Delhi, 1920.
After five years in England, seventeen-year-old Patricia Harris returns to British India to assume a future shaped by societal expectations, and her plans to pursue her art, and marry the respectable Frederick Ward of the Indian Civil Service.
Instead, she finds herself caught between two very different men, and a man with scars and secrets of his own. She is confronted by long-hidden family drama, and drawn into a world where love, loyalty and ambition collide. As old wounds reopen and dangerous truths emerge, Patricia discovers that some choices will shape not only her own future, but generations yet to come.
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Years later, in Dundee, her granddaughter uncovers Patricia’s long-forgotten emerald sketchbook. As its pages reveal a remarkable story of desire, sacrifice and heartbreak, she begins to understand the extraordinary woman who came before her—and the choices that still echo through her own life.
Set against the vivid backdrop of a culturally and architecturally eclectic city, The Emerald Sketchbook is a sweeping historical romance filled with unforgettable characters, emotional depth, and the timeless belief that love can endure across both continents and generations.
My Review
When Patricia Harris returns to India after five years at school in England, she is engaged to Frederick Ward of the Indian Civil Service. Her father, Sir William, has not approved the marriage – he doesn’t think Frederick is right for her. We don’t either. We also have to remember how young they both are, it’s easy to forget she is only seventeen.
Frederick is everything Sir William and Patricia are not. He sees Indian people as inferior regardless of caste or education, wants Patricia to give up painting and writing once they are married, so she can manage the household and children, and become the perfect civil servant’s wife. She thinks he will change. He won’t. And he’ll want to return to the UK once his post if over.
In the meantime, an old childhood friend (who she doesn’t remember) has returned and immediately falls in love with her and wants to marry her. Frederick is not best pleased. Then to add insult to injury, Sir William hires a charismatic young man to act as Patricia’s art teacher. They instantly form a bond, though not romantically. Frederick can’t understand why Sir William didn’t hire a woman or an older man. So which suitor would you be rooting for?
In 1982, in Dundee, Patricia’s granddaughter has found her grandmother’s Emerald Sketchbook, full of drawings, musings and memories. It shines a light on her family’s history, life in India in the 1920s, and the choices women had to make with the constrictions imposed upon them at the time. It’s an engaging story, perfect for a holiday read when you are not in hurry. A book to be savoured like the Indian cuisine so beautifully described by the author.
Many thanks to Hygge Book Tours for inviting me to be part of #TheEmeraldSketchbook #blogtour
About the Author
Author of The Emerald Sketchbook. Wife and stay-at-home-mum of three girls and a cat. Loves hiking, photography, reading, sewing memory blankets.
Connect with Helen
Instagram: @hsellarajah
Buy Links:
www.amazon.co.uk
Goodreads:
www.goodreads.com
