1930, Rajputana, India. Since her husband's death, 28-year-old photojournalist Eliza's only companion has been her camera. When the British Government send her to an Indian princely state to photograph the royal family, she's determined to make a name for herself.
But when Eliza arrives at the palace she meets Jay, the Prince's handsome, brooding brother. While Eliza awakens Jay to the poverty of his people, he awakens her to the injustices of British rule. Soon Jay and Eliza find they have more in common than they think. But their families - and society - think otherwise. Eventually they will have to make a choice between doing what's expected, or following their hearts.
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[Anna Fraser stood waiting on the ornate balcony of one of the haveli mansion houses lining the route]***
(Viking, 23 February 2017, copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed)
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I'm a fan of this author so was looking forward to getting lost in Before The Rains and wasn't disappointed.
I found this book engrossing.
One of the strengths of this book and others I've read by the author are the ability to completely pull you into a different era, until it becomes so real you lose sense of the real world outside the book. The word-building in this book was fantastic.
The characters are so well-written and fascinating they became like real people. For a while I was really in India, listening to the sounds, staring gob-smacked at the sights as the smells of the world wafted around me.
There is a romantic element running through the book as with other works by the author but this wasn't solely the focus of the book.
Before The Rains is hugely enjoyable, vivid and rich in detail.
