Welcome to the Historical Fiction Online forums: a friendly place to discuss, review and discover historical fiction.
If this is your first visit, please be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above.
You will have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed.
To start viewing posts, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

The Veil of Illusion by Rebecca Ryman

Post Reply
User avatar
Misfit
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 9581
Joined: August 2008
Location: Seattle, WA

The Veil of Illusion by Rebecca Ryman

Post by Misfit » Tue August 26th, 2008, 6:16 pm

A Worthy sequel to Olivia and Jai, although it's heavier on the history and lighter on the romance. The Veil of Illusion begins about 13 years after the Sepoy Rebellion and the massacre at Bibighar when Jai Raventhorne was accused of participating in and presumably hanged (or was he?) for his crimes. Olivia mourns her beloved Jai and she has struggled over the years to prove his innocence. Their children Amos and Maya bear the burdens of mixed parentage and stigma of their father's alleged heinous activities. Maya meets and falls in love with a high born Englishman, Christian Pendlebury, much to the chagrin of his parents newly arrived from England. Also involved in Maya and Amos' life is the mysterious Eurasian Kyle Hawkesworth who prints a local paper and also has a very hidden agenda (and a BIG secret) in respects to Christian's father Lord Jasper.

This is a story that is very difficult to put into words, and is very different from Olivia and Jai. There are no star crossed lovers that keep you turning the page well into the night waiting for the next surprise, the first half of the book is actually taken up with setting up the story and providing the flash backs into what happened prior to the Mutiny.

What this book is about is the plight of the Eurasians in colonial India, whether they are poor and base born or independently wealthy as the Raventhorne's are. Not accepted by either the British community or the Indians, theirs is a life lived in constant shadow and insecurity. The author uses several interesting methods with her characters to keep this theme at the forefront of her story, from Olivia's support of a home for women, to Amos and Kyle's interest in setting up a school for the lesser born Eurasian children, Christopher's idealistic dreams of what he can accomplish during his public service in India, and the most heartbreaking of all when Maya is rejected by a member of an Indian family she's known since childhood.

As stated earlier, this is not a romance with star crossed lovers and a HEA ending for all, and if that's what you are expecting I recommend you stop and just savor the ending from Olivia and Jai and keep that in your memories forever. However, if like me you need to read the rest of the story and enjoy a novel heavy on the history and setting of 19C India and the British Raj along with an eye opening look at the prejudices of the time against the Eurasian population it's well worth your time searching this one out. Ryman was born and raised in India and her knowledge and love of the culture shine through making for a well written and well rounded journey to another place and time, and isn't that what historical fiction is all about? 4/5 stars.

User avatar
MLS859
Reader
Posts: 83
Joined: August 2008
Location: Georgia, USA
Contact:

Post by MLS859 » Wed September 10th, 2008, 6:14 pm

This is one book I can honestly say I wish I'd never read -- not because of the writing or the story -- but simply because it broke my heart. I would have been much happier if I'd just read OLIVIA AND JAI and not known of this book's existence! However, since I loved O&J so much, there's no way I wouldn't have read this one, too.

Lynn

User avatar
Misfit
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 9581
Joined: August 2008
Location: Seattle, WA

Post by Misfit » Wed September 10th, 2008, 10:01 pm

I agree, this is not for everyone, and I'm glad I was warned going in. I'm one of those have to know the rest of the story kind so I had to read it. I got the feeling from the end of this one she left it open for a third book that might have been more rewarding. It's unfortunate she didn't write one.

User avatar
MLS859
Reader
Posts: 83
Joined: August 2008
Location: Georgia, USA
Contact:

Post by MLS859 » Wed September 10th, 2008, 10:31 pm

That was my feeling as well -- that there would have been a third one. And I would have read that one, too!

Lynn

User avatar
Misfit
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 9581
Joined: August 2008
Location: Seattle, WA

Post by Misfit » Thu September 11th, 2008, 1:47 am

I enjoyed her book Shalimar as well. The romance side was not as well developed as I would have liked -- who knows if that was a publishing judgment. Very big on intrigue and what not between GB, China and Russia.

Post Reply

Return to “By Author's Last Name R-Z”