Customer Reviews

The Midnight Rose

I'm a big fan of Lucinda Riley's novels. As a rule, I'm not an habitual purchaser of this genre of historical family sagas, so the fact that I nevertheless devour her books and pounce on them as soon as they are published, might say something about how very good and potentially 'genre-busting' they are...

I was a bit worried, having enjoyed her previous novels so much, that The Midnight Rose might not live up to the high standard set, I was thinking (perhaps unkindly) it might be cashing in on the author's recent fame ... but it absolutely DID deliver the goods and more!

The plotting, as always, is superb, weaving between the decades with huge skill and assurance. The sections on India in the days of the British Raj are incredibly evocative and so well-researched, I was transported there in an instant. After reading The Midnight Rose, I recently overheard an interview with the author by the BBC Radio presenter Nikki Bedi, who is half-Indian herself - she remarked on how authentic the dialogue of the Indian characters sounded, and I totally agree! I also found the setting of Astbury Hall - which is being used as a film set in the modern-day parts of the book -- highly atmospheric.

All the characters past and present are mesmerising, I believed in their story arcs and became completely involved with them. I won't go into detail of the plot as I don't want to give too much away, and I'm sure other reviewers will cover the basics better than me. Suffice to say, the whole thing works beautifully on one level as a captivating story. But what I personally found particularly compelling is the way the book blends romantic fiction with some quite complex themes - yet all done without ramming them down your throat. The emotional and sociological issues that are highlighted in the book - such as racial prejudice, the pressures of family relationships, class boundaries, the nature of love, the pitfalls of wealth/celebrity, etc - are universally relevant, even in the present day. It is this element that in my opinion gives the novel a real added depth, beyond the wonderful, lush descriptions and the ingenious plot. Loved it, loved it, loved it and could not recommend more highly.

Lucinda Riley became a must-read author for me when I read her second novel The Girl On The Cliff. It blew me away, it was such an intricate, enjoyable story, and it even made me cry. Books don't always make me cry, but when they do I know they were a good read. So I was super pleased to receive a copy of her new novel The Midnight Rose, although the sheer size of it made me gasp. Coming in at just under 650 pages, it's one of the longest novels I've ever read, if not the longest. It may only be marginally smaller than a Harry Potter book! I was a bit concerned, I don't read books that are mega long, just because generally they don't hold my attention, but, actually, the only reminder of the sheer size of The Midnight Rose was the effect it was having on my thumb. It is now numb and I can't feel it, and feel like I will never recover the feeling.

The Midnight Rose is quite the epic tale, but at its heart it is the story of Anahita Chavan, who at the grand old age of 100 knows that time is running out for her. She will soon be joining her contemporaries in heaven, or the Indian equivalent, and so she entrusts in her great-grandson Ari the tale of her life, asking him that, when he is ready, he will try and find out what happened to her son, Moh. She was told he died at the age of three, but Anahita never really believed that, and when Ari rocks up at Astbury Hall, where Rebecca Bradley is busy filming her new movie, they both become embroiled in the tale of Anahita Chavan, and the Astbury's. A tale that spans generations and contains many secrets which are about to come to the fore.

Lucinda Riley is one of the most accomplished storytellers I will ever come across, and reading her work again has reminded me again of how much I adore her writing. She really manages to suck you in to so many different stories, and in this case it was the two: Anahita Chavan's story, which is immense. Set in India, and England, it spans such a long time and was so sumptuous and enjoyable, it's not a part of life I know of, I very rarely read books set in different time periods to today, but I found myself drawn into Anahita's story in such a way that I felt like I, too, was living it right alongside her. From her friendship with Indira, an Indian princess, to her life in England, and her life at Astbury Hall, I was so desperate for her to get a happy ending, and it was good to see that even at 100, she was still competent enough to be so wise and wordy. If I live to be that age, I would love to be just like Anahita. Then there was the modern day tale of Rebecca Bradley, famous actress, who has come to Astbury Hall to film her new movie and ends up digging into Astbury's history, especially as the hall's owner Lord Anthony thinks she's the spitting image of his grandmother, Violet. There, she and Ari work to find out just what did happen to Anahita at Astbury, and what became of her son, Moh, and it is fantastic.

I totally admire Lucinda Riley. She managed to write a 650 page epic novel, and kept me enticed the entire time. I was never bored whilst reading The Midnight Rose, and I kept wanting to go back to it and read more, and more, and more. It was fascinating. It had so many wonderful strands and it all unfolded in such a delightful way that I couldn't get enough. I adored getting to know the characters, and I loved learning more about a time that I don't really know about, and it was yet another novel partly-set in India, which I'm learning to love more and more with every book I read. I would love to visit and see if these palaces still exist today, because they sound magnificent. The sheer volume of the novel may scare people off, but it's absolutely worth its weight in gold, Lucinda Riley really does give you good value for money and I loved every page. It was superb, and I admire Lucinda Riley for pulling it off, she is just an amazing storyteller, and I can't wait for her next book!

Sometimes I need a good dollop of escapism in my reading material, especially during the dreary Winter months when sunshine is in short supply. Fortunately I had The Midnight Rose, Lucinda Riley's latest novel, to keep me entertained when the Christmas festivities had fizzled out.

This is the story of Anni (Anahita) Chavan, a tale which spans four generations and two continents. As Anni celebrates her 100th birthday in Darjeeling, India, surrounded by her extended family, she decides to entrust her great-grandson, Ari, with the task of uncovering long buried family secrets - secrets which will lead him to Astbury Hall and the staid world of the English aristocracy.

As the novel progresses, we see the vivid colours of India at the height of the Raj; a warm, vibrant setting which contrasts sharply with the cold, reserved atmosphere which awaits Anni when she comes to England. The characters are larger than life, particularly the strong women in the shape of Anni and her nemesis, Lady Maud Astbury.

The Midnight Rose is a thoroughly entertaining read which will appeal to those who enjoy historical sagas in the style of Barbara Taylor Bradford and Lesley Pearse and perhaps fans of Downton Abbey. Yes, there are a few predictable elements but there's no doubt Ms Riley can spin a good yarn to keep her readers captivated.

Spanning across an entire century and two continents, The Midnight Rose makes for an epic tale, and consists of two intersecting stories cleverly woven together. Anahita Chavan is a young Indian girl who finds herself as companion to Indira, a rather spoiled but enigmatic Princess. Just ahead of World War 1 breaking out the two travel over to England to attend boarding school, where Anahita crosses paths with the Astbury family, her life thereafter changing forever. In present day England, Hollywood starlet Rebecca Bradley finds herself filming a period piece at the charmingly old-fashioned and dated Astbury Hall; yet it soon becomes apparent that the Hall has a tragic past, and when Ari Malik, a dashing young Indian man comes calling eager to put together the missing pieces of a family mystery, Rebecca finds herself becoming more and more involved in helping uncover the dark secrets of the past.

Lucinda Riley certainly knows how to spin a good tale, her stories always ambitious in scope; and it is fair to say The Midnight Rose is probably her most aspiring yet. Certainly she seems to have done her research; and in particular paints a vivid picture of India in the early 1900s, her depictions of the Royal Palaces and life within the Zenanas quite brilliantly brought to life. She also excels in highlighting the marked contrast between the two continents in all respects, from the sights and smells to the differences in culture and people; whilst also depicting the common parallels. Personally I have to say I probably found the first half of the story set mostly in India more enjoyable, purely for the insight it gave and the vibrancy with which it was depicted; Anahita's later story in England seeming more familiar material and less arresting as a result.

As with all Riley's novels this is a dual time narrative, with the use of diaries as a link between the two time frames; and as with all her previous novels the past story is much more engrossing than the present. Indeed for this reason it takes a while to get into the story, and I personally found Riley rather dragged out the subplot of Rebecca's strained relationship with her A-list celebrity boyfriend. Still the present day story did get more interesting with some rather weird goings on at Astbury Hall; though perhaps a little too weird towards the end, Riley sometimes having a tendency towards the over dramatic.

Anahita makes for an engaging heroine, sensitive, mature and insightful; her story a tragic one and even though she's not perfect , some of the decisions she makes not quite fitting her saintly and wise image, it is easy to feel for her and the prejudices and barriers she faces I think are realistic ones for the time period. Unfortunately a lot of the other characters are not as fleshed out or layered as Anahita; though I did like her friend Princess Indira, even though she could be selfish and spoiled at times. Donald, whilst he was certainly manipulated and controlled by his mother, I personally felt was too wishy-washy and passive; and for some reason the central love story simply seemed too contrived to me. I don't think it helped that the love triangle set up was too similar to the one Riley employed in Hothouse Flower. Also certain aspects of the plot were very predictable.

Overall an engaging if undemanding read; perhaps a little formulaic and contrived in places, and I do think Riley has a tendency towards the soap-operatic compared to other authors of the genre, however, highly enjoyable nonetheless.

I’m a big fan of fiction written against a well-researched historical background and this 688 page novel delivers the tale of young Indian Anahita Chevran which weaves between her homeland and England where she is trapped at the beginning of World War I. During her time in England she spent time at Astbury Hall as the companion to Princess Indira. Lady Maud Astbury makes it quite clear that poor Anahita is an unwelcome addition to the household but with few options as an orphan, it is clear that she has to endure her time spent in this remote stately home.

In the present day Rebecca Bradley is an actress filming a period drama set in the 1920’s at Astbury Hall, in Dartmoor. Rebecca is eager to escape the press interest about her private life and so the trip to England is the perfect solution. There is a surprise in store when she becomes friendly with the resident Lord Astbury who is amazed at her likeness to his Grandmother Violet.

I can only admire Lucinda Riley’s story-telling as a large part of this story not only demanded that the historical details felt authentic, but also that the tale of Anahita’s life in India felt equally genuine and on both counts she succeeded. Although romantic attachments are key to the lives of a number of the characters there is also a dark mystery to be uncovered.

For me the power of a dual time-line novel depends on the past and the present being equally believable and although for me understanding what the truth was of Anahita’s life was what kept me reading the tie-in to the present day story was integral to the whole tale, one could simply not have existed without the other.

The pacing of this story is masterfully done, after all this is a long book yet one that I immersed myself in as letters, diaries and long-held family secrets were slowly uncovered. The central character in this book is Anahita and her character was well fleshed out although what stopped me awarding this book five stars is although there were other engaging characters including Princess Indira and Mrs Trevathan I did find a few of them quite wishy-washy but this wasn’t enough to spoil what is an epic story which beautifully contrasts different cultures, different times all wrapped up with a tale set perfectly within its time period.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers Atria Books in return for my honest review.

This is a writer I can never miss reading. The stories are absolutely superb. I cannot praise this book highly enough, as with all Lucinda's books - she is an exceptional writer of the highest order. The story is absorbing and completely consumes the reader - hard to put down - and the ending was nothing I had anticipated. A lovely completely engrossing story leaving the reader with so many emotions. I can highly recommend it and look forward with anticipation to the next one.

This is an amazing read. I loved the characters and plot line.
Unable to put the book down. Brilliant !!!

Well worth waiting for! This book was only released 4 days ago and I have read it already.I could not put it down I have read all Lucinda Riley's books and this does not disappoint.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading "The Midnight Rose". It is an enthralling and entertaining piece of reading. The story-telling is beautifully and vividly narrated. The story takes the reader on a historical journey. It starts from 1911 in the majestic India. The scenery changes to the enchanting and remote settings of Astbury Hall . It unfolds an extraordinary story of an Indian girl, Anahita Chavan. Her life has been filled with a few tragedies. She forms a special friendship with a young princess Indira. The maharajas lifestyle is very well described to give an idea of how royalty played an pivotal role in Indian society at the time. The two embark on a long journey to England for starting an education in a boarding school. The outbreak of a war cause problems, as they have to find shelter elsewhere. There are times when the friendship suffers between the two characters.

The story moves 80 years forward. We are introduced a beautiful young American actress Rebecca Beckley. She acts in a periodic drama in the picturesque settings of Astbury Hall. She acquaints with the current owner of stately home, who can be described as queer and weird. Rebecca is a renowned and talented actress. The relationship with a famous boyfriend hangs in the balance. This is found to be a common news in the celebrity world and attracts unwanted media attention. We are later introduced to Ananhita great grandson Aru. He is a businessman hailing from the bustling city of Mumbai. He is on a quest to uncover his family's past, as promised to the grandmother, who sadly perishes. The quest concerns the family past of late grandmother's life in the stately home. His great grandmother unfolds an interesting history in the stately home. What will the past discover? It is a mystery that kept me enthralled until the last page. It is remarkable how the author can draw parallels with past and present day events. She does a magnificent job of this in the latest offering. I am great fan and admirer of her work, as I have read another quality novel "Girl on the Cliff"

I would definitely recommend The Midnight Rose if you are deeply into contemporary modern fiction. The history significance on present day events is what makes the novel an enthralling read. The characterisation is excellent, as we engage well with the central characters. The story-telling is well developed. The pace is well even throughout. I do not have any complaints about the mammoth size of the novel. It captured and maintained my interest until its conclusion. Overall, it a superb and enthralling piece of reading.

Be prepared to pick up this book and be transported not just to another time and place but another continent as well.

Lucinda Riley is a skilful writer when it comes to the dual narrative, she does it so well, that it seems that the two stories set some hundred years apart in this novel bear no relation to each other. But of course they do as they the story weaves from 1911 to the present, and evokes many emotions through the characters and shows class, tradition, love and war in many forms.

In the present day we meet Rebecca Bradley, an American film actress, who has the world at her feet and has the world press there to watching her every move. She flies to London to take part in a period drama film, and ends up at Astbury Hall, Dartmoor, Devon playing a young girl in the 1920s. It is a far cry from the life she leads and she uses the fact that she can escape into a past life through her character to actually escape from the person she is or is at least becoming. The press cannot reach her there and neither can her famous actor boyfriend. Rebecca has time to breathe freely.

Halfway round the world Ari Malik is struggling to come to terms with his life, he has neglected his personal life for the sake of his business and career. However it is not fulfilling and when the death of his great-grandmother, leaves him a quest he now has the means to escape and discover something about her past and his future. Ari is unsure why him of all her descendants was chosen. Perhaps the journey to Astbury Hall will answer everything?

It is Ari's great grandmother who we get to know in the past narrative to this story, in fact it is her who tells it to us. Anahita Chaval is nobility in terms of Indian culture, but the death of her father means that she is some what impoverished. We are transported to the heyday of the British Raj, Riley has brought to the page and let it jump out and envelope us; the smells, the sounds, the sights and the warmth of India where we can glimpse a life of Indian Royalty.

It is into royalty that Anahita becomes a companion to Princess Indira, a rather spoilt brat of a girl who sulks until she gets her own way. However, Anahita somehow seems to be the calming influence and they forge a lifelong friendship that takes them through their days in India and also to England when they are both sent to school. Anahita thrives at school, whilst Indira knows her destiny and just treats it all as some social whirl. When they are despatched to Astbury Hall one summer, because war is looming they find their lives change very much.

Astbury Hall is the tie that binds the present day with the past, it is where Ari, Anahita and Rebecca are all drawn to. It does not give up its secrets easily and it is fiercely protected by Mrs Trevathan the housekeeper who only attends to the present day Lord Astbury.

Ari learns the truth about this house and Anahita's role in it with patience and insight.

Rebecca learns that ghosts can perhaps never be laid to rest and that they manifest themselves in some startling ways.

Anahita learns to love deeply and honestly, without regard for social class, status, money and colour of skin.

As readers we finally learn how all of this comes together, how each part of the story fits with the other parts. There were times when I could predict what was going to happen, but they were few and far between which is why I had to keep on reading. I was saddened that the book had to end at some point as I wanted more, but it was right it did end.

Lucinda Riley has left a legacy with this book. Her passion is in this book, it did not feel like a formulaic novel with a dual narrative. Riley has given us the colours of India, rich, bright and vibrant, to the classic English house and countryside. The difference between cultures just not in the present day; the american actress versus the fading English aristocracy but in the past where; the poor Indian girl versus the rich moneyed American girl. The characters get right under your skin, you care about them, you want to see happiness but you also want justice. Good must overcome prejudice and ultimately over evil actions to.

This is an absorbing read and with nearly 700 pages to get through you will be drawn in. An excellent read.