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Αγγλία, 1947. Η Κιτ, νοσηλεύτρια στη διάρκεια του Β΄ Παγκόσμιου Πολέμου, κρύβει ένα επώδυνο μυστικό. Εξαντλημένη σωματικά και ψυχικά, ζητάει βοήθεια από τη φίλη της Ντέιζι, η οποία, στα πλαίσια του φιλανθρωπικού έργου της, στέλνει μαίες στη νότια Ινδία.
Την ίδια περίοδο η Κιτ συναντάει τον Άντο, έναν Ινδό γιατρό που ετοιμάζεται να αποφοιτήσει από την Οξφόρδη. Για τη μητέρα της Κιτ, ο Άντο αντιπροσωπεύει όλα εκείνα που απεύχεται για την κόρη της. Διψασμένη για περιπέτειες και βαθιά ερωτευμένη, η Κιτ παντρεύεται τον Άντο κρυφά κι οι δυο τους φεύγουν για τη νότια Ινδία.
Η ζωή της Κιτ, όμως, δεν είναι αυτό που είχε φανταστεί, και η σχέση του ζευγαριού δοκιμάζεται σκληρά. Σε έναν γοργά μεταβαλλόμενο κόσμο, η αφέλεια και οι καλές προθέσεις της Κιτ θα την οδηγήσουν σε μια τρομακτική και επικίνδυνη κατάσταση…
Μια συγκλονιστική ιστορία, βασισμένη σε αληθινές μαρτυρίες, που πραγματεύεται τις χαρές και τις δυσκολίες της οικογένειας και τη νοσταλγία για την πατρίδα. Άραγε πόσο μακριά είμαστε διατεθειμένοι να φτάσουμε, προκειμένου να βρισκόμαστε με αυτούς που αγαπάμε;
Την ίδια περίοδο η Κιτ συναντάει τον Άντο, έναν Ινδό γιατρό που ετοιμάζεται να αποφοιτήσει από την Οξφόρδη. Για τη μητέρα της Κιτ, ο Άντο αντιπροσωπεύει όλα εκείνα που απεύχεται για την κόρη της. Διψασμένη για περιπέτειες και βαθιά ερωτευμένη, η Κιτ παντρεύεται τον Άντο κρυφά κι οι δυο τους φεύγουν για τη νότια Ινδία.
Η ζωή της Κιτ, όμως, δεν είναι αυτό που είχε φανταστεί, και η σχέση του ζευγαριού δοκιμάζεται σκληρά. Σε έναν γοργά μεταβαλλόμενο κόσμο, η αφέλεια και οι καλές προθέσεις της Κιτ θα την οδηγήσουν σε μια τρομακτική και επικίνδυνη κατάσταση…
Μια συγκλονιστική ιστορία, βασισμένη σε αληθινές μαρτυρίες, που πραγματεύεται τις χαρές και τις δυσκολίες της οικογένειας και τη νοσταλγία για την πατρίδα. Άραγε πόσο μακριά είμαστε διατεθειμένοι να φτάσουμε, προκειμένου να βρισκόμαστε με αυτούς που αγαπάμε;
584 pages, Paperback
First published June 5, 2014
160 people are currently reading
2195 people want to read
About the author
Julia Gregson
9 books190 followersMy father was in the Air Force, so after thirteen schools I left early longing to travel and have adventures. I worked as a jillaroo in the Australian outback, a girl groom, a shearer’s cook, a secretary, a hospital cleaner, and later, back in England, as a house model for Hardy Amies in London.
In the seventies, and back in Australia again, love of horses led to riding out with Mick Jagger on the set of Ned Kelly and my first published article in The Sydney Morning Herald. Gave up paid employment, poverty and panic followed, but eventually got more work as a journalist. Secretly wrote short stories that were never published. I eventually started to write regularly for Australian magazines. In the seventies, I was sent to Vietnam and India to write stories, and later to New York as a foreign correspondent for a group of Australian magazines (Sungravure) where I also worked for Rolling Stone Magazine.
During this time, spent four days with Muhammad Ali in a boxer’s training camp in Pennsylvania, interviewed Buzz Aldrin in Houston; Ronnie Biggs in a Brazilian jail at midnight; president’s wives, film stars in Hollywood and several notorious criminals. All good grist to my story-writing mill.
I enjoy writing short stories and have published in places like The Literary Review, The Times, Good Housekeeping, and read on the B.B.C.
Orion published my first novel, THE WATER HORSE, in 2005. I rode a horse across Wales to do the research- a wonderful experience- and then went to Istanbul and Scutari where the rest of the novel is set.
Writing EAST OF THE SUN involved two research trips to India, A great highlight. For MONSOON SUMMER, I went to Kerala, and lived with an Indian family, and travelled in a rice boat up many of the back waters I describe.
I’m married, have one daughter and four stepchildren and live in Monmouthshire with two rescue ponies, two chickens and a collie.
In the seventies, and back in Australia again, love of horses led to riding out with Mick Jagger on the set of Ned Kelly and my first published article in The Sydney Morning Herald. Gave up paid employment, poverty and panic followed, but eventually got more work as a journalist. Secretly wrote short stories that were never published. I eventually started to write regularly for Australian magazines. In the seventies, I was sent to Vietnam and India to write stories, and later to New York as a foreign correspondent for a group of Australian magazines (Sungravure) where I also worked for Rolling Stone Magazine.
During this time, spent four days with Muhammad Ali in a boxer’s training camp in Pennsylvania, interviewed Buzz Aldrin in Houston; Ronnie Biggs in a Brazilian jail at midnight; president’s wives, film stars in Hollywood and several notorious criminals. All good grist to my story-writing mill.
I enjoy writing short stories and have published in places like The Literary Review, The Times, Good Housekeeping, and read on the B.B.C.
Orion published my first novel, THE WATER HORSE, in 2005. I rode a horse across Wales to do the research- a wonderful experience- and then went to Istanbul and Scutari where the rest of the novel is set.
Writing EAST OF THE SUN involved two research trips to India, A great highlight. For MONSOON SUMMER, I went to Kerala, and lived with an Indian family, and travelled in a rice boat up many of the back waters I describe.
I’m married, have one daughter and four stepchildren and live in Monmouthshire with two rescue ponies, two chickens and a collie.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews
August 28, 2016
The story starts in post war England impoverished by rationing; the country was cold and miserable. So too were the characters, drab, colourless and unidentifiable. Kit lives in a friend’s boarding house with her mother, Glory. Kit and her mother have a distant relationship and the boarders all come across as a gloomy lot.
As the story moves to post Independence India the colour comes alive, the characters are more real, alive and have a substance about them. This was a clever contrast of the two countries at this time.
I loved the vivid details of India from the ravaged streets to the beautiful landscapes and monsoonal skies.
Monsoon Summer is a character driven story with well developed and sympathetic characters.
Gregson has written an intelligent and emotional story that is both heart breaking and uplifting. This is a story about love, family, culture, class, forgiveness and acceptance. About fighting for what you believe in but most of all fighting for those you love.
Gregson gives the reader a realistic look at relationships and shows us that “home” is a feeling, not a place or country, but a feeling of belonging.
I highly recommend this novel to all readers of Historical Fiction.
I would like to thank the publisher for my proof copy to read and review
As the story moves to post Independence India the colour comes alive, the characters are more real, alive and have a substance about them. This was a clever contrast of the two countries at this time.
I loved the vivid details of India from the ravaged streets to the beautiful landscapes and monsoonal skies.
Monsoon Summer is a character driven story with well developed and sympathetic characters.
Gregson has written an intelligent and emotional story that is both heart breaking and uplifting. This is a story about love, family, culture, class, forgiveness and acceptance. About fighting for what you believe in but most of all fighting for those you love.
Gregson gives the reader a realistic look at relationships and shows us that “home” is a feeling, not a place or country, but a feeling of belonging.
I highly recommend this novel to all readers of Historical Fiction.
I would like to thank the publisher for my proof copy to read and review
September 2, 2016
If someone would ask me about a book that really surprised me would this one be one my mind. Monsoon Summer was a book that I eagerly hoped to get a chance to read (thanks to the lovely cover and the intriguing blurb), but it was a book that when I started to read it struggled very hard with at first. I even thought about giving up on it. Why? I had some real problem with the main character Kit. I found her very immature for a woman of 28, and she often made me annoyed with her "dark" secret and trouble of adjusting to a life in India. I saw her as a woman who just didn't understand the culture in India and who made a rash decision to marry an Indian man who she hardly knew. I honestly didn't see how this marriage would work since it seemed that they didn't discuss important things before they got married like if or when they should have children. Work was especially a sensitive question since being a midwife is not a good thing in India. And, starting a new life in India trying to hide that from Anto's family felt like a very bad idea.
However, I was enthralled with the life in India after the Independence, how midwives were treated, and the culture difference between the Indians and the English. And, as the story progressed did I start to find more and more sympathy for Kit, and I even started to care and worry about her. One can say that she grew and matured through the book, and I came to more and more understand her. I also found myself liking her mother-in-law more and more, and yes even Kit's mother whose past had made her a very hard and untrusting woman.
This is a book that I'm glad that I stuck to. That I did not give up on it, despite my early doubts. Monsoon Summer turned out to be a great book. I felt that the book gave me an insight into India after Independence, the struggle for women, like those that worked as a midwife, but also the struggle for those that got a high education and having to combine work with old traditions. I found the book to be quite good and interesting and I felt richer after reading it.
I want to thank Touchstone for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!
However, I was enthralled with the life in India after the Independence, how midwives were treated, and the culture difference between the Indians and the English. And, as the story progressed did I start to find more and more sympathy for Kit, and I even started to care and worry about her. One can say that she grew and matured through the book, and I came to more and more understand her. I also found myself liking her mother-in-law more and more, and yes even Kit's mother whose past had made her a very hard and untrusting woman.
This is a book that I'm glad that I stuck to. That I did not give up on it, despite my early doubts. Monsoon Summer turned out to be a great book. I felt that the book gave me an insight into India after Independence, the struggle for women, like those that worked as a midwife, but also the struggle for those that got a high education and having to combine work with old traditions. I found the book to be quite good and interesting and I felt richer after reading it.
I want to thank Touchstone for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!
March 8, 2019
Aus meiner Sicht 2,5 Sterne, von mir großzügig aufgerundet.
Die englische Hebamme beschreibt ein paar Jahre im Leben der jungen Engländerin Kit kurz nach Ende des 2. Weltkriegs. Kit ist Krankenschwester und macht eine Hebammenausbildung, die sie wegen einer traumatischen Erfahrung aussetzt. Dann lernt sie einen jungen Inder kennen, der in England ein Medizinstudium absolviert hat. Die beiden verlieben sich, heiraten (gegen Widerstände) und sie geht mit ihm nach Indien, wo er einer Familie der oberen Mittelklasse angehört.
Der größte Teil des Buches beschreibt das leben in Indien. Kit arbeitet dort (natürlich auch gegen Widerstände) als Krankenschwester und Hebamme und gerät durch die sehr schwierigen Randbedingungen zunehmen in Schwierigkeiten, sowohl mit der Gesellschaft als auch mit der Schwiegerfamilie.
Sehr interessant fand ich das schlechte Ansehen von Krankenschwestern und Hebammen in Indien. Außerdem wurden mir erstmals die Schwierigkeiten bewusst, denen sich Engländer stellen mussten, wenn sie nach der Unabhängigkeit in Indien blieben.
Die grundsätzlich frauenverachtende Einstellung in Indien war mir dahingegen keine Neuigkeit, ist aber in diesem Buch auch deutlich herausgearbeitet.
Wie haben also insgesamt eine wirklich interessante, abwechslungsreiche und auch exotische Geschichte. Weshalb hält sich dann meine Begeisterung so in Grenzen?
Ich bin während des Lesens einfach das Gefühl nicht losgeworden, dass die Charaktere zwar bunt, aber flach sind, wie aus einem Katalog ausgeschnitten. Der junge Ehemann ist die Gussform für den edlen Mann, aber andere Charaktere, die auch mit widersprüchlichen Charakterzügen dargestellt sind, wirken merkwürdig "verdünnt". Jedesmal, wenn eine Person oder eine Situation verspricht wirklich interessant zu werden, wendet sich die Autorin vom Thema ab und wendet sich einer neuen Sache zu, so als ob sie Angst hätte, zu tief unter die Oberfläche vorzudringen.
Trotz aller Abenteuer und Schwierigkeiten umweht die Geschichte für meinen Geschmack zu sehr ein Geruch nach Friede-Freude-Eierkuchen.
Während des Lesens musste ich immer wieder an andere Bücher denken, die meines Erachtens bessere Alternative gewesen wären. Wer eine richtig schöne, mitreißende. exotische Indienschmozette genießen möchte, sollte sich an Palast der Winde: Roman halten und wer sich für den Lebensweg von jungen englischen Frauen zwischen und nach den Kriegen interessiert, ist sicherlich mit dem sehr gut geschriebenen Alle meine Schwestern besser bedient.
Die englische Hebamme beschreibt ein paar Jahre im Leben der jungen Engländerin Kit kurz nach Ende des 2. Weltkriegs. Kit ist Krankenschwester und macht eine Hebammenausbildung, die sie wegen einer traumatischen Erfahrung aussetzt. Dann lernt sie einen jungen Inder kennen, der in England ein Medizinstudium absolviert hat. Die beiden verlieben sich, heiraten (gegen Widerstände) und sie geht mit ihm nach Indien, wo er einer Familie der oberen Mittelklasse angehört.
Der größte Teil des Buches beschreibt das leben in Indien. Kit arbeitet dort (natürlich auch gegen Widerstände) als Krankenschwester und Hebamme und gerät durch die sehr schwierigen Randbedingungen zunehmen in Schwierigkeiten, sowohl mit der Gesellschaft als auch mit der Schwiegerfamilie.
Sehr interessant fand ich das schlechte Ansehen von Krankenschwestern und Hebammen in Indien. Außerdem wurden mir erstmals die Schwierigkeiten bewusst, denen sich Engländer stellen mussten, wenn sie nach der Unabhängigkeit in Indien blieben.
Die grundsätzlich frauenverachtende Einstellung in Indien war mir dahingegen keine Neuigkeit, ist aber in diesem Buch auch deutlich herausgearbeitet.
Wie haben also insgesamt eine wirklich interessante, abwechslungsreiche und auch exotische Geschichte. Weshalb hält sich dann meine Begeisterung so in Grenzen?
Ich bin während des Lesens einfach das Gefühl nicht losgeworden, dass die Charaktere zwar bunt, aber flach sind, wie aus einem Katalog ausgeschnitten. Der junge Ehemann ist die Gussform für den edlen Mann, aber andere Charaktere, die auch mit widersprüchlichen Charakterzügen dargestellt sind, wirken merkwürdig "verdünnt". Jedesmal, wenn eine Person oder eine Situation verspricht wirklich interessant zu werden, wendet sich die Autorin vom Thema ab und wendet sich einer neuen Sache zu, so als ob sie Angst hätte, zu tief unter die Oberfläche vorzudringen.
Trotz aller Abenteuer und Schwierigkeiten umweht die Geschichte für meinen Geschmack zu sehr ein Geruch nach Friede-Freude-Eierkuchen.
Während des Lesens musste ich immer wieder an andere Bücher denken, die meines Erachtens bessere Alternative gewesen wären. Wer eine richtig schöne, mitreißende. exotische Indienschmozette genießen möchte, sollte sich an Palast der Winde: Roman halten und wer sich für den Lebensweg von jungen englischen Frauen zwischen und nach den Kriegen interessiert, ist sicherlich mit dem sehr gut geschriebenen Alle meine Schwestern besser bedient.
November 13, 2016
Kit Smallwood is fresh off the circuit of nursing soldiers during the Second World War and goes to Wickham Farm to help a friend start up a charity sending midwives to South India. It's 1947. WWII is over, the Partition of India has just happened. The world is a vastly different place than it was just the year before.
While Kit is at the farm, she meets a young Indian doctor who is studying medicine in Oxford, Anto. Of course they fall in love, much to the chagrin of many, and off they go to South India - Anto for the first time since he was sent away to boarding school at the age of 16, Kit for the first time ever.
Life isn't easy for them - there are cultural differences for both Kit and Anto's family to get used to, political strife, and complications with Kit's job working with midwives as a nurse, both occupations that are highly frowned upon by many in India in 1947.
I was surprised by how easy it was to read this almost-500-page book. I enjoyed every minute of it, even the romantic parts. I'm not a romance reader, and I guess that's what this author is sort of known for. I wouldn't have known it if I hadn't read it somewhere, though. It just read, to me, like a really good story.
I received this book from the publisher. Official review here.
While Kit is at the farm, she meets a young Indian doctor who is studying medicine in Oxford, Anto. Of course they fall in love, much to the chagrin of many, and off they go to South India - Anto for the first time since he was sent away to boarding school at the age of 16, Kit for the first time ever.
Life isn't easy for them - there are cultural differences for both Kit and Anto's family to get used to, political strife, and complications with Kit's job working with midwives as a nurse, both occupations that are highly frowned upon by many in India in 1947.
I was surprised by how easy it was to read this almost-500-page book. I enjoyed every minute of it, even the romantic parts. I'm not a romance reader, and I guess that's what this author is sort of known for. I wouldn't have known it if I hadn't read it somewhere, though. It just read, to me, like a really good story.
I received this book from the publisher. Official review here.
October 7, 2020
📚 Hello Book Friends! MONSOON SUMMER by Julia Gregson has been on my TBR shelf for a long time and begged to be read many times. I am so happy I picked it up and read it. It is a gorgeous novel about a young woman’s courage and determination in unsettled times. The story starts in 1947. Kit Smallwood is a young nurse who has never met her father and who finds her Anglo-Indian mother difficult. During a visit with her aunt, she meets and falls in love with Anto, a young Indian doctor. Despite Kit’s mom’s objections, they secretly marry and move to South India. Before she leaves, her aunt asks Kit to work at a charity called the Moonstone Home where midwives are professionally trained. Despite all her good intentions, Kit soon finds out that not everyone is happy for her presence in India. Her life will be threatened, and she will face jail time for her work. Through it all, she will be supported by her husband and eventually, by her mother and many more people.
The writing is gorgeous and full of imagery of beautiful India. It is a moving story of courage, forgiveness, and family values.
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March 18, 2019
Tre e mezzo
Scritto benissimo ma troppa storia,cultura e tradizioni indiane,che da un lato mi hanno sicuramente affascinato ma dall'altro mi hanno anche un po' annoiato....
Leggetelo solo se volete cambiare aria e genere...io l'ho fatto proprio per questo....
Scritto benissimo ma troppa storia,cultura e tradizioni indiane,che da un lato mi hanno sicuramente affascinato ma dall'altro mi hanno anche un po' annoiato....
Leggetelo solo se volete cambiare aria e genere...io l'ho fatto proprio per questo....
March 12, 2018
Set in 1947, after the partition, Kit who has met and married an Indian doctor in England, travels to a small village in India to live with his large and wealthy family. She is a nurse and not quite qualified midwife and this the story of the enormous difficulties she encounters (even though she is Anglo Indian herself) at this difficult time in a continent struggling to adjust to the ruling itself after years of colonisation by Britain. Primarily for me, it is about women and how they survive and grow amidst tradition and prejudice. Great to get an insight into this time and place and how to a family would struggle to look after its members and embrace new challenges and ways of working. I liked the way it tackled difficult subjects but read very easily and explores the individual stories and feelings of the family members. It was a satisfying end, because it starts to find a way forward for the family, for women and for new ways of viewing and treating mothers and midwifes
December 28, 2017
This has to be one of the best books that I have read. Highly recommended.
August 2, 2016
4+ Stars!
This is an intelligent and compelling story that I won’t soon forget.
It is the story of Kit, a young, British nurse who falls in love with a charismatic, Indian doctor, Anto, and travels with him to India, where she hopes to not only be a worthy wife, but also establish a reputable midwifery for those in need.
The story is predominantly set in India during the late 1940s, when the country had newly acquired independence and their separation from British rule caused inner turmoil and a widespread rebuke of the British people as a whole.
This is, ultimately, a story about familial dynamics, racism, deception, self discovery, determination, strength, loss, and love.
The prose is clear, precise, and remarkably descriptive. And the characters are empathetic, engaging, and multifaceted.
This is truly an interesting story that is intriguing from the beginning to the very end.
Thank you to NetGalley, especially Touchstone, for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
This review and more can be found on my blog at www.whatsbetterthanbooks.com
This is an intelligent and compelling story that I won’t soon forget.
It is the story of Kit, a young, British nurse who falls in love with a charismatic, Indian doctor, Anto, and travels with him to India, where she hopes to not only be a worthy wife, but also establish a reputable midwifery for those in need.
The story is predominantly set in India during the late 1940s, when the country had newly acquired independence and their separation from British rule caused inner turmoil and a widespread rebuke of the British people as a whole.
This is, ultimately, a story about familial dynamics, racism, deception, self discovery, determination, strength, loss, and love.
The prose is clear, precise, and remarkably descriptive. And the characters are empathetic, engaging, and multifaceted.
This is truly an interesting story that is intriguing from the beginning to the very end.
Thank you to NetGalley, especially Touchstone, for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
This review and more can be found on my blog at www.whatsbetterthanbooks.com
January 12, 2017
I really loved this book. It had all the elements I look for in historical fiction: an interesting setting, empathetic characters, believable dialogue and a solid plot. The dialogue especially pleased me, as I've run across quite a few stinkers in this area lately. The characters grew as the story moved along, which is essential for good fiction. The plot moves along at a decent pace too, can't honestly say there were slow spots in this read. In fact, this was another book I had a hard time putting down until I'd finished it. And the ending was sweet--not in a falsely icky way, but with a slow, deep-down sweetness that highlighted the love and regard the characters felt for each other. I'm glad I found this author and will be looking to read more of her works.
June 30, 2016
A well-written novel about a topic that was fairly new and interesting to me. I never realised how difficult it must have been for mixed marriages after the Indian independence. The theme of midwives and their position within Indian society gave the story an extra dimension. Consider yourself lucky to be born in an age and a country where women have their independence,children can be born in safety and medical advice and help are at hand. A good read for the summer.
September 26, 2016
3.5
A pleasant read, somewhat self-conscious in narration for quickly reverting to an even keel when more of the complex social and political issues of postWar India would lend depth. Possibly overedited by the trad publisher. Uses several points of view whether necessary or not, and that was distracting. The ending not quite satisfying and issues left unresolved.
A pleasant read, somewhat self-conscious in narration for quickly reverting to an even keel when more of the complex social and political issues of postWar India would lend depth. Possibly overedited by the trad publisher. Uses several points of view whether necessary or not, and that was distracting. The ending not quite satisfying and issues left unresolved.
July 19, 2018
Ένα ταξίδι στην Ινδία του μεταπολέμου και στην αρχή της ανεξαρτησίας της. Οι Ινδοί της επαρχίας εξαγριωμένοι από την πολυετή καταπίεση των άγγλων μπερδεμένοι από την παράδοση κ τις νέες πληροφορίες της επιστήμης αντιδρούν στην αγγλιδα που προσπαθεί να τους μεταδώσει νέες ιδέες κ εμπειρίες με άσχημη κατάληξη. Ενδιαφέρον θέμα πρωτόγνωρη για μένα η επαρχία της Ινδίας
August 12, 2019
There is a beautiful love story at the center of Monsoon Summer, but this is not a light-hearted, fantasy romance by any stretch of the imagination. Gregson gives us a well-researched, historical novel about how difficult life was in the 40s and 50s, especially if you chose a life partner not of your kind. It opens in 1947, when our British heroine Kit goes to an old family friend’s home with her single, always struggling mom. Mom happens to be half Indian and has never told Kit anything about her early life in India, who her dad was, or what happened to him.
Kit graduated from nursing school just as WWII began, so was drafted to give medical attention to those injured in the bombing of London. She has almost completed her license to practice midwifery, when she goes to this farm. She’s helping to raise money and develop training materials for a charity that will train midwives in India. Infant mortality rate is high in large part to the lack of proper neonatal care. A handsome, just graduated, Indian doctor turns up to assist them in translating letters, and so the romance begins. The British racists lodging at the farm are appalled. The high caste Indian family of the doctor are almost equally unhappy about the match.
Even if there weren’t enough racism to make this novel tense in all directions, there’s the second-class citizen status of women. Plus India has just proclaimed independence and resents any interference from the Brits. Polite people apparently don’t discuss things about birth, don’t want to think about that, and regard midwives as being on a par with prostitutes. Welcome to India, Kit!
Gregson keeps the tension and fear running high. There are so many awful possibilities of what might happen next. It’s the spunk and high ideals of Kit and her husband who keep us reading on in hopes that they’ll soon have a happy break.
From discussions of food, dress, buildings, transportation, medical care, legal and cultural values even to tossing in Indian phrases, Gregson includes enough detail to make the book feel real. Research pays off. She may remind you of Barbara Kingsolver for how she wraps the setting into her book.
Kit graduated from nursing school just as WWII began, so was drafted to give medical attention to those injured in the bombing of London. She has almost completed her license to practice midwifery, when she goes to this farm. She’s helping to raise money and develop training materials for a charity that will train midwives in India. Infant mortality rate is high in large part to the lack of proper neonatal care. A handsome, just graduated, Indian doctor turns up to assist them in translating letters, and so the romance begins. The British racists lodging at the farm are appalled. The high caste Indian family of the doctor are almost equally unhappy about the match.
Even if there weren’t enough racism to make this novel tense in all directions, there’s the second-class citizen status of women. Plus India has just proclaimed independence and resents any interference from the Brits. Polite people apparently don’t discuss things about birth, don’t want to think about that, and regard midwives as being on a par with prostitutes. Welcome to India, Kit!
Gregson keeps the tension and fear running high. There are so many awful possibilities of what might happen next. It’s the spunk and high ideals of Kit and her husband who keep us reading on in hopes that they’ll soon have a happy break.
From discussions of food, dress, buildings, transportation, medical care, legal and cultural values even to tossing in Indian phrases, Gregson includes enough detail to make the book feel real. Research pays off. She may remind you of Barbara Kingsolver for how she wraps the setting into her book.
September 6, 2016
I'd really like to give this book 3 1/2 stars. I read this author's book, East of the Sun, and absolutely loved it. This one didn't quite grab me the way the other did, but it was interesting enough to hold my attention. It's set in India in the years just after WW II and Indian independence. Kit's mother Glory, is a half-caste woman who tries to be completely English, and to raise her daughter to be the same. Glory is not happy when Kit becomes a nurse during the war, and even less so when she decides to study to be a midwife afterward, as she considers both very low-class professions. After the war, while it is staying at the home of her godmother, Kit meets and falls in love with Anto Thekkeden, and Indian student studying medicine at Oxford. They marry, but when Kit returns to India with Anto, she finds it hard to navigate the politics of Anto's family and the new Indian nation.
She goes to work at a clinic dedicated to taking care of pregnant women, and working with local midwives to improve care for them, but gets caught up in politics and anti-English sentiment. An interesting look at at post-colonial India.
She goes to work at a clinic dedicated to taking care of pregnant women, and working with local midwives to improve care for them, but gets caught up in politics and anti-English sentiment. An interesting look at at post-colonial India.
June 25, 2019
This is a book that stays with you after you’ve finished it. Loved the setting and time period- India in the late 1940s after Independence. Beautiful descriptions of the landscape but ultimately a love story centred around family tensions and the career of midwifery. So interesting and loved the characters!
December 13, 2016
I enjoyed a previous book by this author, but was disappointed in this one. The detailed descriptions of the midwifery seemed to take over the narrative. The contrast between the two cultures and the story of the relationship took a backseat to the medical details.
April 19, 2017
After stopping and starting this book,I finally finished...I enjoyed reading about India post war but I did not care so much for the overall story or of the main character Kit...I thought it would be more like Indian Summers on PBS...thanks to Goodreads giveaways for the chance to give a review...
May 16, 2019
I don't get the high ratings! I enjoyed the backdrop of the story but apart from that...
March 1, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
So satisfying on so many levels. This novel begins post WWII when Kit Smallwood, a trained nurse, returns to Wickam Farm, North Oxfordshire after caring for wounded English soldiers during the war. Wickam Farm is the home of her godmother, Daisy Barker, who is also her mother’s friend as well as her mother’s employer when times are tough (as they are at the opening of this story,) Daisy Barker is recently returned from India where she worked on the administrative side of a clinic for women’s health, mostly providing doctor and midwife care to expectant mothers, the majority of which are poor and have access to no other medical care. An Indian doctor shows up at Wickam Farm; Anto is preparing to return home to his family in India after finishing his medical training in Oxford. Kit and Anto fall in love and marry, despite her mother’s disapproval. Kit’s mother has some deep secrets of her own.
The political situation in India is in flux as India has just become independent of Britain when Kit and Anto arrive at his childhood home in Southern India. Newly married, Kit is not truly accepted by Anto’s family and goes to work at the Moonstone Home where Daisy Barker worked. Anton’s family doesn’t approve of Kit’s working, especially in the field of midwifery; it’s a job that is reserved to the lower castes. The story really flows from there. Lots of cultural clashes within the family as well an education for me with regards to post colonial India and the social mores of that time period.
I would be interested to read other books written by Julia Gregson.
ATY Goodreads Challenge 2022
Prompt #24- A book related to inclement weather
So satisfying on so many levels. This novel begins post WWII when Kit Smallwood, a trained nurse, returns to Wickam Farm, North Oxfordshire after caring for wounded English soldiers during the war. Wickam Farm is the home of her godmother, Daisy Barker, who is also her mother’s friend as well as her mother’s employer when times are tough (as they are at the opening of this story,) Daisy Barker is recently returned from India where she worked on the administrative side of a clinic for women’s health, mostly providing doctor and midwife care to expectant mothers, the majority of which are poor and have access to no other medical care. An Indian doctor shows up at Wickam Farm; Anto is preparing to return home to his family in India after finishing his medical training in Oxford. Kit and Anto fall in love and marry, despite her mother’s disapproval. Kit’s mother has some deep secrets of her own.
The political situation in India is in flux as India has just become independent of Britain when Kit and Anto arrive at his childhood home in Southern India. Newly married, Kit is not truly accepted by Anto’s family and goes to work at the Moonstone Home where Daisy Barker worked. Anton’s family doesn’t approve of Kit’s working, especially in the field of midwifery; it’s a job that is reserved to the lower castes. The story really flows from there. Lots of cultural clashes within the family as well an education for me with regards to post colonial India and the social mores of that time period.
I would be interested to read other books written by Julia Gregson.
ATY Goodreads Challenge 2022
Prompt #24- A book related to inclement weather
March 5, 2018
I read a lot of books set in India and generally prefer those written by local writers to those by non-native authors. However, I had loved Julia Gregson’s East of the Sun and was keen to read her latest India novel ‘Monsoon Summer’. Aside from the title being pretty irrelevant to the story and the cover illustration looking nothing like the area around Cochin and the backwaters (true there are mountains in Kerala but I don’t think you can see them from the backwaters), I really enjoyed the book.
There’s something rather perverse in starting any book about India in 1947 but doing so AFTER Independence. Similarly you might think it’s perverse to start a book set in England just after the war. But it soon begins to make sense and I can’t recall too many other books I’ve read set in that dark gloomy time for Britain and a time of such colour and hope for India.
Kit is a trained nurse who hasn’t quite got her midwifery certificate due to an upsetting event that’s alluded to a lot in the first half of the book without actually being revealed until much later. When the big reveal comes, it’s a bit of a ‘so what’ moment really. Kit’s mother Glory is eccentric, snobby and more than a bit racist but we come to understand why as the book progresses. Her mixed race origins are a shame to her that’s hinted at early on but we have a long wait to better understand their consequences and their part in Kit’s birth. Kit and Glory move to the countryside to throw themselves on the kindness of an old friend, Daisy, who supports a charity in India providing maternity care to poor women in Cochin. After Kit meets and falls in love with young Indian doctor Anto, the pair agree to go to India together; Anto returning to his family who conveniently live near enough to the Moonstone maternity hospital where Kit will do administrative work for Daisy’s charity.
It’s not hard to understand that families were not keen on mixed race marriages back in the late 40’s but Monsoon Summer shows that Glory’s disappointment is based in her own betrayal and Anto’s family are let down that he’s turned down a pre-arranged union with a beautiful girl with a large dowry to bring back a poor English nurse. I really hadn’t understood before reading this that nurses in India were not tinged with the Florence Nightingale halo of serenity that they had in the UK and were considered little better than prostitutes with midwives (who had to touch women in ‘dirty’ places) as the lowest of the low. There’s also the general dislike of the British post-Independence to contend with and that applies both to Kit who is visibly ‘not from round here’ and to Anto who has been educated in the UK and so seen as tainted by the old empire masters.
The plot plods for the first 100 or so pages of dreary cold England but starts to zip along once it gets to Kerala. A lot of things are just too convenient. If you take a look at a map of Kerala, it’s enormous. The chance of Anto’s family just happening to be near enough to Cochin for Kit to be driven to work seems an absurd coincidence. And then there’s a friendly uncle with a house that’s near enough to the Moonstone for the young couple to live locally.
The choice of time is bold and interesting. The topic of midwifery is much more interesting than I had expected it to be, but the big underlying theme that pulls everything together is about family, who you are and where (and from whom) you have come and who you become when families merge through marriage.
I hope Julia Gregson will keep writing about India. I know Cochin and Kerala quite well and that always helps when reading a novel such as this. I hope that readers who don’t will still form a strong sense of place when reading this.
There’s something rather perverse in starting any book about India in 1947 but doing so AFTER Independence. Similarly you might think it’s perverse to start a book set in England just after the war. But it soon begins to make sense and I can’t recall too many other books I’ve read set in that dark gloomy time for Britain and a time of such colour and hope for India.
Kit is a trained nurse who hasn’t quite got her midwifery certificate due to an upsetting event that’s alluded to a lot in the first half of the book without actually being revealed until much later. When the big reveal comes, it’s a bit of a ‘so what’ moment really. Kit’s mother Glory is eccentric, snobby and more than a bit racist but we come to understand why as the book progresses. Her mixed race origins are a shame to her that’s hinted at early on but we have a long wait to better understand their consequences and their part in Kit’s birth. Kit and Glory move to the countryside to throw themselves on the kindness of an old friend, Daisy, who supports a charity in India providing maternity care to poor women in Cochin. After Kit meets and falls in love with young Indian doctor Anto, the pair agree to go to India together; Anto returning to his family who conveniently live near enough to the Moonstone maternity hospital where Kit will do administrative work for Daisy’s charity.
It’s not hard to understand that families were not keen on mixed race marriages back in the late 40’s but Monsoon Summer shows that Glory’s disappointment is based in her own betrayal and Anto’s family are let down that he’s turned down a pre-arranged union with a beautiful girl with a large dowry to bring back a poor English nurse. I really hadn’t understood before reading this that nurses in India were not tinged with the Florence Nightingale halo of serenity that they had in the UK and were considered little better than prostitutes with midwives (who had to touch women in ‘dirty’ places) as the lowest of the low. There’s also the general dislike of the British post-Independence to contend with and that applies both to Kit who is visibly ‘not from round here’ and to Anto who has been educated in the UK and so seen as tainted by the old empire masters.
The plot plods for the first 100 or so pages of dreary cold England but starts to zip along once it gets to Kerala. A lot of things are just too convenient. If you take a look at a map of Kerala, it’s enormous. The chance of Anto’s family just happening to be near enough to Cochin for Kit to be driven to work seems an absurd coincidence. And then there’s a friendly uncle with a house that’s near enough to the Moonstone for the young couple to live locally.
The choice of time is bold and interesting. The topic of midwifery is much more interesting than I had expected it to be, but the big underlying theme that pulls everything together is about family, who you are and where (and from whom) you have come and who you become when families merge through marriage.
I hope Julia Gregson will keep writing about India. I know Cochin and Kerala quite well and that always helps when reading a novel such as this. I hope that readers who don’t will still form a strong sense of place when reading this.
July 17, 2018
A compelling tale set in England but mostly in India after partition and independence. Anglo-Indian nurse Kit Smallwood falls in love with and marries Indian doctor Anto Threkkeden, and they travel to Anto’s homeland, Kerala, to begin a new life there together - Anto as a doctor and Kit to help start up the Moonstone Home, a charity hospital for women. As with all good intentions, things do not always go smoothly and Kit finds herself in persistent danger and under constant disapproval.
This is a very insightful read and extremely vividly told. The descriptions of India and its customs are depicted so evocatively and realistically, I could picture it all quite clearly in my mind - I almost felt I was there! It highlights the prejudices and attitudes towards women, plus the many traditions in such a culture. The subject of midwifery is touched upon quite significantly and is interestingly illustrated. There are some complex and fascinating characters who add to the richness of the story. It’s a slow burner but it’s quite easy to get lost within the engaging and colourful narrative.
An absorbing tale about mixed race love, loyalty, courage to do what is right, determination and the importance of family. I very much enjoyed it.
This is a very insightful read and extremely vividly told. The descriptions of India and its customs are depicted so evocatively and realistically, I could picture it all quite clearly in my mind - I almost felt I was there! It highlights the prejudices and attitudes towards women, plus the many traditions in such a culture. The subject of midwifery is touched upon quite significantly and is interestingly illustrated. There are some complex and fascinating characters who add to the richness of the story. It’s a slow burner but it’s quite easy to get lost within the engaging and colourful narrative.
An absorbing tale about mixed race love, loyalty, courage to do what is right, determination and the importance of family. I very much enjoyed it.
August 13, 2018
Normalerweise liebe ich Romane über Indien und deren Einwohner. Da ich selber noch nie dort war, lasse ich mich gerne dahin entführen.
Dies ist der Autorin auch durchaus gelungen, daher vergebe ich 3 Sterne. Julia Gregson beschreibt das Land und die Kultur so wunderbar, ich hatte die schönsten Bilder vor Augen.
Der Schreibstil ist flüssig, ich fühlte mich gut in die damalige Zeit versetzt und bewunderte Kits Mut, einen Inder zu heiraten, was ja damals eigentlich überhaupt nicht ging. Ebenso den Aufbau der Geburtsklinik fand ich sehr interessant.
Da das Buch aber über 600 Seiten hat, muß dem Leser schon einiges geboten werden, damit es nicht langatmig wirkt.
Das war dann bei mir leider der Fall und ich mußte mich echt zwingen, durchzuhalten. Ein Buch muß nicht immer spannend sein, ich mag es auch gerne, wenn es ruhiger zu geht. Aber hier plätschert die Handlung leider nur noch vor sich hin und dafür ist es eben zu dick.
Da es aber ein Rezensionsexemplar war und ich immer hoffte, dass es mich doch noch packen kann, habe ich es dennoch zu Ende gelesen.
Dies ist der Autorin auch durchaus gelungen, daher vergebe ich 3 Sterne. Julia Gregson beschreibt das Land und die Kultur so wunderbar, ich hatte die schönsten Bilder vor Augen.
Der Schreibstil ist flüssig, ich fühlte mich gut in die damalige Zeit versetzt und bewunderte Kits Mut, einen Inder zu heiraten, was ja damals eigentlich überhaupt nicht ging. Ebenso den Aufbau der Geburtsklinik fand ich sehr interessant.
Da das Buch aber über 600 Seiten hat, muß dem Leser schon einiges geboten werden, damit es nicht langatmig wirkt.
Das war dann bei mir leider der Fall und ich mußte mich echt zwingen, durchzuhalten. Ein Buch muß nicht immer spannend sein, ich mag es auch gerne, wenn es ruhiger zu geht. Aber hier plätschert die Handlung leider nur noch vor sich hin und dafür ist es eben zu dick.
Da es aber ein Rezensionsexemplar war und ich immer hoffte, dass es mich doch noch packen kann, habe ich es dennoch zu Ende gelesen.
October 8, 2018
This is a powerful historical fiction novel set in set in post independence India after World War II. Kit Smallwood goes to Wickham Farm where her friend is setting up a charity sending midwives to Moonstone Home in India. Kit is escaping from a painful secret. She falls in love Anto a doctor from India. She goes to India with Anto as his bride. Kit being British is not welcomed by his family. Kit’s mother is also not in favor of this marriage. Kit’s mother is Anglo-Indian and trying to forget her past.
As Kit begins her life in India she finds it very difficult. Being a Midwife is not an accepted career path, and she encounters many prejudices for being British. This book is based on true accounts of European Midwives in India. I found this novel very interesting about the Indian culture. This is a great story of love and family relationships and the strength to endure hardships. I highly recommend this novel.
As Kit begins her life in India she finds it very difficult. Being a Midwife is not an accepted career path, and she encounters many prejudices for being British. This book is based on true accounts of European Midwives in India. I found this novel very interesting about the Indian culture. This is a great story of love and family relationships and the strength to endure hardships. I highly recommend this novel.
May 11, 2019
I've really enjoyed Julia Gregson's other books, especially East of the Sun, so I was looking forward to reading another book set in India. While it was really well researched, and the historical detail was fantastic, I couldn't quite believe in the characters; they're a little too modern. Kit seemed painfully naive; do you really marry someone of another race in 1948 with absolutely no idea of how upset both families will be? Do you really announce your intention to keep working after having kids (in 1948 India) and expect your husband and his family to be OK with it? Those are modern expectations, and they really didn't fit with the era of the story.
August 10, 2016
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
1940, India is in the throes of independence from Britain. Into this chaotic time comes Kit, a nurse. Meeting Anto and falling in love, they marry secretly and travel to India to work. Amid the rioting of the newly independent country, Kit and Anto face more challenges than they had bargained for. With deeply developed characters and beautiful descriptions of India, this is a book worth reading.
1940, India is in the throes of independence from Britain. Into this chaotic time comes Kit, a nurse. Meeting Anto and falling in love, they marry secretly and travel to India to work. Amid the rioting of the newly independent country, Kit and Anto face more challenges than they had bargained for. With deeply developed characters and beautiful descriptions of India, this is a book worth reading.
November 6, 2016
I really like this author. She had written a previous book I'd enjoyed so I'd had no hesitation in buying this book. Excellent! A dramatic love story between two confused young people and the often times difficult relationship between mother and daughter.
October 15, 2017
I had to read this for a book group & expected it to be a romance novel, so I wasn’t enthused. I loved it!. Engaging story and excellent character development. It was hard to put down. It would be a great airplane read!
August 12, 2019
3.5 stars - I loved this in the end but I found this book to be very hard to get into. Took about 15 chapters for me to really start cruisin
May 8, 2024
4.5*
Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews