Living Through Times of Upheaval in Twentieth-Century India
This is a rather interesting novel about a girl who was brought up by her Indian nanny in the early 20th century. She is brought up in a carefree manner that does not sit too well with the other British. She slowly becomes aware of the unfair prejudices that the occupying British have against the native peoples and their culture. It is a story about a young woman living in strange times. But it is a fascinating look at Indian life during the occupation, during the rebellion, and after the split nation decision. The book is slow in some parts and fascinating in others. I think a reader should have some basic knowledge of India and its fight for independence to make this a worthwhile read. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

Before I start the review I want to say how beautiful the cover of this book is, it really captures the essence of the book. In The Mirror, A Peacock Danced is set both in Agra, India and Portsmouth, England from 1938 until 1956. In India 1938, Florence is turning eighteen, and gets her first taste of love. She has been brought up by her father and Sita her amah after the death of her mother. She loves her life in India, the freedom she has and she has an inquisitive mind around engineering and the railway her father works for; not a lady like pursuit in his eyes. After the War of Independence, Florence is sent to live with her Aunt Sarah in Portsmouth, to hopefully start a new life and find a husband. But England is a far cry from Agora, and Florence starts to lose who she is, the mundane lifestyle of cleaning and running a household are new to her after having servantsin India. But when a surprise visitor arrives, Florence starts to believe in her self again, with a chance to follow her dreams at last.

In The Mirror, A Peacock Danced is as a beautiful read as the cover hints at. This was such an enjoyable book to read, both in the wonderful characters and the exotic setting of India. The plot is centered around Florence, from her eighteenth birthday in Agora until she is thirty six and living in England. Whilst the locations are complete opposites, the heat, exoticism and colourful India, and the grey, damp existence in Portsmouth, so are the two different Florence’s; India seems to feed her life force whilst Portsmouth seems to drain the life from her. In India, at eighteen, Florence is a young woman finding her place in life. Due to that era she is very much under the control of her father, who wants her to sing and dance, and not take an interest in science, the railway and combustion engines. It is a chance meeting with her father’s colleague Jay, that gives her a first taste of love. Unlike her father, Jay takes her seriously and talks engineering with her, he understands her a passion. Seeing Florence fourish, and grow was wonderful, and she used this information and experience during WWII. Florence is someone who shows no fear, she believes in herself and will try her hand at anything; from railways, to driving trucks in the war, to working in a factory to the trapeze and canon in the circus. I think her most endearing relationship was with Sita, her amah, who was a mother to her, even breastfeeding Florence as a baby after the death of her mother. Florence is certainly a determined, ambitious and loyal young woman.

My favourite part of this book was the parts set in India. Both my parents were brought up abroad, in Qatar and Singapore, so I was able to relate to some of Florence’s experiences in India, and especially her relationship with Sita. The thought of riding on elephants, seeing tigers by a lake, and having the freedom to ride your horse sounds exciting, and gives Florence a freedom she could never have in England. Justine Bothwick’s writing is sublime, she captures the nuances of her characters, the beautiful backdrop od India and the atmosphere of the Indian War of Independence. Justine Bothwick doesn’t go into to much detail of the war, so there is no heavy historical detail, but just gives us enough of the feeling at that time, and how dificult it was for those who worked for, and felt like family to their British employers. The themes of colonialism, racism, and domestic abuse are all dealt with empathy and understanding, and add to the reality of the period this book is set in.

In The Mirror, A Peacock Danced was such a amazing book to read, and one I read in a day. Florence is a fascinating character, determined, ambitious and a woman ahead of her time, especially when she came to England. The writing really drew me into this book, in its vivid descriptions of the landscape, and the very different sights, smells and tastes of India and England. A stunning cover, leads into a stunning read that offers pure escapism. A brilliant debut novel and I look frward to what Justine Bothwick writes next.

I apologize that I have not yet had a chance to read this title. I would be happy to release this book back to you and have made a note of the Author and Title to purchase as an ebook once it is released.

A wonderful prose for a beautiful book.
I was first drawn to this book by the peculiar title and stunning cover, then I started reading it and couldn't stop.
Narrated in a dual timeline in pre and post war India and post war England, it follows Florence's up and downs of life.
The descriptions in general, and of India in particular, are breathtaking, utterly beautiful.
Florence is a strong character who lets herself go at times, as it is common, but who picks up her life and turns it around again.
Justine Bothwick is a new author to me, but this book made me want to know her better and read other books by her.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In the Mirror, a Peacock Danced by Justine Bothwick is a beautiful story of self-discovery. I love books with duel timelines, and really enjoyed how these were weaved together seamlessly. The writing is very good and the pace is fast enough to keep you interested, but slow enough to allow you to savor the details.

The 20th century India setting was a new world for me to explore. I enjoyed Florence’s narrative more than Agra’s, but maybe that’s just because I found her more relatable.

I love women empowerment stories and found this one captivating. I would recommend this book to others.

The jumping around in the timeline made it hard to keep track of where you were in time and connect to the characters. This was not my favorite book.

This book takes you from India before WWII to England in the 50s. It talks about life in India and experiences in Partition, about discrimination and racism. We read about position of women in jobs. And just this amount of topics the book is talking about was a bit too much for me. It seems like the author wanted to integrate everything.
I expected a real circus story, but the circus comes quite late in the the book aand I was a bit disappointed. On the other hand the book was very good written and characters lovelable and interesting.
It was a nice read!

This is a beautiful debut novel, centred around a woman’s journey of self discovery as she tries to resist the patriarchal society that confines her. Florence, our protagonist, is a gorgeous soul who has passion and tenacity for her life and dreams.

The plot follows a dual timeline: in 1938 Agra, India where Florence was born and raised, and 1953, Portsmouth, England where Florence now lives with her Aunt. The timeline alternates between past and present as Bothwick unravels the events of Florence’s life that have led her to where she is in the present day.

It’s a stunning book, brimming with emotion and beauty, it’s a truly immersive story that had me gripped from the very first page. I think one of the reasons I felt captivated by the story was because of the protagonist, Florence. Florence is a memorable and powerful character, I was in awe at her resilience and passion for life. There were times where she lost herself, but that made her restoration with her self and identity even more remarkable. Bothwick’s writing made me think about the small pleasures in life, the importance of our sense of selves and identities, and how it’s never too late to change the tracks on the train of life.

To summarise, this book was: impactful, scenic, educational, enthralling and gorgeously written. It’s a complex mix of historical fiction, feminism and racial injustice - I’d highly recommend!

Well if this book wasn't just amazing!
It was set in between India and Portsmouth around the Second World War, Which I thought to be such a great add! Very interesting.
Every character in the novel is well-rounded and clearly defined,
Ready to go on an intriguing, amazing journey? Well get ready because In the Mirror, a Peacock Danced is a heck of a ride. And the journey was beautiful. I couldn't stop reading this. Once I started I finished in almost two days!
The writing flowed beautifully and wonderfully. Justine really blew this book outta the water and I couldn't help but love everything about it!

Thank you so much NetGalley, Agora Books ANF Author for this amazing ebook copy!.

Absolutely loved this read. As if the catchy title and gorgeous cover don't do enough, this is simply beautiful.
Tackles at the heart of it some really current hot topics such as feminism, gender equality, race and class. Love the circus portrayals and the India scenes are interesting too..
Liked the time frame changes and the India/UK scene swapping,
Stunning debut and definitely an author that is one to watch- will keep on my radar.
Florence felt so real and at the heart of it, in a post war UK, she faces some real life struggles that are relatable yet moving.

I felt like the book took a while to get into but once I did I enjoyed it. I thought that the writng was well done but I just did not get into the characters as much as I'd like to have. I did enjoy reading about India and it felt like the descriptions of it transported me to that time in India's history. Thank you Netgalley and Agora Books but all opinions are my own.

Agra, 1938: Eighteen-year-old Florence Hunt has grown up riding horses past the Taj Mahal and chasing peacocks through her backyard under the critical gaze of her father. Increasingly enamoured with his work on the booming railway, Florence yearns to know more but finds herself brushed away, encouraged only to perform the more ladylike hobbies of singing and entertaining guests. So when a dazzling young engineer walks into her life, she finds herself not only gripped by secret lessons in physics but swept entirely off her feet.

Portsmouth, 1953: Fifteen years later, Florence finds herself pregnant and alone in post-war England – a far cry from her sun-drenched existence in India. Struggling to cope with the bleakness of everyday life in a male-dominated world, Florence is desperate to find the woman she used to be. But when someone from her past reaches out, Florence might just have a chance to start over.

It was beautifully written and one I would recommend to all historical fiction lovers. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

A beautifully written, heart rending tale about the highs and lows of a woman fighting racism and anti-feminist beliefs to achieve the best life possible for herself and her son. Highly recommended. Thanks to the author, Timeless Fiction and NetGalley for the ARC.

In the Mirror, a Peacock Danced, was an incredibly lush and exotic book set in the early 20th century India.
Young Florence lives a passionate life in this splendid and dazzling world where she resides. She is used to exploring the Taj Mahal and Red Fort as well as other cultural and historic monuments in this beautiful, breathtaking country of superlatives!. She awakens each day to the glorious sunshine and the familiar but strange sound of peacocks along with the colors and scents of her garden.

Florence's father is a railroad baron and she likes nothing more to follow him to work and to learn about the science, math, and engineering principles of the development and function of the railroad. But Florence's father discourages these behaviors in his daughter as being inappropriate for an accomplished young woman and insists she focus on womanly pursuits which she finds extremely boring and not to her liking..

A brilliant young physics engineer arrives on the scene to work on her father's railroad and Florence is fascinated by his knowledge, wit, kindness, and dazzling good looks. The two quickly strike up a friendship but plans do not go as Florence anticipates and in a whirlwind of catrostrophic events she finds herself in post-war England, pregnant, and struggling with the conflict of her previous life of passion and adventure with her days of boredom , sameness, and hardships.

A run in with the circus life gets Florence thinking and she begins to realize she must determine her own future if she's to find the happiness, independence, and passion of her previous life,

This book is full of eloquent prose and vivid discriptions and realistic characters. I began to care about them,especially Florence.. You will quickly begin to cheer for Florence as she fights for a life of her own making.

This is a debut novel for Justine Bothwick but I'm sure it won't be her last. This well researched and elegantly written historical fiction novel was a joy to read and will keep me on the look out for her next book! .

Thank you to Justine Bothwick, the publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me early access to this book in exchange for a honest review. #IntheMirroraPeacockDanced #NetGalley

This was a descriptive book about India. The story is told with dual timelines, I found the past much more interesting until they both combined. Florence is a strong character at times but still bends to her father’s rule. I’m glad she finally finds her way. I enjoyed the book
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

this was a really good book, but what i liked the most and what those 3 stars are for is the setting in india. other than that it fell flat a little bit but i still enjoyed it for the most part.

Florence grew up in bustling exotic India and is a teenager when the book starts in 1938. Her life is one of privilege as her father is a railroad baron. However, as a dreamer she feels trapped as a female yearning for more at a time when females had fewer opportunities. Her independent spirit is restricted, mostly by her Papa and the mores of the day. When she meets a fellow intellect who is not only bright but treats her as an equal she is thrilled. Her logical mind grasps mechanics readily as she learns about the inner workings of engines.

In the 1950s England Florence is pregnant and now must be independent as she is by herself in a bleak post-war world which is reeling. Her life has dramatically changed and she must learn to adjust and navigate life on her own. But she still is determined to dream big.

Both timelines are gorgeously written. The descriptions are stunningly vivid and extrasensory. I really enjoyed reading about her relationships and their evolution (especially with Robert) and her character. The circus and railroad threads running throughout are unusual and fascinating. And the cover is breathtaking! Clever title as well. Thankfully what lies between the book covers is just as beautiful. At the back is a Further Reading section which I appreciate as I am eager to learn more about the politics of India/Britain and how women lived in that era.

If you yearn for lovely writing and an original story, do pick up this book. It would appeal to General Fiction and Women's Fiction readers.

My sincere thank you to Agora Books and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this marvelous book.

Set in India mainly around the time of their independence we meet Florence and see her emergence as a woman. There are themes of love, race, colonialism and domestic violence but over-arching all of this is the emancipation of womanhood. The flight of trapeze and canon being an effective metaphor for Florence’s flight to freedom. The irony of her saddling herself with another bad marriage in England is reflective of the times she was living in. But once again the canon comes to her rescue and she flies again. The characters in this novel were real and I had some sympathy for the main protagonist, it was a steady read and one that I quite enjoyed. I loved the title - that alone would ensure I picked the book off the shelf in the bookshop. Thanks to the publishers and netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Florence is a wonderfully complex character and reading about her story flows so well.
Beginning in India with a chauvinist father, we see her struggle with fitting to societies forms then and again, in post-war England later on in the book.
Parts of the story dragged on, there were overly descriptive moments, yet some beautifully vivid ones as well.

Overall, I enjoyed seeing Florence through the different stages in her life and her reaction to the different controlling men. I love a good, inspiring empowered woman story.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

A nicely written story of Florence Hunt who struggles to move beyond the structured society in which she is forced to live.

2.75☆