The Orphan's Gift

De: Renita D'Silva

Narrado por: Kristin Atherton

1910, India. Young and curious Alice grows up in her family’s sprawling compound with parents as remote as England, the cold country she has never seen. It is Raju, son of a servant, with whom she shares her secrets, but when they get too close, Alice’s father drags them apart, sending Raju far away and banishing Alice to England....

1944. Intelligent and kind Janaki is raised in an orphanage in India. The nuns love to tell the story: Janaki’s arrival stopped the independence riots outside the gates, as the men on both sides gazed at the starry-eyed little girl left in a beautiful hand-knitted cardigan. Janaki longs for her real mother, the woman who was forced to abandon her.

Now old enough to be a grandmother and living alone in India, Alice is haunted by the terrible mistake she made 50 years ago until a young girl with familiar eyes appears with a photograph and Alice must make a choice. Will she spend the rest of her life consumed by dreams of the past, or can she admit her mistakes and choose love and light at last?

©2020 Renita D’Silva (P)2020 Bolinda Publishing

Beautifully Poignant

This story is so moving. A period piece piece that takes us back in time to experience the lives of the characters and difficult impacts of Indian independence, the turmoil and misery of the results of colonisation. Read beautifully except the narrator did not do the much needed Indian accents I’ve become accustomed to from other narrators.

Aaaamazing

This was such a awesome story. I greatly enjoyed how the author incorporated the “self-talk” the characters had. I was hoping for a more favorable outcome with some of the scenarios and relationships. Such a great read!!! I didn’t want the book to end.

I highly recommend this book.

raw and real

such a bittersweet coming together at the end. the book is unforgettable. I couldn't put it down. Things certainly kept taking unexpected turns