There were lots of error in this proof copy which made it difficult to read (or di cult to read as all the ff fe fi and fl letters were missing from words!) However, I did skim-read it to the end but I was not enamoured of the story or the characters, The characters were dull and the dialogue was wooden, the story was predictable and very dated (even allowing for it being a period piece.) The love story between Leo and Louise was mawkish and when the kidnapper said "I will say this only once", I had to laugh out loud.

This is Dinah Jefferies at her best.
Fans of hers who have waited patiently for her latest book will not be disappointed.It contains all the elements we expect of her. Sumptuous settings,romance and deceit.
Set in Ceylon in the mid 1930s Diana’s Reeves thinks she has it all. Fabulously rich,with a gorgeous loving husband life could not be better.
However this all changes when her husband is tragically killed in a car accident and Diana finds out that all is not at sit seems.
Fantastic book can’t recommend it high enough.

Would you be kind enough to read the Notes for the Publisher that I sent last week? I should very much like to receive a copy of the novel without any missing letters. If that proves impossible, would you be kind enough to remove the title from the list of books under my name that requre feedback? I have reviewed every book that I've been sent by NetGalley, but the missing letters in the title above have made it impossible to read the novel as it stands. Leaving it in my list of titles, without a review, suggests erroneously that I would accept a novel, without reviewing it. Thank you.

Thoroughly enjoyed the beautifully descriptive journey and heartache as Louisa struggles to survive following the revelations of her husband's death. Have already widely recommended this!!

Another well researched offering from Dinah Jefferies, again set in Ceylon and with a cameo role for Gwen Hooper (The Tea Planter's Wife). This time we are in the world of sapphires, although they don't feature much in the story. There is the usual tangled web of emotions and lives with a little intrigue thrown in. The tension builds with the approach of the monsoons and reaches a satisfactory conclusion. A good escapist read.

The Tea Planter's Wife' is the first Dinah Jefferies novel I read and I love its atmosphere, poignancy and vivid characterisation. 'The Sapphire Widow' also takes place in 1930s Ceylon and has all of these qualities.
Louise born in Ceylon to a prosperous gemstone merchant loses her mother at an early age but now feels she lives a charmed life, with Elliot, her successful, maverick husband. Louise regrets the loss of her children to miscarriage and stillbirth and Elliot's mysterious and frequent disappearances, but she doesn't realise the true extent of his deceit until a tragic accident occurs.
Louise is a strong character, but the revelations that follow her husband's death make her wonder if anything in her marriage was true and threaten her willingness to risk her heart again. Louise shows great compassion by helping people whose very existence has caused her harm. It is this selfless behaviour that endears. Thankfully her forgiving nature and good works provide the tools for her broken heart and self-esteem to heal.
Leo, the cinnamon plantation owner is the antithesis of Elliot, self-reliant, serious and loyal, he has secrets in his past, but Louise comes to realise it is present actions, not past ones that are important.
The cameo appearance of Gwen from 'The Tea Planter's Wife' gives the story authenticity and provides Louise with the necessary support to rebuild her life, from someone who has suffered great loss.
The plot has twists and mysteries, which are not too hard to work out but it is the characters and setting that make this story memorable, especially Louise.
I received a copy of this book from Penguin UK Viking via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

It feels like only yesterday that Dinah Jefferies appeared on my reading radar with her incredible début The Separation and then quickly become one of my favourite authors. The Sapphire Widow is her fifth book and takes us back to Ceylon which was the setting for The Tea Planter's Wife. The connection between these two books, apart from the setting, is that a favourite character makes a reappearance and this is the first time this has happened with any of Dinah's books. I have to admit I let out a little squeal of excitement when I saw that Gwen was featured and would go on to become a close friend and confident of our main character Louisa Reeve. It was like reuniting with an old friend and it was lovely to see how both Gwen and Laurence were getting on since we last left them. Also it provided a slightly different perspective on their story as observed by Louisa and it was something fresh and different. It seems too like fate that both books set in exotic Ceylon have been deservedly chosen as picks for Richard and Judy's Book Club.

From the opening words to this wonderful, yet at times heartbreaking, story I was instantly transported to 1930's Ceylon, to a time very different from the world we live in today. A young boy walks with his mother through the forests of a cinnamon plantation. He observes the exotic wildlife, hears the rushing of the waves close by and inhales the smells all around. That is one thing about this authors writing, you are always made to feel as if you are right there in the alluring country. You may be out of sight of the characters, hidden but you are observing and listening obtaining an insight into their lives and their trials and tribulations. You feel like you are there in Ceylon or wherever it might be. You are transported from your reading chair to a country filled with heat, hustle and bustle where all the sights, sounds and smells combine to create a feast for the senses.

Always Dinah writes with such vivid imagery that you quickly build up a picture in your mind of what the place may have looked like at the time. An incredible sense of time and place is evoked with acute attention to detail. I could visualise the port wall where Louisa walks or the markets she explores where there is a constant hum of noise, chatter and laughter as trade is conducted. The author clearly has such a deep love for the areas she writes about and the reader can sense this through the wonderful writing that pours from every page. Each of Dinah's books feature women who experience trauma, upheaval and hardship and through everything they endure and experience they attempt to battle on and emerge a changed character even stronger and this is achieved through courage, conviction and tenacity.

In this book it is no different and Louisa Reeve is certainly a character where I really felt so much injustice befell her. She led what she believed to be a charmed life in the port town of Galle which was the centre of trade for jewels, cinnamon and rubber. Married for 12 years to Elliott, a handsome, charming man who is in charge of a gem cutting and polishing house alongside having his fingers in several other pies. Elliott is a man who doesn't have to try too hard, people flock to him and he creates a buzz and friendships easily. Louisa is different, much more of a closed book. Yes she loves her life in the colonial house she shares with Elliott and spending time cycling through the narrow streets of the town soaking up the atmosphere, running errands, gardening or spending time with her beloved dogs. But behind it all she is desperately sad that children have not been something that have come into her life. Heartache and trauma are forever in her heart after several miscarriages and a still birth. Why is it the one thing she longs for with all her heart is just as cruelly out of reach? Louisa is stoic but always internalises her feelings. She will keep going on going just like she did when times in the past with Elliott surrounding his personal life proved challenging. These issues have been worked through and maybe she can come to some sort of peace regarding her lost babies after time too. Or maybe not.

We got initial glimpses into Elliott's character but more so from Louisa's perspective. He took life at a ferocious speed liking glamour and the good things in life. Having many business interests was his thing although I sensed he was quite often bank rolled by Louisa given her wealthy background because of her gem merchant father Jonathan Hardcastle. Elliott was mysterious and I felt there was a slight tension or unease starting to creep into the marriage but it is only when tragedy strikes and Elliott is taken from her that Louisa realises what exactly has been going on behind her back. More or less everything she thought to be true was in fact based on a foundation of lies, secrets and subterfuge. The wonderful life and marriage she thought she had was more or less a sham.

Elliott had become the master of secrecy but this got him into trouble and now Louisa is the one left to attempt to pick up the pieces and get to the bottom of the truth. In doing so there are many dangers and I really enjoyed how more sinister undertones began to creep in as Louisa never could rest easy or know what was about to happen to her. Although one incident surrounding an animal did bring a tear to my eye and I was cursing Elliott. She couldn't get on with her life and grieve for Elliott because his death brought to light an almost double life he was leading. The one legacy that Elliott did leave was his purchase of an old printing house which he alongside Louisa had planned to transform into an emporium where lots of traders could sell their wares and this was one reality that Louisa decided she wanted to come to fruition. In one way I felt desperately sorry for Louisa as she had lost the man she loved but on another I was angry that her life was built on lies and falsehoods. Only that she showed some entrepreneurial spirit and a quest and fervour to discover the answers to many questions enabled her to keep going.

Louisa became a strong, independent woman where many other women would have fallen down in a heap and given up. As her journey leads her to the Cinnamon Hills plantation and to the enigmatic but supportive Leo MacNairn, Louisa uncovers even more shocking things Elliott had been keeping hidden. After everything she had been through I thought how could Elliott have done this to her. It was upsetting and cruel but it is the reaction from Louisa that shows what an incredibly selfless woman she was. I think many other women would have turned tails and ran but that was not within her nature. Elliott may have imposed suffering on her but she would not have wanted the same for others. Time and time again throughout the course of the story Louisa surprised me through her charitable, generous and humanitarian actions putting others needs and feelings above her own.

Once again Dinah Jefferies has written another novel that will have you swept up in all the mystery, betrayal and intrigue that oozes from every chapter. It shows how a sudden event can change the course of one's life forever. It's how we weather that storm and deal with the fall out and various repercussions that is most important. Louisa believed that sharing love was essential and that one betrayal should not dominate one's life forever more. She became very much a changed character from when we first met her and maybe all the better for her experiences. The Sapphire Widow was a thoroughly good read and if you haven't read anything by this author before I would heartily recommend it and then you will have the pleasure of going back and reading her previous four novels. I'm sad now I will have to wait some time to see where I will journey to with Dinah Jefferies next but the time spent in Ceylon and with Louisa was well spent.

I feel that this is a somehow gentle book in spite of some violent scenes. I enjoyed it and I felt that I believed in the ambience of Ceylon as it may have been. I liked the characters that I was meant to like and I looked forward to picking the book up again as I was reading it. I did feel that the story was a little predictable. As the first half unwound, I felt that the final outcomes were likely. it didn't detract from my enjoyment and I feet happy to recommend it.

I had previously read the Tea Planter's Wife and thoroughly enjoyed it so couldn't wait to get started on this one. It didn't disappoint. I love how Dinah Jefferies describes the smells and colours of Ceylon, it takes you right to the moment.

I love Dinah Jefferies’ books; they always have such interesting settings. So far they have taken me to 1950s French Indochina (The Silk Merchant’s Daughter), Malaya during the Emergency of 1955 (The Separation) and 1920s Ceylon (The Tea Planter’s Wife). Her new novel, The Sapphire Widow, takes us back to Ceylon again but the story this time is quite different.

It’s 1935 and Louisa Reeve is grieving for her stillborn daughter, one of several miscarriages and stillbirths she has suffered over the years. She should be able to rely on her husband Elliot for support, but Elliot has become withdrawn and distant, spending more and more of his time visiting a nearby cinnamon plantation in which he says he has bought shares. When he tells her about his latest business venture – converting an old Print House into a shop trading in jewels and spices – Louisa feels more optimistic. It will be something they can work on together – and if they could only have another child, surely their marriage will survive.

Sadly, Louisa will never know what the future might have held for the two of them, because Elliot is killed in a tragic accident. Before she has even begun to come to terms with losing him, she makes a series of shocking discoveries that leave her questioning whether she ever really knew her husband at all. Hoping to find answers at Cinnamon Hills, she only uncovers more lies and secrets, but when she meets Leo, the plantation owner, and a little boy called Conor, she begins to find the strength to move on.

I think The Sapphire Widow could be my favourite of the four Dinah Jefferies novels I’ve read. It was lovely to return to Sri Lanka (or Ceylon, as it was then) and a nice surprise to be reacquainted with characters from The Tea Planter’s Wife, which I hadn’t expected! Dinah Jefferies writes so beautifully about Ceylon, bringing each location to life as the action moves between the coastal city of Galle, the capital Colombo and the cinnamon plantation where Leo lives. The characters are great too. I loved Louisa and really admired her patience with her interfering mother-in-law Irene, for whom Elliot can do no wrong and Louisa can do no right. I was glad that Louisa had a good friend in her sister-in-law Margo, who helps her through this difficult time despite the problems she is experiencing in her own personal life.

I really enjoyed The Sapphire Widow and will look forward to whatever Dinah Jefferies writes next. Meanwhile, I need to go back and read Before the Rains, her novel set in India in the 1930s. I’m not sure how I still haven’t read that one!

I simply loved this easy reading story which tells the tale of Louisa Reeves and her dashingly handsome husband Elliot. There life is perfect apart from one thing. Louisa is desperate to be a mother. Her husband is away from home a lot overseeing business interests at Cinnamon Hills, a cinnamon plantation. When he dies suddenly in tragic circumstances Louisa's life could fall apart but onwards she goes despite everything. An amazing story which I totally loved.

Set in 1930s Ceylon this is the story of Louisa who has been married to Elliot for 12 years. Louisa thought that she had a happy marriage apart from her stillborn child and miscarriage and so she is being to despair that they will ever have children. When Elliot dies though all sorts of things start to come out of the woodwork and really test her strength of character.....how could she not have known so much about Elliot was her marriage a complete sham?

Another great book by this author - I especially loved the descriptions as I have been to Sri Lanka and Galle and so could really visualise the setting. Louisa was a great character, a really strong woman who in those days especially could have really gone to pieces but she didn't - definitely recommended

Excellent! Initially the cover caught my eye, but that apart, i do love historical fiction. One of the best that i have read in a while. Loved the characters, especially Louisa. I think she was an exceptional woman to have done what she did, especially after miscarriages. It was a shame when the story came to an end. I am not going to write what the story is about, as I much rather one read the story for themselves. I do however highly recommend this wonderful story.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, which is voluntarily given.

The Sapphire Widow managed to evoke such evocative images of Ceylon, with the turbulent life of Louisa. Set during the 1930s, Louisa is struggling to come to terms with the pregnancy loss and the possibility that she may never have a child with her husband Elliot. Despite the initial glimpses of a perfect marriage, cracks start to appear. When Elliott dies suddenly, Louisa is faced with the many secrets that Elliott had concealed during their time together.
The backdrop of Ceylon combined with the interesting character of Leo, who Louisa befriends and relies on for support, made for a fascinating read. As Louisa begins to piece together both her life, whilst uncovering Elliot’s secret life, the pace with which I read intensified. An enjoyable read!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was an excellent read. The author really set the scene of Ceylon (as it was at the time), the smells, the colours, the whole atmosphere of the area. I felt as though I was transported there. The story itself gently developed as the different characters appeared on the scene and how they interacted with one another. It was a mix of romance, betrayal, menace and it’s an author I will look out for again. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was such a captivating story by Dinah Jefferies who has once again taken the reader to another culture and another time.  This story takes us travelling back in time to 1935 and the city of Galle, Ceylon, south-west Sri Lanka.  With Dinah Jefferies words describing the vivid colours, sounds and aromas you can visualise the cinnamon plantations, the streets in and around Galle and the serenity of the coastal area.
Louisa and Elliot Reeve have been married for 12 years living and working in Galle with such lush surroundings.  Their marriage has weathered a few storms experiencing much sadness but the prospects of starting a new joint venture of a jewellery and fine goods emporium is giving the couple a much needed boost. However, life was to throw more anguish in Louisa’s way that crushes her heart.  The days following this tragedy opens up many more wounds for Louisa and she soon starts to realise did she ever know what her husband was really like?
Louisa had led a fairly charmed existence growing up in an affluent family however, sadness in her past has given her a strength and empathy to cope with what lies ahead.  My heart ached for all the turmoil Louisa had accrued and I could totally understand why she didn’t know anything about the events that had unfolded.  Louisa’s husband Elliot had many business interests and it was common during this era that wives were not often involved in the day to day functions of business.  Louisa’s strength through adversity was admiral and seeing through the fog of turmoil she could compartmentalise her own emotions to help those in need.  She didn’t let prejudices thwart her actions.  Life had to go on and light would eventually shine through bringing, hope, belief and love.
A stunning, evocative story coping with grief, deceit, emotional turmoil and fresh starts.

The Sapphire Widow is a sweeping tale set in 1930's Ceylon.
Louisa has been married to Elliot for 12 years, she loves her husband very much and feels she has a happy marriage although not without its problems, Elliot has had a gambling problem and Louisa has suffered the devastating loss of a stillborn girl and a miscarriage.
It is not until after Elliot's sudden death that Louisa's world is turned upside down, initially from grief but then learning of a betrayal by Elliot that rocks her world completely. Betrayal, blackmail, secrets and violence seem to be never ending but Louisa shows her strength of character to deal with these.
An enjoyable and wonderfully descriptive story.
My thanks to net galley and publisher Penguin for a copy of this book to review honestly.

I really like Dinah Jefferies' books - I started out with <a href="http://www.ittakesawoman.co.uk/blog/2017/02/11/blog-tour-before-the-rains-by-dinah-jefferies/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Before the Rains</a> - as she uses impeccable research and beautiful descriptions to bring to life the colonial era in Asia. <a href="https://amzn.to/2IsuENh" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Sapphire Widow</a> is certainly no exception to this and fits beautifully alongside her earlier work.

This book perfectly marries historical fiction, and the factual details that that requires, with a likeable heroine who suffers tragedies in her personal life, yet comes through it all with determination. Louisa Reeve is definitely a character who is easy to root for as being capable but vulnerable. When the security of her marriage is swept away, and she realises how little she knew her husband, she copes better than many others would.

I very much enjoy historical fiction, particularly that which is set in times and places where I have gaps in my knowledge and Ceylon is one of those gaps. Aside from the colonial aspects, there was some information about the native population of Ceylon, the languages spoken and the local cuisine which I found so interesting and which fit seamlessly into the narrative.

As we move towards the summer start to see some sunshine on the horizon (we hope), it would be a great idea to add The Sapphire Widow - and, in fact, any of Dinah Jefferies' novels - to your summer reading pile.

Louisa Reeve had been happily married to her husband Elliot for twelve years, the only problems being her miscarriages plus the stillbirth of their daughter eight years prior. Elliot was often absent from their home with business meetings in Columbo and working at the nearby cinnamon plantation where he held shares. But Louisa missed him and although she tried not to, she worried of a reoccurrence to their problems of twelve months prior.

While Elliot’s sudden and unexpected death shocked her to the core and drove her into depths of grief she’d not encountered before, it was the discoveries Louisa made about her husband’s life which tore at her. Did she even know her husband at all? Her visit to Cinnamon Hills to enquire about Elliot’s shares opened her eyes even further. Could Louisa unravel the complexity of Elliot’s lies and betrayal? Did she want to know the answers?

Beautifully written, The Sapphire Widow is another outstanding historical fiction novel set in Ceylon in 1935 by Dinah Jefferies. I thoroughly enjoy this author’s work – she is fast becoming a favourite! Complex and poignant, the artfully written words immediately transported me to the streets of Ceylon; I easily smelled the scents of cinnamon and saw the fireflies darting in the darkness. Dinah Jefferies’ colourful writing flows effortlessly – The Sapphire Widow was such a pleasure to read. Highly recommended.

With thanks to Penguin UK via NetGalley for my digital uncorrected proof ARC to read and review.

Dinah Jefferies books are so beautifully written and a dream to read. Her books are just amazing and written with so my Love and detail which makes her books just amazing. From the First page to the last page you will live and travel with the story and the characters. I found her lastest book The Sapphire Widow just Brilliant and its one of her best Books so far.
I have been to Ceylon and around this area etc several times, the way this book was written I was travelling back there and I could imagine the colours, the smells and the wonderful atmospheres of this wonderful place. Dinah had captured this very well throughout this book. This book will just take your breath away.......

The Sapphire Widow is set in Ceylon in 1935. Louisa Reeve, the daughter of a successful British gem trader, and her husband Elliot, is a charming businessman. They are a couple who had it all. But deep down they longed for something very precious their own Child. Louisa struggles with several miscarriages, Then, Elliot is increasingly absent, spending much of his time at a nearby cinnamon plantation. After Elliot's sudden death, Louisa is left alone to solve the mystery he left behind.

Big Thank you to Netgalley for the digital ARC for a honest review. I just Loved this book. Big Fat 5 Stars.