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The Jasmine Wife
A sweeping epic romance set in the British Raj for fans of Richard and Judy Book Club Pick Dinah Jefferies and global bestseller Lucinda Riley
Sarah Archer’s future as the dutiful wife of a British official in India seems assured, until a chance meeting with the gorgeous and powerful French-Indian, Ravi Sabran, changes the course of her destiny.
As the veneer of polite society wears off in the heat of the Indian sun, Sarah soon realises that nothing is as it appears to be, especially her husband Charles…
In the beautiful jasmine gardens of the palace of the Maharajah, Sarah follows a forbidden path… towards Ravi and the long-buried secrets of her own birth.
434 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 21, 2019
501 people are currently reading
1451 people want to read
About the author
Jane Coverdale
2 books26 followersJane Coverdale has worked as a mural painter, then as a scenic artist, graphic artist and art director in theatre, television, commercials, films and music videos. She has written several film scripts, one of which is currently in development with an Australian producer.
Jane has travelled widely while working on film projects, but it was India and the people there that inspired her to write her first historical romance novel, The Jasmine Wife.
She divides her life between the beautiful hill town of Leura in the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney, and Italy, where she is currently researching her second novel set largely in Venice.
Jane has travelled widely while working on film projects, but it was India and the people there that inspired her to write her first historical romance novel, The Jasmine Wife.
She divides her life between the beautiful hill town of Leura in the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney, and Italy, where she is currently researching her second novel set largely in Venice.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
June 6, 2020
"I hope you will not be a jasmine wife, like some of the English ladies who come here."
"What do you mean? What is a jasmine wife?"
"Well, they fade fast, or become ill and wilt like jasmine does almost as soon as it's picked, or their marriages fade just as quickly because of the strain."
"But my dear Mrs. Fitzroy, that term can never be applied to you. You are no wilting flower. There is something regal about you, and may I say, even defiant."
This country seems to encourage the most bitter of tragedies.
He led her through a gate in the palace wall, and she followed him in silence through a high walled garden thick with the fragrance of a strange jasmine that was known to only bloom at night. The little bunch of waxy, trumpet-shaped flowers seemed to glow in the moonlight, sending out their heavy scent in perfumed waves to intoxicate and ensnare any creature foolish enough to succumb to their spell.
A romance set in the days of the British Raj in India, A Jasmine Wife is a visual treat! And no wonder. The author Jane Coverdale has worked as a mural painter, scenic artist and an art director for television, movies and theatre. Using her artistic skills, she has managed to paint a visually stunning story in words about love, hate, revenge, fate and omens and the clash of two cultures---the mystery, allure, passions and richness of the Indian culture and people, so exotic and steeped in mysticism which the British find unnerving and suspicious as to make them belittle it at every opportunity. This is manifested in the characters of Ravi Sabran the handsome, rich, mysterious, arrogant Indian/French and Charles Fitzroy, a British lawyer working as a assistant District Magistrate in Madras who absolutely loathe each other. Ravi, uses his mysterious wealth and position in society to battle the injustices of the British officials in his own way while Charles abhors the idea of Ravi, whom he insults by calling a half-breed, having so much wealth and power. Sarah Archer, Charles wife, is torn in between. Even though she knows and is warned to be wary of Ravi, she cannot help but find herself not immune to his mysterious and exotic persona, more so when she realises that the Charles she thought she knew, loved and married is just an illusion. Moreover, Ravi and Sarah's path also join because of an orphan baby girl called Prema, whom Ravi not only takes in to raise on Sarah's behalf but he also believes the girl is an omen. Similarly, Sarah cannot detach herself from the people and culture of a country which seem to hold some buried secrets of her existence.
Once again, the Jasmine Wife is a visual treat. It brings to life the characters and the setting like a huge painting/mural done in words.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publishers Harper Impulse and Killer Reads and the author Jane Coverdale for the e-Arc of the book. I think I will settle for a 4* rating.
The book was published on July 21, 2019.
"What do you mean? What is a jasmine wife?"
"Well, they fade fast, or become ill and wilt like jasmine does almost as soon as it's picked, or their marriages fade just as quickly because of the strain."
"But my dear Mrs. Fitzroy, that term can never be applied to you. You are no wilting flower. There is something regal about you, and may I say, even defiant."
This country seems to encourage the most bitter of tragedies.
He led her through a gate in the palace wall, and she followed him in silence through a high walled garden thick with the fragrance of a strange jasmine that was known to only bloom at night. The little bunch of waxy, trumpet-shaped flowers seemed to glow in the moonlight, sending out their heavy scent in perfumed waves to intoxicate and ensnare any creature foolish enough to succumb to their spell.
A romance set in the days of the British Raj in India, A Jasmine Wife is a visual treat! And no wonder. The author Jane Coverdale has worked as a mural painter, scenic artist and an art director for television, movies and theatre. Using her artistic skills, she has managed to paint a visually stunning story in words about love, hate, revenge, fate and omens and the clash of two cultures---the mystery, allure, passions and richness of the Indian culture and people, so exotic and steeped in mysticism which the British find unnerving and suspicious as to make them belittle it at every opportunity. This is manifested in the characters of Ravi Sabran the handsome, rich, mysterious, arrogant Indian/French and Charles Fitzroy, a British lawyer working as a assistant District Magistrate in Madras who absolutely loathe each other. Ravi, uses his mysterious wealth and position in society to battle the injustices of the British officials in his own way while Charles abhors the idea of Ravi, whom he insults by calling a half-breed, having so much wealth and power. Sarah Archer, Charles wife, is torn in between. Even though she knows and is warned to be wary of Ravi, she cannot help but find herself not immune to his mysterious and exotic persona, more so when she realises that the Charles she thought she knew, loved and married is just an illusion. Moreover, Ravi and Sarah's path also join because of an orphan baby girl called Prema, whom Ravi not only takes in to raise on Sarah's behalf but he also believes the girl is an omen. Similarly, Sarah cannot detach herself from the people and culture of a country which seem to hold some buried secrets of her existence.
Once again, the Jasmine Wife is a visual treat. It brings to life the characters and the setting like a huge painting/mural done in words.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publishers Harper Impulse and Killer Reads and the author Jane Coverdale for the e-Arc of the book. I think I will settle for a 4* rating.
The book was published on July 21, 2019.
May 4, 2020
IMPROPER ROMANCE
The exotic setting is India during British rule. Sara, proper wife of a bullying English officer, falls headlong for powerful Ravi Sabran in a very improper romance.
SUMPTUOUS
You can smell the jasmine in the gardens of the Maharajah’s palace, hear the hearts of the lovers beat, feel the intense heat of the baking sun as you immerse fully into a story as sumptuous as that radiant cover. 5/5
Pub Date 21 Jun 2019.
Thanks to Jane Coverdale, Harper Impulse and Killer Reads, and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.
#TheJasmineWife #NetGalley
The exotic setting is India during British rule. Sara, proper wife of a bullying English officer, falls headlong for powerful Ravi Sabran in a very improper romance.
SUMPTUOUS
You can smell the jasmine in the gardens of the Maharajah’s palace, hear the hearts of the lovers beat, feel the intense heat of the baking sun as you immerse fully into a story as sumptuous as that radiant cover. 5/5
Pub Date 21 Jun 2019.
Thanks to Jane Coverdale, Harper Impulse and Killer Reads, and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.
#TheJasmineWife #NetGalley
November 6, 2021
Sara Archer was born in India, as a small child her parents died and she went to live with her aunt in England. Her memories of India are rather fuzzy, she remembers feeling warm, her ayah and she’s not a fan of the English weather. Charles Fitzroy works for the Department of Justice in India, he’s visiting England, after a quick courtship he proposes to Sara and she accepts.
After being apart from her new husband for months, Sara arrives in India, eager to see Charles and looking forward to living in her new home. Sara meets Charles’s friends, their snobby English society people, she doesn’t like them, their very racist and treat their Indian servants terribly. Sara’s disappointed and unhappy in her marriage, Charles is controlling, ruthless, and she feels trapped.
Sara starts to feel like a Jasmine Wife, a term used for an English woman living in colonial India, they wilt like a picked jasmine flower, they fade fast, often become ill, their marriages fail and they return home to England. Sara meets French-Indian Ravi Sabran, he’s the kind of person Sara should have married and they feel an instant connection to each other.
Charles is greedy, he encourages Sara to visit The Maharajah and his wife The Maharani, both are known for giving extravagant gifts of precious stones, and Sara’s given so much more. The Maharani knew her parents, and she tells Sara about her family and her secret heritage.
The Jasmine Wife by Jane Coverdale, is a wonderful historical story set in beautiful colonial India, Sara’s a lovely character, she’s reunited with her beloved ayah Malika, finds her childhood home, and discovers her true identity. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, I love stories set in India and four stars from me.
https://www.facebook.com/KarrenReadsH...
https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/
After being apart from her new husband for months, Sara arrives in India, eager to see Charles and looking forward to living in her new home. Sara meets Charles’s friends, their snobby English society people, she doesn’t like them, their very racist and treat their Indian servants terribly. Sara’s disappointed and unhappy in her marriage, Charles is controlling, ruthless, and she feels trapped.
Sara starts to feel like a Jasmine Wife, a term used for an English woman living in colonial India, they wilt like a picked jasmine flower, they fade fast, often become ill, their marriages fail and they return home to England. Sara meets French-Indian Ravi Sabran, he’s the kind of person Sara should have married and they feel an instant connection to each other.
Charles is greedy, he encourages Sara to visit The Maharajah and his wife The Maharani, both are known for giving extravagant gifts of precious stones, and Sara’s given so much more. The Maharani knew her parents, and she tells Sara about her family and her secret heritage.
The Jasmine Wife by Jane Coverdale, is a wonderful historical story set in beautiful colonial India, Sara’s a lovely character, she’s reunited with her beloved ayah Malika, finds her childhood home, and discovers her true identity. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, I love stories set in India and four stars from me.
https://www.facebook.com/KarrenReadsH...
https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/
July 22, 2019
I read a lot of books about India and I travel there every year at least once or twice. I know most of the major cities quite well and many of the minor ones too. Dare I say it, I suspect I know a lot more about India than Jane Coverdale so I'm probably more critical than the average reader about detail and authenticity. For me, 'The Jasmine Wife' suffers from superficiality, characters that lack any shade of grey, and a total absence of any sense of historic anchoring. We are never told when this book is supposed to be set other than 'during the Raj' (which leaves rather a long period to choose from) and not one single thing happens in the book that enables the reader to relate a rather soppy and predictable love story to major events taking place in India. Perhaps that's why Coverdale chose the city of Madras rather than Bombay, Delhi or Calcutta where more of history's noteworthy events in the late 19th and first half of the 20th Century tended to take place. The only reference to historic setting that I could find was Sara's interest in the Suffragette movement but sadly that storyline was never developed further. This must place the story somewhere between 1903 when the Suffrage movement was founded and the Great War - since there are absolutely no references to that war. So let's say somewhere between 1903 and 1914.
The goodies are pure and fair and virginal - even after marriage and deflowerment. The baddies are nasty nasty people who are rude about anybody who doesn't fit their idealised social rules and restrictions. Some reviewers have said this is a book about just how nasty posh Brits were to Indians during the days of Empire but that's incredibly superficial. People like these ones were being bitches and bastards all over the world, including at home in the UK. Snobbery was not confined to overseas postings. Nothing at all is developed around the movement to gain independence for India. It's as if all the events of the novel take place in a sanitised and highly cliched bubble.
Young Sara is no stranger to India, having spent her childhood years with her parents and her ayah (nanny) in Madras. Oddly she has crystal clear memories of the ayah but remembers almost nothing of her parents or how they died. Sent back to England to live with an aunt, she has married a handsome blond civil servant to win her passage back to the country of her childhood. Her husband Charles isn't going to win any husband of the year awards but she's a pretty sappy wife too. Local bigwigs of their social circle try to tell Sara what she can and can't do and whom she can and can't spend time with but she's determined to be her own woman and make her own decisions. Darkly brooding mixed-race French-Indian Ravi is the love interest and he's easy to picture as a swarthy Poldark figure. Not only handsome but also extremely rich and well-connected, he's drawn to Sara like every hero in every Mills and Boon style romance and they, of course, will go through layers of misunderstanding and misinterpretation of motives in true Pride and Prejudice style.
It's a light, enjoyable but highly predictable novel in which nothing happens that really couldn't be expected and in which the characters are one-dimensional and rather dull cartoons rather than fully fleshed-out people. I hope people who don't normally read books set in India won't think that this rather superficial little love story is entirely representative of the days of the Raj.
The goodies are pure and fair and virginal - even after marriage and deflowerment. The baddies are nasty nasty people who are rude about anybody who doesn't fit their idealised social rules and restrictions. Some reviewers have said this is a book about just how nasty posh Brits were to Indians during the days of Empire but that's incredibly superficial. People like these ones were being bitches and bastards all over the world, including at home in the UK. Snobbery was not confined to overseas postings. Nothing at all is developed around the movement to gain independence for India. It's as if all the events of the novel take place in a sanitised and highly cliched bubble.
Young Sara is no stranger to India, having spent her childhood years with her parents and her ayah (nanny) in Madras. Oddly she has crystal clear memories of the ayah but remembers almost nothing of her parents or how they died. Sent back to England to live with an aunt, she has married a handsome blond civil servant to win her passage back to the country of her childhood. Her husband Charles isn't going to win any husband of the year awards but she's a pretty sappy wife too. Local bigwigs of their social circle try to tell Sara what she can and can't do and whom she can and can't spend time with but she's determined to be her own woman and make her own decisions. Darkly brooding mixed-race French-Indian Ravi is the love interest and he's easy to picture as a swarthy Poldark figure. Not only handsome but also extremely rich and well-connected, he's drawn to Sara like every hero in every Mills and Boon style romance and they, of course, will go through layers of misunderstanding and misinterpretation of motives in true Pride and Prejudice style.
It's a light, enjoyable but highly predictable novel in which nothing happens that really couldn't be expected and in which the characters are one-dimensional and rather dull cartoons rather than fully fleshed-out people. I hope people who don't normally read books set in India won't think that this rather superficial little love story is entirely representative of the days of the Raj.
December 16, 2019
The Jasmine Wife
The setting is in British India, the palace of the maharaja, and the intoxicating jasmine scent. I love this romantic historical fiction so much as Sara the main character is a strong willed and rebellious woman - from throwing her corset overboard to her deviant disposition, she is a character I immediately fell in love with. oh my!
This passage from a letter describes not only Sara’s disposition but also what women were thought of during that time. “Her most serious misdemeanor is of riding a horse bareback...what irreparable damage that may do to a young girl ... perhaps even blight her chance of a respectable marriage”.
Sara’s story about her disappointing marriage, her attraction with another man and secrets about her family makes this book a page turner for me. What an awesome read and enjoyed this book very much!!!
Thank you to the author, Harper Impulse, and Killer Reads for the ARC copy and allowing me to enjoy this story.
The setting is in British India, the palace of the maharaja, and the intoxicating jasmine scent. I love this romantic historical fiction so much as Sara the main character is a strong willed and rebellious woman - from throwing her corset overboard to her deviant disposition, she is a character I immediately fell in love with. oh my!
This passage from a letter describes not only Sara’s disposition but also what women were thought of during that time. “Her most serious misdemeanor is of riding a horse bareback...what irreparable damage that may do to a young girl ... perhaps even blight her chance of a respectable marriage”.
Sara’s story about her disappointing marriage, her attraction with another man and secrets about her family makes this book a page turner for me. What an awesome read and enjoyed this book very much!!!
Thank you to the author, Harper Impulse, and Killer Reads for the ARC copy and allowing me to enjoy this story.
June 30, 2022
Sara Archer a crescut in India pana la varsta de 6 ani, apoi părinții ei au murit si a ajuns sa locuiasca in Anglia, alaturi de matusa sa. Are amintiri razlete despre aceasta tara si isi doreste sa ajunga acolo sa afle mai multe despre trecutul ei, iar totul pare posibil atunci cand il intalneste pe Charles Fitzroy , angajat la Departamentul de Justitie din India. Se casatoreste cu el iar viitorul pare sa arate minunat . Dupa cateva luni de la casatorie Sara reuseste sa ajunga in India unde poate in sfarsit sa locuiască impreuna cu Charles. Tinutul este fermecator insa cam atat, pentru ca oamenii nu sunt deloc asa cum se aștepta sa ii gaseasca, nici macar sotul ei. Conditiile din India nu sunt usoare , dezamagita de comporatamentul agresiv si rasist al celor din jur fata de populatia de indieni si nefericita in căsnicie Sara ajunge sa se simta precum o "soție iasomie", un termen utilizat pentru sotiile ce se imbolnavesc si se ofilesc asemenea iasomiei, imediat după ce este culeasa sau casniciile lor slabesc din cauza presiunii. Totul incepe sa se mai lumineze atunci cand ajunge sa se plimbe prin gradinile lui Ravi Sabran, un barbat bogat si puternic, neacceptat de societatea politica .
Povestea este frumusica, abunda in descrieri iar de la mine a primit 3, 5 🌟.
Povestea este frumusica, abunda in descrieri iar de la mine a primit 3, 5 🌟.
July 25, 2020
I am honestly surprised this author has only one book out.
This is just the type of book I love .
A gripping, page-turning epic historical romance novel.
The writing style just flows so naturally you won't even notice the hours slipping by as you'll be so immersed in the reading of this brilliant book.
The descriptions are lush and provocative as you linger in the fragrant jasmine gardens in the Maharajah’s palace.
Heartache,abandonment,love,disdain and loyalty are just a few of the emotions encountered in this book.
Sara Archer's life as a newlywed woman of a British official in India seems to be what she'll have to settle for even though he is controlling and doesn't give her the attentions she needs.
A chance meeting with the gorgeous and powerful Ravi Sabran changes everything.
He is the type of man that is rich and powerful and not accepted by polite society but no one will tell that to him face to face, the type of man that makes women swoon .
Will Sara follow her heart off the beaten path into the lush jasmine garden where Ravi Sabran is waiting and away from her bullying husband?
Shocking secrets are revealed about Sara's birth .
A must read historical. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author as this book totally mesmerized me!
Pub Date 21 Jun 2019 by Harper Impulse and Killer Reads
I was given a complimentary copy. Thank you.
All o[pinions expressed are my own.
This is just the type of book I love .
A gripping, page-turning epic historical romance novel.
The writing style just flows so naturally you won't even notice the hours slipping by as you'll be so immersed in the reading of this brilliant book.
The descriptions are lush and provocative as you linger in the fragrant jasmine gardens in the Maharajah’s palace.
Heartache,abandonment,love,disdain and loyalty are just a few of the emotions encountered in this book.
Sara Archer's life as a newlywed woman of a British official in India seems to be what she'll have to settle for even though he is controlling and doesn't give her the attentions she needs.
A chance meeting with the gorgeous and powerful Ravi Sabran changes everything.
He is the type of man that is rich and powerful and not accepted by polite society but no one will tell that to him face to face, the type of man that makes women swoon .
Will Sara follow her heart off the beaten path into the lush jasmine garden where Ravi Sabran is waiting and away from her bullying husband?
Shocking secrets are revealed about Sara's birth .
A must read historical. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author as this book totally mesmerized me!
Pub Date 21 Jun 2019 by Harper Impulse and Killer Reads
I was given a complimentary copy. Thank you.
All o[pinions expressed are my own.
December 11, 2021
„Grădina cu iasomie“ nu este prima și nici nu va fi ultima carte pe care o cumpăr din cauză că acțiunea se petrece în India. Iubesc țara asta și iubesc cărțile care mă transpun pe meleagurile ei.
Primele pagini au mers cam greu. Poate pentru că eram eu obosită sau pentru că ăsta este ritmul meu în ultima vreme, nu știu sigur, dar după 50 de pagini, nu am mai putut să o las jos. Iar cearcănele mele stau mărturie că spun adevărul.
Am adorat toate descrierile locurilor și ale oamenilor. Povestea a fost de-a dreptul fascinantă. L-am adorat pe Ravi din prima secundă în care și-a făcut intrarea și l-am urât pe Charles din toată inima.
Cartea te învață că abuzul nu este doar fizic. Există și un fel de abuz psihologic care o transformă pe protagonistă într-o „soție de iasomie“ care se veștejește văzând cu ochii.
India este un loc dur, în care britanicii asupresc indienii doar pentru divertisment. Un loc în care căsătoriile mixte sunt văzute cu ochi răi și egoismul este dus la extrem.
Mi-a plăcut mult povestea de dragoste care se leagă între Sara și Ravi. De nopțile furate, de zâmbetele ascunse, de tachinările lor. Cartea nu cred că este pentru oricine. Nu este o carte greu de citit, dar nici prea ușoară. O recomand celor care vor să descopere o altfel de Indie, o altfel de relație deloc perfectă, în care moralitatea este pusă la îndoială, în care adulterul este o salvare, în care abuzul psihologic este la ordinea zilei.
4,5 steluțe. Cred că mai avea nevoie de ceva pentru a ajunge la 5.
Primele pagini au mers cam greu. Poate pentru că eram eu obosită sau pentru că ăsta este ritmul meu în ultima vreme, nu știu sigur, dar după 50 de pagini, nu am mai putut să o las jos. Iar cearcănele mele stau mărturie că spun adevărul.
Am adorat toate descrierile locurilor și ale oamenilor. Povestea a fost de-a dreptul fascinantă. L-am adorat pe Ravi din prima secundă în care și-a făcut intrarea și l-am urât pe Charles din toată inima.
Cartea te învață că abuzul nu este doar fizic. Există și un fel de abuz psihologic care o transformă pe protagonistă într-o „soție de iasomie“ care se veștejește văzând cu ochii.
India este un loc dur, în care britanicii asupresc indienii doar pentru divertisment. Un loc în care căsătoriile mixte sunt văzute cu ochi răi și egoismul este dus la extrem.
Mi-a plăcut mult povestea de dragoste care se leagă între Sara și Ravi. De nopțile furate, de zâmbetele ascunse, de tachinările lor. Cartea nu cred că este pentru oricine. Nu este o carte greu de citit, dar nici prea ușoară. O recomand celor care vor să descopere o altfel de Indie, o altfel de relație deloc perfectă, în care moralitatea este pusă la îndoială, în care adulterul este o salvare, în care abuzul psihologic este la ordinea zilei.
4,5 steluțe. Cred că mai avea nevoie de ceva pentru a ajunge la 5.
June 25, 2019
When I first came across The Jasmine Wife while browsing through NetGalley my interest was immediately sparked since I have been enjoying historical romances lately. Unfortunately while I thought the story was well written and kept my interest I didn't feel the epic romance I was lead to believe I would experience. I actually found the whole story rather disappointing. Most of the story was a tedious day in and day out of a large group of bigoted Englishman. The supposed epic romance between Sara and Ravi didn't happen till 80% of the story and was over quickly until they are reunited at the very end. The secrets and lies were obvious from the beginning and while it wasn't necessarily a bad book it just didn't work for me.
***ARC Provided by NetGalley***
***ARC Provided by NetGalley***
September 6, 2019
What drew me to the book was that it is set in Madras, my home city but that just seemed to be an arbitrary choice. I found the book lacked adequate research in terms of the place or the time period in the book is set in. Even the book cover looks more Persian than from southern India. And then there is the time period that the story is set in, which is ambiguous too. Okay, it is set during the British Raj, but there is hardly any mention of the freedom struggle that the nation was embroiled in then. Very formulaic and with poorly developed characters, the book was a disheartening read.
Read
May 14, 2020No date, no rating -- DNF @ 11%
This was not one for me. I was expecting some kind of mixture of an epic romance with Forster's A Passage to India, but all I got was poorly researched superficiality. I don't do well with haughty characters anyway, but I really couldn't sympathise with our protagonist. This really just didn't suit my taste.
This was not one for me. I was expecting some kind of mixture of an epic romance with Forster's A Passage to India, but all I got was poorly researched superficiality. I don't do well with haughty characters anyway, but I really couldn't sympathise with our protagonist. This really just didn't suit my taste.
August 2, 2019
A Jasmine Wife was the name for a British young woman in her full bloom who would follow her husband to India and then in a short time whiter away.
But Sara Archer is not new to India when she comes to join her husband there at the beginning of the 20th century. She was born in India but lost at a young age both parents and was raised in a rather loveless household of a paternal aunt and uncle. When a bachelor seems to be interested in her and who moreover is stationed in India she falls head of heels for him. But is it him or India she is in love with? In his case it seems he sees marriage more as advantages to his career.
Upon arrival in India she barges into half French - half Indian Ravi Sabran who keeps shocking the circles of polite British society in Madras by living in sin with the wife of an Indian Maharaja who ran from her husband and being filthy rich and a bit of a bandit and who keeps ignoring the fact that the British matrons cannot overlook his Indian ancestry.
The British in Madras are more old fashioned and stuck in the Victorian times as what she experienced in England and are showing not the best characters. For instance when the local Maharadja visits they all try to get jewels off him by praising them.
In India Sara starts looking for her own past and information about her own parents and by doing this meets Ravi again.
We see a ugly naive countrygirl slowly develop in a in dependant beautiful woman.
The novel digs into the prejudice of those days. It has also a hint of mr Collins and Lady Catherine de Bourgh from "Pride and Prejudice" due to the fact that Charles cannot stop praising the local leading lady in the British circle. That element is often very funny.
It is a light romance novel that guarantees a day of pleasant reading. And right from the start you expect who will end up with whom but that is always the case with this kind of novels.
But Sara Archer is not new to India when she comes to join her husband there at the beginning of the 20th century. She was born in India but lost at a young age both parents and was raised in a rather loveless household of a paternal aunt and uncle. When a bachelor seems to be interested in her and who moreover is stationed in India she falls head of heels for him. But is it him or India she is in love with? In his case it seems he sees marriage more as advantages to his career.
Upon arrival in India she barges into half French - half Indian Ravi Sabran who keeps shocking the circles of polite British society in Madras by living in sin with the wife of an Indian Maharaja who ran from her husband and being filthy rich and a bit of a bandit and who keeps ignoring the fact that the British matrons cannot overlook his Indian ancestry.
The British in Madras are more old fashioned and stuck in the Victorian times as what she experienced in England and are showing not the best characters. For instance when the local Maharadja visits they all try to get jewels off him by praising them.
In India Sara starts looking for her own past and information about her own parents and by doing this meets Ravi again.
We see a ugly naive countrygirl slowly develop in a in dependant beautiful woman.
The novel digs into the prejudice of those days. It has also a hint of mr Collins and Lady Catherine de Bourgh from "Pride and Prejudice" due to the fact that Charles cannot stop praising the local leading lady in the British circle. That element is often very funny.
It is a light romance novel that guarantees a day of pleasant reading. And right from the start you expect who will end up with whom but that is always the case with this kind of novels.
February 24, 2024
Couldn't put it down
This book started slowly, and I wasn't sure of it first, but by the third chapter, I was hooked. The description of life in Madras during the colonial times was just fascinating. That intertwined with the personal background, tragedies and secrets of people has made this book amazingly interesting.
This book started slowly, and I wasn't sure of it first, but by the third chapter, I was hooked. The description of life in Madras during the colonial times was just fascinating. That intertwined with the personal background, tragedies and secrets of people has made this book amazingly interesting.
September 20, 2025
Am avut sentimente amestecate cu privire la carte ba sa o abandonez ba sa vad daca Sara reușește să divorțeze de Charles. Dar în final dorința de a vedea ce se întâmplă mai departe a învins și am devorat cartea în 2 zile. Sara Archer cunoscuta și ca Sarianns își urmează soțul în India, in perioada in care Marea Britanie încă domina țara ( soțul ei era funcționar britanic în India ). Acolo Sara descoperă dragostea alaturi de Ravi Sarban, dar își descoperă și rădăcinile bunica ei maternă fiind o prințesă indiana . Cum relațiile mixte erau interzise și judecate Sara ajunge după grele încercări sa divorțeze de Charles , ajunge sa se se căsătorească cu Ravi ( cu care începuse să aibă o relație încă din timpul căsătoriei cu Charls rupând standardele perioadei respective ). Ca o adevărată Scarlett O'hara a perioadei respective Sara da naștere unei fetițe (fata ei cu Ravi) dar ii spune lui Ravi mult mai târziu de aceasta . Ceea ce mi-ar fi plăcut să fie poate mai clara povestea din spatele urii dintre Ravi și Charls. Dar cu toate aceasta ii dau 5 steluțe și o recomand că lectura, chiar daca începutul este puțin mai încet
December 20, 2020
Two and a half stars. I feel like I've read this book before, from Dinah Jefferies to A.M. Stuart to the excellent THE PAINTED VEIL. And unfortunately, Jane Coverdale doesn't match her predecessors. This was fluffy chick lit masked as historical fiction. The characters weren't fleshed out or complex and the story was completely predictable. Coverdale tried to create a sense of nineteenth century India by writing a bunch of adjectives.
June 21, 2019
The Jasmine Wife, A sweeping epic historical romance novel for women, by Jane Coverdale
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Genre: Romance
Well, this one doesn't feature my usual bete noir, the “womens fiction” category, but that runner just after the title? “Novel for women” - it means much the same and just makes me think, Why? Why alienate a potential swath of readers? Men write romance, men read romance, its time we stopped categorising stories as men/women reads.
Anyway, the story. I love books set in other countries, especially India/China/Japan, and especially set in a period of history where life was so very different not only between sexes but between races.
I loved this book, really made me feel there with Sara, feeling the heat, enjoying the rich aromatics, the colourful landscape, the busy markets and shops.
Its a good story too, what happens to Sara was what sadly happened so often then. Orphaned, brought up by relatives, and encouraged to marry rather than stay with the family. Didn't really matter whether the match suited her, the fact that someone with a position in India chose her was enough. For those without connections there was the notorious “ fishing fleet” where desperate girls came on spec, hoping someone needed a wife.
Its hardly a romance a marriage like this, more a match of suitability. Perhaps, they don't really know each other well after all. Sara thinks she loves Charles but barely knows him, and the man she meets in India, after a years absence is very different.
By her background, her childhood in India with very open minded, liberal parents though she sees the locals as people, while the British enclave here now are determined to treat them as lesser, as unfeeling, as beneath any decent treatment. What this books shows is just how it was in reality, and the sheer, breathtaking arrogance of people just because the are British is incredible. Its always amazed me how one tiny, little country became such a world power.
Of course Sara is lovely, way to good for Charles and the British Enclave in Madras. Charles is ambitious, and not above using Sara's beauty to further his position, and insidiously bullies her into behaving with those who can influence his future. He sees her as a tool more than a wife, but then sadly he's not alone. Women were regarded that way, possessions to be used, to be paraded out with, to show off, while they kept an Indian woman for what they saw as their baser needs. Wives weren't allowed or expected to enjoy sex, but remain above such things, while men had “needs”...... Incredible how men who denigrate Indians in public still wanted them kept quietly somewhere for those needs. Sadly that was the norm, accepted even, and the poor ladies, Indian or British, had no say.
Sara gets a rapid eye opening about her husband, and of course the wonderful, attractive Ravi is a temptation she can't resist. I loved the idea of their meeting being fated, that the signs, the gurus, Sara's history, all meant it was inevitable according to Ravi. This idea of fate v personal choice always fascinates me, and there are times when things seem impossible but somehow work out, as if fate lent a helping hand.
Stars: Five. A gorgeous read, transporting me to India, desperate for things to work out for Sara, for her to be happy.
Arc via Netgalley and publishers
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Genre: Romance
Well, this one doesn't feature my usual bete noir, the “womens fiction” category, but that runner just after the title? “Novel for women” - it means much the same and just makes me think, Why? Why alienate a potential swath of readers? Men write romance, men read romance, its time we stopped categorising stories as men/women reads.
Anyway, the story. I love books set in other countries, especially India/China/Japan, and especially set in a period of history where life was so very different not only between sexes but between races.
I loved this book, really made me feel there with Sara, feeling the heat, enjoying the rich aromatics, the colourful landscape, the busy markets and shops.
Its a good story too, what happens to Sara was what sadly happened so often then. Orphaned, brought up by relatives, and encouraged to marry rather than stay with the family. Didn't really matter whether the match suited her, the fact that someone with a position in India chose her was enough. For those without connections there was the notorious “ fishing fleet” where desperate girls came on spec, hoping someone needed a wife.
Its hardly a romance a marriage like this, more a match of suitability. Perhaps, they don't really know each other well after all. Sara thinks she loves Charles but barely knows him, and the man she meets in India, after a years absence is very different.
By her background, her childhood in India with very open minded, liberal parents though she sees the locals as people, while the British enclave here now are determined to treat them as lesser, as unfeeling, as beneath any decent treatment. What this books shows is just how it was in reality, and the sheer, breathtaking arrogance of people just because the are British is incredible. Its always amazed me how one tiny, little country became such a world power.
Of course Sara is lovely, way to good for Charles and the British Enclave in Madras. Charles is ambitious, and not above using Sara's beauty to further his position, and insidiously bullies her into behaving with those who can influence his future. He sees her as a tool more than a wife, but then sadly he's not alone. Women were regarded that way, possessions to be used, to be paraded out with, to show off, while they kept an Indian woman for what they saw as their baser needs. Wives weren't allowed or expected to enjoy sex, but remain above such things, while men had “needs”...... Incredible how men who denigrate Indians in public still wanted them kept quietly somewhere for those needs. Sadly that was the norm, accepted even, and the poor ladies, Indian or British, had no say.
Sara gets a rapid eye opening about her husband, and of course the wonderful, attractive Ravi is a temptation she can't resist. I loved the idea of their meeting being fated, that the signs, the gurus, Sara's history, all meant it was inevitable according to Ravi. This idea of fate v personal choice always fascinates me, and there are times when things seem impossible but somehow work out, as if fate lent a helping hand.
Stars: Five. A gorgeous read, transporting me to India, desperate for things to work out for Sara, for her to be happy.
Arc via Netgalley and publishers
July 1, 2019
ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review
Jane Coverdale so wonderfully takes you back to the era where Great Britain still occupied India. She so distinctly describes the sights, sounds, and smells, it feels as if you are really in India! It is quite apparent she has been to this country. The historical context she uses to describe gender roles and the different ideologies of two conflicting cultures that were forced to intertwine are very accurate. Women were expected to be like trophy wives to the elite male race. They used them to gain higher regards with greater elite. The men serve as the bread winners during the day, but live a life of gambling and drinking together by night. Whatever premiscuous tendencies they may give off are merely brushed off as "men being men," while women are not allowed to go anywhere outside the home alone as they could be perceived as being unfaithful to their husband.
Sara is no exception. She is nervous arriving in India from a ship sailed from France. She has yet to see her husband, Charles, since their wedding in England. She also is plagued with broken childhood memories of when she grew up in India, though she doesn't remember her parents' names or why they died, or why she was separated from her care taker, Ayah. Upon her arrival at the docks, she meets the ever intriguing Ravi, whom is greatly hated by the British for his rather loud stance against British power over India. After numerous run ins with him, and a need to ensure the little orphan girl that he adopted from the dock is well taken care of, she feels the need to visit him regularly. After her arrival to India, she also must stumble along the path of succumbing to serving Charles as an obedient wife, a task much harder for her strong willed mind. Coverdale highlights on the expectations of women in early 20th century and how some women, like Sarah, had to change their way of thought and want of lifestyle to conform to society and survive their husbands at times. In Sarah's case, she slowly learns that she cannot survive living the English way of life in India when she consistently witnesses the joys and freedom Indian women around her have. As she searches for answers of her unknown past, she also finds courage to make an unheard of decision for her own well being.
The writing style of Jasmine Wife was a bit difficult to follow until I got a few chapters into the book. Flashbacks occur throughout the book, but some are hard to determine so until you reach the next paragraph break. The symbology of a jasmine flower is so wonderfully used here. A jasmine flower's petals are quite beautiful until they are touched, and then suddenly they turn brown and wilt. Life in India for British women is similar. They appear so beautiful and pure, until they are touched by the sight of Indian culture and realize what they could have but are forbidden against due to British customs. It is then that they wilt like a jasmine flower.
As a student currently pursuing my history degree, I absolutely loved this book! If you are a fan of historical romance, I highly recommend you snag a copy of this book!
Jane Coverdale so wonderfully takes you back to the era where Great Britain still occupied India. She so distinctly describes the sights, sounds, and smells, it feels as if you are really in India! It is quite apparent she has been to this country. The historical context she uses to describe gender roles and the different ideologies of two conflicting cultures that were forced to intertwine are very accurate. Women were expected to be like trophy wives to the elite male race. They used them to gain higher regards with greater elite. The men serve as the bread winners during the day, but live a life of gambling and drinking together by night. Whatever premiscuous tendencies they may give off are merely brushed off as "men being men," while women are not allowed to go anywhere outside the home alone as they could be perceived as being unfaithful to their husband.
Sara is no exception. She is nervous arriving in India from a ship sailed from France. She has yet to see her husband, Charles, since their wedding in England. She also is plagued with broken childhood memories of when she grew up in India, though she doesn't remember her parents' names or why they died, or why she was separated from her care taker, Ayah. Upon her arrival at the docks, she meets the ever intriguing Ravi, whom is greatly hated by the British for his rather loud stance against British power over India. After numerous run ins with him, and a need to ensure the little orphan girl that he adopted from the dock is well taken care of, she feels the need to visit him regularly. After her arrival to India, she also must stumble along the path of succumbing to serving Charles as an obedient wife, a task much harder for her strong willed mind. Coverdale highlights on the expectations of women in early 20th century and how some women, like Sarah, had to change their way of thought and want of lifestyle to conform to society and survive their husbands at times. In Sarah's case, she slowly learns that she cannot survive living the English way of life in India when she consistently witnesses the joys and freedom Indian women around her have. As she searches for answers of her unknown past, she also finds courage to make an unheard of decision for her own well being.
The writing style of Jasmine Wife was a bit difficult to follow until I got a few chapters into the book. Flashbacks occur throughout the book, but some are hard to determine so until you reach the next paragraph break. The symbology of a jasmine flower is so wonderfully used here. A jasmine flower's petals are quite beautiful until they are touched, and then suddenly they turn brown and wilt. Life in India for British women is similar. They appear so beautiful and pure, until they are touched by the sight of Indian culture and realize what they could have but are forbidden against due to British customs. It is then that they wilt like a jasmine flower.
As a student currently pursuing my history degree, I absolutely loved this book! If you are a fan of historical romance, I highly recommend you snag a copy of this book!
June 23, 2019
Jasmine wilts and fades! This historical romance intrigues!
"Sara Archer, a good plain name for a good plain girl, though with her unusual colouring and high cheekbones she should have been a beauty."
Magical story of a young English woman, born in India during the time of the British Raj, and sent to family in England when her parents died.
A free thinker and member of a Female Emancipation group, Sara decides to marry Charles Fitzroy and return to India to the warmth she remembers, physically and psychologically. Her return to India is put off for months as her aunt falls seriously ill.
Unfortunately in India Sara finds herself in the middle of very uptight, narrow minded compatriots and having to "fit in" to a hidebound society she wants freedom from, who see the Indians and their culture as inferior and barbaric. This flies in the face of her memories and her emancipation thoughts.
Upon her arrival in Sara she meets the mysterious Ravi Sabran, a half French and half Indian gentleman, under distressing circumstances. This meeting will Place Sara on a life changing path, as if it were fated. It will challenge her, even as the man she married in England, dear Charles, reveals himself to be a racist prig, a cruel master and not at all what she expected. On the other hand Charles had expected that Sara, "despite her shortcomings", was a good choice "as a potential wife because he was sure she adored him, even though she did at times have an annoying habit of contradicting him on matters he felt she should know nothing about."
Memories and personal mysteries about her life before being sent as an orphan to England will also unravel for Sara.
Scents and sounds will lead the way. "Patchouli! ... no other perfume ... spoke the essence of India with as much power."
I enjoyed every minute of Sara's developing life's story. I could envision the colors, the sights and the smells. A well written exotic historical romance with just the right amount of tension and intrigue to keep me guessing.
A Harper Impulse ARC via NetGalley
"Sara Archer, a good plain name for a good plain girl, though with her unusual colouring and high cheekbones she should have been a beauty."
Magical story of a young English woman, born in India during the time of the British Raj, and sent to family in England when her parents died.
A free thinker and member of a Female Emancipation group, Sara decides to marry Charles Fitzroy and return to India to the warmth she remembers, physically and psychologically. Her return to India is put off for months as her aunt falls seriously ill.
Unfortunately in India Sara finds herself in the middle of very uptight, narrow minded compatriots and having to "fit in" to a hidebound society she wants freedom from, who see the Indians and their culture as inferior and barbaric. This flies in the face of her memories and her emancipation thoughts.
Upon her arrival in Sara she meets the mysterious Ravi Sabran, a half French and half Indian gentleman, under distressing circumstances. This meeting will Place Sara on a life changing path, as if it were fated. It will challenge her, even as the man she married in England, dear Charles, reveals himself to be a racist prig, a cruel master and not at all what she expected. On the other hand Charles had expected that Sara, "despite her shortcomings", was a good choice "as a potential wife because he was sure she adored him, even though she did at times have an annoying habit of contradicting him on matters he felt she should know nothing about."
Memories and personal mysteries about her life before being sent as an orphan to England will also unravel for Sara.
Scents and sounds will lead the way. "Patchouli! ... no other perfume ... spoke the essence of India with as much power."
I enjoyed every minute of Sara's developing life's story. I could envision the colors, the sights and the smells. A well written exotic historical romance with just the right amount of tension and intrigue to keep me guessing.
A Harper Impulse ARC via NetGalley
January 14, 2024
Începutul este destul de lent, dar intrigat. Descoperim o mică parte din viața Sarei și ne pregătim pentru aventura pe care o va avea în India.
De Sara mi-a plăcut, i-am înțeles deciziile și pot doar să îmi imaginez cât de dificil era să fii femeie în acele vremuri. Viața ei nu era în propriile mâine, dar a făcut tot ce a putut ca să obțină libertatea mult dorită.
Pe Charles nu l-am agreat de când l-am întâlnit, în primele capitole, în schimb Ravi mi-a atras atenția din primul moment în care a apărut. Mi-a plăcut contrastul dintre cei doi.🥰
Această carte este o ficțiune istorică de dragoste și chiar dacă nu este genul meu de lectură, spre final m-am pierdut în poveste și mi-am dorit un final fericit pentru protagoniști.
M-am bucurat de informațiile despre India, cum a fost conturat peisajul specific, dar și micile informații despre această populație. Cred că mi-a deschis apetitul pentru cărțile cu acțiunea în această țară.
Nu m-am simțit prea atrasă de poveste în primele 150-200 de pagini și am avansat destul de greu. Dar dacă vă plac ficțiunile istorice îmbinate cu povești de dragoste, îi puteți da o șansă.
De Sara mi-a plăcut, i-am înțeles deciziile și pot doar să îmi imaginez cât de dificil era să fii femeie în acele vremuri. Viața ei nu era în propriile mâine, dar a făcut tot ce a putut ca să obțină libertatea mult dorită.
Pe Charles nu l-am agreat de când l-am întâlnit, în primele capitole, în schimb Ravi mi-a atras atenția din primul moment în care a apărut. Mi-a plăcut contrastul dintre cei doi.🥰
Această carte este o ficțiune istorică de dragoste și chiar dacă nu este genul meu de lectură, spre final m-am pierdut în poveste și mi-am dorit un final fericit pentru protagoniști.
M-am bucurat de informațiile despre India, cum a fost conturat peisajul specific, dar și micile informații despre această populație. Cred că mi-a deschis apetitul pentru cărțile cu acțiunea în această țară.
Nu m-am simțit prea atrasă de poveste în primele 150-200 de pagini și am avansat destul de greu. Dar dacă vă plac ficțiunile istorice îmbinate cu povești de dragoste, îi puteți da o șansă.
February 2, 2025
Nu prea a curs... Romanele de dragoste sunt asa sece, desi asta avea ocazia sa fie mai fun si exotic. Comentariile interne ale eroinei / vocea naratorului inunda de xenofobie pana pe ultima pagina. Si la sfarsit a zis "da-o dracu pe Prema", se pare (ca si pe toata durata cartii, de fapt) 🤨
Si de ce descrierea de pe spatele cartii e despre ce se intampla in punctul 80% din carte?
2/5
Si de ce descrierea de pe spatele cartii e despre ce se intampla in punctul 80% din carte?
2/5
March 28, 2025
This book had a solid start and steadily went downhill.
September 1, 2019
This book is beautifully written. The imagery is top notch. I was absolutely transported and immersed in the sights and smells of Colonial India. The beginning is very reminiscent of The Secret Garden so I was a little concerned that it was going to be a cheap knock off version but after Sarah was swept away to England by her aunt the parallels ended and the story began to stand on its own legs. Sarah is a likeable character that you want to root for, she may be a proper English lady but she isn't the pushover that society expects her to be thank goodness, and as the story builds so does her self assurance and backbone. This is a love story of star crossed lovers, but it is also a tale of homecoming and destiny. Towards the end it seemed a bit hurried, I would have liked more drama in the (anti) climactic parts, but instead it sort of fizzles out. You get a mostly satisfactory ending but certain parts of storyline ended up a bit abandoned for some reason. The entire book there is a lot of emphasis placed on the terrible hatred between Charles and Ravi but you never really find out why, and there is no real conflict between them as you would expect. I also find it a little difficult to believe that Ravi would just turn tale and run to another country after Charles basically killed Maya, especially after being painted as such a tough guy the whole time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2021
40% through and I'm done with this book - it's not for me. I'm not engaged with any of the characters or with the plot, and I find it deeply lacks a sense of place, and for a novel about British people living in southern India - that's a big flaw.
June 18, 2019
Well, first off I would just like to say that the comparison to Lucinda Riley couldn’t be any closer to the truth if it tried!! I was as swept away with The Jasmine Wife as I was when I first read The Seven Sisters and I read this book in one sitting reading right through the night forgoing sleep barely noticing the hours ticking by.
I will admit at the beginning I did find the writing style a little disconcerting in places due to the inner dialogues of the characters switching mid paragraph but it soon became natural and it just flowed effortlessly across the pages. Other than that I cannot fault this book at all. Even the fact that I had guessed what was revealed didn’t detract anything away because it was told in such a beautiful way the writing just kept on flowing with glorious detail so you could almost feel the heat of the Indian sun beating down on you, even at 4am tucked up in bed in chilly Devon.
It is a tale of love, heartache, sadness and joy, set in India in a very English town, even called White Town by the upper class citizens and it follows the life of newly wed Sara Fitzroy as she leaves England to begin her new life in a country she has longed to return to. She was born and began life in India but the death of both her parents when she was very young saw her retuned to live with her auntie in a stuffy upper middle class parlour room, of which she never felt she belonged. If she had stayed in England she was well on her way to becoming a Suffragette, but such things were not deemed to be correct so once married she is expected to conform to all the unwritten rules of society that go hand in hand with what is expected of a respectable lady.
As hard as she tries to fit in and to conform, soon Sara begins to rail against her constraints, ones that are strictly adhered to by her bigoted, controlling husband and his collection of friends, Lord and Lady Palmer and their deplorable daughter Cynthia. But there is one person who moves through this collection of snobbish society that also doesn’t belong, Monsieur Ravi Sabran. She soon feels the pull of this man who doesn’t belong and who isn’t accepted by the elite polite society and her world opens up to something completely unexpected by her, and as she explores the other parts of town, Blacktown, seeking out friendship of people her husband forbids her to associate with she discovers things about herself and about her parents that she had no idea existed.
You can’t help not to become invested in Sara as she fights her way through the shark infested waters of so called polite society and she is now one of my favourite female protagonists in the historical romance genre. She is relatable even in todays society and her growing dislike of both her husband and the wonderfully deplorable Lady Palmer becomes your dislike as well, you can feel the deepening disdain seeping off the pages. As does the love towards Ravi and her old ayah, Malika.
This book is filled with stunning locations, places and characters with a story that sweeps you away to its far off shores that is both as memorable as it is beautiful.
If you are a fan of historical romances then this is one debut novel you really won’t want to miss and Jane Coverdale will be one author that will soon become a firm favourite.
Sorry if I waxed lyrical but I can’t recommend this book highly enough! 😁
The Jasmine Wife will be published on 21 June 2019 and is available to pre order now
https://debbiesbookreviews.wordpress....
I will admit at the beginning I did find the writing style a little disconcerting in places due to the inner dialogues of the characters switching mid paragraph but it soon became natural and it just flowed effortlessly across the pages. Other than that I cannot fault this book at all. Even the fact that I had guessed what was revealed didn’t detract anything away because it was told in such a beautiful way the writing just kept on flowing with glorious detail so you could almost feel the heat of the Indian sun beating down on you, even at 4am tucked up in bed in chilly Devon.
It is a tale of love, heartache, sadness and joy, set in India in a very English town, even called White Town by the upper class citizens and it follows the life of newly wed Sara Fitzroy as she leaves England to begin her new life in a country she has longed to return to. She was born and began life in India but the death of both her parents when she was very young saw her retuned to live with her auntie in a stuffy upper middle class parlour room, of which she never felt she belonged. If she had stayed in England she was well on her way to becoming a Suffragette, but such things were not deemed to be correct so once married she is expected to conform to all the unwritten rules of society that go hand in hand with what is expected of a respectable lady.
As hard as she tries to fit in and to conform, soon Sara begins to rail against her constraints, ones that are strictly adhered to by her bigoted, controlling husband and his collection of friends, Lord and Lady Palmer and their deplorable daughter Cynthia. But there is one person who moves through this collection of snobbish society that also doesn’t belong, Monsieur Ravi Sabran. She soon feels the pull of this man who doesn’t belong and who isn’t accepted by the elite polite society and her world opens up to something completely unexpected by her, and as she explores the other parts of town, Blacktown, seeking out friendship of people her husband forbids her to associate with she discovers things about herself and about her parents that she had no idea existed.
You can’t help not to become invested in Sara as she fights her way through the shark infested waters of so called polite society and she is now one of my favourite female protagonists in the historical romance genre. She is relatable even in todays society and her growing dislike of both her husband and the wonderfully deplorable Lady Palmer becomes your dislike as well, you can feel the deepening disdain seeping off the pages. As does the love towards Ravi and her old ayah, Malika.
This book is filled with stunning locations, places and characters with a story that sweeps you away to its far off shores that is both as memorable as it is beautiful.
If you are a fan of historical romances then this is one debut novel you really won’t want to miss and Jane Coverdale will be one author that will soon become a firm favourite.
Sorry if I waxed lyrical but I can’t recommend this book highly enough! 😁
The Jasmine Wife will be published on 21 June 2019 and is available to pre order now
https://debbiesbookreviews.wordpress....
January 17, 2024
Sara a rămas orfana la vârsta de 6 ani, fiind smulsa din India, de lângă doica ei, Malika, si fiind obligata sa locuiască în Anglia alături de mătușa și de unchiul ei, doi oameni reci și distanți, care nu au reușit și nici măcar nu au dorit sa se apropie de ea sau sa ii ofere informații cu privire la părinții ei, în special cu privire la mama ei. A dus o viata grea în Anglia, fiind nevoita sa stea la internat și neavând parte de iubire. Chiar dacă primește o educație englezeasca, Sara este fascinata de India cu privire la care are doar amintiri vagi, dar care o atrag ca un magnet. Asa ca, atunci când se ivește ocazia, alege sa se căsătorească cu Charles. Se convinge singura ca îl iubește, dar oare chiar asa e?
Sau își dorește prea mult sa se întoarcă în India și el este singurul care ii oferă aceasta șansă?
Charles și Sara se căsătoresc, însă plecarea ei în India este amânată cu un an din cauza unei boli grave, în urma careia mătușa ei moare.
Viata în India avea sa o ia prin surprindere. Încă de când a ajuns în port s-au petrecut evenimente care aveau sa ii schimbe destinul. Întâlnirea cu misteriosul Ravi Sabran, un gentleman pe jumătate francez, pe jumătate indian, un om al contrastelor asemenea Indiei, avea sa ii dea viata peste cap.
Cu toate ca a fost avertizata în nenumărate rânduri cu privire la acesta, nu a putut sa păstreze distanta. Ravi era exclus din rândul societății engleze, datorita faptului ca provenea dintr-o rasa mixta și se aștepta de la Sara sa stea cât mai departe de el. Soțul ei, în special, ii impunea acest lucru. Îl ura cu toată forța pe Ravi, sentimentul fiind reciproc.
Treptat, Sara a inceput sa realizeze ca soțul ei o considera una dintre posesiunile lui. Mereu aștepta să facă ce ii zicea el si nu il interesa părerile ei. Dorea ca ea sa fie o soție asemenea celorlalte soții din societatea englezeasca, și anume, superficiala și cu preocupări lipsite de importanta. Dorea sa fie asemenea lui lady Palmer și fiicei acesteia, pe care le stima foarte mult. Însă Sara nu era asa. Fiecare cearta o îndepărta tot mai mult de Charles și o apropia tot mai mult de Ravi. Acesta era un om puternic, dur, misterios, exotic, fascinant, la fel ca India. Știa ca e periculos sa petreacă timp cu el, dar nu se putea abtine. Destinul ii aducea tot mai mult impreuna. Mai ales cand Sara a descoperit ca una dintre casele lui Ravi aparținuse, de fapt, părinților ei și când aflase ca mama ei avea origini indiene.
Cu toate ca cei doi nu au putut sa mai nege ce simt unul pentru celalalt, chiar dacă Sara era căsătorită și Ravi era împreună cu frumoasa Maya, cu toate ca au trăit momente intense de iubire în casa maharajahului, soarta a făcut ca ei sa desparta după ce Maya s-a sinucis. Maya era căsătorită, iar Charles, soțul Sarei, a făcut tot ce i-a stat în putință sa încerce sa o ducă înapoi la soțul ei, deși știa ca acesta o va ucide. Însă Maya i-a luat-o înainte. A preferat sa se sinucidă decât sa se întoarcă la soțul ei. Ravi a fost devastat și s-a retras în Franța. A avut nevoie de timp pentru vindecare.
Abia după un timp s-a întors în casa care a fost a părinților Sarei și în care ea locuia acum datorita generozității lui, împreună cu fiica lor, de care Ravi nu știa nimic. Revederea a fost incarcata de emoție.
Mi-a plăcut povestea celor doi, cu toate ca a fost previzibila.
Mi-a plăcut ca am fost purtata pe un tărâm exotic, chiar dacă autoarea ar fi putut sa ofere mai multe detalii despre India din perioada în care era colonie britanica.
Este o lectura ușoară, relaxanta, dar frumoasa.
Sau își dorește prea mult sa se întoarcă în India și el este singurul care ii oferă aceasta șansă?
Charles și Sara se căsătoresc, însă plecarea ei în India este amânată cu un an din cauza unei boli grave, în urma careia mătușa ei moare.
Viata în India avea sa o ia prin surprindere. Încă de când a ajuns în port s-au petrecut evenimente care aveau sa ii schimbe destinul. Întâlnirea cu misteriosul Ravi Sabran, un gentleman pe jumătate francez, pe jumătate indian, un om al contrastelor asemenea Indiei, avea sa ii dea viata peste cap.
Cu toate ca a fost avertizata în nenumărate rânduri cu privire la acesta, nu a putut sa păstreze distanta. Ravi era exclus din rândul societății engleze, datorita faptului ca provenea dintr-o rasa mixta și se aștepta de la Sara sa stea cât mai departe de el. Soțul ei, în special, ii impunea acest lucru. Îl ura cu toată forța pe Ravi, sentimentul fiind reciproc.
Treptat, Sara a inceput sa realizeze ca soțul ei o considera una dintre posesiunile lui. Mereu aștepta să facă ce ii zicea el si nu il interesa părerile ei. Dorea ca ea sa fie o soție asemenea celorlalte soții din societatea englezeasca, și anume, superficiala și cu preocupări lipsite de importanta. Dorea sa fie asemenea lui lady Palmer și fiicei acesteia, pe care le stima foarte mult. Însă Sara nu era asa. Fiecare cearta o îndepărta tot mai mult de Charles și o apropia tot mai mult de Ravi. Acesta era un om puternic, dur, misterios, exotic, fascinant, la fel ca India. Știa ca e periculos sa petreacă timp cu el, dar nu se putea abtine. Destinul ii aducea tot mai mult impreuna. Mai ales cand Sara a descoperit ca una dintre casele lui Ravi aparținuse, de fapt, părinților ei și când aflase ca mama ei avea origini indiene.
Cu toate ca cei doi nu au putut sa mai nege ce simt unul pentru celalalt, chiar dacă Sara era căsătorită și Ravi era împreună cu frumoasa Maya, cu toate ca au trăit momente intense de iubire în casa maharajahului, soarta a făcut ca ei sa desparta după ce Maya s-a sinucis. Maya era căsătorită, iar Charles, soțul Sarei, a făcut tot ce i-a stat în putință sa încerce sa o ducă înapoi la soțul ei, deși știa ca acesta o va ucide. Însă Maya i-a luat-o înainte. A preferat sa se sinucidă decât sa se întoarcă la soțul ei. Ravi a fost devastat și s-a retras în Franța. A avut nevoie de timp pentru vindecare.
Abia după un timp s-a întors în casa care a fost a părinților Sarei și în care ea locuia acum datorita generozității lui, împreună cu fiica lor, de care Ravi nu știa nimic. Revederea a fost incarcata de emoție.
Mi-a plăcut povestea celor doi, cu toate ca a fost previzibila.
Mi-a plăcut ca am fost purtata pe un tărâm exotic, chiar dacă autoarea ar fi putut sa ofere mai multe detalii despre India din perioada în care era colonie britanica.
Este o lectura ușoară, relaxanta, dar frumoasa.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 14, 2020
In many ways I would love to rate the book higher as I can sympathize with the protagonist. Sara, raised in India until she was sent to England after being orphaned at age 6. Her constant friction against the English way of life is emblematic of an upbringing in two cultures. She rebels and questions the British's treatment of Indians. Though she doesn't rebel against the status quo in terms of class structure where the British rule on top. The other white English people are clearly villains, depicted as vain and close minded.
Set during British rule of India, it seems like every page of Jasmine Wife paints an image of the English's racist beliefs and behaviour. Of this, I am glad to have read this book as too easily it's more comfortable to accept a narrative of the past that paints the English as sole arbiters of moral reason and civilization. It was very interesting to discover through this novel about the French presence in India and how they aided in Indian freedom movement from the British. Though whether that could just be a simple desire to take more commercial control away from their historic rivals or actual altruistic desires to see a people free, the French are definitely portrayed in a more flattering light. Through this book, I wish there was more attention focused on the romantic figure's quest to liberate his country. Ravi is often *rumoured* to be doing something for the freedom movement or he just disappears from the story to 'conduct business'. Given Sara's own displeasure of the British Raj's treatment of India, I felt that the story could have committed to exploring the actual attempts at freedom.
And now it comes time to talk about the depiction of the Indian characters in the novel. Save for a couple of characters that had the benefit of education or class, most Indian characters speak in simple English (or none at all). One female Indian character remains wordless and has a "complete lack of will to live" without Ravi. Ravi, the love interest, is portrayed like other romance figures but with a dash of Orientalism when it comes to describing how his clothing and hair. The way his hair is constantly described as long and unbound only made me picture Fabio...but Indian.
But overall, I liked that the attraction built between the two characters was developed on each other's personality instead of solely being reliant on looks. Ravi finds Sara attractive but only really develops an interest when he sees her treatment of other Indians and how she stands apart from the other British. Sara's personal conflict resolves but the greater macro-conflict of the British rule still persists. While the story ends on a happy note, I personally wondered about the legacy of British rule and the effect of Partition (that would happen in the next century) on India.
Set during British rule of India, it seems like every page of Jasmine Wife paints an image of the English's racist beliefs and behaviour. Of this, I am glad to have read this book as too easily it's more comfortable to accept a narrative of the past that paints the English as sole arbiters of moral reason and civilization. It was very interesting to discover through this novel about the French presence in India and how they aided in Indian freedom movement from the British. Though whether that could just be a simple desire to take more commercial control away from their historic rivals or actual altruistic desires to see a people free, the French are definitely portrayed in a more flattering light. Through this book, I wish there was more attention focused on the romantic figure's quest to liberate his country. Ravi is often *rumoured* to be doing something for the freedom movement or he just disappears from the story to 'conduct business'. Given Sara's own displeasure of the British Raj's treatment of India, I felt that the story could have committed to exploring the actual attempts at freedom.
And now it comes time to talk about the depiction of the Indian characters in the novel. Save for a couple of characters that had the benefit of education or class, most Indian characters speak in simple English (or none at all). One female Indian character remains wordless and has a "complete lack of will to live" without Ravi. Ravi, the love interest, is portrayed like other romance figures but with a dash of Orientalism when it comes to describing how his clothing and hair. The way his hair is constantly described as long and unbound only made me picture Fabio...but Indian.
But overall, I liked that the attraction built between the two characters was developed on each other's personality instead of solely being reliant on looks. Ravi finds Sara attractive but only really develops an interest when he sees her treatment of other Indians and how she stands apart from the other British. Sara's personal conflict resolves but the greater macro-conflict of the British rule still persists. While the story ends on a happy note, I personally wondered about the legacy of British rule and the effect of Partition (that would happen in the next century) on India.
June 12, 2020
Set in India during the British rule, The Jasmine Wife is a cruel story of well-hiden family secrets, colonialist abuses and impossible love stories.
Most of the main characters do struggle with their own impulses and choices made under the influence of their strong feelings. Within the tragi-comical members of the Madras English-speaking community, one is supposed to rule and divide, mistreat their house helps and play the game of appearances. There is a safe world that was created, that Sara Archer, recently married witrh the district magistrate Charles Fitzroy is not obliged to protect.
In a very non-assuming way, at least at the beginning, she is getting close to her husband´s enemy Ravi Sabran, a mysterious powerful local character described by Fitzroy as a ´half-caste mongrel´. The stories of winning her independence from her husband, until the dramatic separation, and that of the evolving passion with Sabran are pushing forward Sara´s own reconnection with her Indian origins.
This part of the story, unfortunately, seems for me the most artificious one: although she left India after the death of her parents at an age when memories are relatively clear, coming back home does not mean for her automatically tracing her lost life. It takes an impressive amount of time until she will return to her childhood house and she seems not curious to clear her personal history.
Despite this shortcoming, The Jasmine Wife is a passionate story of impossible love meant to be, about tragical political realities and women emancipation. In a time when colonialism and racist policies are brought again into the limelight, it is time for at least a literary meditation about how the colonialist empires operates within the territories they took over. The meaninful ways in which a love story was inserted in this context is the merit of the author´s writing skills.
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Most of the main characters do struggle with their own impulses and choices made under the influence of their strong feelings. Within the tragi-comical members of the Madras English-speaking community, one is supposed to rule and divide, mistreat their house helps and play the game of appearances. There is a safe world that was created, that Sara Archer, recently married witrh the district magistrate Charles Fitzroy is not obliged to protect.
In a very non-assuming way, at least at the beginning, she is getting close to her husband´s enemy Ravi Sabran, a mysterious powerful local character described by Fitzroy as a ´half-caste mongrel´. The stories of winning her independence from her husband, until the dramatic separation, and that of the evolving passion with Sabran are pushing forward Sara´s own reconnection with her Indian origins.
This part of the story, unfortunately, seems for me the most artificious one: although she left India after the death of her parents at an age when memories are relatively clear, coming back home does not mean for her automatically tracing her lost life. It takes an impressive amount of time until she will return to her childhood house and she seems not curious to clear her personal history.
Despite this shortcoming, The Jasmine Wife is a passionate story of impossible love meant to be, about tragical political realities and women emancipation. In a time when colonialism and racist policies are brought again into the limelight, it is time for at least a literary meditation about how the colonialist empires operates within the territories they took over. The meaninful ways in which a love story was inserted in this context is the merit of the author´s writing skills.
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
November 27, 2024
I’m glad to finally read a romance book after what seems like ages! There is a short and sweet intro into Sara’s life which I love as it doesn’t drag on and so far a great read if you are into reading female centric books. It’s mostly focused on Sara’s struggles and how she tries to make a mark and space for herself in a place and time where it wasn’t custom to do so. I love how she comes across as a more open minded individual who loves to learn and is full of empathy and cares for those around her. Sara is portrayed as a simple character and is easily relatable and she just wants to be free, help others and wants to be loved and accepted. One of those books that is a one time read as it is a work of fiction but if it was turned into a film then maybe I’d watch it? Jane Coverdale has done quite a fab job of describing the scenery of India and what the characters see as their travelling across the streets even on a day-to-day basis without going into too much detail. Perfect enough for me to visualise it without pausing the plot. For the most part of the book we see Sara’s struggle to defy Charles (her husband) and follow her heart and her ‘questionable’ relationship with Ravi - 65% into the book it’s still unsure if they consider each other friends and their still learning and forming opinions about each other - it would have been great if that sort of equation was established a little earlier in the book rather than their only connection being the little girl. A lot of coincidences and I have a feeling I know where the plot is heading but a sense of mystery still lingers. Towards the end of the book, all the secrets get revealed and it whatnot what I was expecting so I’m glad that suspense and mystery was still there. A very happy and wholesome ending of the book and I’m glad that I read it - a book that can be read pretty quickly although I did space it out over a week and a half.
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