My Review of Kurinji Flowers b y Clare Flynn #FridayReads
I gave Kurinji Flowers 5 stars out of 5.
Book Description:
Marriage to a man she barely knows. Exile to a country she doesn't know at all
An emotional love story set in the last days of colonial India
After an abusive relationship with a predatory older man, debutante Ginny Dunbar is publicly disgraced when her artist lover exhibits a nude painting of her in a smart London gallery. All her mother's hopes for a society wedding are dashed until she lowers her sights and pushes Ginny into a hasty marriage with a tea planter from South India.
Colonial life doesn't sit well with Ginny. She finds the world of the expatriate community shallow and empty. Caught between fear of and fascination for India and its people, her world is shaken when she meets Jag Mistry, who opens her eyes and her heart. But just as she thinks she has found happiness, World War 2 intervenes.
A poignant story of love, loss, betrayal and redemption set against the dying days of colonial India.
My Review:
It’s been a long time since I read any of Clare Flynn’s book;
I’ve been missing out, I’d forgotten what a good story-teller she is and how
strong her plots are.
The background of Kurinji Flowers is an unsettled era ; the fading
years of the British Empire and Indian independence, life in the capital,
London, between the two world wars and then the devastation of the Second World
War. And it is obvious the author has researched these times well; the
descriptions are extraordinarily detailed and give a wonderful sense of place.
And, juxtaposed with the larger stage are the politics and conflicts of the
cultures, the assumed place of women at the time, the huge division between the
sexes, between nationalities.
Even more than that is the human element. Told in the first person point of view, the reader follows the emotional journey of the protagonist, Ginny
Dunbar, a rich and socially well placed young woman from London. But a vulnerable young woman, mourning the death of her father, and being led by an older man into a situation that, in her mother's eyes, ruins her reputation.
So, given her background, it is inevitable that she is forced into a marriage of convenience; to a
lonely life as the wife of a plantation owner in India. Ginny's husband, Tony, is a man set in his ways; a man who has certain expectations of how his wife should behave. A man who believes his social standing rises above the people of India.
Multi-layered and well rounded, Ginny isn’t totally portrayed as
a victim of her circumstances. Through strong internal dialogue we learn of her inner need, even hidden determination, to follow her own path; to hold on to her creativity,
to love where she wants to love. But these conflict with her instinctive craving to fit in,
to be loved by her husband, to conform with the expectations of those in her social circle. And, underlying
all, is her struggle in her loathing yet fascination of the Indian way of life. She lives a
life that is isolated yet dominated by others. But it is also a life interspersed with moments of joy, of love. Through Ginny's internal dialogue the reader sees the growth of self knowledge in her; feels the emotions alongside her.
And to the author’s credit it is not only the main
characters, the husband, the gay friend, her potential lover, that come to life
on the page; each character has their own place in the story, reveal their own personalities both through their actions and through the strong dialogue. The language reflects the time the story is set; the social circles it is set in; the differences in cultures. There is never any mistaking who is speaking.
I try not to give spoilers in my reviews, which is why I concentrate on the aspects of the author's writing style rather more than the plot. And, as with any reviewer, I try to show the effect the story had on me.
Suffice it to say that when I reached the end of the story, I was reluctant to close the pages.
One last thought. I loved the cover. But it was only when I realised that the Kurinji flowers were a metaphor for love that I understood the importance of the title.
This is one book I have no hesitation in recommending to any reader.
About the author:
Historical novelist Clare Flynn is the author of nine novels and a short story
collection. Her books deal with displacement -her characters are wrenched away
from their comfortable existences and forced to face new challenges - often in
outposts of an empire which largely disappeared after WW2.
Clare's novels often feature places she knows well and she
does extensive research to build the period and geographic flavour of her
books.
Comments
Post a Comment