I love being given the opportunity to update our school library which is a unique space for both senior students and staff to access high quality literature. This is definitely a must-buy. It kept me absolutely gripped from cover to cover and is exactly the kind of read that just flies off the shelves. It has exactly the right combination of credible characters and a compelling plot thatI just could not put down. This is a great read that I couldn't stop thinking about and it made for a hugely satisfying read. I'm definitely going to order a copy and think it will immediately become a popular addition to our fiction shelves. 10/10 would absolutely recommend.

This is a debut and is a historical literary fiction book
This is gripping and intense and was such a page turner
The writing and storytelling is mesmerising
An exceptional book

A powerful story which makes you think about the lives of others and the history around it. Impeccably researched. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Captivating and insightful, a wonderfully compelling and knowledgeable story about a period of history I knew nothing about and it was a joy to learn more during this informative and atmospheric book.
A definite must-read for anyone who loves historical fiction!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book, unfortunately I wasn’t able to get to it before it was archived but will review in full when I do.

I enjoyed this historical novel and couldn’t stop reading! The relationships were so realistic and the history behind the novel was intriguing. I learned a lot about the settlement of Paupa New Guinea.

such an interesting subject--the shipping off of single women to become wives for the Dutch East India men on the other side of the world. On the whole, the book was fairly good, the history was interesting, and the characters engaging. I enjoyed Jana's story but was looking for more insight into the period.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. This is a great read I love the characters highly recommend.

Fascinating historical fiction in a setting not often found in English language literature. Some aspects of the ending were a little off to me but overall Rajaram has an engaging prose style and the plot really draws you in.

When I started the book, I had different expectations than what the content turned out to be. This is almost entirely the story of Jana Beil and her love and trials. Jana is destitute and wandering about looking for work when she chances upon an opportunity. This peace does not last, and she volunteers to be a Company Daughter and marry unseen colonizers in Dutch Indonesia.
It took a while for the main section of the story to come to the forefront. Quite a bit of the first part is dedicated to describing the Dutch culture of the time, which was fascinating to me, given that I now live in the country.
The romance between Jana and her Employer's daughter was both expected and unexpected, but apart from her looks, I found no substance to Jana's dedication! When the travel begins and the colony itself is described, the topic shifts only a little. The focus remains on the two women, or if on Jana - every time she makes headway in life, she is back in the clutches of emotion. I think this book might have worked better for me if divided into multiple sequels. One where we have the background followed by an entire book for the travel and settling. It felt rushed or buried when done this way.
I liked the author's narrative voice/style and would definitely pick up another book by her.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

My review of this book appears in Historical Novels Review issue 95 (February 2021):
This radiant debut novel is perfect for fans of The Miniaturist and Girl with a Pearl Earring. Two young women of 1620s Amsterdam, maidservant Jana and her employer’s pampered daughter, Sontje, find themselves compelled to seek their fortune – really, to sell themselves to the highest bidder – as “Company Daughters,” women transported by the powerful East India Company to marry the bachelor settlers of their prosperous colony in Batavia (modern-day Jakarta, Indonesia). During an epic journey, they discover their own value and desires while trying to navigate a world that sees them as mere commodities to be traded and displayed.
Rajaram has the remarkable ability to immerse you completely in the sensory world of her settings. Jana is a perceptive observer, alive to the beauties of nature, and the reader shares her point of view effortlessly, but it’s more than that. With carefully chosen details, Rajaram transports you to the canals of Amsterdam, the wild beauty of the Cape of Good Hope, and the fragrant heat of Batavia, opening Jana’s eyes along the way to new cultures and to the power of female community. Fully half the novel takes place aboard the trading ship Leyden, but never feels claustrophobic, thanks to Jana’s fascinated curiosity about everything she observes. The women she travels with are fully realized personalities, as complex and flawed but also as sympathetic as Jana. The community they build is both powerful and fragile, but the emotional rollercoaster of their experiences never feels artificial or melodramatic.
This is a novel to be savored for its gorgeous prose and unforgettable relationships. It’s also an important depiction of the West’s long history of human trafficking and a reminder that its cruelties are woven so intimately into our culture that it’s easy to mistake Jana’s struggle to survive as a triumph of individuality. She would be the last to agree.

This book, whilst a well written and descriptive part of history that I knew very little about, unfortunately fell short for me. It held my interest but I struggled to really connect with or like the characters and found it to be a bit overly romanticized at times in this book. Thanks for my ARC!

Compelling historical narrative with well developed characters that kept me turning the pages. Recommended! Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC

4.5 stars! This was such a delightful read. I was utterly transported to another time and place and couldn't put it down. Jana's life is filled with adventure, love, loss and heartache. I couldn't imagine being a Company Daughter and the ordeals they faced. This is a must-read for historical fiction lovers!

I'm also so surprised that the entire idea for the story was inspired by a footnote.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!

Sailing from 17th century Amsterdam to Indonesia, Jana and Sontje are "company daughters", basically sex trafficked to Indonesia to marry company workers of the Dutch East India company. A historically accurate, well written book.

This was a good book, well written and tells of the harships that women endured at the hands of the Dutch East India Company. I liked the ending and the character development.
What I was NOT happy with was the fact that the description did not tell that there were lesbian issues in the story. It would NOT have made a difference to me. I have no problems with those issues, but some readers may and I think it should be included in the description.

I believe this is a good book and worth reading.

Jana Beil has had a tough life - even by the standards of the start of the seventeenth century. Good fortune brings her to the door of a house seeking work. A house where she is taken in to work and meets the beautiful young mistress, Sontje. Just as things are looking brighter for Jana, things go wrong again. She finds herself taking a last resort as a company daughter. Heading off as a wife in the New World - if she can survive the terrible journey.
This is a beautifully descriptive book. The journey half way round the world in horrendous conditions is particularly well written. The sounds, sights and particularly the smells are bought to life in wonderful 3D. It isn't just the beautiful descriptions but the thoroughly researched historical setting. This is a book that stands out from the pages.
This isn't a fast book. There are spurts of action but on the whole it moves along at a steady pace.
Much as I enjoyed the setting and the description there were places where I felt the story needed to move along a little bit more. I wouldn't say it dragged but it definitely slowed.
The main characters are Jana and Sontje but there is a good supporting cast as well.
I enjoyed looking at a different aspect of seventeenth century life. I would certainly keep an eye out for further books by this author.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

Told in the perspective of Jana Bell, a young woman who ran from poverty and abuse north of Amsterdam and found little more than trouble, more hard work and abuse after. From being conscripted into a “roundhouse’ or brothel on first arrival, she ran from that situation only to beg a position as a maid in the Reynst household where she meets and is instantly captivated by young Sontje – the daughter of the house. Things are not ‘easy’ but comfortable, and in this house, she is safe and free from abuse. But bad investments and loss of fortune soon turn that situation around, and Sontje’s engagement falls through – the option to become one of the ‘mail order brides’ for ‘The Company’ becomes the best option. Worried for Sontje, although not interested in marriage – Jana finds a way onto the ship to ‘watch’ for her.

What emerges is a story of a growing love between the two girls – even as it started in the ‘familiar’, and the pragmatism of Jana, not expecting more or better is a constant contrast to Sontje’s rather sheltered and rosier outlook on the world. A ten-month voyage to Batavia (modern day Jakarta) brings deprivations, hardship, abuse and plenty of struggle, and arriving to ‘discover’ their futures isn’t much better.

Be aware that the situation for both these girls is grim, and situations, circumstances and attitudes all push the idea forward that women, in this situation, are little more than commodities, and just slightly more valued than the slave labor, both imported and native, that the company uses with impunity to build their base and fortune. For a debut, Ranjaram has put us in Jana’s head, allowing us to see the bleak realities of the world as she sees it: even with her cautious and rather pessimistic viewpoint, the story flows smoothly from one moment and incident to the next. It’s not an easy read, but it is wholly engaging and utterly ‘in the moment’ while showing the similarities and differences between 500+ year old attitudes and those that are still fought against today. Take a chance to see and understand a bit better the history of subjugation and valuation of women and allow yourself to be transported to the world of old.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aQz /” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

A compelling story of two young Dutch women of different classes who end up unlikely friends and then something more as their fates take them to a Dutch colony to become the wives of company men. The details of the homes, clothing, and food are wonderful and rich and will delight lovers of historical fiction. The fates of the two young women will sober anyone with romantic notions of what options were open to women without status. Sometimes we live the life that is open to us, not the life of our dreams.

This was a story that worked better for me in theory than in practice. I am always interested in historical fiction about a unique time and place (i.e. not Europe during WW2) and this was a really fascinating tale of Dutch women sent to Batavia to marry settlers. However, for me there wasn't as much character development as I'd like (particularly for Sontje) and there was an underscoring of colonialism that didn't quite sit right.