This book is personally very close to my heart. It is one of those books which leave an impression on your mind and heart forever. Of course, knowing Assam and its tea culture helped a lot in understanding the author’s insights into the acres and acres of Tea Estate and the quiet yet invigorating life that one lives in the ‘Bagan’.
Let’s take a look at what SOUL’s favorite reviewer, Meenal Upadhyaya, has to say about the love of Layla and Manik set in the midst of the dreamy Tea Gardens of Assam.
Review:
I started reading this book on the recommendation of a fellow book lover and because of the interesting storyline. A story set in pre-independence times in the tea estates of Assam certainly made for an engrossing read!
The story begins in 1943 in Assam and we are introduced to the main protagonists, Layla and Manik who are considered misfits in the society. Layla is a young well-educated woman thanks to her progressive grandfather Dadamoshai but unfortunately she is considered a ‘bad luck child’ by the superstitious society she lives in. She has therefore decided not to marry but pursue a career in education. Manik has completed his education from England and takes up a job as a Manager at Aynakhal, a tea estate in Assam.
We are initially introduced to life on a tea-estate through a series of letters exchanged between Layla and Manik and then through the eyes of Layla when she marries Manik and moves to Aynakhal.
The text is rich and highly descriptive and paints a beautiful canvas of the culture and history of the Hindus, Muslims, and British living in the tea plantations of Assam in pre-Independence India. Any story of fiction needs some great secondary characters and here we find a diverse set of characters who add humor and pathos to the story. The events at Layla and Manik’s wedding will definitely make you laugh!
We see how the changes in world politics and local politics affect the relationship of Layla and Manik and make them stronger and thus more endearing to the reader.
I’m looking forward to more books from Shona Patel. Highly recommended!
Leave your thoughts and comments below and don’t forget to ‘like’ us, if you enjoyed reading the article.
Alternatively you can also write to us at romasb.soul@gmail.com
Book: Teatime for the Firefly
Author: Shona Patel
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Available at: http://www.amazon.in/Teatime-Firefly-Shona-Patel/dp/0778315479
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17622960-teatime-for-the-firefly
http://www.contemporarybrokers.com, http://www.columbia.edu, http://blog.railyatri.in, http://www.thehindu.com
https://itsallpartoftheplan.files.wordpress.com, http://www.flamingotravels.com
