Welcome to my stop on The Orphan of India blog tour by Sharon Maas!
When I told Kim at Bookouture that I wanted something completely different from my regular reading to cleanse my palette, she recommended The Orphan of India by Sharon Maas, so, into this book I dove!
Surprising even myself, I was completely sucked into this story of love and loss within the first few sentences. Part coming of age drama and part historical fiction, Maas brilliantly captures the life of a little girl and the people who surround her.
Following British couple, Monika and Jack Kingsley, who are desperate for a family of their own. On a charity trip to India, they come across Jyothi, a small girl living in poverty and who seeks comfort from the music she hears around her; the couple falls in love with her immediately. Fighting through red tape and culture they are unfamiliar with, Jyothi finally comes to England and deals with the struggle to fit into her new surroundings. Following her lifetime, Jyothi realizes the importance of embracing your future and confronting your past.
I really loved the beginning of the novel; with Monika and Jack arriving to Bombay, I really felt like I was there experiencing it with them. Vivid imagery and strong characters really showed the dichotomy diversity and the spread of British idealism and colonialism in the East. It really had a Slumdog Millionaire type of vibe, which I absolutely loved! Moving throughout the time in Bombay and the struggle to bring Jyothi to England, the relationship dynamic between Monika and Jack and the issues that come from becoming a new, blended family; I was absolutely hooked!
However, as much as I loved the beginning of this book, it felt like the plot switched gears half way through. Moving from Jyothi’s youth and following her journey, as she grew older and developed her own love story. I wasn’t actually a huge fan of this portion of the text. I feel like I would have liked it even better should the author have stayed with Jyothi and followed her youth.
Regardless, overall, I felt like this one was well worth the read!!
Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for a digital copy of this novel; it was my pleasure to provide an honest review. Advertisements Share this:- More
