I picked up this book because I wanted to read something light for a change. I have been reading a lot of world war fiction and wanted a break from it. Darjeeling Inheritance gave me that much-needed break.
Setting
Darjeeling in 1930 was a quaint little hill station in the Himalayas used as a sanitarium by Britishers in Pre-independence India. The Britishers found the climate of Darjeeling conducive for tea cultivation. Soon many tea estates cropped up on the hills of Darjeeling. These were owned and run by Britishers. Labourers mostly consisted of local people and Nepalis, needed for the back-breaking work of planting, tending and plucking of tea leaves.
Storyline
Charlotte grew up in a tea estate in Darjeeling called Sundar(beautiful) with her father Charles and mother Winifred Lawrence. She returned to India from England after completing her education only to find out that her father had passed away with Sundar bequeathed to her. He wished her to marry Andrew, younger son of a fellow tea estate owner. Andrew was a frivolous young man with no interest in the working of a tea estate. Ada was travelling to Darjeeling to get married to Harry Banning, a tea estate owner. She accompanied Charlotte on her trip to India and acted as her chaperone. Charlotte meets Dan Fitzgerald, the assistant manager of the estate who helps her in learning the ropes of managing the tea estate, much to the chagrin of her mother. What follows is a tale of love and betrayal.
My Thoughts
It is a well-researched book with details of how tea is grown and processed woven beautifully in the narrative. The vivid description of the picturesque town of Darjeeling is captivating. It transports you to the hills of Darjeeling with lush tea gardens, the snow-covered Himalayas in the background and the aroma of tea in the air.
“His vision blurred, he turned to face the mass of dark green forested slope that rose in layers beneath the clear blue sky, and the range of mountains behind them, their gold-tipped peaks linked in a chain of gold above the snow-covered slopes, as if suspended in nothingness. ”
“As they stood watching, the gilded rays of the burgeoning sun caught the crests of Kanchenjunga. Drenched in liquid gold, the jagged peaks burst through the mass of white that spanned the sky, and stood out proudly.”
Charlotte’s character exudes certain innocence and vulnerability. She is a young girl who knows her mind and wants to preserve her family's legacy. Ada contrastingly is a deceptive and self-absorbed person. She doesn't give a second thought before backstabbing her friend and deceiving her husband. The arrogance of Britishers during that era is aptly depicted. Also, the position of women in British society wasn't much different from anywhere else in the world. The role of women was primarily to raise the family and manage the household, leaving the role of bread earner to the men.
“Out here, women run the household. They oversee the care of their children. They discuss the daily menu with the head bearer. They ensure that the servants are doing what they ought to be doing and not cheating them. They check that the milk’s covered and that the water's boiled and filtered. And they keep their husbands happy. They don't run the tea estates.”
The end is very much predictable. I would have appreciated an epilogue that I felt was missing and would have added to the appeal of the book. It is a book to read while in a cosy chair watching the rain outside the window with a cup of hot chocolate (or rather a tea!). Go for it for some old-world charm.
Star Rating - 3.5/5
Recommend - Try if you want to unwind with a simple story.
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