A review by letitiaharmon
Flame Tree Road by Shona Patel
4.0
I read Shona Patel's first book, Teatime for the Firefly and was pretty disappointed, but I had already purchased both books, signed by the author, so I went ahead and read her second novel and found it a far better, more interesting, moving novel! It is actually a prequel to her first book, and as such, has both flexibility and restrictions with its content, but it is a great example of historical fiction and I highly recommend to historical fiction buffs, especially those interested in British colonialism and India.
Patel's descriptive writing has always been beautiful, and continues to shine in Flame Tree Road. What improves with her second novel is characterization and story arc. The people are far more lovable, real, and their conflicts and joys are palpable. She drew me in in a way that Teatime for the Firefly did not manage.
The ending did disappoint, somewhat. There was no grand finish. There was no final twist or reveal. Just a simple story of a good man, coming to a close. It's satisfactory, but not amazing. I wish Estelle had put in another appearance, as her role in the story, while an interesting one, seems to fizzle into meaninglessness, and the reader wonders why we invested in her in the first place.
Patel's descriptive writing has always been beautiful, and continues to shine in Flame Tree Road. What improves with her second novel is characterization and story arc. The people are far more lovable, real, and their conflicts and joys are palpable. She drew me in in a way that Teatime for the Firefly did not manage.
The ending did disappoint, somewhat. There was no grand finish. There was no final twist or reveal. Just a simple story of a good man, coming to a close. It's satisfactory, but not amazing. I wish Estelle had put in another appearance, as her role in the story, while an interesting one, seems to fizzle into meaninglessness, and the reader wonders why we invested in her in the first place.