East of the sun by Julia Gregson
January 30, 2009 4:28 pm Book ReviewsIn the autumn of 1928 the Kaiser-I-Hind is on its way to Bombay, India. In one of the cabins is Viva Holloway, who is an inexperienced chaperone, she starts to feel like she has made a mistake. She placed an advert in The Lady which resulted in three young people who are to be escorted to India.
One of the girls being chaperoned is Rose, she is a beautiful but very naive English girl who is about to marry the cavalry officer whom she has only met a few times previously. Rose’s bridesmaid is Victoria, who is determined to lose her virginity on the journey, after which she wants to find herself a husband. The third person travelling is the dangerously malevolent Guy Glover.
The real reason Viva decides to take the voyage is to be able to lead an independent life as a writer; she also wants to be able to confront her own past.
Each of the passengers has their own reasons for leaving their homes and travelling to India, but none of them are prepared for what is to come.
An excellent read, which I loved, I would highly recommend this book.