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A Sahib's Daughter
1946 England: Suffering from a broken heart, Charles Clarke travels to India as a tea planter. He is captivated by life in the plantations and falls in love with a local beauty.
Samira and Mark, grow up in post-Raj India where ‘mixed marriages’ are still frowned upon and British Sahibs very rarely marry Indian women. But it’s Samira’s heart that is broken following rejection of her by an Indian family.
Justin Laird, from Northern Ireland, visits the tea gardens and decides to move to India. He and his new wife undergo tests and a medical condition is diagnosed. He transfers to the Dooars three years later. Drama ensues when he meets the Clarke family. Samira acts hastily on the rebound from Ravi and makes a surprising discovery when she visits Ireland. Eventually she finds out the secret that had been kept from her.
In Delhi, Ravi is refusing to cooperate with his parents. Mark visits his old friend and arrives during the confusion following Ravi’s decision. He is successful in setting up a rendezvous. In a final twist we make yet another discovery about Samira’s heritage.
Samira and Mark, grow up in post-Raj India where ‘mixed marriages’ are still frowned upon and British Sahibs very rarely marry Indian women. But it’s Samira’s heart that is broken following rejection of her by an Indian family.
Justin Laird, from Northern Ireland, visits the tea gardens and decides to move to India. He and his new wife undergo tests and a medical condition is diagnosed. He transfers to the Dooars three years later. Drama ensues when he meets the Clarke family. Samira acts hastily on the rebound from Ravi and makes a surprising discovery when she visits Ireland. Eventually she finds out the secret that had been kept from her.
In Delhi, Ravi is refusing to cooperate with his parents. Mark visits his old friend and arrives during the confusion following Ravi’s decision. He is successful in setting up a rendezvous. In a final twist we make yet another discovery about Samira’s heritage.
- GenresIndia
208 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2011
6 people are currently reading
233 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 5, 2012
Reviewed by Me for Readers Favorite
A Sahib's Daughter is a beautiful story. One man's decision to leave his country and his home after suffering a broken heart brings us into several stories of love. Charles meets an Indian beauty with mixed roots and marries her. Their children grow up happily. Several years later, his daughter faces circumstances similar to his. Being the daughter of an English man and an Indian woman, Samira is considered mixed race and is shunned by the man that she loves. She soon meets somebody else and makes a rash rebound decision to marry him. Justin Laird leaves Northern Ireland and his family behind and heads to Indian in hopes of a new life and a new adventure. He takes his new wife with him but she dies in a sudden tragedy. Three years later, he crosses paths with Samira and is instantly smitten. All seems to be going well for Samira until the story starts to really unfold and thing start to go wrong.
This story is beautifully woven together. The author has given us a glimpse into Indian life and Indian culture. The book is very descriptive and gives a clear picture of India, Ireland and the other places that the characters visit. It is a story of love but it also points out the prejudices that can taint it. The story was captivating from beginning to end. It was difficult to put the book down. One of my favorite things about the book is that it is not very predictable, even when I'd figured out a bit of the ending, there was still enough mystery to keep me coming back for more. The final chapter posed a pleasant twist. I recommend this book as it is a delightful read.
A Sahib's Daughter is a beautiful story. One man's decision to leave his country and his home after suffering a broken heart brings us into several stories of love. Charles meets an Indian beauty with mixed roots and marries her. Their children grow up happily. Several years later, his daughter faces circumstances similar to his. Being the daughter of an English man and an Indian woman, Samira is considered mixed race and is shunned by the man that she loves. She soon meets somebody else and makes a rash rebound decision to marry him. Justin Laird leaves Northern Ireland and his family behind and heads to Indian in hopes of a new life and a new adventure. He takes his new wife with him but she dies in a sudden tragedy. Three years later, he crosses paths with Samira and is instantly smitten. All seems to be going well for Samira until the story starts to really unfold and thing start to go wrong.
This story is beautifully woven together. The author has given us a glimpse into Indian life and Indian culture. The book is very descriptive and gives a clear picture of India, Ireland and the other places that the characters visit. It is a story of love but it also points out the prejudices that can taint it. The story was captivating from beginning to end. It was difficult to put the book down. One of my favorite things about the book is that it is not very predictable, even when I'd figured out a bit of the ending, there was still enough mystery to keep me coming back for more. The final chapter posed a pleasant twist. I recommend this book as it is a delightful read.
December 31, 2013
What was India like from 1933-1979? Many things had changed and were more 'modern' but not everything. The tea plantations were often managed by expatriates from the UK and some had Anglo-Indian wives but mixed marriages were frowned upon by many, The novel's main characters are Charles and Ramona Clarke.
He's from the UK and she's an Anglo-Indian. Planters, like the Clarkes, are active socially but as the children reach marriage age subtle and not so subtle differences appear.
Ms. Harkness paints a striking picture of the beauty of India, life on a tea plantation with its many servants and luxurious gardens, labor relations, and prejudice.
No sex (some PG rated romance)
No violence
He's from the UK and she's an Anglo-Indian. Planters, like the Clarkes, are active socially but as the children reach marriage age subtle and not so subtle differences appear.
Ms. Harkness paints a striking picture of the beauty of India, life on a tea plantation with its many servants and luxurious gardens, labor relations, and prejudice.
No sex (some PG rated romance)
No violence
December 14, 2014
I found Nina's book "A SAHIB'S DAUGHTER" a fascinating read. It was particularly relevant to me, as I was brought up in Darjeeling - the familiar surroundings that Nina so accurately describes. The life and loves of Samira in India and Northern Ireland and the prejudice she faces are sympathetically portrayed, and one has a feel for her characters. All in all, a very good read, and I am now on her second book "Jewel Daughters."
October 17, 2013
I really wanted to like this book, but at some parts it moved too fast and I had a hard time following/staying interested in the story-- and I felt it dragged on in other parts. No mystery or intrigue here for me. :0(
Nice book cover!
Nice book cover!
February 25, 2016
kindle - Life on India's tea plantations. One family, through three generations deals with the effect of mixed white/Indian relationships.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews