The story starts with 4 children: sisters Vijaya and Shree who come from a line of aristocrats and brothers Krishna and Ranga who are the children of a servant who works for Vijay’s and Shree’s family. Vijay’s and Krishna are the best of friends until a tragic incident in the jungle tears them apart.

Years later, the 4 children are grown but living apart in their solitary lives, still scarred from the incident in their childhood. What follows is a journey through the tumultuous years in India as the characters come of age and find their own sense of meaning, purpose, love and loyalty.

I loved this book more than I expected to. I truly think the narration on the audio enhanced my experience of this coming of age saga. The descriptions are beautiful and the characters so well developed. And the story kept me listening into the late hours of night.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio and @flatiron_books for this gifted audiobook

Actual Rating 3.5

Vijaya and Sree and the daughters of ancestral aristocrats with high social standing, which keeps them separate and above the villagers around them. Their father and uncle rule with iron fists, maintaining absolute control. Krishna and Ranga are brothers who live in the village and are often looking for ways to push their boundaries. Vijaya and Krishna meet and strike up a secret but strong friendship, one that leads to consequences that will affect their lives for years to come.

This story follows two characters from two families who grew up in the same area. It is mostly set during the 1960s in India and focuses mostly on the two characters and their siblings. The author did a great job with this as it allowed us to see what life could be like from four completely different ways from characters that we grew to care about. I also enjoyed that it followed two sets of siblings as it made for some compelling and interesting explorations of family dynamics.

One thing that didn’t quite work for me was just how much detail was included at times. There were instances when there were paragraphs of explanations or details that were somewhat relevant, but bogged down the plot unnecessarily. The author gets into detail about traditional beliefs in India and the rise (second rise?) of Communism during this time, which was interesting and not a topic I knew anything about beforehand. The story itself is also relatively slow, with a lot of time given to the inner thoughts of the characters as well as their interactions with each other. I didn’t mind this but do keep it in mind if you prefer a heavier plot.

I listened to the audiobook version of this work, and the narrator did an excellent job bringing the story to life. This was a strong debut, and I look forward to reading more from this author. My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A story that focuses through a family and their position, on the classism and colourism that exists in India and affects Vijaya's relationship with her mother and uncle.

Rao traces the changes in friendship and the hope for a deeper relationship between Vijaya and Krishna after a tragic accident that further leads to the deterioration of her familial relationship. I felt the disappointment and hurt that festers here because of secrets kept and how communication occurs in scorn and anger.

Also in the background is the rise of communist leanings as the teachings become popular among the lower castes of poor working families and individuals, which leads to increases in resentment and eventually violence.

I liked the character exploration and the writing was propulsive. I would read more from this author.

This was an incredible saga of friendship and resilience set in 1960s India. We have 4 characters here - sisters Vijaya and Sree from a wealthy family of landowners and brothers Krishna and Ranga whose mother is a washerwoman. I liked our four characters and how their relationships developed from childhood onwards. We get a major tragedy early in the book that then impacts the rest of the story from then on out. The storylines are beautifully developed, but, somewhat less common in family sagas, were also well-concluded. That all being said, there is a lot of politics and history woven in here, which isn't everyone's cup of tea. The audiobook narration was beautifully done and added a lot of character to the story.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

A well-written, engaging novel of family expectations, social class, and relationships, set against political uprisings in India. A young girl from an aristocratic, land-owning family finds herself drawn to the eldest son of the washer-woman who worked on her family's estate. As children, they get into a scrape that leaves lasting impressions on their siblings. We follow their different paths into adulthood including influential friendships, rebellions, and the inexorable pull of love and push from home.
It's at times tender and terrifying. I look forward to listening to more books by this talented author.
My thanks to the author, publisher, producer, and #NetGalley for access to the audiobook for review purposes. The book and audiobook are now available.

Part of the reason why I don't like reading reviews prior to reading a book is to keep my expectations of what's to come to a minimum. Prior to reading The Fertile Earth, the ratings were high and I as like, yeah, let me request this ALC from Netgalley. After completing this ALC, I feel torn: feeling external pressure to rate high. But as always, I am going to be as honest as possible because this is simply my opinion.

What I liked: The main love story between Vijaya and Krishna; historical setting of political change in India; the storytelling of the different POVs of characters weaved throughout the book, their struggles, and how they were all connected in some way; and the narrator did a wonderful job.

One could say the author wrote some beautiful imagery and that it enhanced the story. However, the some times very intense imagery was distracting from the main story. It felt as though it could have been reduced by 25% and the book/story would still have been just as interesting. You could possibly compare it to what some of my peers feel about Covenant of Water, a good plot line that is hard to follow because it was drowned out by imagery and too much description. I will admit that I did enjoy reading about the stone structures, the mango groves, and feeling immersed at times, but there were times that I found it hard to keep track as to what was happening. Additionally, the timelines and gaps in times were hard to keep track too. I had to listen to the last two chapters multiple times to ensure what I heard was correct. Possibly I will grab this book from the library just to read those chapters.

The Fertile Earth is quite the semi-tragic romantic historical fiction. It's a book I would recommend to those who enjoy Ken Follet and Abraham Verghese, lot's of description and imagery. For me, it's a 3.

Thank you Netgalley, Macmillan Audio and the author for the opportunity to read this for an honest review.

I will be posting to Instagram, Goodreads, and Storygraph.

Took a step outside my typical reader box on this one and damn was it worth it!

I love reading books that transport me while also teaching me and this one did that in spades!

I was so completely immersed in this story, in the culture and the friendships and the love. Every single aspect was *chefs kiss*! The narrator is Sneha Mathan, who also did The Henna Artist books that I adore, and she delivers!

This story is so devastatingly beautiful, speaking to the consequences of parts of Indian culture in the 1960s, like being the less desired daughter or befriending someone your family does not favor.

It is written so elegantly and delivers in the same manner, if you are looking for something atypical yet strikingly beautiful, grab this one!

Genre: historical fiction
Telangana, India, 1955-1970

This was a gorgeous, difficult read.

Vijaya is the least beloved daughter. She'll never be as perfect as her younger sister Sree. Daughters of prominent landowners in Irumi, India in the latter half of the 20th century, they have privilege and comfort where the sharecroppers and servants struggle. Vijaya befriends Krishna, the son of a servant, and his older brother Ranga. When, as children, the 4 of them trek to the jungle in search of a legend, disaster strikes. This sweeping novel follows them through the next decades of their lives, where some are better able to escape the burden of the past, set against a backdrop of class warfare and communist party rebellions in southern India.

The Fertile Earth is an impressive and expansive debut. As primarily a romance reader, my heart clenched for the pining between Krishna and Vijaya, but as someone fascinated by mid-century politics, watching the rise of differing political interests and the immediate impact on the lives of people from different classes held my interest. The writing is beautiful, with lush, descriptive prose and strong character development. That said, it was my second book in a row where a mother has specifically degraded her least favorite daughter causing the main character desperate heartbreak and the inability to see herself as anything better than her younger more perfect sister. It's not an adjacent theme I love reading, but it is critical to Vijaya's character and her choices throughout the novel.

The audiobook narration by Sneha Mathan is as beautiful as the prose by Ruthvika Rao. Anything this sweeping deserves a listen.

The Fertile Earth is a book you can pick up without much knowledge of 1960s post-partition India, as Rao supplies all political background necessary for the narrative from village life to the bustling cities of Madras and Hyderabad.

Thank you Macmillan Audio, Ruthvika Roa and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook. The narration was absolutely beautiful and was the saving grace for me in keeping the story moving. I am someone who thoroughly enjoys historical fiction but unfortunately, this one wasn't my favorite. I found the plot slow moving and the several side plots felt almost too distant to have been so critical to each others' stories. For me, this was a good enough book to finish, but not a good enough to recommend.

I absolutely loved this book—it had me hooked from the very first page, and I was completely immersed all the way through. The story is gripping and the characters are so well-drawn that I found myself getting lost in their world. The narration was excellent, and I'm so excited to read more from this author.
However, the thing about reading books in a context you're somewhat familiar with is, you are able to really nitpick. For instance, people would call it "the sea" and not "the ocean" if you're local to western areas of India. It's such a small point, but it takes you out very fast.
Despite that nitpickiness, it’s still an incredible read that kept me captivated!

DNF @ 4%

This was a lot slower and more detailed than I was originally anticipating and I honestly don't understand where the story is going. I think it would work for Historical Fiction buffs or people who love literary fiction.