‘A Tapestry Of Light’ by Kimberley Duffy is a historical fiction novel that intrigued me enough to request a place on the tour. This is my first time reading anything by this author so I began to read with an open mind.
We are transported to Calcutta in 1886.
Ottilie Russell is adrift between two cultures, British and Indian, belonging to both and neither. To support her little brother, Thaddeus, and her grandmother, she relies upon her skills in beetle-wing embroidery that have been passed down to her through generations of Indian women.
When a stranger appears with the news that Thaddeus is now Baron Sunderson and must travel to England to take his place as a nobleman, Ottilie is shattered by the secrets that come to light. Despite her growing friendship with Everett Scott, friend to Ottilie’s English grandmother and aunt, she refuses to give up her brother. Then tragedy strikes, and she is forced to make a decision that will take Thaddeus far from death and herself far from home.
But betrayal and loss lurk in England, too, and soon Ottilie must fight to ensure Thaddeus doesn’t forget who he is, as well as find a way to stitch a place for herself in this foreign land.
A novel that took me to Calcutta, a place I have never been. The vividness of Kimberly Duffy’s writing brought the place alive for me. I felt so immersed in this story and I was again educated. The little things I didn’t know and now just by reading a fascinating story I know quite a bit more about India back in the 19th century.
This is a story of heritage, belonging, identity and ultimately faith. Ottilie struggles, she is neither English nor Indian and that struggle is highlighted as Ottilie and Thaddeus travel to England so Thaddeus can claim his place as a Baron. Ottilie battles depression and bitterness as she attempts to find her place in the world.
A touching book and one in which I was heavily invested in Ottilie and her battles. I was cheering her on as she tried so hard to get somewhere in her life. Every character was real, not perfect but flawed in their own unique ways, this made the story all the more real and interesting.
If you love your historical fiction with a dash of romance and a hard-hitting story give this book a go, I would recommend it.
Thanks to Love Books Tours and Kimberley Duffy for the copy of the book.
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