What do readers think of The Tea Planter's Wife by Dinah Jefferies? Write your own review.

As I began to read The Tea Planter's Wife, I was transported to another time & place, Ceylon, now Sri Lanka , 1913-1934. The author's detailed language created pictures of the place, the characters, the tea factory, a woman's world in the early 1900s, even race relations.

A good story keeps a reader invested in the details, wondering 'What will happen next?' Dinah Jefferies did just that. For this reason I recommend this book.

This was for me, a quick read, and most definitely a "chic book", with some intrigue thrown in.

While touching on some historical elements to make it believable, the ending was somewhat unrealistic and not necessarily plausible given that it was the main focus of the main protagonist, Gwen throughout the novel. There really was only one explanation for the main action taken by Gwen, yet the reader was led to believe that Gwen's confusion was mostly naive and reactionary given her young age and mere isolation in the setting of Ceylon.

I would recommend this book as a light, entertaining read.

The Tea Planter's Wife by Dinah Jefferies is a journey into Ceylon, a lush country, taking place early in 1900. Gwendolyn Hooper is a very likable character, if very young and naive. There is at least one lesson to be learned from this story and that is keeping secrets leads to misconceptions, misunderstandings and often unhappiness. I think it would appeal to book clubs, given the variety of characters and their personalities. I enjoyed the book but found the author much too descriptive, using far too many adjectives.

I enjoyed this book and read it very quickly, in about 3 days. It kept my attention and I was interested enough in the characters to find out what happened to them. The one character I did not like, was Laurence's sister. I'm still not quite sure why she acted the way she did all these years later and to me, she came across as a spoiled, self-centered brat. This story did have some interesting theories and I feel like it brought the age-old problem of race relations out in the open. I did feel like the wife was somewhat timid although I guess that was normal in the time period this took place in. It just seemed like there was a lot of dancing around issues that would have been out in the open now. All in all, I enjoyed the book and think it would be excellent for book clubs to read. The only reason I gave it four stars instead of five is that I felt like some of the story kind of dragged on at times.

The central character in Dinah Jefferies' The Tea Planter's Wife says of a novel she is reading: "It's so vivid, and exciting, you really think you're there." Another character replies: "A little unrealistic though." To which our heroine replies: "True, but I like to lose myself in a story." This passage sums up Jefferies novel: it draws one in with its atmospheric setting on a wealthy tea planation in 1930s Ceylon, and its far-fetched, intricate plot keeps the reader turning pages. Ultimately, however, the author's superficial knowledge of Colonial era Ceylon (she praises the internet and YouTube for their help) and stock characters (handsome heroes, plucky heroines, scheming Other Women) leaves one hungry for more in-depth fare.

The Tea Planter's Wife is a lush tale of 19 year old blushing bride Gwen, who leaves the familiarity of England to join her considerably older husband Lawrence in Ceylon, where he runs the family tea plantation. There are mysteries about the death of Lawrence's first wife Caroline; the beginnings of rebellion by workers; references to Gandhi; caste dissension between the Sinhalese and Tamils; jealousies; family secrets; and the last vestiges of the Raj society. This novel, though flawed, gave me insights into the bravery of women embarking on journeys to new worlds at a time before commercial flight. I felt empathy for Gwen.

While I truly enjoyed the book and could not out it down, a part of me felt this was a novel written in the 20th rather than the 21st century. A few instances of overt racism, while appropriate to the time and place, felt so what manipulative to me and caused me to feel the author took the easy way out in to avoid the characters facing a social and moral dilemma. Overall; however, this was a good read.

This book was easy and quick to read and held my attention. The Tea Planter's Wife is a historical fiction novel that takes place in Ceylon (which is now Sri Lanka,) between 1913 and 1933. The book intrigued me because of it's setting. The history of the area, the culture and the tea trade was something I did not know anything about. I was fascinated by the author's description of the tea factory and inner working of a tea empire. However, I did find myself wishing that the author would incorporate more of this history into the novel.
Family relationships, romance, discrimination, loss, and the keeping of secrets were all themes in this novel. Gwen, the main character, was developed well. I did wish there was a little more information about Gwen's husband, Laurence, and his sister, Verity. What emotions ran through their heads? What were the motives for their actions?
I think this is an excellent vacation read, interesting and easy. I enjoyed this book for the simplicity, after reading a heavier novel, this was perfect. I wanted to learn the secrets at the end of the novel, and quickly finished the book.

I liked The Tea Planter's Wife. The unanswered questions of Savi's intentions toward the various women in the story, Gwendolyn's interpretations of what was happening and had happened in the past, Laurence's not revealing the family history, Verity's treachery and manipulations, the story of twins raised apart— all compose an interesting story. I liked the history of Ceylon that the book revealed. I was glad the book delved into, to some extent, the mistreatment of the workers. There certainly were "haves' and "have nots" in this system. I did lose my patience concerning the poor communication between Gwendolyn and Laurence, but perhaps that was how it was at that time. The book seemed a bit long, but not a bad read.