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A sweeping tale of secrets and survival set against the mystical backdrop of Nepal, and the tropical heat of 1940s Malaya.
In the heart of bustling Kathmandu, Chloe Rai's quaint bookshop is a sanctuary for those seeking solace within the pages of timeworn stories. But when she discovers a collection of letters hidden within the crumbling walls of a forgotten Rana palace, her world begins to intertwine with a narrative from a different time and place.
Penned in the 1940s by a woman named Alice Lacey, the letters tell the story of the Malayan Emergency, a time of turmoil and conflict. As Alice's life becomes intertwined with that of Anil, a Gurkha officer, their bond is tested by the chaos and violence surrounding them. Chloe's discoveries not only reveal family secrets, but also mirror her own struggles in the present. As she delves deeper into Alice's story, she begins to understand the power of the past in shaping the present.
With a rich cultural backdrop and a poignant exploration of friendship, resilience, and truth, 'The Bookseller of Kathmandu' is a beautifully woven tale that showcases the enduring power of storytelling. Join Chloe on a journey through time as she uncovers the truth and learns to navigate the complexities of her own life.
If you enjoy captivating storytelling, then you won't want to miss 'The Bookseller of Kathmandu.' And if you loved 'The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu,' then you will be enthralled by Chloe and Alice's intertwined stories...
What did I think?
The Bookseller of Kathmandu is the second book in Tales of Kathmandu series but it can be read as a standalone. I haven't read The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu (but I definitely want to now) to find out more about Chloe's story.
It's a riveting dual timeline story that transports the reader to 1940s Malaya via letters discovered in a donation of books to Chloe's bookshop in present day Kathmandu. There is a family link to the historic story as the books belonged to Chloe's husband's Uncle Anil and reading the letters helps Anil's son to make sense of his father's will.
I loved both storylines that had newlyweds in common. Chloe and her husband Kiran are struggling to adjust to married life in 2018 and Alice has pretty much been sold off to Bruce in 1948 in payment of her father's debts. I detested Bruce with a vengeance and really felt for Alice having to deal with his abuse on her own in a strange country. It's no wonder that her head was turned by Anil's kindness.
The way the story unfolds through the old letters between Alice and Anil is completely mesmerising and I loved the settings of Paradise Books and Malaya. Ann Bennett's beautiful writing transports the reader on a wonderfully atmospheric journey and I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Nepal and Malaya.
Poignant, atmospheric and mesmerising, The Bookseller of Kathmandu is a beautiful historical fiction novel and one I would highly recommend.
I received a gifted paperback to read for the Rachel's Random Resources book blitz and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
About the author:
Ann Bennett is a British author of historical fiction. Her first book, Bamboo Heart: A Daughter's Quest, was inspired by researching her father's experience as a prisoner of war on the Thai-Burma Railway and by her own journey to uncover his story. It won the Asian Books Blog prize for fiction published in Asia in 2015, and was shortlisted for the best fiction title in the Singapore Book Awards 2016.
That initial inspiration led her to write more books about WWII in Southeast Asia - Bamboo Island: The Planter's Wife, A Daughter's Promise, Bamboo Road: The Homecoming, The Tea Planter's Club, The Amulet, and The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu. Along with The Lotus House, published in October 2024, they make up the Echoes of Empire Collection.
Ann is also the author of The Oriental Lake Collection - The Lake Pavilion and The Lake Palace, both set in British India during the 1930s and WWII, and The Lake Pagoda and The Lake Villa, set in French Indochina.
The Runaway Sisters, USA Today bestselling The Orphan House, The Child Without a Home and The Forgotten Children are set in Europe during the same era and are published by Bookouture. Her latest book, The Stolen Sisters, published on 29th November 2024 is the follow-up to The Orphan List (published by Bookouture in August this year) and is set in Poland and Germany during WWII.
A former lawyer, Ann is married with three grown up sons and a granddaughter and lives in Surrey, UK. For more details, please visit her website www.annbennettauthor.com
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Giveaway to Win a Paperback copy of Fortune Teller of Kathmandu (Open to UK and Europe only)
*Terms and Conditions –UK and Europe entries welcome. Please enter using the Gleam box below. The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
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