Louisa and Elliot are happily married with a longing to start a family of their own. Elliot is often away from home working hard at his cinnamon plantation, or making important business deals. When Elliot dies suddenly, Louisa is left to unravel the lies he told and secrets he kept firmly hidden from her.

Dinah Jefferies returns her readers to beautiful Ceylon in 1935. It immediately feels familiar as The Tea Planter’s Wife had already given such a wonderful introduction to it. It isn’t a traditional sequel, but shares the stunning backdrop and few characters. The Sapphire Widow can certainly be read as a stand-alone book.

Louisa is forced to confront her husband’s betrayal whilst finding her way through life without him. She meets friends and foes alike in the businessmen he had dealings with, and a shocking secret is revealed. The sinister characters she meets along the way are easy to dislike and have a haunting presence throughout. Louisa has to deal with so many conflicting emotions whilst also managing Elliot’s family, her father and keep running the household.

Two of the female characters really stood out for me. Gwen, from one of Dinah’s previous books, is a comforting and loyal friend. Margo, her sister in law, is supportive and understanding. Neither of them offer judgement around the secrets revealed, and are a genuine comfort to Louisa when she most needs it.

One thing you cannot escape in the book is the awful loss of a loved one. The impact on a family without a most central member is explored from every angle. The mother without her precious son, who always believed he could do no harm. The sister who always felt second best, and the doting wife who has lost everything she knew. This is explored in other, more heartbreaking ways when the full extent of Elliot’s betrayal are revealed.

So, what did I think of The Sapphire Widow? I enjoyed this book and read it quite quickly, looking for train journeys when I could indulge in a few chapters, or going to bed early to read a few pages. I loved the setting of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and find the author is always really good at painting a picture of the setting so you really feel like you can imagine the sights and smells.

I found this book really easy to read. I’m still not quite sure how I feel about the main character Louisa though. Without giving too much of the plot away, her husband dies and she discovers he was living a double life. You can’t help but wonder how she either didn’t notice or let him be like that.

I really enjoy reading a Dinah Jefferies book and I’m glad I read this one. I love reading books about life in the old British Empire and would love to visit Galle and Colombo myself one day to experience the food, the sounds and smells, which are all depicted in the book. It’s a great story which kept me hooked to the end. It’s perfect escapism for a rainy British day and would be a great book to pack for a beach holiday.

I have read books from this author before and was delighted to have the opportunity to read this one. I was slightly disappointd as the story was rather predictable, however, I am always impressed by the description and detail given of the place and the time that the book is set in. Overall an enjoyable read and the historical setting well researched and totally believable.

Louisa’s life is completely changed in a second after her husband is killed in a car accident. Her whole relationship with him is put into question when all Elliot’s secrets come tumbling out into the open. Louisa starts to doubt if she even really knew her husband at all after all those years together. With the help of her Dad her sister in law and a few friends Louisa try’s to except Elliot’s betrayal and move on with her life. A great read.

Took quite a while for me to read this due to the amount of missing letters on each page making you have to second guess some of the words. It's about a woman in Ceylon and her husband. When he dies she finds things out about him that made her realise she didn't really know him. It is a bit drawn out but enough to keep you interested.

The book brings to life the Ceylon of the Thirties .Sadly Louisa daughter of a Gem Trader who is married to Elliot an ambious businessman has had a series of miscarriages and there hoped for child has not worked out, so as they prepare to open a new store disaster strikes. Elliot is killed and then Louisa discovers she really never knew her husband. Add to the mix Leo who owns a plantation which grows cinnamon.who becomes more involved in her life and a mysterious artist cousin who allows her little boy to run wild. A great novel that is a brilliant read.

I loved The Tea Planters Wife and The Sapphire Widow was just as good. The author sets the scene beautifully. I felt as though I was in Galle and the forest/jungle behind. The characters were believable and the plot easy to follow with enough mystery to keep me interested. Thoroughly recommended, I did not want it to end.......

Enjoyed this book immensely a story of love,losses and tragedy after losing her husband Louise finds the strength to get through everything life throws at her and she eventually finds happiness through a little boy and his guardian a really emotional read at times and I was so angry with the mess her late husband left her in but I loved the outcome a very well written novel loved it

Although this is not my usual genre, I thoroughly enjoyed The Sapphire Widow. Well written, with interesting characters., it kept my attention from the first page. A great story!

The Sapphire Widow is an enchanting story set in Ceylon in the 1930's .I had read The Tea Planters Wife and thoroughly enjoyed it so I was looking forward to reading this new book .I wasn't disappointed ,I loved the wonderful descriptions of the sounds and colours of Ceylon I felt like I was actually there myself .Such a well written , captivating story of love,loss ,deceit and new beginnings .Love love love ! 10 stars ...

Yet again Dinah Jefferies has produced a tale that has many layers. Betrayal, mystery and saga all sent in a wonderfully descriptive setting. A joy to read

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed The Tea Planter’s Wife, I was looking forward to my second Dinah Jeffries novel.
This novel is equally well researched and the setting is beautifully described. I liked that the Hoopers, as minor characters, made an appearance, which linked the two books together nicely.
However, I couldn’t quite connect to the story or the main character of Louisa. There didn’t seem to be the same emotional depth to the story and it seemed a little stilted in parts.
I quite enjoyed it but wasn’t blown away.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this copy.

Another great 5* book from Dinah. The book transports you to a far away place in another time. I may not of visited Sri Lanka (Ceylon) I feel as if I have walked the streets and could smell the Cinnamon because of how Dinah writes. For me this is her best book but there again I say that each time. If you want to see life from a women’s point of view tinder very difficult circumstances then read this book. Well researched and a must read.

If you enjoyed The Tea Planter's Wife you will lover The Sapphire Widow! Louisa, despite having suffered several miscarriages, seems to be leading a charmed life with her husband, Elliott, despite the fact that he spends a lot of time away on business. When he fails to get home in time for their wedding anniversary party everything starts to fall apart. His tragic accident causes much grief for Louisa in more ways than one and leads her to delve further into his life when away from home, starting with a visit to the Cinnamon plantation that she understood belonged to him. Her she meets and gets to know Leo and the mystery unfolds.........

Once you get through the oddities of the typos, it is a most interesting book, bringing the period and the region alive. It's a country that I have never been to, but could still imagine so much from the descriptive writing. It was evocative and engrossing.
Thank you NetGalley for a review copy.

A truly evocative read. You can almost feel the heat and humidity, smell the sea and flowers and hear the crickets and birds. A heart wrenching story with a wonderful character who attempts overcome the heartache. I loved this story and will add to my favourite books in the historical fiction genre.

Elliot is such a charmer and always living for that adrenalin rush. I really felt for his sister Margo, always living in his shadow and trying to get noticed. His secrets bring nothing but heartache for not only Louisa but both of their families.

I loved Louisa from the beginning. Despite living with her sadness shadowing her life she is optimistic and open to change. Always there to support Elliot, she has to re-think many things after his death. Shock after shock had me tense and anxious, waiting for a resolution. Twisting my stomach and making me want to hit out in frustration. Especially at Louisa’s mother-in-law Irene. Seething is an understatement … and nothing changed my mind about her.

I was overjoyed to find out that Gwen is Louisa’s friend and that Louisa gets to spend a healing time on the tea plantation with her. I think of Gwen as ‘mine’ … what a testament that a story read over two years ago can still be recalled readily to mind along with the same emotions!

I felt Louisa and Leo were very similar with their outlook on life despite the outward appearances. The attraction felt very natural. Their growing friendship has lots of fun moments as well as the turmoil. Oh I felt that exhilaration on the back of the motorbike just as much as Louisa did 🙂 The moments that drew them together showed their true characters and even though it would have been easy for Louisa to just fall into his strength, she still maintains independence with everything having its right time. I think Leo’s understanding of Elliot is spot on! and this only made me warm to him even more.

Once again I experienced the exotic locations ‘first hand.’ Galle, Columbia and Cinnamon Hills – city and country, similar yet different. The smells, the monsoon, the food and the people are all colourful and full of life. I love being able to visit different cultures vicariously!

There are moments of grief in The Sapphire Widow but also moments of pure joy. The scenes that not only brought me the most sadness but also the most happiness are ones I can’t share (no spoilers!). I can say that I was invested emotionally in each and every one. Yes, this is a story of secrets and heartache but ultimately I found it uplifting. One not to miss.

Loved the book and the setting in Ceylon and the fact it was in the 1930’s. Really enjoyed the book however felt it dragged a little so didn’t enjoy quite as much as her other books. Still worth a read 4*

This is a beautiful story with a beautiful setting with Louisa and Elliot living in Ceylon in the 1930's to most people thtey have a fantastic marriage, but more goes on than what people know.

Beautifully written with story so descriptive you can actually imagine your are in Ceylon romance mixed with deceit is always a good concept!!!

4****

There were lots of error in this proof copy which made it difficult to read (or di cult to read as all the ff fe fi and fl letters were missing from words!) However, I did skim-read it to the end but I was not enamoured of the story or the characters, The characters were dull and the dialogue was wooden, the story was predictable and very dated (even allowing for it being a period piece.) The love story between Leo and Louise was mawkish and when the kidnapper said "I will say this only once", I had to laugh out loud.