8 January 2016

Review #314: The Midnight Rose by Lucinda Riley



My rating: 5 of 5 stars



“The more you leave out, the more you highlight what you leave in.”

----Henry Green



Lucinda Riley, the New York Times bestselling author, has penned an enchanting tale of love, loss and royal family secrets, in her book, The Midnight Rose. This is the story of a girl named, Anahita, spanning across many generations, and with the help of another protagonist, Rebecca, the readers get to revisit the life of Anahita and her royalty and her family secrets.






Synopsis:

In the heyday of the British Raj, eleven-year-old Anahita, from a noble but impoverished family, forms a lifelong friendship with the headstrong Princess Indira, the privileged daughter of Indian royalty. As the princess's official companion, Anahita accompanies her friend to England just before the outbreak of World War I. There, she meets young Donald Astbury—reluctant heir to the magnificent, remote Astbury Estate—and his scheming mother.

Ninety years later, Rebecca Bradley, a young American film star, has the world at her feet. But when her turbulent relationship with her equally famous boyfriend takes an unexpected turn, she's relieved that her latest role, playing a 1920s debutante, will take her away from the glare of publicity to a distant corner of the English countryside. Shortly after filming begins at the now-crumbling Astbury Hall, Ari Malik, Anahita's great-grandson, arrives unexpectedly, on a quest for his family's past. What he and Rebecca discover begins to unravel the dark secrets that haunt the Astbury dynasty .



Ari, the great grand son of Anahita, received the papers containing the life story of her great grand mother, that leads him to the Astbury Hall in England to find Anahita's lost son, Moh. At the same time, Rebecca, an American actress, visits the Astbury Hall in England for a film shooting, where she befriends the current Lord Astbury. Fate brings both these characters together, where together they try to find Anahita's lost son, Moh, thereby unraveling some great and hidden Astbury family secrets. Will they be able to find Moh?


I've been quite a huge fan of this best selling author. Riley's exquisite writing style and eloquent words along with a free-flowing and addictive narrative, make the book one hell of a page-turner. The book is so enslaving that the story lingers in the minds of the readers long after it's appalling climax. From the very first half of the book, the story delves deeper into the historical aspects of both the countries- India, during British Raj, and England- both in present and in the past.

The layering of the story line is quite intricately, especially both the stories, one of Rebecca and the other of Anahita, are in perfect tune with one another. Thus when the readers shift from one timeline to another while reading, they can easily set back into each of the timelines with ease. From the cultural in-differences to the fashion statement to the linguistic gap to the political strata, social prejudices etc, are all very thoroughly portrayed in the story line. Each and every scene from the book is so vividly described that it feels like the scenes are playing out before the yes of the readers.

The author not only transports her readers back in time but also takes them to see various eye-catching destinations that are not only strikingly featured but also evocatively described. The characters of the book plays out to be the most strongest aspect in the story, which are extremely well-developed layered both with flaws and skills. Anahita's painful and heartbreaking story has lot of power to move the readers whereas Rebecca's story helps the readers to contemplate with the past. The supporting cast is also developed with lots of flair and charm that can leave a lost lasting impression in the minds of the readers.

In short, the book is rich in history and the backdrop is vibrantly painted that supports an equally poignant story of two women.

Verdict: This is a must read book for historical fiction readers.

Courtesy: Thanks to the author, Lucinda Riley, for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.
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Author Info:
Lucinda Riley was born in Ireland and wrote her first book aged 24. Her novel 'Hothouse Flower' (also called 'The Orchid House') was selected for the UK's Richard and Judy Bookclub in 2011 and went on to sell 2 million copies worldwide. She is a multiple New York Times bestselling author and has topped the bestseller charts in four European countries.

In response to demand from her readers, she has recently re-written two books from her early writing career when published under her maiden name Lucinda Edmonds - the books are now being published as 'The Italian Girl' and 'The Angel Tree'.

'The Seven Sisters' is the first of a unique seven book series based allegorically on the mythology of the famous star constellation.

Lucinda's books are translated into 28 languages and published in 38 countries. She lives with her husband and four children on the North Norfolk coast in England and in the South of France.

Visit her here


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