I read three 5 star books in May. Three very different but brilliant books. However, A Daughter’s Courage, by Renita D’Silva is the winner because I was completely absorbed by this beautiful and heart breaking story ❤
How much would you sacrifice to save your family?
1929. When a passionate love affair threatens to leave Lucy in disgrace, she chooses a respectable marriage over a life of shame. With her husband, coffee plantation owner James, she travels to her new home in India, leaving her troubled past behind her.
Everything in India is new to Lucy, from the jewel-coloured fabrics to the exotic spices. When her path crosses that of Gowri, a young woman who tends the temple on the plantation’s edge, Lucy is curious to find out more about her, and the events that lead her to live in isolation from her family…
Now. With her career in shatters and her heart broken by the man she thought was her future, Kavya flees from bustling Mumbai to her hometown. A crumbling temple has been discovered in a village nearby, and with it letters detailing its tragic history – desperate pleas from a young woman called Gowri.
As Kavya learns of Gowri and Lucy’s painful story, she begins to understand the terrible sacrifices that were made and the decision the two women took that changed their lives forever. Can the secrets of the past help Kavya to rebuild her life?
A breath-taking journey through the rolling hills of India, deep into the secrets hidden within a family. For fans of Santa Montefiore, Dinah Jefferies and Victoria Hislop.
My Review:
Renita D’Silva has done it again. After reading A Mother’s Secret last year, I thought nothing could impact on me like that again. I even went into this book feeling confident that I know this author’s writing style. I know what to expect and I know this book will make me cry. Yet, even though I knew all those things and tried to prepare myself for what was to come, including having a packet of tissues near me at all times, I am still sat here completely heart broken and in tears over what this truly sensational story has put me through emotionally over the last few days.
A Daughter’s Courage is stunning, in that it is both remarkable and overwhelming. How a story can be so beautiful yet harrowing at the same time, shows the true talent of this author. Renita’s words are like liquid gold, trickling down the pages, enriching them with precious prose.
While part way through this book I ended up crying proper ugly tears. My few minutes in the shower each morning is my quiet relaxation time before my day of work begins. But a couple of days ago I spent that time crying my eyes out, my tears washed away by the water from the shower, only to be replaced with more, as my heart broke for one of the characters in this book. I desperately wanted to save her and take away her loneliness. My soul wanted to travel to India and bring her back here. How can a fictional character feel so real, and cause such strong emotions within me?
This book even took over my dreams. My mind was completely mesmerised by the cottage, temple and its enchanting surroundings. The vivid dreams on the first night of reading this book were both magical yet unnervingly haunting. I woke up the following morning feeling strange, like I had really been in India all night instead of sleeping in my bed. In hindsight, it was as if my subconscious was warning me of things to come. Allowing me to be enticed by the magic of the Indian location, but at the same time warning me I was about to give my heart and soul to this place, and will not escape until the end of the book. I felt trapped, like a bird that has had its wings clipped, unable to fly away to a safe place.
I cannot recommend this book enough. It gripped me emotionally and psychologically. My heart physically ached at the sadness and loss that was experienced by these wonderfully strong and determined characters. However, through it all is perhaps the one emotion that has kept the human race going, and that is one of hope. No matter what happens to you, always hold on to hope, because you never know where destiny may take you.
❤ Here is a photo of my beautiful signed copy of this wonderful book ❤
I’ve also included this woodland photo I took while my friend, Katie and I were out walking our dogs during the same time I was reading this book. The woods reminded me of Gowri’s enchanting surroundings. Each time I look at this photo a part of me expects Dog and Market Boy to appear
