The Moon in the Mango Tree
by Pamela Binnings Ewen
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Oct 17 2023 | Archive Date Oct 31 2023
Talking about this book? Use #TheMoonintheMangoTree #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!
Description
From Pamela Binnings Ewen, bestselling author of The Queen of Paris and Émilienne, The Moon in the Mango Tree is a lush historical novel set in the 1920s.
It is a dazzling decade, and Barbara Bond is a beautiful young singer torn between her fierce desire for independence and her deep, abiding love for her husband, a brilliant doctor. She has trained for years to sing grand opera, but soon after her marriage to Harvey Perkins, she learns that he has accepted an assignment as a medical missionary in the country of Siam. Suddenly Barbara is forced into the duty of a “good wife"—to support her husband’s career, not her own. As resentment slowly grows, she travels with Harvey first to the jungles of Siam, then to the capital city of Bangkok, where he is now physician to the royal court.
As she struggles with the secrets straining their marriage, Barbara wonders if she has made the right choice. At last, leaving her husband in Bangkok, she flees to Paris, then Rome where she can finally sing on stage. If Harvey loves her, the risk is worth it for a chance to have it all—her husband and her career. Why should she be forced to choose?
And, if she chooses, must the other be lost forever?
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
“Rich and heartfelt.”
Publishers Weekly
“A thought-provoking and enjoyable story, difficult to put down. Highly recommended.”
Historical Novel Society (Editor’s Choice)
“Rich and heartfelt.”
Publishers Weekly
“A thought-provoking and enjoyable story, difficult to put down. Highly recommended.”
Historical Novel Society (Editor’s Choice)
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9798212514101 |
| PRICE | $17.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 490 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Annette B, Reviewer
The Moon in the Mango Tree is based on the author’s grandmother’s story.
In 1919, newly wed Perkins arrive in Siam. Barbara puts her dream of singing in opera aside for her husband’s work as a missionary doctor. In Nan Valley, north of Siam, she quickly finds out that her singing is not appreciated on the mission as some see it as something inappropriate.
Her journey has no clear path as she is meant to follow her husband. That is the custom during her time. She quickly recognizes monks of Buddhist temples as something spiritual and nurturing. What her husband is part of is meant to have a good purpose, but she notices that the way of the natives may not be necessarily the bad way as they’re being portrayed by missionaries.
The main protagonist journey has no clear path once she decides to follow her husband and when she realizes that her singing voice in a remote place is not needed. She struggles with her faith, and finding her voice. For quite some time, she finds living in Nan Valley as wasted years of her life. Then, she searches for meaning and purpose in her life.
The story brings a fascinating character of a woman who grows on a personal level and despite following her husband; she has her own mind and her own voice.
This story is written with elegant prose, exploring the remote corner of the world and known places of Europe, with a character that fascinates.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
Amie Darnell Specht; Shannon Hitchcock
Children's Fiction, Children's Nonfiction, Middle Grade
