The plot is very slowly moving due to descriptive text. As a result, I was not able to finish reading this book.

Thank you John Hunt Publishing for the eARC.
A beautifully written historical novel that takes place in Scotland in 1999 and Calcutta, India from 1923- 46.
In Edinburgh Stephen meets Julia and falls head over heels. He has to win her over by telling a story, but when his half-Indian, half-Scottish mother dies and he doesn't invite Julia to her funeral, Julia pulls back.
He has inherited boxes containing his grandfather's papers and drawings and he and his flatmate, Seamus, decide to co-write a movie script based on his grandfather's life in Dundee and Calcutta.
What a story this is! So evocative, thrilling and quirky, I absolutely loved it. The history of the Raj and the jute trade, both in Scotland and India, make for fascinating reading. The secrets that come out of his research and writing were shocking and sad, but the ending was excellent, very satisfactory. I liked all the characters; Seamus in particular is appealing and got me chuckling quite a bit. A must read that deserves to be a big hit.