This is an absolute gem of a book and I was delighted to have been approved for it.  So excited it went straight to the top of my reading list.

I came across this novel on Twitter and after reading the synopsis decided I had to read it.  I had never heard of women being transported to Batavia (now Jakarta) to start married life with Company husbands in the colony.

It’s a rough story – Jana and her friend Sontje who come from different backgrounds and different beginnings, but both take the perilous journey from Amsterdam to Jakarta in the early 17th century.  Both are very different, but both are survivors, and this is their story, the story of the orphan woman who were transported out to Jakarta and treated as possessions.

What comes out is an epic journey of love, self-discovery and survival.  Impressively researched its hard to believe that this is a debut novel.

Thank you again to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC in return for this very honest review.

This is a wonderful, heart-wrenching love story set in Amsterdam and Batavia (now Jakarta). The story of Jana is an inspiring read as she drags herself from the gutter into service to Sontje, before they both join the Company Daughters on a horrendous boat journey across the seas to find husbands and a new life on the Dutch colony.
The story of the two women is absorbing and emotional. The writing is beautiful and I was hooked from the very first page with the descriptions of the women 'caged' and oppressed by both society in Holland and by colonial attitudes in Batavia. A must for all historical fiction fans.

What a fabulous story this is - not only does it give life to another period in history, it takes you on a fantastic adventure to faraway places. The descriptions are so vivid you live every part of this story - you see what the characters see, feel what they feel. I went through all the emotions - happy, sad, shocked, angry and a whole lot more. With a compelling storyline, this is a book to immerse yourself in. Perfect escapism and one of my top historical reads this year.

The Company Daughters is Samantha Rajaram’s heartfelt debut and a work of historical literary fiction that is richly-imagined, based on a true story and impeccably researched. It is the story of Jana Beil, a servant in seventeenth-century Amsterdam who, alongside her companion Sontje Reynst, signs up to be a ‘company daughter’ – a mail-order bride dispatched to settlers in the far Dutch colonial East Indies. Based on true history, these two women undertake a dangerous and deadly sea journey to the colony of Batavia – present-day Indonesia – to start a new life there as wives to men they know nothing about. Most of these women are orphans and with nothing left in terms of prospects in their Dutch homeland and so they are given dowries in return for marrying the Dutch settlers in Batavia and starting families. Even if they survive the treacherous ten-month voyage across the globe there's no guarantee they will find all their answers when they step off the boat and meet those who will become their family. Will their gamble on love and the possibility of prosperity pay off or is this one gamble too far?

This is a gripping, intense and truly captivating read, and I was so moved by Jana and Sontje’s story – the company daughters of the Dutch East India Company must have been tremendously brave (and heartbreakingly desperate) to travel halfway across the world in perilous conditions to marry a stranger. Samantha really brings their unique and fascinating tale to life with her beautifully atmospheric writing and warm characters. It's heart-wrenching and unimaginable to be a young woman, most likely all alone in the world, who decides to take this huge leap of faith and it highlights many of the issues that were happening at the time as a result of colonialism; Rajaram makes a point to highlight this, and I expect this is informed by the British colonisation of India in 1858. It's superbly written and the seventeenth-century setting was depicted authentically and exotically but the characters are what really made the story wonderful; Jana, in particular, became like a friend who you wished nothing but the best for. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC.

The Company Daughters by @samantha.r.reader - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Changing pace a little from all the gothic and fantasy fiction I’ve been reading recently, this beautiful historical novel is out on Friday - thanks so much to @bookouture and @netgalley for my advanced copy. Do go and pre-order it now - it’s just 99p I’m the Kindle store today!

The Company Daughters takes us from the cold, conformist streets of Amsterdam across the seas to brilliant blue skies Batavia with the Company Daughters, young women - mostly orphans - with nothing left for them in the Dutch homeland due to loss of fortune, families and unexpected poverty where they are to be given dowries in return for marrying the Dutch settlers there and starting families. After a brutal, 10 month long sea voyage that there is no guarantee they’ll survive they’re to be a civilising influence on the colony.

The Company Daughters is a beautiful, fascinating book that I really enjoyed reading. It’s imagery is vivid and very very real, bringing everywhere to life on the page. Jana - our narrator - is easy to emphasise with and to draw strength from with her courage, independence and insistence that she build a better life for herself. The romance in the book did not really work for me (it was certainly not ‘heart-wrenching’ as it was described in the subtitle) but then again I’m used to romances being less subtle in the books I often read. However, the book was still heavy with absence of life, loss and hardship, and certainly during these difficult times I’ve come away from reading it with a renewed appreciation for the things in my life that sometimes I’m not grateful enough to have.

The Company’s Daughter

‘The Company Daughters’ tells the story of Jana who is sent off to Batavia to be married and finds herself on a discovery of love and life.  

‘The Company Daughters’ is loosely based off the real life story of the Company Daughters who used to take the daunting 10 month journey from Amsterdam to Batavia in the seventeenth century to be married off.

Women during those times were married off and didn’t get much say in any decisions.  It was a time when women had no choice but to do what they was told and were kept women.  

Most of the story takes place on the journey to Batavia.  During what is a harrowing journey to Batavia they find out the dangers of been on the water and a deadly sickness has come upon the boat.  But Jana soon finds some happiness which she finds herself having to remain a secret.

However, Jana is a force to be reckoned with and stands up for what’s she believes in.  She pays the slaves where others wouldn’t and goes on to sell lace despite it been frowned upon at first.  I loved reading about a character who I felt I could partly relate to as a strong, independent woman who fights for what she believes in and wants to make a difference to the world.

This is highly descriptive, you really get a feel for the hardships Jana and the rest of the daughters entail throughout this story.  It’s a harrowing and touching story and I’d highly recommend if you’re a fan of historical fiction.

This novel introduced me into some parts of the world and history that were totally unknown to me. Well done to the author on linking a true story and the fate of many real 'company daughter's that were essentially sexually trafficked young girls sent across the sea to Africa to marry Dutch merchants.
The central character Jana Beil is strong willed and totally believable which is why I have a note of caution over the intense relationship with her first employer/then friend Sontje.  This is entirely credible and immensely passionately written but how far would it in reality have gone within the community in Batavia in which it then relocates? However that is a minor blip in an excellent novel. Its three parts take us from the streets of Amsterdam city (very similar in tone and description for lovers of ''The Miniaturist' novel) to the superbly evocative sea voyage taking many months and with such friendships and hardships endured to the land of Batavia and its exotic forests, fauna and fruit so beautifully described by the author.
I liked the sympathetic approach to Jana's husband Mattheus and did feel eventually happiness of some sort would prevail but not expecting some of the twists and turns that were outlined in the last chapters.
Lots to learn and to love from this strong debut historical novel.

Wow! I read a lot of historical fiction, and this was excellent. Well written, well researched, with amazingly believable characters. The first third is set in Amsterdam, where a young girl trying to escape a hard home life and living on the streets manages to snag a job as a maid for a wealthy ship investor and his daughter. There were shades of "Girl with a Pearl Earring" and "The Miniaturist" here, but then tragedy strikes, and the only way for the girl and her master's daughter to survive is to board a company ship to Indonesia. 

The next third of the story takes place on ship, where we learn about the hard life of the "company daughters" who have also been forced into this emigration. Having read lots of book with a similar theme where the protagonists were travelling to New Zealand or Australia, the Dutch theme and the focus on the lives of women really made this story stand out. The two women realise they are in love, in a beautifully described building up of their relationship, which only makes it sadder when they arrive in Batavia (Jakarta) and are married off to the colonists. T

he last third of the book describes their life there, with a particular focus on the female indigenous slaves, particularly the widows. A really fresh look at the history of the time, through an unusual lens.

The Company Daughters was so much more than I was expecting it to be. It's a story of both forbidden love, and the incredible resilience of the human spirit. 

Jana is a young Dutch girl alone and in desperate poverty. One day she finds herself on the Reynst doorstep and is taken on as a servant for kind but absent minded Master Reynst and his daughter Sontje. The first quarter of the novel details her life in Amsterdam, working for the Reynsts and battling her growing confusing feelings for Sontje. When Master Reynst loses his fortune and then dies, Sontje signs up as a Company Daughter - to travel by ship to Batavia (modern day Jakarta) to be married off to a Dutch settler there. Jana, unwilling to imagine life without Sontje, joins her. 

The second quarter details their rough ten month boat journey to Batavia, and the second half of the book their life in this new,  unfamiliar land. 

I loved Jana as a character. I loved how she always made the best she could of things, even in the most difficult circumstances, and her stoic, hardworking nature. Sontje annoyed me at times but she did undergo some decent character growth. 

The writing was beautiful. It swept you along just like a boat rocking on the ocean, never feeling heavy or tiresome, with some truly poignant moments. I felt so invested in Jana's story and wished so much for a bit of happiness for her. 

This is a truly affecting, moving, beautiful story, I highly recommend it.

Thank you, Netgalley and Bookouture for providing me with an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Company Daughters is a sweeping tale of what it means to be a woman in a world where the odds are always stacked against them. Samantha Rajaram is, without a doubt, talented in spinning stories by drawing inspiration from real-life events. The accounts were, in my opinion, well-researched to provide an authentic portrayal of the conditions of a colonized nation. It also depicts the circumstances of the women who were taken from their home countries to serve the settler men. I have been reading so many character-driven historical fiction stories based on true-events talking about the effects of colonization on communities and the women as well. This novel had similar themes, and I have to say it did not disappoint either in delivering a compelling story with a strong protagonist.

Samantha Rajaram through The Company Daughters tells us the story of Jana, who escaped the violence of her father only to be thrust, into employment in the city brothels. Her life is full of hardship, and her goal is to stay employed to escape the choices put on her. Life hasn't been kind to her at all, and despite all of her horrible experiences, she doesn't let them deter her from earning an honest living without sacrificing her soul. She gets hired as a servant for the Reynst household, where she encounters a kind employer, a welcome change from her past. Things change for the best, and Jana hopes for a better future. Unfortunately, the good things never last, and Master Reynst loses his fortune in a bad investment leaving Jana and Sontje - Master Reynst's daughter destitute. The two of them decide to sign-up for the Dutch East India Company's Company Daughters system to escape their dire circumstances. The orphan daughters are taken to the colonial outposts as mail order brides to be married off to the settlers. Life in Batavia is not what they were promised, and they have to adjust to the new world and a distinct way of life. The story is brimming with hope, tragedies, and harsh realities of life. It talks about women's resistance against an oppressive system that is, designed to benefit only men.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. I had a good time reading the book. I believe these untold and lesser-known colonial history needs to be brought to the attention of people. The unflinching and brutally honest portrayal of slavery, effects of colonization, cruelties inflicted on women, exploitation of minor groups, racism, and the superior attitude of the settlers is something that shines through the pages. The horrors and realities of poverty are also depicted truthfully, taking the readers through the lives of the characters. If you love slower-paced historical fiction featuring strong protagonists striving for a better life and rising from their challenging situations, then this story is for you. It is an inspiring story of the resistance of woman and their survival in a world where men define them and rule them. I loved the beautiful writing and elaborate descriptions. The story is a testament to the courage, strength, and perseverance of strong-minded women in a harsh world. I gave the book 4 stars, and I highly recommend checking it out. If you love learning more about colonial history, I recommend picking this one up.

I love historical novels, and this one just exceeded my expectations. Such a fantastic debut and a brilliant voice in historical fiction. 

The novel is inspired by real  events in history and the story will keep you engaged throughout. The characters are well fleshed out. You can really relate to the characters as they are not hollow but three dimensional. 

Jana Is the narrator of the story. She is a girl who has struggled and gone through hardships all her life.  Her path is intertwined with that of the rich and beautiful  Sontje. Thus begins their complicated relationship and they go forward into a future unknown when Sontje’s father looses all his fortune. 

I would definitely recommend this book for people who like the historical fiction genre and even history in general. It is a fascinating look into the past. 

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader’s copy of this book for an honest review.

A masterpiece. I cannot believe this is a debut. Such beautiful writing that sparkles and transports and wows! One read is not enough! This is a book to treasure, cherish, reread, admire, quote from and recommend. Stunning. Everyone must read it. If you don't you're doing yourself a disservice. I not only lost myself in this book but also learned so very much
 Beautifully researched, brilliantly written. A masterpiece.

Six girls, mostly orphans, are sent to Batavia to marry the men of the East India Company. Jana is a survivor and quite lonely so when she falls is love she wants to hold on to it. Even if that means marrying a stranger to stay near Sontje, the woman she loves. Along the way she experiences love, heartbreak and grief, while finding family, freedom and purpose.

When I read historical fiction I try to go in with no expectations and just enjoy the journey. That was so easy to do with "The Company Daughters'. I never felt like I was reading a book, I felt like I was living it. The entire book is from Jana's perspective so we get a good look at how she, as a woman, never feels truly free. There is a lovely romance within this story but it is not a romantic book. It is the story of Jana's life, from an abused child runaway to liberated young mother. The writing was beautiful, it painted the setting and atmosphere perfectly without being overly flowery or boring. And what a lovely hopeful vision that ending was.

Company Daughters is a Brilliant historical Fiction. It's the tale of two women who are shipped off across the globe to be brides of unknown Dutch East Indies Company associates in Batavia(modern day Jakarta).
 An absorbing, gripping, heartbreaking tale with blend of unique and complex characters, highlighting the struggles of being a women in 17th century. Various aspects of human emotions and hardships were splendidly demonstrated. Poverty, Discrimination,Racism, Misogyny, Sexism and other social anarchy of 17th Century Dutch Colony was potrayed perfectly. The way the author put emphasis on these factors is highly appreciated. The story is so unpredictable, you'll never really know for sure what the writer is planning next. Everytime I was amazed by her skills, considering it's her debut novel it's really incredible. I was so captivated in the story of both the girls and what was stored for them. I honestly didn't see the plot unwinding like this, it was totally unexpected, still amazingly presented by the Author. 
The characters Jana, Sontje, Mattheus and Tobias were seriously notable. I adored Jana's Courage, Love, Integrity and Determination. I wish Tobias was more included in the story. Nevertheless and amazing book indeed.

''It's odd how we learn to like certain things because we are expected to. Makes me wonder sometimes if I truly like anything I think I like.''

I was immediately drawn in by the cover and then locked in by the synopsis. I love historical settings, places, and times I didn't get to see or experience. Once you bite into the cake that's called historical-fiction, you're forever hungry for more. 

Inspired by real events and a time when women were bought and sold like objects and transported to Batavia, a Dutch colony, this book is a time-machine that transports you three centuries back. 

When Jana meets Sontje, the breathtaking daughter of Jana's kind master, her already turbulent life changes forever. But when Sontje's father dies, she decides to leave Amsterdam and travel to marry a colonist in Batavia, Jana's love for Sontje takes her to Batavia as well. They, along with other Company Daughters, other poor or orphaned women with no other options, sail to the colonial outpost to forget their old lives and establish new ones. Unfortunately, it isn't the paradise island they all want it to be. 

I knew from the start it's going to break my heart and instill hope in me simultaneously. I am, without a doubt, in love with this story. 

It is slow-paced but easy to read and follow as it is divided into four main parts, each part containing about 20 chapters. Short, easy to digest chapters. 

This is a story of one woman, and of them all. Of women that are put in a cage and oppressed by colonialism and patriarchy. As if women were unworthy of their concern and attention, and capable of anything else apart from giving birth and cleaning the floor. We also touch on the themes of slavery and sexual assault, on several occasions, but we don't dive in as deep with these two. 

Jana is inspiring. Her thoughts made me cry, her life story made me cry. The way she describes her emotions is touching and wonderful. She always thought she wasn't special or worthy because she is just a servant but on the contrary. However, she is strong, rebellious, resilient, and an example of so many women who give up everything for love, but also for the right to live life how they want to live. 

''They don't want us to desire much. Only little things. Brooches and pearl earrings and ribbons for our coiled hair. And after some time, we stop wanting more than that. But the hunger for those little things just grows and grows. Because we never really desired them, but forget how to want the things that mattered to us.''

Jana and Sontje find comfort and love in each other. They find a companion and confidant in each other, something they have never had before and will never have again. Not like that. Unfortunately, Jana's story isn't all rainbows and unicorns, but I am glad to see that in the end, she saw some justice. This is exactly what I expected and wanted for her character.

Sontje was a great character, but I personally related more to Jana. Tobias was a perfect gentleman, and I wished I had more Tobias - Jana scenes, simply because he was one of the first ones, if not the first one to see something in Jana. Plus, he was a gentleman, kind and gentle, and a representation of everything Jana deserved but never had. 

I was enraged at how women were treated by men, but even more, enraged with how SOME women treated other women. Petty, sad women who degrade other women to feel better about themselves
and their own pain, instead of supporting each other. Sad, but we see these things happen even three centuries later.

This book will make you think. You will relate to it no matter where you are. It touches on so many serious issues, where seemingly they belong to the past, but when you start peeling off the layers you will realise that some of them are rooted so deeply, and still exist today.

This is a beautiful and heartcrushing story. Rajaram tells a story with a light touch but doesn't gloss over the bad parts of life. This is the story of the power of women. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

I enjoyed this read. 
This is a historical fiction story, a sad but heartwarming story about two women from different backgrounds who end up in the same circumstances.  Jana has had a hard life working as anything that she can in order to stay out of the brothels and streets. She meets Sonje after becoming the housekeeper for her father. 
Their  story unfolds further as they both sign to join the Company Daughters - sent to a different colony across seas to become wives to men they have never met before.
It took me awhile to get into the story, but when they get to the other colony I was ready to read their story.  I really enjoyed Jana and Sonje's dynamic and how they grew together and yet apart. It wasn't the happy ending I think anyone was really hoping for, but I appreciated the ending based off of how the story unfolded.

I found this to be a very absorbing and page turning read that I just couldn't put down. I can never resist historical books about ordinary women in difficult situations and have read many books about mail order brides and settlers in new territories overseas.

However this one manages to be quite a bit different, it begins in 17th century Amsterdam, features a wonderful heroine Jana, who drags herself up by the bootstraps ending up in service to the enigmatic Sontje and her kindly father. 

When tragedy strikes they end up as mail order brides being sent to the colonies in an outpost known as Batavia (later to become Jakarta) Indonesia is a beautiful and exotic destination and the book is well researched, compelling and very atmospheric, introducing me to a time and place in history I hadn't come across previously.

Jana finds tragedy can also lead to love and a tender love story is played out whilst harsh and desperate measures are playing out around Jana.

Its hard to believe this is a debut novel as the writing is just superbly accomplished and the story is absorbing and mesmerizing. If, like me you like your women strong when facing tragedy yet believably emotional too, you'll fall in love  with Jana and be rooting for her as she builds a new life in the oppressive heat and colonial ex-pat lifestyle in Batavia.

Published by the wonderful Bookouture in October 2020 this is one historical debut not be missed by fellow enthusiasts for this genre.

I liked this book overall and it was a fairly quick read. I wasn't as excited by the story and the characters as I thought I would be, making it fall a little flat for me. Thank you to NetGalley for the early copy.

Wow - what a wonderful whirlwind of humanity, love, adventure, and just overall life all wrapped up in this debut book. This book has quickly jumped to one of my favorites. 

The story starts in Amsterdam during the 17th century, where we begin to learn about the protagonist and narrator, Jana. We quickly learn that Jana has not had it easy in her life so far, having run away from an abusive and broken household, and been on her own searching for work and trying to survive. She finally finds work with the Reynst household, and things begin to look up for her -  Master Reynst and his daughter Sontja are very kind to her, despite her being their servant. Unfortunately a series of events leads to Jana and Sontja out of a home and no future in sight. Out of options, they sign up with the East India Company as Company Daughters, where they will become brides of male settlers in Batavia. 

As we go through the story, it's impressive how much Jana has gone through and how she overcomes, but makes mistakes and fails like a normal person. This makes the story so much more realistic and beautiful.  

The author really brought out the settings and made all the characters so realistic, I could not put it down - I had to read the whole book in a night. I am extremely excited to read more from this author. 

Thank you so much Net Galley and the publisher Bookouture for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.