I had this book for quite a long time before I bumped it up the 'to be read' pile and tackled it. I think I was put off by the cover. Beautiful young woman looking out over lush green tea plantations. I was expecting something pretty soppy. There's a real trend for 'romance among the tea bushes' these days and I'm not a fan. They say we shouldn't judge a book by its cover but I'd SERIOUSLY recommend that the publishers consider changing this one as the book inside is NOTHING like the cover suggests.

This is one of the most miserable books I've read in a long, long time. Whenever there's a possibility that something good might happen, something bad will take its place. Nobody ever seems to be entirely happy. Women make bad mistakes, lose the people they thought they loved with a degree of carelessness that beggars belief, marry completely the wrong men in search (mostly successfully) of money and stability. Not surprisingly, they don't love their husbands. Even when there seems to be a tiny drop of hope that Prem could possibly find happiness late in life, she doesn't even notice what she's lost. I found it hard to believe that a top hostess on the Calcutta social scene had never crossed paths with a famous film director, one that her son knew really well. Lost opportunity, or just another example of the author always taking the path of greatest misery?

The book perhaps suffers from too many characters. I didn't feel that I really got to 'know' any of them well enough. The use of present tense throughout doesn't seem to help that either. There was a hint of undeveloped lesbian tendencies early on that went nowhere, as did quite a few of the sub-plots. I assume the POW from Burma ran off with the love interest of another character near the end but by that stage, I was starting to flag and I'm not sure whether it mattered or not.

This book had a much greater depth and breadth than I expected. I wasn't as aware of the post-Partition killings in Calcutta and Bengal as I had been of the troubles in other parts of the country though I shouldn't have been surprised. I do think that the publisher's spiel over-eggs the 'British' elements as these women are not tormented by the rules imposed by British rule so much as by their own rush to find unsuitable husbands and cover up past mistakes. We are told that the British banned the practice of Sati (widow burning) and changed the laws so that widows could remarry and yet, reading the blurb, you'd be forgiven for thinking Prem and her relatives were horribly oppressed rather than living very comfortably indeed thanks to war contracts with their colonial 'masters'.

If I could give a half star, this one would be 3.5 stars for me.
I received an ARC from Netgalley and the publishers.

Love's Garden reads like a beautiful fairy tale. The characters are engaging and there is a surprise around every turn.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.


The book was based on and looked into the hearts of mothers along with motherless children with war and upheaval from 1898 to 1950 being the years it was set against.

It gave me an insight into this period and I also learned a bit about India’s history that I was unaware of.

The style of writing made for a slow read but I enjoyed the book.

This is such a lovely read, because even as you take a few tentative steps into Love's Garden, you're drawn into the world of the enigmatic women who inhabit its pages. There are men too, but it's the women whose lives are intriguing, fascinating - with all that is spoken and unspoken, hinted at, imagined... Nandini Bhattacharya's novel is layered, continuously surprising the reader in a way that I found very rewarding. It's not often that one feels sad when one finishes reading a book, but along with a deep sense of satisfaction, I also felt sad as I left Love's Garden. A part of it will linger on though, it's that kind of a book...

This book delved deep into the hearts of mothers and motherless children with war and unrest in India from 1898 to 1950 as it's backdrop. I enjoyed the book and learned some of India's history that I did not know. The writing style did make for a dense, sometimes slow read but it was worth it.

Thank you to Aubade Publishing and NetGalley for access to this ARC.

I really wanted to love this. The storyline was all over the place. I had a hard time connecting with the characters. It felt very jumbled and it needed to picked apart and put back together.

Thank you NetGalley and Aubade Publishing for the eARC.
I love books set in India as I lived there for a couple of years, but this story did not grab me at all. Pity, I was so looking forward to reading it, but had to give up after several chapters. Sorry!

I requested and received this book this morning and proceeded to read it. Now, I have read many a book about India; albeit historical fiction, but nonetheless I have enjoyed them. Not so with this book. I knew after 5 chapters that this wouldn't be for me. Didn't care for the writing ...not what I expected.