I love Dinah Jefferies historical novels. She takes you to exotic places and has a wonderful knack of capturing the time and place extremely well and it's easy to imagine you're there experiencing the sights, sounds and smells.

The Sapphire Widow is set in 1935 Ceylon in the town of Galle.

Louisa Reeve and her husband Elliot seem to have everything. They have a beautiful house and domestic staff to look after them. Louisa's father is a successful gem trader and Elliot is in charge of the gem cutting side. He also has his own business interests which take him away from home for extended periods.

What they don't have and long for is a child, Louisa having given birth to a stillborn daughter eight years previously followed by several miscarriages. When Elliot announces that he has bought the Old Print House and plans to turn it into a jewellery and spice emporium but needs a loan to make the final payment his father in law is less than impressed and refuses to make the loan. Louisa however likes the idea of having a project to keep her occupied.

Louisa is devastated when Elliot is killed in a road accident but she is shocked when she learns of her financial situation. Not everything is as it seemed. As she begins to uncover her husband's secrets and lies her world is turned upside down and she starts to wonder if she really knew her husband. Just who can she trust?

There are some interesting characters in the book especially Louisa's awful mother in law Irene and her sister in law Margo, and Leo McNairn the owner of Cinnamon Hills plantation. It was also nice to see Gwen Hooper , the main character in The Tea Planter's Wife, make an appearance in the story.

It's a very enjoyable read - a historical fiction with a bit of mystery and romance too and of course the wonderful exotic locations. Perfect for the holidays!

I have enjoyed all Dinah Jefferies' books and this was no exception.She has such a wonderful sense of place and writes beautifully about the exotic settings of her books,describing not only the location but the flowers,animals,sounds and smells.This is great storytelling,and the book moves along at a good pace,with interesting characters and a plot that really holds the reader's interest.
It would be good holiday reading-definitely one to recommend!

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. It took me a while to get into this book and kept putting it down but do glad that I persisted as it turned out to be a great read,.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Although the story wasn’t overly exciting it was a nice easy read.. I could actually fall for Leo myself.

I was really excited to receive this as an advanced copy for review as I’ve loved Dinah’s other books

This one did not disappoint I absolutely loved it and devoured it in two sittings

It’s such a lovely story with a really good pace building up to a bit of suspense at the end

Don’t hesitate to read this it’s worthy of its 5 stars

Another delightful novel from Dinah Jefferies, with wonderful descriptions of the local scenery and colour. The heroine, Louisa, had my sympathy, particularly in having to deal with her dreadful mother-in-law!

I knew Dinah Jefferies wouldn't disappoint. This addictive novel creates an atmospheric picture of life in Ceylon as Louisa struggles to come to terms with her husband's sudden death and the unexpected tangle of secrets he has left behind. It is easy to imagine the individual characters with Dinah's excellent characterisation and the storyline kept me glued to the pages throughout.

A light holiday read. Nowhere near as good as The Teaplanters Wife sadly so found myself somewhat disappointed.

This is a really well written book, it flowed all the way through and I felt that it was elegantly written and a complete pleasure to read. The cover is beautiful. The story and characters were very strong and well developed. The book had great attention to detail and I loved being taken back in time to Ceylon in the 1930s. It was a joy to read and very highly recommended to any fans of historical fiction - 5 stars

Lovely book set in Ceylon in the 1930's. It's really a sad story about a wife who finds out what her husband is really like once he is gone. Heartbreaking in places. The descriptions of Ceylon and all the sights and smells conjured up wonderful images. This is a lovely summery read .

This story fell a little flat for me. I worked out virtually from the start how the story was going to go and ended up skimming it to get to the end.

This is a quality of writing that we have come to expect of the author. Set in Ceylon (before it became Sri Lanka), it is the story of Louisa who has a husband who is not what he seems. He gambles, tells lies, and mixes with some rather nasty people.
She has just lost another child to miscarriage, and is feeling rather bereft.Her mother is dead, and she only has a few close friends and her sister in law to confide in. When her husband dies ina road accident, everything changes, seemingly for the worse!
The characters in this book are very real, the plot moves at a cracking pace, and the descriptions of the birds, insects, animals and the sea are very inviting, and make you feel that you can see them in your minds eye.
A triumph, and many thanks to the author, Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to read this splendid novel.

This was a decent enough read about marriage and how we never really know another person. The main characters deals tragedy and the aftermath. A good summer read not two taxing

Having already read books by Dinah Jefferies I knew that I would become absorbed by a well written enjoyable novel. I was not disappointed! The evocative picture of 1935 life in Cylon kept me fascinated by the beautiful descriptive style and the developing storyline of love, loss, betrayal sadness and joy. I enjoyed the inclusion of Gwen from a previous novel. Pure escapism.

Loss, betrayal and learning to live again are the key themes of this romantic novel. Set in Ceylon in 1935, Louisa Reeve is stunned by the sudden death of her charismatic, rakish husband, Elliot. She struggles to get past the loss of the man she loves but her emotions are complicated by the discovery that Elliot was keeping many secrets from her, some with serious implications for Louisa. The realisation that she did not know the man she had been married to for 12 years and that her marriage was based on a lie is a devastating blow. When the prospect of forging new relationships arises Louisa has to work out whether she can ever trust again.
In The Sapphire Widow, Dinah Jefferies has conjured a lush tropical landscape. The characters are interesting and the plot compelling. It is an emotional but enjoyable read. This was my first Dinah Jefferies book and it will not be my last.

My Thoughts

‘I told him if Ceylon was where his heart belonged, it was where my heart would belong too.’

I was happy to read another Dinah Jefferies novel as you are guaranteed to be transported to some exotic location and time. The Sapphire Widow is set during the British occupation of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and vivid descriptions of the town of Galle are given. Dinah has this wonderful capacity to truly capture the feel and essence of times long gone. Her descriptions of everything from the bustling Colombo, to being lost in the jungle - you will experience it all: warm rain falling, splashing in the surf, watching fireflies and the inviting aroma of the spice trade.

This book is full of evocative detail about what life would have been like for expats living there and I truly enjoyed this aspect. Sadly, I did find the story itself surrounding Louisa and Elliot to be quite predictable. So whilst it reads wonderfully well in time and location, there are no real surprises here. The plot is straight forward and characters are lacking in depth, as little investment was provided to them - even the swindling bad guys came and went inconspicuously - connections were lacking.

The story is well constructed and I recommend escaping to Galle for a few hours. Credit has to be given to to the research undertaken with the atmosphere being palpable. Sadly though, with characters lacking emotional depth and no strong storyline, it is left as a pleasant escape alone. I wanted to feel the betrayal and hope that are the main themes of this story but it never really goes beyond the simplistic, only ever scratching the surface.



This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Set in Sri Lanka this lovely story is so discriptive you can visualise yourself there. I have always wanted to visit the island and now definitely will. A very enjoyable read which had me wondering what I would do in the same situation.

THE SAPPHIRE WIDOW, a Mystery Suspense by Dinah Jefferies left me enthralled. It was the most beautiful breathtaking book I have read for a while. The sumptuous descriptions, raw emotions and intense mystery fill the pages and my thoughts. It was a though I were there in Ceylon, in the days of British rule with the sun beating ferociously down before the Monsoons broke and the mystery deepened.

The suspense is woven throughout the book and while you may guess the initial betrayal before the lead character, Louisa Reeve you will love the twists and turns and powerful emotions on her journey to happiness.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book #TheSapphireWidow

A perfect summer read! I raced through this book and loved the characters. The setting and storyline are unique and I would definitely recommend it.

Dinah Jefferies knows how to spin a tale and how to transport a reader back in time. With the Sapphire Widow I was transported to Ceylon in 1935. I could smell the sea and the cinnamon, I could picture the ramparts and the beach and felt the rain falling.
After Louisa Reeves finds herself widowed she needs to come to terms with her husbands betrayal. The book tells her story, which is one of love, secrets, hope and friendship. There was some intrigue to keep the pages turning at pace making this a quick and easy pleasure to read.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.