I love books set in Sri Lanka as I find them full of a bygone era and the descriptions of the locations are stunning. Janet MacLeod Trotter is one of the best for this genre and certainly didn’t disappoint on this occasion.

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will. Enjoy

Thank you NetGalley for the copy of this book. I did not read the first two, yet this book was strong on its own.

I really enjoyed this book, which had me gripped from start to finish. One of those books that will stay in my mind for a while to come. It is the first time that i have read any books by this author and keen to read more, especially as there are a couple of of earlier books in this series. Recommended.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy.

A wonderful and unputdownable story that took me to India and Britain, which I absolutely LOVED!! Such a great book!

Not too bad of a book. I t wasn't what I expected it to be, but It was enjoyable. I like reading historical fiction and this one about colonial India fit the bill. A An Anglo-Indian girl named Adela dreams of leaving her family and India and becoming an actress. Pitfalls along the way, romances, etc... I am sure there are many readers out there who will love this book.

I haven't read the previous books in this series but it was easy to pick up the story in this edition. Although it's not something I'd usually read, the book is an enjoyable read.

I loved the previous 2 books in this series and this one did not disappoint!

The Girl from the Tea Garden by Janet MacLeod Trotter is the third book in the India Tea series. The story centers around Adela Robson, an Anglo-Indian girl, who dreams of life on the stage. When she meets the handsome Sam Jackman, she sees her dream coming more of a possibility. She seems to be at the height of society until she meets the charming yet spoiled Prince and everything seems to fall apart. She soon finds herself in England, a country she doesn’t know. Will she have the courage and bravery to see through the bad times? Will she be able to return to her true home?
The Girl from the Tea Garden is set at the end of British rule in India, the turbulent political and social times are heavily felt as well as the outbreak of World War II. I enjoyed seeing World War II outside of the events in Europe. The author touches on events which occur in India during the war. I enjoy reading books which take the reader to a different part of the world and tells a story of what happened there while the war was going on. When I requested this book, I wasn’t aware it was the third in the series. However, the story was great to read and if there were any references to the first two books, they were subtle enough that it didn’t take away from the story. Now having read this book, I would like to read the first two and then read this one again. The author’s descriptions of the time and places were exquisite. If you enjoy historical fiction, you will enjoy The Girl from the Tea Garden.

The Girl from the Tea Garden
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Seeing it says book 3 here, I realized why I felt lost. This book was boring, and confusing. There was a lot that I couldn't understand. I had no interest in it

this has been a terrific series but if you haven't read the first two - you could still read this and really enjoy it because it's so well written and evocative. Trotter has such a nice way of creating characters and plots- she's a classic storyteller. Adela is one of my favorites- I didn't want this one to end. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. These are intensely romantic historical novels and you will learn something, which is always a bonus. I read this on a rainy day but it would also be a wonderful beach book or perfect for anytime when you want to be transported to a different time and place.

The Girl from the Tea Garden is the third book in The India Tea Series, ‘stories set against the vivid backdrop of India under the British Raj, post Victorian Britain and the tea trade‘. Unfortunately (due to my total incompetence) I’ve still to read book 1, but thankfully having read book 2 this book sees a welcome return to most of the characters I met there. It should be said at this point, that while the book could be read as a stand-alone, it does pick up on the lives of previous characters so spoilers are inevitable. In this one the focus is primarily on Adela Robson, Tilly’s niece, who we left as a small child at the end of book 2.

Adela when we meet her again, is now 11 and away at boarding school, an experience she hates as she doesn’t fit in. When the opportunity she makes her escape, back to Belgooree, her parents tea plantation by hiding in Sam Jackman’s car. As young as she is, that action brings her into contact with Sam who continues to re-appear and disappear throughout her life, not without consequences. Once safely ensconced at another school in Simla, Adela blossoms and is encouraged to pursue her love of acting. This proves to be the starting point to her joining a local theatre group and mixing in company that will see make choices that have devastating consequences, resulting in her leaving for England. Her eventual return to India sees her older and definitely wiser with her own and other secrets to be resolved.

My feelings for Adela I will admit were mixed and changed throughout the book, but I suspect that to a degree that comes from my vantage point of age. Initially sympathetic as a bullied schoolgirl, she then became a mixture of willful feistiness and selfish naiveté though if I’m honest that could describe many teenagers and adolescents. But it was more interesting to see her grow and develop especially as personal circumstance forced her to grow up a little more quickly. While Adela was undoubtedly the main focus, it was often the lesser characters I took a shine to, I loved Sam, for all his faults and personal demons, he was a decent man, and I was taken with Dr Fatima, Rafi’s sister who spent her time quietly and earnestly tending to the sick and poor as she travelled around the hill station villages.

Outside of the unfolding story of Adela, I was engaged by the political and socio-economic backdrop that was unfolding in both India and England. After years of colonial rule, the British Raj was ruling over a country that was becoming increasingly divided by means of poverty, religion, caste and power imbalances consequently various factions were starting to agitate for independence. While this featured in book 2, it was an aspect that was more to the fore in this one. In England, the outbreak of war also had an impact which saw a change in social mores that saw women gaining more independence and freedom.

I enjoyed this book, not just for Adela’s story, but the way the historical and social aspects were cleverly woven into the plot. It was an interesting insight into the lives of the tea planters and owners, as well as reflecting the wider problems within Indian society. But there was plenty of other threads to add interest and drama, family secrets, unrequited love and forbidden relationships. Just the sort of book that calls for a good cup of tea or two to settle down with.

I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley for the purpose of this review.