This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

Full marks for research, but there was never a moment when I was worried about whether things would work out perfectly, or a moment of high drama. Yes, things happened, but I had no doubt that they would be resolved within the next few pages. Having read other books by this author, I expected a bit more than the easy read. But as a snapshot of life in that place at that time, I thought it was done well.

1930s Ceylon, as it then was, soundy like paradise for a wealthy white woman. Unfortunately Louisa not only has to cope with widowhood but finds she didn't really know her charming liar of a husband.
After this the problems start.
The setting is described in ravishing detail with glorious colours, sea,sunset and smells. However, the constant wafting away of flies and wearing mosquito nets, being cautious in dress where snakes lurk does offset this somewhat.
Louisa is probably typical of her era. Good as a hostess but not practical or fast at thinking. Whether her husband, father or later characters she seems unable to cope without a man telling het what to do. She is however, artistic which is useful for decorating for a dinner party or designing a new business venture.
The descriptions are really compelling - and seem to belong to another world.

I love the period settings of Dinah Jeffries books and the exotic settings. Not her best however. Plot too thin and characters less believable.

I really enjoyed this book of love, sorrow and betrayal. It’s the first book I’ve read by this author but I will definitely seek out more. Not for one moment was a bored or distracted so I give this a 10/10 for plot, characters and combination of dialogue and description. It’s a thumbs up from me and thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the digital edition in exchange for my review.

I’ve just finished perhaps my favourite standalone novel EVER!!! I don’t love standalone novels because I often think they’re over too quickly but this one, although it did still leave me wanting more, it had a great and packed story. I often think that standalones are a waste of time because I’m only just getting invested when I’ve finished. However, that wasn’t the case with “The Sapphire Widow.” by Dinah Jeffries. It’s also published as “The Tea Planter’s Secret” by the same author and is sooooooo good!!!! It’s an adult historical fiction set in 1935. While the novel did go FAR beyond my expectations there were still a couple of things that I would have liked added to the plot.

5 STARS!!!

I read “The Sapphire Widow” for many readathons again...

* Reading Rivalry - Book featuring a taboo subject - Betrayal and lying.
* Reading Rivalry - A book set in the 1930’s (the timeframe of Wicked, the musical of my group). The Sapphire Widow is set in 1935.

* Fiction Feud Society - for the game of Clue - Knife - thriller/mystery. It’s a mystery in that we get a big reveal and are trying to work out how that happened.

* Litwits - Forbidden Love - I’d say that there are two forbidden loves.

* Literary Love Affair - Trees On The Cover - On all versions of this book I believe there are trees on the cover, according to Goodreads anyway.

* Popsugar Reading Challene 2019 - “a book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover” - the girls dress!

* mARCh-a-thon - This is my own little readathon where I’m trying to get through as many arcs as I can in the month of March. This is my second, and it’s still only 8th March! I hope to read at least 5 arcs! Wish me luck!

There are SO many areas to the plot so if I don’t summarise them all, sorry. Just know that it’s still an amazing story that I think anyone can find something in, whether it’s purely for enjoyment, another book to add to your Goodreads Read stack, or hope!

I however, wouldn’t advise this for anyone struggling through the loss of a baby, or maybe even wanting a baby soooo much, as that’s what our main character Louisa struggles with throughout. She’s had many failed pregnancies and a daughter that dies after child birth before the story begins.

Louisa lives in historical Galle, Ceylon in Sri Lanka. She’s a well-off English immigrant. She lives out there with her husband, Elliot and her father, Christopher. These characters play big enough roles in the story but it’s mainly focused on Louisa. The novel is written in third person narrative, which I didn’t mind so much this time. I think it’s because we can see into the eyes of other characters, which in other third person novels that I’ve read, we don’t need to see. Here, we do to really get a grip of the events.

“The Sapphire Widow” is really about accepting that with support you can overcome anything just by changing the way you view the world and people around you, and that nothing should stop you from trying to do what you want.

NOTE: This is an adult novel as it explores the stigma surrounding women who can’t have children for one reason or another. There are love scenes too that are spread out over the novel.

Spoilers below...

“Even after twelve years of marriage, she still thought him a truly handsome man.”

This is what Louisa thinks of her husband, Elliot at the beginning of “The Sapphire Widow.” What she doesn’t realise at this point is the giant secret he’s been keeping for years.

“When had she died? Before or during the birth itself? To be born without life. What did it mean? These were the questions still haunting her.”

Here, Louisa is recollecting the birth of her and Elliot’s daughter, Julia and her quick death after birth. She doesn’t think it’s fair, which of course, it isn’t. All Louisa wants is a baby of her own. After this and her other miscarriages is this really too much to ask, she questions. This is why what Elliot has done hurts so much too! As to what he’s done, he’s already got a seven year old son, Conor! When Louisa finds this out she’s shocked beyond all belief! How dare he have a child with someone else, she thinks!

“Maybe next time I’ll come with you. A trip away; just the two of us.”
He didn’t reply.”

Elliot doesn’t want her to come with him because she’ll discover his secret. Elliot knew about Conor, it’s revealed in the second half of “The Sapphire Widow.” He writes a letter to Zinnia, Conor’s mother, that he never sent, which Louisa discovers after his death. It explains his love for her and that he wants to be with her, instead of Louisa. When Louisa is told by Leo, our other main character, that he knew about Conor because he’s Zinnia’s cousin, she’s shocked.

“But danger was Elliot’s addiction,” alludes to how nothing scares Elliot. He dies quite early on in the novel. I believe that he is the Sapphire Trader in one of the titles, as it’s him that has the huge secret. He dies in a car accident we learn in the first half of the story. We don’t ever uncover why he died though. That doesn’t really matter to the overall plot but it would have been nice to know. Was it his debts? Was it his other relationships, that are also hinted at? We just don’t know. Maybe we’re to come to our own conclusion.

I believe that “The Sapphire Widow” t is a book about moving on and about finding love again. The romantic elements were my favourite parts of the plot. I loved Leo, Louisa’s partner after the death of Elliot.

“Something about the intense darkness of his eyes unsettled her.”

When Leo is introduced he’s a bit of a recluse because he lives at a tea plantation and doesn’t see many people day in, day out. This is what Louisa is referring to when she says his eyes unsettle her, I believe. He’s just not used to people. This is when Elliot is showing Louisa the plantation. The only people that Leo sees are Zinnia and Conor, his family, both of whom I mentioned above, but he doesn’t spend a lot of time with them at first. It’s Leo that tells Louisa of Elliot’s affair, after his death, as he thinks she deserves to know the truth. He knows because his sister told him. Of course she’s angry to begin with, who wouldn’t be? If I found out my husband had had a secret affair and a child as a result, I’d be livid! Louisa doesn’t think she’ll be able to see or be around Conor. He’s what she always wanted with Elliot. He should be her son, she thinks. But as the story progresses we see that Louisa accepts and learns to love Conor for who he is, and doesn’t care about who made him.

“They had come a long way since those early days and, she had to admit, she really was beginning to think of the child as hers.”

I found this line sweet because it shows that Louisa has come to accept Conor as her own child. Zinnia dies during the novel leaving Conor motherless. All he’s got is Leo after her death. Does this bond between him and Louisa continue to grow or does it all come to a bad end? I desperately wanted Louisa to fall pregnant with Leo’s baby. Does this happen? You’ll have to read to find out. We never find out why Louisa couldn’t have children with Elliot. It obviously wasn’t because of him, as he has Conor. This isn’t expanded on, I think because at the time this is set, 1935 women just didn’t know why they couldn’t have babies. They just had to accept it and move on. Now, with all the technological advances we do have more of an idea as to why some women struggle to have children.

Of course, there’s a romance in “The Sapphire Widow.” There are actually two for our main character but only one is focused on, which is good. When I read the blurb I thought that Louisa would have both men on the go at once but this is not the case, thank goodness! The main romance is between Louisa and Leo. It was slowburn, which I’m not normally a fan of but this one came with a LOT of chemistry. I don’t normally like slowburn romance because I think they’re quite boring but because of the chemistry Louisa and Leo had together, I was all for this one. We could clearly see Louisa as she realised her feelings for Leo, as well as Leo’s feelings for her.

“...but I also wanted to hear your voice.”
She smiled, happy. “It’s lovely to hear you too.”
“I...Well, what I mean is, that I’m looking forward to seeing you too. That’s all.”
“She felt the warmth curling inside her chest, and sensed that something that might change everything was on the verge of happening.”

Of course it’s their love that might or might not happen. Does it??? You’ll have to read to find out!

Another big part of “The Sapphire Widow” is Irene, Elliot’s mother. She’s not always on the page but is there throughout, a bit like Margo, Elliot’s sister. Margo is always on Louisa’s side, more like her sister than Elliot’s, but Irene is a horrible woman. She’s always trying to put Louisa down and tell her she’s wrong, which isn’t true. Louisa is more right than Irene.

“When a husband strays, I blame the wife,”
“And by that you mean?”
“If you’d only had children...”
Louisa felt stunned. “So you blame me for his extramarital affair. And what about his debts? Were they my doing too.”
Irene shrugged.”

To be completely honest, I thought Irene was a vile woman and absolutely hated her! She’s the worst (as in most evil) antagonist I’ve come across in a non fantasy novel! The way she says “If you’d only had children...” leaving it open ended really made me angry. It’s like she wanted to rile Louisa! She’s just not a nice woman, and when she threatens to adopt Conor because he’s her grandson, Louisa feels it’s up to her to make sure that doesn’t happen! Where does Conor end up??? You’ll have to read to find out.

There are other elements, like Elliot’s gambling debts and the building of an emporium to see the jewellery, which I wasn’t all that interested in. Luckily those bits were scattered in the main plot so it wasn’t all in one place.

What did I like about “The Sapphire Widow?”

I LOVED the romance. I don’t normally like slowburn romance because I think it’s too slow but I don’t think instalove would have really worked because we needed to see Louisa get to know and trust Leo first before anything could happen between them. It would have been nice to have seen a little more but I’m happy with what we got.

I loved the characters, even Irene (or how she was written anyway). They all had something different about them to make them stand out. The very minor characters weren’t focused on very much. I appreciated this.

I felt very much on Louisa’s wavelength. I thought that I would have made the exact decisions that she did, throughout. I felt as if I was Louisa apart from how we look different!

I loved the setting. It was great to read about a place that I didn’t know. I’ve never read about or studied Sri Lanka, so I wasn’t aware how different it was to the country where I live. The setting wasn’t largely focused on but what was there was interesting, like the plantation and beach scenes! Where I live the weather isn’t nice enough to have plantations or to go to the beach every other day.

I liked how I felt about EVERY emotion while reading. I felt love, anger, resentment, hate, excitement, surprise and more. That’s really what we all want in a good novel, I think. I put the heart emoji next to the scenes that I considered love scenes, and I must have had over 50 by the end of the novel. The author was able to write all these emotions, while still keeping a flowing story.

What didn’t I like about “The Sapphire Widow?”

There wasn’t really anything that I didn’t like, apart from something that I don’t want to spoil. The novel would have been perfect if this event had of happened but I understand why it didn’t because life is never perfect...even for book characters! That was the only thing that would have made this a beyond amazing book for me. It was amazing as it was.

Therefore, I ADORED “The Sapphire Widow.” I highly recommend it if you love slowburn romance, books set in way off places (if you don’t already live in Sri Lanka), historical fiction that feels like it’s today you’re reading about, and just sweet stories that tug at your heartstrings. As I said above warning for talk of miscarriage and loss of children, however

This was my first book by Dinah. I loved the descriptions of what was then Ceylon, and reminded me of my own visits. I found the story easy to follow, some twists along the way, and quite a predictable ending. An easy read, but not my favourite.

I first heard about this as part of the Richard and Judy book club.
I really struggled to get into this book. Nothing wrong with the author or writing style. Just not a book for me

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 Wife’ rather than this.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/

A new book from Dinah Jeffries is always a visual treat and an absolute delight to read. She transports you back to a different time and culture with every book . You can imagine you are right amongst the characters and feel that you have learnt a lot whilst reading. It is set in Ceylon in 1935 around a tea plantation.
Tragedy and heartbreak are central to the main character and she goes through a lot.
Everything is described so beautifully. Dinah Jeffries has a wonderful writing style that takes you through the sights and smells surrounding the story.

A really enjoyable book. This has made me want to visit the country as I loved how the author could describe the scents and sights, as well as the raw emotions experienced.
Lots of twists in the plot.
The second book that I have read from this author, and I will continue to look out for her books

Lovely story set in Ceylon/Sri Lanka. Great descriptions of Galle and the local area but would have liked more of Columbo.

Not as strong as her previous books but a lovely read nonetheless

I requested a copy of this title when I saw it come up as The Tea Planter’s Wife was one of my favourite books a couple of years ago. Sadly, whilst I have enjoyed Dinah’s other books, none of them have quite lived up to that first one! And I don’t know if it is me/my reading tastes that have changed or the writer but certainly the last two that I have read have been really quite weak and a bit too ‘Mills and Boon’ for my liking. ‘Lightweight’ is probably a good way to describe it.

That said, Dinah is able to conjur up place very well and whilst the descriptions are quite shallow in this book, you can still feel the humidity of Sri Lanka and imagine yourself there when it was once Ceylon. This is a simple read on all levels, not a lot happens and it is very predictable however it is still enjoyable and well suited to holiday reading. The main character, Louisa is likeable and strong in the face of adversity. She has suffered several miscarriages and finds out upon his death that not only has her husband been having an affair but also that he has fathered a child. That child is left in the care of his mother’s cousin - Leo, a rugged plantation owner who (of course) Louisa falls for and the rest you can work out for yourself, I’m sure without wanting to give it all away!! I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend this but wouldn’t stop anyone from reading it - just don’t go in with high expectations if you have enjoyed the other books and that way you will be happy with a slightly soppy holiday read.

https://www.lifeat139a.com/10/23/what-ive-read-lately-on-holiday

I’m a fan of Dinah Jefferies’ writing so it’s no surprise that this was the book I started on. I’d read, and loved, The Tea Planter’s Wife previously, and I was hoping for something equally as gripping, and I wasn’t disappointed - I’m not sure I ever will be with one of Dinah’s books if I’m honest. The story is once again set in Ceylon, but 1935 for this book. It’s a story of love and betrayal, but don’t worry I’m not about to share if there’s a happy ending, or not.

Louisa, the central character is the daughter of a successful jewel trader, and that’s the sapphire connection. The story starts to gather pace and (even more) grip-ability when her husband dies unexpectedly. As with all the best stories, there’s a tricky path to navigate, but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with this one, whether you’re a Dinah Jefferies fan already or not.

A historical fiction about the lives of Louisa and Elliot in Ceylon in 1935. Theirs is a disruptive relationship, set in the beautiful surrounding of Ceylon.. I haven't read The Tea Planters Wife but I don't think it affected my enjoyment of this story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author is becoming one of my go-to’s for well-written, absorbing historical fiction. Louisa is a great character. I was instantly on her side, especially when she discovers the shocking truths about her late husband. The author knows how to bring history to brilliant, vivid life. The words transported me to Ceylon. I could smell the cinnamon and see the fireflies in the dark. The Sapphire Widow fairly packs a punch as Louisa, struggling with grief tries to unravel her late husband’s secrets and lies. Louisa and her husband’s unhappiness after years of struggling to have a child is painful to read at times. I really felt for Louisa when everything she thought she knew is torn apart.

I’m glad I didn’t read (or remember) any of the book’s blurb before I read this. Instead, I was thumbing through my Kindle, wondering what to read next. That’s all I knew - and I didn’t even look at the title very closely. I’m glad, for I didn’t know what to expect in terms of the story.

The protagonist is Louisa, the timing is 1930 and the place Ceylon, as Sri Lanka was known then. I appreciated the author’s evocative painting of the setting, although at times I felt she overdid it a bit. But she does transport the reader with her descriptions of the smell of cinnamon, the sounds of the monkeys, and the colonial life.

The plot was a bit predictable once I got over the main happening. I liked Louisa and kept with the novel, but it’s not an all-time favorite read.

Louisa Reeve appears to have the perfect life, the daughter of a successful British gem trader and the wife of Elliot, a charming businessman, who she has been married to for twelve years. Appearances can be deceptive though, and Louisa and Elliot's life is not as perfect as it appears on the surface.

Despite having everything they could possibly want to make a comfortable life for themselves, there is one thing that they do not have, a child. There had been several miscarriages and then the tragic loss of their daughter, stillborn, eight years earlier.

Louisa was often lonely. Elliot was always on business, leaving Louisa to her own thoughts. She never doubted his loyalty to her. He'd had some trouble a year or so ago and this worried Louisa more than anything.

Then one day her perfect world came crashing down around her. Elliot was late home, they were having guests for dinner and he had vowed he would be back before they arrived. But tragedy arrived at her door instead; the local police officer brought the news that Elliot had been killed in a driving accident earlier that day. Elliot's death opens up a huge can of worms that leaves Louisa desperate for answers but giving her only more questions.

Beautifully written and with plenty of action this book will entertain from start to finish. As you read through you become engrossed in Louisa's story, her emotions envelop you as the depth of Elliot's betrayal is uncovered and the danger he has put his young widow in.

This is a book I would definitely recommend.

I was given this book by the publisher for an honest review. The book set in the 1930's in Ceylon. It tells the story of Louisa who husband dies suddenly. Louisa soon discovers Elliot has many secrets he has left behind.

I found this book very easy to read, the story was told beautifully and the descriptions gave you an image of what it was like. The story was quite predictable and I did feel as though the ending was rushed a little. I would still recommend this book if you enjoy period dramas.

This isn’t a genre I read very often as I find historical fiction harder to get into. However, this was a wonderful read with excellent characters and a wealth of historical detail. It descends into chick-lit territory a little but the author rescues it with her realistic social interactions and the plot rolls along with pace and tension. Once or twice I felt the attention to historical detail slip - particularly in the use of colloquialisms that are too modern - but on the whole this was an interesting and consuming read.