of Evie Mitchell, who is in India with her husband in 1947. Martin is documenting history in action during the Partition on a Fulbright scholarship; Evie keeps herself making their little bungalow spotless and teaching English to a few local children. One day, she finds a concealed bundle of letters hidden away in the wall of the bungalow. While she can’t interpret very much of them, the reader is given access to a second storyline – the t...more “Death steals everything but our stories.”

It’s the story of Evie Mitchell, who is in India with her husband in 1947. Martin is documenting history in action during the Partition on a Fulbright scholarship; Evie keeps herself making their little bungalow spotless and teaching English to a few local children. One day, she finds a concealed bundle of letters hidden away in the wall of the bungalow. While she can’t interpret very much of them, the reader is given access to a second storyline – the tale of two girls raised as sisters. Felicity leaves Adela in England and makes her way back to India where she was born (and where we know she will leave the letters).

I adored this. It seemed to be just the right mix of exotic lands, adventure, mystery and family life/romance/interpersonal conflict to tick all my boxes. (Other recent successes in this vein – The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, Bel Canto) And the language! A brief selection of quotes for you:

On the discovery and investigation of some ancient letters: “The letters were personal, and trying to fill in the blanks felt like peering into these people’s lives uninvited. I struggled with a brief pang of guilt before reminding myself that the letters were dated 1854 and the people concerned were long past caring.”

On marriage: “I remembered when we had shared joy as easily as breathing” “That was the beginning of us being smashed and remade with something of the other in each of us” “I’d lost my best friend and I missed him like fire.”

On Catholicism: “It occurred to them that my Catholicism might seem as arcane to them as their Judaism did to me. For me, the pageant of Byzantine robes and chanting in a dead language, the drama of tortured martyrs, virgin birth and crucifixion had been worn thin and made bland by repetition.”

And one of my favourite little comic moments (for reference – Evie has only just discovered that Habib speaks English):

“‘Oh, Mr Mitchell doesn’t care for eggplant.’
‘Of course not, Madam. Eggplant is a useless vegetable. A mistake I am making with this vegetable. I will take back. The merchant should not even be selling such useless vegetables, isn’t it?’
‘But last night you said eggplant was the king of vegetables.’
Habib regarded me with pity for not understanding something so simple. ‘Madam,’ he said, ‘for you I am working, not for the eggplant. What good would it be doing me to be disagreeing with you and agreeing with the eggplant?’”

The dual storyline worked very well here (of course the strands are united at the end, but not as I thought they would be), much as in Maggie O’Farrell’s The Hand That First Held Mine. I loved the Victorian characters, although my loyalties flickered back and forth between the two Victorian girls. Newmark has clearly done her research carefully and it shows. In the 1947 thread, I wasn’t much of a fan of the husband, but Evie was wonderful – impulsively adventurous, a sweet and loving mother, a young wife struggling in a marriage that is no longer the one she entered, determined to see India and experience it properly, unlike the colonial wives at the Club, with their trifle and cricket matches and G&Ts.

Evie could be slow sometimes too (annoying, in one who was supposed to be so smart). The conflict is well built and perpetrated, and the scenes with Evie and her son are sweet, but I was a bit disappointed in the resolution to the conflict – it seemed so flat suddenly.

But occasional ditzy moments from Evie and Martin’s sullenness were the only things tempering my very positive feelings about this charming cross-temporal and continental adventure.(less)

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May 13, 2011 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: general-fiction

he book is like a story within a story. The book begins with the framing story of a woman, Evie, in 1947, who accompanies her husband and young son to India with the dual purpose of seeking adventure and hoping to mend her failing marriage with a man just returned from World War II, broken. When she discovers a bundle of 90-year-old letters hidden in the wall during a cleaning frenzy, the second story of the friendship between Felicity and Adela is revealed. From there, Evie's story diverges fro...more he book is like a story within a story. The book begins with the framing story of a woman, Evie, in 1947, who accompanies her husband and young son to India with the dual purpose of seeking adventure and hoping to mend her failing marriage with a man just returned from World War II, broken. When she discovers a bundle of 90-year-old letters hidden in the wall during a cleaning frenzy, the second story of the friendship between Felicity and Adela is revealed. From there, Evie's story diverges from that of Felicity and Adela's as Evie struggles to find more evidence of the two other women's existence and uses her fascination as a distraction from the political turmoil occurring around her.
The British are pulling out of India and separating the religious factions of Muslims and Hindus into the two countries of India and Pakistan, causing chaos and mayhem all over the country of India. The imagery and descriptions that Newmark fills the pages with are mesmerizing in their intensity and splendor. The colors, smells, and sounds have me half-falling in love with India to the point that I search for images online to match what I am reading to get a clearer picture of what the characters experience. Even though I struggled to stay interested in the plot for the first third of the book, the descriptions kept me reading and reading.
Felicity and Adela's story begins from childhood, describing how Felicity was born in India, but fostered with Adela's family. The infamous husband hunt brought them both back to India through different means, though neither had any interest in a husband, for different scandalous reasons. Residing in the same home that Evie now occupies, Felicity and Adela shun the conventional life of an Englishwoman in India, instead adopting an independent lifestyle and embracing India in all its diverse beauty.
Evie herself also seeks to shun what is expected of her, desiring to fully experience the culture of India all around her and use it to heal the problems in her own life. Eventually, she reconnects with the story of the two other women, even as major obstacles present themselves in both her private life and in the immediate villages. Letters take over the narration of Felicity and Adela's tale as Evie finds more to continue the story, instead of the author simply narrating what Evie can't find.
On the whole, the novel was beautifully written and contained a worthwhile plot, though I struggled to stay interested at the beginning. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a mystery and craves the beauty of India.(less)

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Jun 11, 2013 Tricia Syz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Loved this story about an adventurous woman and her historian husband who move to India with their young child. They are Evie, Martin and their child, Billy. It is 1947 and Martin is there to document the changes when Britain moves out of India. He has returned from the second world war with injuries too deep to deal with, and the wife sees the trip as an adventure that will unite them and bring their troubled marriage and family back together.

The new life begins to unfold and Evie, often left a...more

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Aug 28, 2011 draca rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I chose this book I thought 'Oh well, it will be a good enough read to keep me interested.' When I started reading it, I thought 'It's actually really good, I'll like this book.' But I ended up LOVING this book and the author's style of writing!
I've never been in India in my life, nor have I ever read a book set there, but I've always secretly admired it - the colors, the variety of everything, the way people accept their lives as they are there. I'm happy to say that this book was full of...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Anne rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this book as part of the Transworld Reading Group Challenge.

The Sandalwood Tree is a joy to read, it's history, it's romance, and it's a little bit of suspense too. The tree of the title sits outside a small bungalow in Colonial India and in 1947 it is occupied by Americans Evie and Martin and their small son Billy. Martin is a World War Two veteran, he's currently in India doing research around the Raj. Martin returned from the battlefields a changed man and Evie struggles to communicate...more

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Sep 19, 2011 April rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads

Two narratives are beautifully woven together to create a moving, poignant story. We first meet Martin and Evie Mitchell who have been relocated to India to fulfill a Fulbright Fellowship in 1947. Sent to document the impending British departure from India, the Mitchells find themselves entrenched in a small village being ripped apart at the seams by violence. Their American status offering little reprieve from the country's tragic poverty and searing violence. One day, Evie discovers a set of o...more

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May 21, 2011 Literary rated it 5 of 5 stars

Cover

I am absolutely infatuated with the colors on the cover of this book. I find them gorgeous and was drawn to them as soon as I opened up the envelope the book arrived in.

Unless I missed something while reading, I'm not sure how the stairs correlate to the story ... unless it is metaphorical. Perhaps a woman at a crossroads? Should she climb the stairs to civility or turn away and head on her own path? Hhmmm ...

Plot

I've always enjoyed books where there's two different times and plots happenin...more

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May 07, 2011 Priscilla Vaughn rated it 4 of 5 stars

The setting for this book is India - 1947. Martin Mitchell and his family go to India when he wins a Filbright Fellowship to study the Indian culture and how that culture is effected by the British withdrawal of power.
Martin's wife Evie finds the journal and letters of Adela Winfield and the letters of
Felicity Chadwick - living in India in 1856. Evie becomes determined to find out the whole story of Adele and Felicity. Chapters alternate between Evie's story and that of Adela and Felicity.
There...more

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Mar 24, 2011 Christine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: india, homosexuality, wwii

I received this book as part of the First Read giveaway program here at Goodreads.

First the Good
I loved the characters, relationships, and themes. I am interested in historical novels that take place in India, and those with a World War II theme. I liked that we got a mix of India during the Raj era, and post WWII. That was an unusual mix. I often felt very touched by this story, and really loved the ending. The characters frequently surprised me, and in the end I was left with a good warm feel...more

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Mar 19, 2011 Lauren added it

Shelves: own, didn-t-finish

When I first heard about Elle Newmark's The Sandalwood Tree, I was beyond excited. Containing history, an India setting, and characters that sounded intriguing, I thought I would love it. However, after reading about 100 pages of it, I could not go any further because it was not the book for me.

Nevertheless, before I get to why that was, let me tell you a bit about it. The Sandalwood Tree tells the story of Evie Mitchell, a 1940s American homemaker dealing with a crumbling marriage and life in...more When I first heard about Elle Newmark's The Sandalwood Tree, I was beyond excited. Containing history, an India setting, and characters that sounded intriguing, I thought I would love it. However, after reading about 100 pages of it, I could not go any further because it was not the book for me.

Nevertheless, before I get to why that was, let me tell you a bit about it. The Sandalwood Tree tells the story of Evie Mitchell, a 1940s American homemaker dealing with a crumbling marriage and life in chaotic India, as well as Adela and Felicity, two young Englishwomen who is letters Evie discovers in her house. Thankful to find an escape from her life, Evie quickly falls into the intriguing life of these two British women, while facing her own life woes. Combining viewpoints from all three sets of characters as the novel progress, the reader quickly fall into to the world of India in the late 1800s and 1940s as all three characters face the changing of India and the complications that come from life, love, and friendship.

The main reason why I could not get into this novel was the characters. While on the surface they appeared interesting, I was not able to relate to them in many ways, leaving me to feel very little towards them. In addition, Evie's character annoyed me to no end. I wanted to feel for her character- understand and relate to her- but when it came down it she was a very unlikable woman so to say.

Furthermore, while I thought the plot sounded nifty at first, I found the exucution to be lacking. Constantly I became sidetracked while reading and I never felt truly committed to the book. The plot also tended to jump around a lot, flying from one part to the next and back again for me, confusing me to no end. However, I will say, Elle did a fantastic job of creating the setting in this with her writing, making it truly pop off the page and come to life in the few chapters I read.

In all, while Elle Newmark's The Sandalwood Tree possesses a great idea, it just was not the book for me for a variety of reasons. However, I still feel many historical fiction fanatics will be able to find likable and loveable parts in it.

Grade: N/A(less)

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Sep 25, 2011 Fluffychick rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, books-read-in-2011

This book was read and reviewed as part of the Transworld Book Challenge.
A dual time book linking the stories from both 1947 and the 1850's.
Martin still struggles to come to terms with the horrors he saw during WWII and so jumps at the opportunity to record the events of the end of colonisation in India for posterity. His wife Evie hopes the move will allow them to get their marriage back on track but although their young son thrives in their new world, she finds life as a new memsahib difficul...more

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