What do you think?
Rate this book
Una esposa perfecta
1948. Kitty Hamilton llega a Tanganica con grandes expectativas hacia su nueva vida. Una emocionante aventura al otro lado del mundo puede ser justamente lo que ella y Teo necesitan para recuperarse del escándalo que casi acaba con su matrimonio.
Ella está dispuesta a adoptar el rol de la esposa perfecta, pero sus sueños pronto se empiezan a empañar. En esta tierra salvaje 1948. Kitty Hamilton llega a Tanganica con grandes expectativas hacia su nueva vida. Una emocionante aventura al otro lado del mundo puede ser justamente lo que ella y Teo necesitan para recuperarse del escándalo que casi acaba con su matrimonio.
Ella está dispuesta a adoptar el rol de la esposa perfecta, pero sus sueños pronto se empiezan a empañar. En esta tierra salvaje y extraña, donde se enfrentan distintos poderes, el cerebro no siempre puede controlar al corazón. Las viejas heridas resurgen y se encienden nuevas pasiones, y Kitty y Teo se enfrentan a emociones que les llevan más allá de lo que nunca hubieran pensado. Una lucha entre el deber y el deseo, entre los celos y el amor, entre el compromiso y la libertad. Un canto a la necesidad de seguir los dictados del propio corazón, te lleven a donde te lleven.
Ella está dispuesta a adoptar el rol de la esposa perfecta, pero sus sueños pronto se empiezan a empañar. En esta tierra salvaje 1948. Kitty Hamilton llega a Tanganica con grandes expectativas hacia su nueva vida. Una emocionante aventura al otro lado del mundo puede ser justamente lo que ella y Teo necesitan para recuperarse del escándalo que casi acaba con su matrimonio.
Ella está dispuesta a adoptar el rol de la esposa perfecta, pero sus sueños pronto se empiezan a empañar. En esta tierra salvaje y extraña, donde se enfrentan distintos poderes, el cerebro no siempre puede controlar al corazón. Las viejas heridas resurgen y se encienden nuevas pasiones, y Kitty y Teo se enfrentan a emociones que les llevan más allá de lo que nunca hubieran pensado. Una lucha entre el deber y el deseo, entre los celos y el amor, entre el compromiso y la libertad. Un canto a la necesidad de seguir los dictados del propio corazón, te lleven a donde te lleven.
496 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2013
13 people are currently reading
216 people want to read
About the author
Katherine Scholes
34 books94 followersKatherine Scholes was born in Tanzania, East Africa, the daughter of a missionary doctor and an artist. She has fond memories of travelling with her parents and siblings on long safaris to remote areas where her father operated a clinic from his Land Rover. When she was ten, the family left Tanzania, going first to England and then settling in Tasmania. As an adult, Katherine moved to Melbourne with her film-maker husband. After working there for many years, writing books and making films, they returned with their two sons to live in Tasmania.
Katherine's internationally bestselling novels have been translated into numerous languages. She is especially popular in Germany and France, where she has sold over two million books.
Katherine's internationally bestselling novels have been translated into numerous languages. She is especially popular in Germany and France, where she has sold over two million books.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
October 20, 2019
3,5 Stars
It seemed so distant – that time when she’d wanted nothing more than to be the perfect wife.Tanganyika, 1948
Rather than a downright historical romance or instead women’s fiction, The Perfect Wife was a pleasant mix of both still showing some limits in the characterisations and in the pace of the narration. It is essentially the story of the end of a marriage, initially a love match, and how it came to be and how through its closure the heroine starts to gain a new level of freedom and self-awareness.
Travelling back and forth between England during the wartime years and the present in late 1940s colonial Africa, the story unfolds as we see Kitty as a young woman from rural Australia moving to Europe to follow her artistic dreams and once married to Theo, though loving him deeply, never adjusting to his stuffy aristocratic family, a sense of unease which will lead her to make some controversial choices causing a fracture in her life with her husband. Joining him in Tanganyika a few years later where he’s working for the British government, a mending in their relationship and a rekindling passion seem within reach, but the discovery that her husband may not be the picture of perfection she once thought and the difficulties she encounters fitting in the restrictive and snobbish expat society together with the possibility of a new man to love among them and who will love her in return for what she really is, will have events take a completely different and unexpected turn.
Written in a smooth and polished prose, the author was very good at recreating the atmosphere of the era, with evocative descriptions and well-researched details. I thought the narration lost some focus in the mid chapters and perceived the budding romance almost as an afterthought, while the twists bringing to the final resolution a little too contrived. What I mostly appreciated were the attempts at introspection, no small asset in a character-driven plot such as this, where the book was first and foremost Kitty’s inner journey.
September 28, 2013
"It goes without saying that she looks and smells delightful. But this is not enough. The Perfect Wife is always available to offer comfort and reassurance. She never criticises, and avoids offering advice. Her home is a sanctuary for her husband, who has been hard at work all day..."
Leaving scandal behind her in England, Australian born Kitty Hamilton is hoping for a fresh start for herself and her aristocratic husband in Tanganyika (Tanzania). With World War II at an end, Theo has accepted an position in Africa with the British Government Groundnut Scheme and Kitty intends to be nothing less than the perfect executive wife. Having taken instruction in Swahili and basic nursing care before leaving England, Kitty intends to fill her days with useful volunteer work in the colony, and her nights rebuilding her relationship with Theo, recapturing the closeness they shared before the war, and Kitty's mistake. Kitty's modest dreams are soon dashed however, Theo is reluctant to spend time with her, busy with the failures plaguing the Scheme and he insists Kitty join the other 'Groundnut' wives whose daily routine consists of little more than gossiping at the Londoni Club. As tensions rise, both within the marriage and amongst the employees of the Scheme, Kitty finds herself torn between duty and passion.
Katherine Scholes was born in Tanzania, East Africa, the daughter of a missionary doctor and an artist. Now settled in Melbourne, her novels most often reflect her connection with Africa and The Perfect Wife draws on, in part, her family's history and experience in the country.
I enjoyed this novel which is set in the late 1940's and explores the theme of being true to oneself. Kitty is a likeable protagonist, the daughter of a hardworking Tasmanian cattle farmer given the chance to escape to England and study art when she inherits a modest sum from an aunt. There, she fortunately attracts the attention of Prince Yuri, a professor at the Slade, and becomes both his muse and his student before meeting the man who will become her husband, Theo Hamilton, a wealthy war pilot. Though largely content, Kitty struggles with her insecurities stemming from her limited knowledge of the world and upper society, and then with guilt when she inadvertently causes a scandal that leaves Theo feeling betrayed. Desperate to save her marriage, Kitty accedes to his demand that she give up art and vows to be a perfect wife, hoping that Tanganyika will be a chance for she and Theo to reconnect but it soon becomes clear that her marriage will never be what she hoped. Scholes thoughtfully examines the conflict Kitty is faced with when she is expected to deny her own needs and desires for so little in return and forced to consider if it is something she can live with.
I had never heard of the Groundnut Scheme and found it a fascinating folly of the British Government. It seems incredible that they chose to try and farm peanuts (for their oil) in the middle of the African desert, managed largely by soldiers, post-war, without any agricultural experience. While their husbands dealt with the inevitable issues of the scheme doomed to failure, most of the wives of the executives, like Kitty, spent their days idly socialising while servants cooked, cleaned and cared for their children. I thought Scholes captured this unique community well including the strict social hierarchy and the attitudes of both the interlopers and locals to the scheme.
There is much more of interest within this novel from the Catholic Mission where Kitty offers her assistance to the recognition of post traumatic stress disorder in returned soldiers. Scholes also touches on the beliefs and culture of the locals, and the corruption of both the land and its people by the British.
As one of Penguin Australia's first titles to be a "Guaranteed Great Read", you can't go wrong by choosing The Perfect Wife. With a full and interesting plot combined with well developed characters set in an exotic location, this novel is interesting and entertaining.
November 24, 2013
I started reading this book in a very basic, old hut at Cradle Mountain in Tasmania. Snow was falling and the wind was howling. A perfect day to sit by the fire in companionable silence with 3 mates, some good red wine and a good book.
And it was as far from the baking heat of Tanganyika as you can imagine.
Occasionally the silence was broken as an issue or idea was discussed and pursued. The discussions ranged widely through philosophy, theology, politics and family life. Issues of grace, forgiveness, relationships and desires were pursued.
Then back to the book, only to discover as I read on that these same themes rang through the characters and situations in which they found themselves.
But it is the heartache of the main character, who tries so hard to be the perfect wife, that draws you in. I found myself wanting to supply her with 21st Century answers or responses to her problems – but that could not be.
She is a woman of her time and social mores and could no more escape them than we can ours. But she is also a woman of character and strength who finds ways to rise above the difficulties she faces.
This is an enjoyable and heart-warming read, written by an author who knows her history, the country and the ways of the heart.
And it was as far from the baking heat of Tanganyika as you can imagine.
Occasionally the silence was broken as an issue or idea was discussed and pursued. The discussions ranged widely through philosophy, theology, politics and family life. Issues of grace, forgiveness, relationships and desires were pursued.
Then back to the book, only to discover as I read on that these same themes rang through the characters and situations in which they found themselves.
But it is the heartache of the main character, who tries so hard to be the perfect wife, that draws you in. I found myself wanting to supply her with 21st Century answers or responses to her problems – but that could not be.
She is a woman of her time and social mores and could no more escape them than we can ours. But she is also a woman of character and strength who finds ways to rise above the difficulties she faces.
This is an enjoyable and heart-warming read, written by an author who knows her history, the country and the ways of the heart.
September 27, 2013
The idea for THE PERFECT WIFE started with a conversation author Katherine Scholes had with her father. He had lived in Tanzania in east Africa for 30 years and mentioned in passing the ill-fated Tanganyika Groundnut Scheme and how in the late 50’s he had been to the town nicknamed ‘Londoni’ where the British staff lived. From this conversation the story gradually came into being. I loved peeking into life as a British Colonial in 1940s Tanzania – not so different to life in Nigeria over on the west coast of Africa in the late 1950s where I was brought up. Houses were provided by the British Government, the men went out to work while the women socialised. The white community had African servants, nannies for the children and of course the club which was central to all social activity. There was a strict pecking order as well, the higher up in the service a woman’s husband was, then the higher was her social position in the pack of wives. Kitty was a country girl from the Australian bush who had travelled to England to train as an artist before WWII and ended up married to the son of the local Lord of the Manor. She was like a fish out of water as she tried so hard to be the perfect wife without actually understanding the rules. Unlike the other women, Kitty had attempted to prepare herself for life in Africa by learning Swahili and basic bush first aid. She decides to help out at the local missionary – doling out food and rudimentary medical care to the local African prisoners. The story progresses by seeing Kitty’s character grow through her interactions between the other wives, the missionaries and local villagers. It also shows her relationship with her husband deteriorating as he starts to drink heavily and has an affair. That Theo is suffering from ‘shell shock’ after seeing action in WWII is only part of his problem, dealing with scandal the caused them to be living in Africa is another part, but a final part has to deal with the fact that as the cosseted son of landed gentry he is not used to having his motives questioned. Gradually in the background the story builds up to its shocking conclusion. I really liked Kitty as a character, while not liking Theo at all. I think that without the scandal the marriage would not have lasted. As for the scandal it is not something that would really raise an eyebrow nowadays, but at that time and considering the position of Theo’s family I could see that it would be front page news, but not enough to really need Theo and Kitty to leave the country. The scandal would only have lasted until a new one hit the front page. Theo’s demands that she cut her hair, give up being an artist and move to a new country where no-one would know her were impractical and cruel. It took Kitty a long time to realise that she needed to be true to herself and not try and be something she shouldn’t.
THE PERFECT WIFE was an easy and enjoyable read and sucked me into a world that I half remembered from my childhood and glad that I came to Australia away from it all because I really think I would have been a Kitty. Katherine Scholes has written a few books before this and I am certainly going to hunt them out.
THE PERFECT WIFE was an easy and enjoyable read and sucked me into a world that I half remembered from my childhood and glad that I came to Australia away from it all because I really think I would have been a Kitty. Katherine Scholes has written a few books before this and I am certainly going to hunt them out.
June 30, 2017
I found this a frustrating read, because the story was so good but the execution could have been SO much better. It all came down to how the story was told.
The novel opens with Kitty already arrived in Tanganyika, but the story covers her whole adult life, from her first arrival in London. In fact, I'd estimate half the novel is about her life before Africa. Inevitably, then, there are lots of flashbacks - and therein lies the problem. Flashbacks mean lots of past perfect (she "had" done this and "had" done that), and reported speech rather than real dialogue. The descriptions and internal monologues are good, but there's a flatness about it, a loss of immediacy, a distancing from the characters and the action.
I recently read a novel where the chapters alternated between two timelines - one in the present day, the next jumping back in time, showing how the character got to the present day. I found it a little disconcerting, but in hindsight it would have worked perfectly for The Perfect Wife, allowing us to experience both Tanganyika and Kitty's previous life in real time.
To make matters worse, Scholes over-uses flashbacks in the present day too. For instance, one chapter ends with a marquee burning down, just before Christmas. The next chapter jumps forward a week. We're told, in a long flashback, what happened over Christmas. The scenes could have been written chronologically in about the same number of words, so it made no sense to me.
The same happens at the end of the book, when at the end of Chapter 19. This is a crucial event, and a testing time for our heroine. How will she react? Again, we find out in flashback, not as it happens. Chapter 20 jumps forward three whole weeks and we have to settle for Kitty's reporting. It stifles the emotion.
The novel opens with Kitty already arrived in Tanganyika, but the story covers her whole adult life, from her first arrival in London. In fact, I'd estimate half the novel is about her life before Africa. Inevitably, then, there are lots of flashbacks - and therein lies the problem. Flashbacks mean lots of past perfect (she "had" done this and "had" done that), and reported speech rather than real dialogue. The descriptions and internal monologues are good, but there's a flatness about it, a loss of immediacy, a distancing from the characters and the action.
I recently read a novel where the chapters alternated between two timelines - one in the present day, the next jumping back in time, showing how the character got to the present day. I found it a little disconcerting, but in hindsight it would have worked perfectly for The Perfect Wife, allowing us to experience both Tanganyika and Kitty's previous life in real time.
To make matters worse, Scholes over-uses flashbacks in the present day too. For instance, one chapter ends with a marquee burning down, just before Christmas. The next chapter jumps forward a week. We're told, in a long flashback, what happened over Christmas. The scenes could have been written chronologically in about the same number of words, so it made no sense to me.
The same happens at the end of the book, when at the end of Chapter 19. This is a crucial event, and a testing time for our heroine. How will she react? Again, we find out in flashback, not as it happens. Chapter 20 jumps forward three whole weeks and we have to settle for Kitty's reporting. It stifles the emotion.
May 18, 2014
"The Tanganyika Groundnut Scheme was a project of the British Government who planned to cultivate tracts of land in the British protectorate of Tanganyika (now Tanzania) with peanuts. It was abandoned in 1951 at considerable cost to the taxpayers when it did not become profitable."
It is against this backdrop and, drawing on her parents’ own real memories of the failed Groundnut Scheme as well as her own recollections of life in Tanzania, that Katherine Scholes has written this fabulous novel of the inner struggle of a girl born in Australia.
Following an inheritance from her grandmother which allows her the opportunity to travel and study in England, Kitty eschews her homeland for England where she meets her husband Theo, a man from a class way above her upbringing in Wattle Creek. When a scandal erupts, she is forced to flee.
The book opens with Kitty finally on her way to reunite with Theo in Tanganyika where he took up a position with the Groundnut Scheme two years before. She is hopeful that this new land will present more opportunities and allow her and Theo to overcome the cracks in their marriage after the scandal in which she was involved brought shame upon his family.
Living on Millionaire Row and being the wife of the Groundnut Scheme manager comes with perks of course, such as socialising at the Club with all the other wives and basically being a lady of leisure, which Theo is adamant she do - but Kitty wants more. Unable to pursue a constructive outlet, she’s bored, and the wives aren’t particularly friendly.
Kitty goes out of her way to be “the perfect wife”, attempting to do whatever it takes to restore Theo’s faith in her and eventually win back his love, but this proves difficult with a husband still suffering the effects of the War. He spends an inordinate amount of time at work and when he is at home, he constantly tries to control and mould her into someone she is not.
Afforded the opportunity to do some work at the Christian Mission under the pretext of helping one of the wives she has finally befriended, she beings to feel empowered – until Theo “puts in her place” again. After tragedy strikes when a beekeeping project run by the Scheme goes wrong, will Kitty find it in herself to be true to who she really is?
I love novels based in Africa and this one is no exception as it called to mind some of my own memories of the African bush.
Much like Australia, the landscape can be pretty uncompromising and brutal at times for those trying to make a living off it. In this novel, Katherine Scholes brings this issue into vivid reality as she relates the story of the failed Groundnut Scheme, giving an account of a post-war Colonial frontier in all its glory and juxtaposing the beauty with the harshness of the landscape. They say that Africa beats to the rhythm of its own drum and this certainly comes through in Katherine’s descriptions of the people of Londoni, the indigenous tribes and the missionaries, giving it an almost mystical quality as subtle religious elements shine through the narrative, without being over-powering.
The beautiful cover matches the tone of the book, perfectly encapsulating Kitty’s longing and soul-searching and it is through her internal dialogue that Katherine allows us to see the turmoil within - her desire to be an artist is strong, yet her loyalty and duty to her somewhat controlling husband takes precedence, dampening the desires of her heart.
It is the past that is a mystery in this fabulous novel and one that will keep you turning the pages until you discover Kitty's full back-story along with the exact reasons why she needed to flee the claustrophobic confines of Theo’s aristocratic family, and it is amongst these pages that Katherine presents a strong portrait of an anguished young woman attempting to discover who she really is and find the stability she longs for.
This is a passionate and moving story of one woman's resilience and her pursuit for happiness.
It is against this backdrop and, drawing on her parents’ own real memories of the failed Groundnut Scheme as well as her own recollections of life in Tanzania, that Katherine Scholes has written this fabulous novel of the inner struggle of a girl born in Australia.
Following an inheritance from her grandmother which allows her the opportunity to travel and study in England, Kitty eschews her homeland for England where she meets her husband Theo, a man from a class way above her upbringing in Wattle Creek. When a scandal erupts, she is forced to flee.
The book opens with Kitty finally on her way to reunite with Theo in Tanganyika where he took up a position with the Groundnut Scheme two years before. She is hopeful that this new land will present more opportunities and allow her and Theo to overcome the cracks in their marriage after the scandal in which she was involved brought shame upon his family.
Living on Millionaire Row and being the wife of the Groundnut Scheme manager comes with perks of course, such as socialising at the Club with all the other wives and basically being a lady of leisure, which Theo is adamant she do - but Kitty wants more. Unable to pursue a constructive outlet, she’s bored, and the wives aren’t particularly friendly.
Kitty goes out of her way to be “the perfect wife”, attempting to do whatever it takes to restore Theo’s faith in her and eventually win back his love, but this proves difficult with a husband still suffering the effects of the War. He spends an inordinate amount of time at work and when he is at home, he constantly tries to control and mould her into someone she is not.
Afforded the opportunity to do some work at the Christian Mission under the pretext of helping one of the wives she has finally befriended, she beings to feel empowered – until Theo “puts in her place” again. After tragedy strikes when a beekeeping project run by the Scheme goes wrong, will Kitty find it in herself to be true to who she really is?
I love novels based in Africa and this one is no exception as it called to mind some of my own memories of the African bush.
Much like Australia, the landscape can be pretty uncompromising and brutal at times for those trying to make a living off it. In this novel, Katherine Scholes brings this issue into vivid reality as she relates the story of the failed Groundnut Scheme, giving an account of a post-war Colonial frontier in all its glory and juxtaposing the beauty with the harshness of the landscape. They say that Africa beats to the rhythm of its own drum and this certainly comes through in Katherine’s descriptions of the people of Londoni, the indigenous tribes and the missionaries, giving it an almost mystical quality as subtle religious elements shine through the narrative, without being over-powering.
The beautiful cover matches the tone of the book, perfectly encapsulating Kitty’s longing and soul-searching and it is through her internal dialogue that Katherine allows us to see the turmoil within - her desire to be an artist is strong, yet her loyalty and duty to her somewhat controlling husband takes precedence, dampening the desires of her heart.
It is the past that is a mystery in this fabulous novel and one that will keep you turning the pages until you discover Kitty's full back-story along with the exact reasons why she needed to flee the claustrophobic confines of Theo’s aristocratic family, and it is amongst these pages that Katherine presents a strong portrait of an anguished young woman attempting to discover who she really is and find the stability she longs for.
This is a passionate and moving story of one woman's resilience and her pursuit for happiness.
August 16, 2022
«“Cómo ser la esposa perfecta”. —Había anunciado el título en un tono serio de voz. Todas se habían vuelto para escuchar, incluso Diana—. Ni que decir tiene que su aspecto y su olor son una delicia, aunque esto no basta. La esposa perfecta siempre está dispuesta a ser un refuerzo y un consuelo. Nunca tiene una crítica, y evita ofrecer consejo. Su hogar es un santuario para su marido, que se ha pasado todo el día esforzándose en el trabajo…».
Esta es la definición de una esposa perfecta que aparece en el libro. La trama se sitúa a finales de década de los 40, acabada la II Guerra Mundial, en Tanganica, la actual Tanzania. Una época y un lugar donde aún estaba muy lejos la idea de la igualdad de la mujer.
La novela trata la historia del matrimonio formado por Kitty y Theo, ella una australiana de origen humilde y él británico, perteneciente a la sociedad más selecta de Londres. Es la historia del matrimonio pero más concretamente la de Kitty, y abarca su vida desde que sale de su Australia natal hasta que llega a África.
El libro retrata la vida colonial británica en la década de 1940 en Tanzania, mostrando una gran importancia de la jerarquía social, de forma que los hombres salían a trabajar mientras las mujeres socializaban en el club, y se cumplía que cuanto más arriba en el proyecto trabajaba el esposo de una mujer, más alta era su posición social en el grupo de esposas.
Me ha gustado como se va desarrollando el personaje de Kitty, que se esfuerza por ser la esposa perfecta, pero no deja de ser una artista, a pesar de que su marido le ha prohibido dedicarse al arte.
La historia avanza al ver crecer el carácter de Kitty a través de sus interacciones con las otras esposas, los misioneros y los aldeanos locales. El libro trata, ante todo, del viaje interior de Kitty.
La autora usa una prosa suave, usando bastante los flashbacks, tanto para contar el pasado de la protagonista como para jugar con los tiempos del presente, adelantándose y volviendo hacia atrás con recuerdos. Tiene un buen final con giro inesperado.
Mi valoración es de 4 estrellas.
Esta es la definición de una esposa perfecta que aparece en el libro. La trama se sitúa a finales de década de los 40, acabada la II Guerra Mundial, en Tanganica, la actual Tanzania. Una época y un lugar donde aún estaba muy lejos la idea de la igualdad de la mujer.
La novela trata la historia del matrimonio formado por Kitty y Theo, ella una australiana de origen humilde y él británico, perteneciente a la sociedad más selecta de Londres. Es la historia del matrimonio pero más concretamente la de Kitty, y abarca su vida desde que sale de su Australia natal hasta que llega a África.
El libro retrata la vida colonial británica en la década de 1940 en Tanzania, mostrando una gran importancia de la jerarquía social, de forma que los hombres salían a trabajar mientras las mujeres socializaban en el club, y se cumplía que cuanto más arriba en el proyecto trabajaba el esposo de una mujer, más alta era su posición social en el grupo de esposas.
Me ha gustado como se va desarrollando el personaje de Kitty, que se esfuerza por ser la esposa perfecta, pero no deja de ser una artista, a pesar de que su marido le ha prohibido dedicarse al arte.
La historia avanza al ver crecer el carácter de Kitty a través de sus interacciones con las otras esposas, los misioneros y los aldeanos locales. El libro trata, ante todo, del viaje interior de Kitty.
La autora usa una prosa suave, usando bastante los flashbacks, tanto para contar el pasado de la protagonista como para jugar con los tiempos del presente, adelantándose y volviendo hacia atrás con recuerdos. Tiene un buen final con giro inesperado.
Mi valoración es de 4 estrellas.
September 28, 2013
The Perfect Wife is quaint story, a softly spoken tale of a mismatched couple who in the face of a scandal and their efforts to distance themselves from it, succeed in alienating themselves from each other. It’s well written, almost having a classical feel to it, with long descriptive passages detailing scenery, emotions and past events. There was not a lot of dialogue and I found myself missing conversation, though this did add to the characters isolation.
Whilst the tale was told in a quiet manner, the story still managed to illicit an emotional response from me. I found myself getting frustrated with Kitty and her self-sacrificial manner. I was enraged at Theo and his superior attitudes despite some very obvious flaws and selfish tendencies (I wanted to shake him). What the hell happened back in England?
I enjoyed the story, I truly did, but at the same time I found myself strangely unsatisfied with it. I can’t quite place where my disappointment comes from though? It truly did get me riled up but at the same time, I felt shut out from the events. I was an observer, but I wasn’t involved. I was angry for Kitty, but I wasn’t feeling her pain. It was strange disconnect.
Whilst the tale was told in a quiet manner, the story still managed to illicit an emotional response from me. I found myself getting frustrated with Kitty and her self-sacrificial manner. I was enraged at Theo and his superior attitudes despite some very obvious flaws and selfish tendencies (I wanted to shake him). What the hell happened back in England?
I enjoyed the story, I truly did, but at the same time I found myself strangely unsatisfied with it. I can’t quite place where my disappointment comes from though? It truly did get me riled up but at the same time, I felt shut out from the events. I was an observer, but I wasn’t involved. I was angry for Kitty, but I wasn’t feeling her pain. It was strange disconnect.
August 16, 2015
Mientras leía Una Esposa Perfecta, la escritura sencilla pero sin perdidas de calidad literaria de Katherine Scholes me recordó mucho a Hermingway. Además, la historia tiene mucho de Memorias de África. Sinceramente, una combinación apasionante.
Adentrándome más en la trama, creo que flojea un poco en la introducción y que todo es demasiado casual -partes en concreto-. Sin embargo, la redondez en los personajes y la buena conformación de Kitty, la protagonista, hacen todo más llevadero e interesante.
Es divertido encontrarte con varias jerarquías: la empresarial, la de la tribu, la conformada por las esposas modelo... Y después compararlo con el mundo idílico de la misión católica, donde se ayuda sin esperar nada a cambio, desde el más pobre al más rico.
Sin duda alguna, este libro tuvo desde el principio 3 estrellas ganas, pero gracias a una puntada final muy bien dada, no tengo más remedio que darle las 4, y bien merecidas.
Adentrándome más en la trama, creo que flojea un poco en la introducción y que todo es demasiado casual -partes en concreto-. Sin embargo, la redondez en los personajes y la buena conformación de Kitty, la protagonista, hacen todo más llevadero e interesante.
Es divertido encontrarte con varias jerarquías: la empresarial, la de la tribu, la conformada por las esposas modelo... Y después compararlo con el mundo idílico de la misión católica, donde se ayuda sin esperar nada a cambio, desde el más pobre al más rico.
Sin duda alguna, este libro tuvo desde el principio 3 estrellas ganas, pero gracias a una puntada final muy bien dada, no tengo más remedio que darle las 4, y bien merecidas.
October 26, 2013
Katherine Scholes books always have an Australian as the strong female character and this story is no exception. Raised on a farm in Australia, the main character can't wait to explore her artistic skills by travelling to England. When her grandmother dies and leaves all of the money to her, the family no longer speak to her when she goes off to London to explore her artistic world. She marries into an upper class family, but there is a scandal.
To save her marriage she promises to no longer do any art and joins her husband in Africa - far from England's gossiping nobles.
Again the themes of marriage expectations and how to find yourself in this world are addressed in this book. An enjoyable romp.
To save her marriage she promises to no longer do any art and joins her husband in Africa - far from England's gossiping nobles.
Again the themes of marriage expectations and how to find yourself in this world are addressed in this book. An enjoyable romp.
May 21, 2016
This is an empowering book for women to read. It is also so exciting to step into a lifestyle and period of time of someone so different to my own. This historical book is set in Africa and is the and it is fascinating. The images you see when reading Katherine's books are so clear, it is as if you are watching a film. I really enjoyed reading this book.
October 1, 2013
Kitty Hamilton is arriving in Tanganyika with hopes of a fresh start with her husband Theo. The two of them have been married for a long time but they have been separated by the second World War, during which Theo was a pilot. And then afterwards, he had trouble readjusting to life..and then came the scandal that rocked their marriage and made Kitty the subject of gossip and talk. Made them the subject of gossip and talk, something Theo and his wealthy titled family despise.
Then Theo accepted a job in Africa, working for the Groundnut scheme where the British government decided to grow cash crops such as peanuts in Africa for export in order to ‘feed the world’. Kitty has learned some basic bush nursing skills and some Swahili to prepare, thinking that she might be able to do something useful. However when she arrives she realises that all Theo wants her to do, or expects her to, is socialise with the other English wives down at the ‘club’, organising events. Working with the locals, or making herself useful, is strictly discouraged.
But Kitty finds a way. She begins helping at a local Catholic mission feeding prisoners and helping tend their various illnesses and wounds. As things between her and Theo disintegrate amid the failure of the Groundnut scheme to get off the ground successfully, Kitty finds solace in the mission and the people that work there and the people they provide for. She finds herself drawn to a mysterious man named Taylor for reasons she can’t really explain.
The wild and foreign land gets under her skin and so do the people. But it’s also dangerous and as her husband clashes with local people over a bad decision, it’s going to bring heartbreak…and freedom.
The Perfect Wife is the most recent novel by Katherine Scholes who, although residing in Australia now, was born in Tanzania and bases a lot of her books there including this one (although it’s set before the area was called Tanzania). Colonial-Africa is becoming one of my favourite settings in novels – I’ve read quite a few of them recently and the attempt by the British to recreate a glamorous, high-society lifestyle for the workers who went to live there clashes with the nomadic village life of the native people. This story revolves around a post-WW2 scheme by the British to grow peanuts in Africa for export, despite information that the climate is utterly unsuitable to such a crop. It’s yet another example of attempting to force a result on an area by the introduction of something foreign. It was attempted in Australia too, in earlier times, as the British attempted to alter the soil and surrounds in order to grow what they were familiar with in a country that possessed an entirely different climate. They also introduced various things from home – such as rabbits. And we all know how that went. In this book, they plan to do a similar thing, introducing European bees which would not only have an effect on the local bees but also greatly offend the local people, who regard them as sacred.
Kitty is Australian-born, growing up on a farm before heading to England as a teenager in order to further her study of art. She meets and marries Theo a son-of-the-Lord-of-the-Manor type and they survive the second World War together but a scandal rocks the marriage thereafter, leading to the fresh start in Africa. Theo is clearly traumatised from his time in the war as a bomber pilot and his character is unstable and contradictory. At times he appears to want to reconnect with Kitty but mostly there’s a lot of distance between them. He drinks a lot (this seems a common theme, in every book I’ve read with ex-pats in Africa) and the pressures of his job are only adding to his fragile state of mind. He’s responsible for something that’s slowly tanking spectacularly because it was never going to work in the first place. I really didn’t like Theo, even though I could see how his upbringing and the pressures of war had made him the person he becomes in the novel. However I didn’t find him all that appealing even before the war and when he was shunning his privileged lifestyle. There was just something about him that I couldn’t warm to and he and Kitty seemed grossly unsuited. She was a country girl from Australia and was reminded of this at every opportunity by her mother-in-law, who made it very obvious that she considered Kitty beneath them. She was clearly out of her depth both in being married to Theo and also in living in Africa and lunching at the club and socialising with the other wives of high ranking Brits. She wasn’t interested in that sort of life, always being on guard, always doing and saying the right thing, wearing the right clothes. She was still a country girl, still an artist. She was happier in loose, practical clothing, exploring the area or helping at the Mission.
I felt that the scandal was built up a lot in hype but when it was revealed it was almost a bit anticlimactic but I do realise that I’m looking at it with the eye of someone who is born in this era and in this country and lives an entirely different life to that of Theo and his parents. This was a time where women were supposed to act a certain way, especially those of a certain class. Kitty isn’t one of them and when the act is revealed, it seems to only reinforce what her mother-in-law already thought of her. Despite the fact that it didn’t have the impact on me that it probably should have, I did really enjoy the story of Kitty’s art teacher Yuri and why he’d fled Russia. Might be time to look for a few books that deal with that part of history I think.
But if you’re looking for a book set in Africa post-WW2 then you really don’t need to look any further than this one. It’s a great read.
Then Theo accepted a job in Africa, working for the Groundnut scheme where the British government decided to grow cash crops such as peanuts in Africa for export in order to ‘feed the world’. Kitty has learned some basic bush nursing skills and some Swahili to prepare, thinking that she might be able to do something useful. However when she arrives she realises that all Theo wants her to do, or expects her to, is socialise with the other English wives down at the ‘club’, organising events. Working with the locals, or making herself useful, is strictly discouraged.
But Kitty finds a way. She begins helping at a local Catholic mission feeding prisoners and helping tend their various illnesses and wounds. As things between her and Theo disintegrate amid the failure of the Groundnut scheme to get off the ground successfully, Kitty finds solace in the mission and the people that work there and the people they provide for. She finds herself drawn to a mysterious man named Taylor for reasons she can’t really explain.
The wild and foreign land gets under her skin and so do the people. But it’s also dangerous and as her husband clashes with local people over a bad decision, it’s going to bring heartbreak…and freedom.
The Perfect Wife is the most recent novel by Katherine Scholes who, although residing in Australia now, was born in Tanzania and bases a lot of her books there including this one (although it’s set before the area was called Tanzania). Colonial-Africa is becoming one of my favourite settings in novels – I’ve read quite a few of them recently and the attempt by the British to recreate a glamorous, high-society lifestyle for the workers who went to live there clashes with the nomadic village life of the native people. This story revolves around a post-WW2 scheme by the British to grow peanuts in Africa for export, despite information that the climate is utterly unsuitable to such a crop. It’s yet another example of attempting to force a result on an area by the introduction of something foreign. It was attempted in Australia too, in earlier times, as the British attempted to alter the soil and surrounds in order to grow what they were familiar with in a country that possessed an entirely different climate. They also introduced various things from home – such as rabbits. And we all know how that went. In this book, they plan to do a similar thing, introducing European bees which would not only have an effect on the local bees but also greatly offend the local people, who regard them as sacred.
Kitty is Australian-born, growing up on a farm before heading to England as a teenager in order to further her study of art. She meets and marries Theo a son-of-the-Lord-of-the-Manor type and they survive the second World War together but a scandal rocks the marriage thereafter, leading to the fresh start in Africa. Theo is clearly traumatised from his time in the war as a bomber pilot and his character is unstable and contradictory. At times he appears to want to reconnect with Kitty but mostly there’s a lot of distance between them. He drinks a lot (this seems a common theme, in every book I’ve read with ex-pats in Africa) and the pressures of his job are only adding to his fragile state of mind. He’s responsible for something that’s slowly tanking spectacularly because it was never going to work in the first place. I really didn’t like Theo, even though I could see how his upbringing and the pressures of war had made him the person he becomes in the novel. However I didn’t find him all that appealing even before the war and when he was shunning his privileged lifestyle. There was just something about him that I couldn’t warm to and he and Kitty seemed grossly unsuited. She was a country girl from Australia and was reminded of this at every opportunity by her mother-in-law, who made it very obvious that she considered Kitty beneath them. She was clearly out of her depth both in being married to Theo and also in living in Africa and lunching at the club and socialising with the other wives of high ranking Brits. She wasn’t interested in that sort of life, always being on guard, always doing and saying the right thing, wearing the right clothes. She was still a country girl, still an artist. She was happier in loose, practical clothing, exploring the area or helping at the Mission.
I felt that the scandal was built up a lot in hype but when it was revealed it was almost a bit anticlimactic but I do realise that I’m looking at it with the eye of someone who is born in this era and in this country and lives an entirely different life to that of Theo and his parents. This was a time where women were supposed to act a certain way, especially those of a certain class. Kitty isn’t one of them and when the act is revealed, it seems to only reinforce what her mother-in-law already thought of her. Despite the fact that it didn’t have the impact on me that it probably should have, I did really enjoy the story of Kitty’s art teacher Yuri and why he’d fled Russia. Might be time to look for a few books that deal with that part of history I think.
But if you’re looking for a book set in Africa post-WW2 then you really don’t need to look any further than this one. It’s a great read.
January 23, 2019
En lo personal no me agradó mucho la forma de escribir, como la historias la lleva de presente a pasado, dándote sólo algunos datos; en lo personal siento que ese ir y venir no está bien estructurado, si intento de dejar las cosas a la imaginación y mantenerte intrigado resultó más bien en una incomprensión hacia el libro en su momento y hasta desesperación.
Hay temas que deja al aire, los toma con fuerza y después no les da las importancia suficiente.
Es mi primer libro acerca de África y me gustó conocer un poco más la cultura.
Hay temas que deja al aire, los toma con fuerza y después no les da las importancia suficiente.
Es mi primer libro acerca de África y me gustó conocer un poco más la cultura.
December 15, 2023
I loved the setting in Africa after WWII and learning about the doomed British scheme to grow peanuts there. Kitty is a likeable character and I enjoyed seeing the land and culture from her eyes. Kitty faces many challenges in Africa, from marriage woes to unfamiliar societal norms, to loss, and the interrupted journey of following her heart. I found this to be an absorbing story full of surprises.
May 9, 2025
Ein unterhaltsames Buch über eine starke Frau die in Tansania nach dem 2. Weltkrieg versucht ihre Ehe wiederherzustellen. Bei der Hilfe in der katholischen Mission findet sie nicht nur zu ihrer eigenen Leidenschaft zurück sondern auch zu sich selbst.
Der Roman beinhaltet einige interessante historische Begebenheiten.
Der Roman beinhaltet einige interessante historische Begebenheiten.
June 13, 2018
Lindo libro. Entretenido, pero le sobra la mitad!. Muy bien escrito, pero lentísimo. Creo que no quedó ningún árbol, arbusto o mata de selva sin describir. En sí la historia es simple, pero las interminables descripciones y pensamientos o recuerdos, puestos porque si, lo hicieron interminable!.
May 23, 2019
If you're totally frustrated with the horrible husband, just hang in there. The book took me into the heart of a Tanzania and the journey through all the frustrations and hurts came to a beautiful conclusion.
September 12, 2020
Historical fiction set in 1950 Tanzania. Kitty faces many challenges in her life from her beginnings in Australia to life in England and then Tanganyika. Her openness to change and resilience make this book a moving read.
April 19, 2021
Interesting concept and situation for a story with interesting parts but also some rather wordy and boring bits, too. Slow to begin, I then got excited that it was going to keep me focussed but, unfortunately, the interest didn't last.
April 24, 2024
J'ai été attirée par l'histoire se passant en Afrique dans les années 1950. Toutefois j'ai été déçue par la tournure des évènements, je m'attendais à quelque chose de plus "vivant" : avec beaucoup de rebondissements mais finalement c'était assez lent et plat..
August 12, 2017
Another great book from Katherine Scholes
October 15, 2018
Outra merda mais. En plan " me enamoro de ti porque eres diferente, no te mola arreglarte y no te importa llenarte de bosta de elefante hasta las orejas". Y un cuerno (de marfil)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2019
Peek into the life in Tanganyika (Tanzania) during 1947-50 through the lens of a progressive woman married to a conservative man.
March 15, 2019
Fresco y entretenido pero no mucho más.
May 31, 2021
Most enjoyable read, and the final chapter covering the next years of their life, rather than a hasty conclusion
January 6, 2022
Very predictable storyline, quite disappointing.
April 14, 2022
Une histoire pleine de mystères. Soleil, épreuves, amour, courage nous emmènent en Afrique.
May 13, 2023
I want to read it. I didn’t finish it.
March 23, 2025
Me ha gustado bastante, entretenido
September 7, 2015
Avec Les fleurs sauvages des bougainvilliers, Katherine Scholes emmène ses lecteurs dans un lointaine pays africain, le Tanganyka. Il s’agit d’un ancien territoire du protectorat britannique, qui a aujourd’hui fusionné avec Zanzibar et qui est connu aujourd’hui sous le nom de Tanzanie, en Afrique de l’Est.
Nous sommes dans les années 40, après la seconde guerre mondiale. Nous faisons la connaissance de Kitty qui s’apprête à terminer un long voyage, depuis Londres vers le Tanganyka. Elle rejoint son mari qui travaille pour le Plan Arachide, un vaste programme économique, destiné à utiliser les ressources de ce territoire encore sauvage à des fins utiles. On comprend très vite que Kitty et son mari Théo se sont quittés en mauvais terme. Elle espère donc de cette nouvelle vie, un nouveau départ.
Malheureusement, Kitty se faisait de cette nouvelle vie, un rêve. Théo est accaparé par son travail, et il attend d’elle qu’elle se tienne comme une Lady. Mais Kitty s’ennuie dans ce rôle qu’il lui assigne. Théo n’est plus l’homme qu’elle a connu avant la guerre, il est détruit.
Kitty est australienne est issue d’un milieu modeste. Théo est issu de l’aristocratie britannique. Ils n’avaient rien en commun, et pourtant ils sont tombés terriblement amoureux.
Ce roman traite de plusieurs sujets. D’une part, il y a l’histoire de Kitty et Théo qui a été malmenée par la guerre. Le Théo d’avant la guerre était un personnage très attachant, insouciant, et épris de liberté. Il n’avait que faire des convenances de l’aristocratie britannique. Kitty parfois nous délivre des passages de son enfance, en Australie, puis de sa rencontre avec Théo, en Grande Bretagne par un système de flash-back. On y découvre encore la place de la femme à cette époque, une vision bien rétrograde, « soit belle et tais-toi ».
Il y a ensuite l’histoire de ce pays encore sauvage dans les années 40, ou deux visions du monde vont d’affronter. Celle de la nature, des rites et des croyances dites païennes par ceux qui veulent soit disant les aider en les forçant à se soumettre à leurs visions des choses, et en utilisant leur territoire.
L’écriture de l’auteure est agréable, mais j’ai trouvé le rythme de ce livre assez lent. Il n’y a pas énormément d’actions, à part à la fin. Mais par contre, l’auteure laisse la part belle à la psychologie des personnages. C’est un roman qui se savoure, il ne s’agit absolument pas d’un roman à l’eau de rose, la romance n’y est pas ou peu présente, même si on la devine sous-jacente.
Kitty est un personnage forte à sa façon qui affronte les soucis avec vaillance, une femme moderne avant l’heure.
En bref, un livre que je vous conseille absolument !
Ce roman est disponible depuis juin 2015 aux Editions Belfond.
http://milleetunepages.com/2015/09/07...
Nous sommes dans les années 40, après la seconde guerre mondiale. Nous faisons la connaissance de Kitty qui s’apprête à terminer un long voyage, depuis Londres vers le Tanganyka. Elle rejoint son mari qui travaille pour le Plan Arachide, un vaste programme économique, destiné à utiliser les ressources de ce territoire encore sauvage à des fins utiles. On comprend très vite que Kitty et son mari Théo se sont quittés en mauvais terme. Elle espère donc de cette nouvelle vie, un nouveau départ.
Malheureusement, Kitty se faisait de cette nouvelle vie, un rêve. Théo est accaparé par son travail, et il attend d’elle qu’elle se tienne comme une Lady. Mais Kitty s’ennuie dans ce rôle qu’il lui assigne. Théo n’est plus l’homme qu’elle a connu avant la guerre, il est détruit.
Kitty est australienne est issue d’un milieu modeste. Théo est issu de l’aristocratie britannique. Ils n’avaient rien en commun, et pourtant ils sont tombés terriblement amoureux.
Ce roman traite de plusieurs sujets. D’une part, il y a l’histoire de Kitty et Théo qui a été malmenée par la guerre. Le Théo d’avant la guerre était un personnage très attachant, insouciant, et épris de liberté. Il n’avait que faire des convenances de l’aristocratie britannique. Kitty parfois nous délivre des passages de son enfance, en Australie, puis de sa rencontre avec Théo, en Grande Bretagne par un système de flash-back. On y découvre encore la place de la femme à cette époque, une vision bien rétrograde, « soit belle et tais-toi ».
Il y a ensuite l’histoire de ce pays encore sauvage dans les années 40, ou deux visions du monde vont d’affronter. Celle de la nature, des rites et des croyances dites païennes par ceux qui veulent soit disant les aider en les forçant à se soumettre à leurs visions des choses, et en utilisant leur territoire.
L’écriture de l’auteure est agréable, mais j’ai trouvé le rythme de ce livre assez lent. Il n’y a pas énormément d’actions, à part à la fin. Mais par contre, l’auteure laisse la part belle à la psychologie des personnages. C’est un roman qui se savoure, il ne s’agit absolument pas d’un roman à l’eau de rose, la romance n’y est pas ou peu présente, même si on la devine sous-jacente.
Kitty est un personnage forte à sa façon qui affronte les soucis avec vaillance, une femme moderne avant l’heure.
En bref, un livre que je vous conseille absolument !
Ce roman est disponible depuis juin 2015 aux Editions Belfond.
http://milleetunepages.com/2015/09/07...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews