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The Tea Planter's Wife: A Novel Audiobook
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#1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • 1920s Ceylon: A young Englishwoman marries a charming tea plantation owner and widower, only to discover he's keeping terrible secrets about his past, including what happened to his first wife, that lead to devastating consequences In this lush, atmospheric page-turner, nineteen-year-old Gwendolyn Hooper has married Laurence, the seductively mysterious owner of a vast tea empire in colonial Ceylon, after a whirlwind romance in London. When she joins him at his faraway tea plantation, she’s filled with hope for their life together, eager to take on the role of mistress of the house, learn the tea business, and start a family. But life in Ceylon is not what Gwen expected. The plantation workers are resentful, the neighbors and her new sister-in-law treacherous. Gwen finds herself drawn to a local Sinhalese man of questionable intentions and worries about her new husband’s connection to a brash American businesswoman. But most troubling are the unanswered questions surrounding Laurence’s first marriage. Why won’t anyone discuss the fate of his first wife? Who’s buried in the unmarked grave in the forest? As the darkness of her husband’s past emerges, Gwen is forced to make a devastating choice, one that could destroy their future and Gwen’s chance at happiness.
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“Narrator Avita Jay’s performance emphasizes the roller-coaster emotions in this story of family secrets, race, and privilege, set in 1920s Ceylon…Jay’s facility with Indian accents provides a strong foundation for her portrayals of the house servants and the other Southeast Asians…[and] in rendering the New York City accent of one of Gwen’s nemeses. The meandering plot of this audiobook takes a melodramatic turn—augmented by Jay’s stagey narration.”
— AudioFile
Quotes
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“Rich and incredibly evocative, The Tea Planter’s Wife is historical fiction at its very best.”
— Sunday Express (London) -
“Love, suspense, guilt, and hidden secrets with an underlying theme of race relations seamlessly blend together in a timeless story of an innocent young Englishwoman struggling to find her place in colonial Ceylon.”
— New York Journal of Books -
“Ceylon, with its lush natural beauty, bustling city, and plantations appears to be paradise; yet beneath the glorious colors, there is political unrest. The intrigue and suspense add a Gothic flair to Jeffries’ fast-moving plot and evocative atmosphere.”
— RT Book Reviews (4 stars) -
“An engrossing tale of mystery, manners, and prejudice set against the backdrop of Ceylon (current-day Sri Lanka)…a suspenseful tale in which characters’ complex motivations converge in surprising ways.”
— Publishers Weekly
Awards
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A September 2016 LibraryReads Pick
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About Dinah Jefferies
Dinah Jefferies was born in Malaysia and moved to England at the age of nine. She has worked in education, lived in a commune, and exhibited work as an artist. Dinah’s first novel, The Separation, was published in 2013; The Tea Planter’s Wife is her second novel. She is a contributor to the London Guardian and other newspapers.
About Avita Jay
Avita Jay, a graduate of Drama Studio London, is an audiobook narrator and a British actress with significant stage experience. She has appeared in several television shows, including L8tr and The East London Story: Slap or Die.