Before the Rains is a beautifully written novel set in 1930s India. Dinah Jefferies transports the reader to the era and land with her wonderfully descriptive writing. The characters come alive and the story flows, making this an easily readable book that could not be put down.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

After all the murders and creeply plots, I knew I wanted to read something much different. I needed a book that allowed me to travel around the world in my mind and I knew Dinah Jefferies would be perfect for that. I had always wanetd to read her books but I didn't know where to start.

Before The Rains (don't you love the beautiful title?) was a captivating and colorful historical novel set in India. Eliza, a young widowed woman, is sent to Rajputana's castle to photograph the royal family during the course of a year. There, she falls in love with Jayant and discovers many secrets about her childhood and her family that she never knew about...

While this wasn't my favorite historical read, I found the the descriptions and the setting to be wonderful. Dinah Jefferies is a lovely writer and makes you feel like you're actually living the adventures along with the characters of her books, which is something I really appreciate. The beginning part was my favorite, where we get a glimpse of Eliza's childhood memories and her first days living in the castle. The ending was too neat in my opinion, I guess I wanted it to end differently.

The plot was appealing enough, I just wish there had been more family secrets and politics and less romance betweent those two. It's not that I disliked Jay or Eliza (in fact, Eliza was a pretty amazing main character: strong, considerate and smart), but I didn't connect with their relationship as much as I would've liked. Other characters like the queen and the young minituarist came across as fascinating and I wanted to know more about them.

In the end, Before The Rains was an evocative and beautifully-written book that perhaps felt a bit too long for me. Don't get me wrong, I highly recommend it if you're into historical fiction set in exotic locations, but I wish I could've loved the plot a bit more. Maybe the next one? I'm in.

Once again a five star review for this talented author.
With each book Dinah Jeffries writes we are taken on a journey to a difference time and transported to exotic locations.
I got lost in the story, the landscape and love story.
I cannot wait to read Dinah's next book.

I read my first book by Dinah Jefferies last year, The Tea Planter's Wife, and was completely blown away by that story. Therefore, when I was offered the chance to be part of the blog tour for Dinah's new book Before the Rains, I was very eager to do so. This book is the story of Eliza, and an Indian Prince called Jay. Eliza is employed as a photographer, there to photograph the Royal family as they go about their daily lives, but finds her life in India to be a little lonely. She befriends the Prince, and finds out there is more to him that meets the eye. He is determined to do good in his country, and seems happy to go against his family to fulfill his wishes. However, not everyone is happy about the friendship between the pair, and soon they are forced to face some harsh truths... that sometimes, love cannot conquer all...

I've only started reading historical fiction over the past few years, and there is something magical about reading a book and escaping to a time gone by, knowing that much of what you are reading about has actually happened, that people have really through these circumstances. In this book, we are in India in the 1930's, something I didn't know a lot about prior to reading this book. However, Jefferies has done so much research for this book, it's easy to picture the country, the people, the setting so easily, it really comes to life on the page, and is just an explosion of colour and imagery from the first few pages.

I liked the character of Eliza. She isn't exactly new to India, since she spent much of her childhood there with her parents, but this visit is the first time she has been back to the country alone as an adult. Eliza is very sympathetic to the Indian people, especially the poorer people, and is keen to help in whatever way she can. She seems to think the Indian customs and traditions are quite outdated, barbaric and not something she feels she wants to adhere to, but of course, she must, despite the fact they aren't her beliefs or traditions. I liked that she was a strong-minded female, determined not to kowtow to more powerful men around her, and I think is what attracted Jay to her in the first place.

The love story between these two was beautifully written, and is a slow burner. We sense right from their first meeting that there is a spark between the two of them, but both know that being together seems an impossibility, especially due to the fact Jay is a Royal, and must marry an Indian woman if he is to provide legitimate heirs for his family. Jay was different to his family, keen to help the poorest in his region thanks to his irrigation project idea, and seems keen to protect Eliza from some of the most questionable people around her, particularly his brother's aide, Chatur. I was hopeful that the pair would get their happy ending, but it seemed to unlikely, and I did feel sorry for Jay as he did seem torn between customs and traditions, and his heart.

The writing in this book is so evocative, it is crammed full of the colours, smells, sights and everything else perfectly Indian. The clothing, the flowers, the poverty-stricken villages, the castle, are all beautifully written by Jefferies, and the insights into the Indian customs are eye-opening. One in particular was horrific, a Sati, which is a widow-burning, since outliving your husband is thought to be a truly bad thing. This was barbaric, and I simply couldn't reason with it, it is unbelievable human beings can be treated in such a way. Overall, however, it was a glorious setting for a wonderful book, and definitely opened my eyes. The cast of characters was perfect, and I really did love Eliza and Jay, both together and as individuals. Jefferies' writing is perfect here, the words flow and set the scene with it, and I was completely transported away. A breathtaking read.

Back of the book :

1930, Rajputana, India.

Since her husband's death, 28-year-old photojournalist Eliza's only companion has been her camera. When the British Government send her to an Indian princely state to photograph the royal family, she's determined to make a name for herself.

But when Eliza arrives at the palace she meets Jay, the Prince's handsome, brooding brother. While Eliza awakens Jay to the poverty of his people, he awakens her to the injustices of British rule. Soon Jay and Eliza find they have more in common than they think. But their families - and society - think otherwise. Eventually they will have to make a choice between doing what's expected, or following their hearts. . .



What I think :

In Dec 1912, In India, Eliza and her mother Anna, witnessed the death of her father. He was in a state procession and someone threw a bomb and he was blown up. Thirteen years later, a widower herself, her husband was in a motor accident, she has managed to carve a career out for herself as a photojournalist. when a family friend, Clifford Salter, offers he a job to photograph the Indian royal family for a year, she jumps at the chance. Almost as soon as she gets there, she meets Prince Jayent, the younger brother of the current Prince apparent. She doesn't really take to him to start with, but as they start spending time together they become friends. As Eliza's time progresses in India she sees and hears things that shock and upset her. She also realises that there is a lot of poverty in that part of India. She goes to Jay for help, its then that they realise that their friendship is turning into something forbidden ....

I've always had a soft spot for Dinah's books, ever since I won a copy of 'The Separation' a couple of years ago. I always really look forward to Dinah's next book coming out. So you can imagine how excited I was when I was asked to be on the Blog Tour for this book. I really think that this is Dinah's best yet !

Dinah transported me back to 1930's India with her wonderful descriptions of the places, sights and sounds, also her brilliantly written characters make me feel as if I was in the background watching it all unfold first hand. I could almost smell the pungent spices and the acrid smoke.

I really couldn't and didn't put this book down, I read it all in two sittings.I highly recommend this brilliant book and give it a really well-earned 10/10.

I have read and enjoyed all of Dinah Jefferies previous books and Before The Rains didn't disappoint.

I loved this story of Eliza, a young widow trying to make a name for herself as a photojournalist, in 1930s India, and who has just been given a commission to spend a year living in the palace of Prince Anish, photographing the royal family and life in the princely state of Juraipore for a new archive.

Right from the start you get a real sense of the contrasts: the heat and dust and poverty Eliza sees surrounding the castle and the scents, colour and opulence of the interior. This is something I find the author does very well – her wonderful descriptions seem almost effortless but you get a great sense of time and place. You feel as if you know the place, although you couldn't possibly have been there. (I'm too young!) She is an excellent storyteller and the characters have a bit of depth.

It's a story of love, friendship, secrets, deceit, sacrifice, betrayal. There were a couple of twists although they weren't entirely unexpected. Overall, a very satisfying read.

Thanks netgalley for this ARC.

A new time period make this a fresh take for a Dinah Jefferies novel

Dinah Jefferies first came to my attention with her novel, the Silk Merchant’s Daughter and, like with Before the Rains, I was struck by the beautiful cover designs used on her books. The covers are sumptuous, with rich colours and little details showing you more about the setting of the novel within – I’m a sucker for judging a book by its cover, but in this case, the cover and the novel go perfectly hand in hand.

Eliza Fraser is a fantastic character with a deep sense of responsibility to her elderly mother, but still wishing to set out on her own and make a name for herself in photography, at a time when it was still unusual for women to have a career. Her determination that she will have a life, even after she is widowed, is in sharp contrast to the traditional view of widowhood in the India of the time – the tradition of widows being burned alongside their husbands is vividly depicted in all its horrific detail.

With the world watching, it’s difficult these days to paint authentic characters of colour, especially as a white author, but it was my impression that the Indian characters were portrayed in a sensitive way and Jay, our romantic lead, was multi-dimensional, and not just a handsome face.

The writing is beautifully descriptive, so evocative that you can almost feel the baking Indian sun on your face, and the historical detail is impeccable, without being shoehorned into the plot (a bugbear of mine!).

As with most romantic fiction, Eliza has many obstacles to overcome to reach her goal and her happiness, but it is a real pleasure to root for her, while absorbing an impression of colonial India, right on the cusp of change.

This review will appear on the link below approx 16th February

When Eliza Fraser was only eleven years old she witnessed her father’s death in Delhi – eighteen years later she was back in India for the first time since fleeing the country back to England with her mother. Eliza was a photojournalist and she was determined to make a name for herself. When old family friend and member of the British Government, Clifford Salter organised for Eliza to travel to Rajputana in India to spend a year at the castle to photograph the royal family, she was nervous but excited.

The castle which was to be her home for the following twelve months was filled with people – concubines, eunuchs, royals; Prince Anish and his wife were quite obviously not happy Eliza was there, as were others. But when Eliza met Prince Jayant Singh, Anish’s brother, she found a different man entirely. As Jay accompanied Eliza in many of her photographic ventures across the countryside, she was shocked and horrified at the abject poverty of the little villages.

Gradually, Eliza could see there were problems in the country from the British; but common to it all was the poverty. Her photography showed it in stark detail. Would it be possible to do anything to help the country’s people? Or would she be looked upon as an interfering white Englishwoman who most certainly didn’t belong? And what about the feelings which were building between Jay and Eliza? She knew nothing could come of it – she a white commoner; he an Indian prince…

Before the Rains was another excellent historical fiction novel by Dinah Jefferies. Set in 1930 and filled with emotion – love, happiness, grief, heartache and hope – the stark descriptions of the countryside and its people was vivid. I thoroughly enjoy this author’s work and once again, she didn’t disappoint. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy to read and review.

Before the Rains - another beautiful book by the fantastic Dinah Jefferies. 4.5* from me.
Set in 1930's India. A heart-wrenching, love story. Beautifully descriptive, full of atmosphere. Felt like you could reach out and touch the colours of India.
One to recommend. My thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Another beautiful story from Dinal Jeffries. As with her other novels the characterisation is lovely as is the interaction between them. A beautiful book and an easy read.

Dinah Jefferies is such a talented author whose books always leaves a lasting impression on me and leaves me bereft at the end of each book and her latest book Before the Rains was no exception.
The book is set back in 1930 in India and author Dinah Jefferies has brought Juraipore to life with her exquisite and vivid writing style, I could picture the great array of vibrant colours, the impressionable grand palace the whole setting was just described in such wonderful detail.
Eliza is our heroine who has returned to India after the death of her husband and now a keen photographer she is sent by the British Government to capture pictures of the royal family and she sees this as an exciting opportunity to really use her passion and make people aware of her talent.
When Eliza meets the devastatingly handsome Jay who is brother to the Prince they soon find they have a special bond and enjoy each other’s company but with Eliza being a British widow she will not be accepted in the Royal Family.
This was another flawless read by Dinah Jefferies that had me engrossed from the very first chapter when we meet Eliza as a child living in India in a very tragic opening chapter.
The beautiful romance that develops between Eliza and Jay was so endearing and I longed for them to find a way to have their happy ever after but it also showed that different cultures have different ideas and beliefs that put love on a back seat compared to your duty.
It was very clear to see that the author had done a lot of research for this book and has evidently spent some time in India soaking up the sights and the culture and pouring every last detail into this book. This brought such depth and realism to the storyline which helped to make this such a captivating read.
I feel like a broken record when I write a review for Dinah’s books because they are always such beautiful storylines that gives such wonderful insight and they never disappoint so I can never find any criticism which is why I find myself constantly recommending her books and longing for her next release.

Another amazing book by Dinah Jefferies. Completely different from her others, far less drama and heartache but still a gripping and enjoyable read, more please!

Dinah Jefferies is one of my favourite historical fiction authors. Her stories are always so rich in detail and so interesting and thanks to her I always discover so much. With Before the Rains she takes us to India in the twenties. With her generous and mesmerising descriptions, it's easy to picture that era, with its rich royal families contrasting with the extreme poverty of its people.

The story focuses on Eliza, a British photographer who is assigned by the British government to spend a year photographing one of the royal families for their archives. Eliza though is not new to India, she spent her childhood there until her father's death. So as soon as she arrives there, she instantly feels a connection to that land and tries to understand the people and its customs and traditions. Some of them are completely shocking and impossible to understand but it's difficult for her (and for us) not to fall in love with this place.

The love story between Eliza and Jay, the younger brother of the Indian prince, plays a big role in the book. It's obvious from the beginning that there's something special between them but their fate is already decided by their different backgrounds and cultures. Nevertheless, you can't help but root for them. They both, as the other characters in the story, are complex and layered characters that I enjoyed getting to know immensely. Theirs is definitely a story I won't forget in a long time.

Before the Rains is not only a story about love though. There are many emotions key to the story and secrets and betrayals have a very important role in the story. The author certainly keeps some surprises in the store for us.

As usual, I can only praise Dinah Jefferies' writing. The story unwraps at the right pace, giving us enough time to take all the little details in and keeps us wondering what is going to happen next. All in all, a very complete and mesmerising read.

Dinah Jefferies just gets better and better. If you loved 'the Far Pavilions' by M M Kaye you'll love this. She really has brought this period in India's history to life.

I was treated to another terrific novel by this wonderful author. Before The Rains is a historical romantic story that explores a whole host of emotions including: tragedy, heartache, manipulation, passion and love. These are beautifully displayed with a range of superbly written characters.

Having witnessed the awful death of her beloved father as a child Eliza and her mother decide to leave India and return to England. But as time passes and now widowed herself, Eliza returns to India alone to pursue her passion of photography. Eliza arrives in this colourful vibrant country as an insecure vulnerable young woman but her during her time here she not only discovers the real captivating India but also herself.

Dinah Jefferies brings this book to life with mesmerising details of the sights, sounds and smells that make you feel that you are actually there! Dinah shows that India under British rule is so different to now, with the then traditions and customs which are explained and detailed appropriately.