The Sapphire Widow by Dinah Jefferies is a historical romance that is set in Ceylon during 1935. This author knows about growing up in a British Colony as she herself was born and raised in Malaya during the last years of the British Empire. Her details and research cannot be faulted here she provides some interesting information on the flora and fauna of this exotic island. The story is rather typical for this type of book, the main character, Louisa Reeve, is living in a bubble, very much in love with her handsome husband and totally unaware that he is addicted to gambling and is seeing another woman, in fact, he has had a child with this other woman.

When tragedy strikes, Louisa must brace herself and learn to pick up the pieces. She discovers that her partner hasn’t been the picture perfect fellow that she thought he was. Although suffering grief and shock, she is determined to get answers. Also she finds herself being threatened by strange men who are demanding she make good on her husbands’ debts.

The bulk of the book has Louisa learning to trust and find love again as she develops her business and learns to come to terms with her past. Even though the book is quite lengthy I did find that the ending felt rushed. After building the suspense slowly over the course of some 350 pages, everything is revealed and worked out quickly which didn’t ring true to me. I would have liked the plot to have been a little more developed and the characters to have been a little more believable in their actions. ( )

In het Ceylon van 1935 komt een jonge weduwe erachter dat haar man schulden had en gaat ze op onderzoek uit om de waarheid te achterhalen ( )

When Dinah Jeffries writes about Ceylon, you can smell it and sense it. The blossom, the flowers, the birds, she is excellent at evoking setting. ‘The Sapphire Widow’ is not her strongest book, but it is nevertheless an enjoyable read. Whatever it may lack in plot - a weakness I think because the main character is the wronged one, rather than with a secret of her own to hide – it is a fascinating glimpse of mid-Thirties Ceylon and a beautiful seaside town.
It is 1936 in Galle on the southernmost tip of Ceylon. Louisa Reeve and her husband Elliot seem to have it all except, after a series of miscarriages, a child. Louisa, who wonders if she will ever be a mother, is often alone as Elliot spends his spare time sailing with friends and on a cinnamon plantation in which he is an investor. But when tragedy hits Louisa discovers Elliot’s life, investments and hobbies were not as he told her. As she deals with one lie after another, Louisa continues to develop Sapphire, the retail emporium originally planned with Elliot and which provides the novel’s title.
Given the title I expected the gemstone business of Louisa’s father, and where Elliot worked, to be prominent in the plot. It is however lightly sketched and I felt rather short-changed. The description of the cinnamon plantation is fascinating though, as is the Galle setting, though at times it felt as if local history was being shoehorned in. Towards the end the plot went a little haywire, not what I was expecting. Frustrating, I was left feeling there was a deeper, more emotional story to be told.
An interesting read but not her finest. If you are new to Dinah Jeffries, start with ‘The Tea Planter’s Wif’e rather than this.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/ ( )

This was an interesting story largely about moving on and learning to live after a deep act of betrayal. I found it a little bit slow to get through, but the last few chapters really picked up the pace and held my interest. There were a few elements of the story that I did not like, but overall it was a good read. I've had The Tea Planter's Wife, by this same author, on my TBR list for a while, and after reading this book I am definitely still interested in picking that one up. If you like historical romance with a bit of mystery thrown in the mix, you should give this book a shot. Thanks to First to Read for the advance copy. ( )

This book felt very similar to a previous novel I read by the same author, The Tea Planter's Wife - it even featured a few of the same characters. The book is centered on Louisa, who finds herself widowed and facing mysterious debts and unfinished business her husband left behind. Most devastating is the revelation that Louisa's husband had a mistress and an illegitimate son. As the novel progresses, Louisa struggles to make her peace with her husband's legacy and to find new ways to seek fulfillment. A good read, but one that I wish did more justice to its locale. ( )