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Island in the East
- Author
- Jenny Ashcroft
- Narrator
- Emma Powell
- Publisher
- Little, Brown Book Group
- Publish Date
- 15 March 2018
- Run Time
- 14 hours 58 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
Perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley, Dinah Jefferies, Victoria Hislop and Lucy Foley.
Two great loves. One shattering betrayal.
A war that changes everything.
**************
'Island in the East is a stunner' Kate Furnivall
'Exotic and mysterious - I was gripped' Dinah Jefferies
'A moving, stirring love story' Rachel Rhys
'Evocative, absorbing. . . A rich and satisfying read' Gill Paul
'It becomes impossible to put this book down' Kate Riordan
**************
Singapore, 1897
Harriet and Mae Grafton are twenty-year-old identical twins born from a scandalous affair. They grew up in India slighted by gossip and ostracised from polite society. They had each other and that was enough. But when their wealthy benefactor sends them to Singapore, they meet the mysterious Alex Blake and their relationship fractures with devastating consequences.
1941
Ivy Harcourt is posted to wartime Singapore amid the looming threat of Japanese invasion. Ivy knows the island will be a far cry from war-torn London, but she is totally unprepared for what awaits her: strangers from her grandmother Mae's past, an unstoppable love affair and a shattering secret that's been waiting to be uncovered . . .
Vivid, authentic and utterly beautiful - with a sizzling love affair playing out against sisterly rivalry and epic family drama - Island in the East is romantic historical fiction at its very best.
More praise for Jenny Ashcroft:
'Beautifully described . . . A moving love story' Tracy Rees
'A great read.' Judith Lennox
'A summer must-read' Red
'Love, sisterly rivalry and betrayal are themes in this epic tale' My Weekly
'Brilliant; everything romantic historical fiction should be.' Nicola Cornick
'Absolutely brilliant' Kerry Fisher
'Completely entrancing . . . Perfect escapism, beautifully written.' Emma Rous
'Evocative, lush and beautifully written, Island in the East is a gripping read.' Nikola Scott
'First-class writing, brilliant characters, fascinating locations and gripping plots' Tracy Buchanan
'Exquisitely written . . . unputdownable and unforgettable' Iona Grey
'A wonderful novel, full of mystery that kept me gripped until the end' Rachel Burton
Critics Review
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A disturbing and utterly fascinating tale in the vivid setting of Singapore, where emotions are raw and characters are pushed to the edge. I was swept away by the deeply moving love story and by the dark twisting shivering secrets behind it. The stifling sense of threat and heat gripped me and didn't let go. Beautifully written and impressively researched, Island in the East is a stunner. Emotional, evocative and enthralling.
Kate Furnivall
-
An evocative, absorbing story about a fascinating period of history. The dual narrative is perfectly balanced, making it a rich and satisfying read.
bestselling author of The Secret Wife
-
A moving, stirring love story, and so richly atmospheric. I could practically feel the sweat prickling on my skin
Tammy Cohen writing as Rachel Rhys
-
Historical fiction at its atmospheric best
Red Magazine
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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Jenny Ashcroft's Island in the East is that rare thing: a dual narrative novel in which both strands of the story are as engaging and compelling as each other. The Singapore of the two different eras is a character in itself, and so deftly drawn that the heat and humidity seem to rise from every page. As the twin threats of invasion and social exclusion close in on Harriet, Mae and Ivy, it becomes impossible to put this book down.
Kate Riordan
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Brilliant; everything romantic historical fiction should be, heartfelt and heart-breaking, utterly compulsive and completely immersive . . . will stay with readers for a very long time and deservedly so. I haven't read a historical novel this good in a long time.
bestselling author of House of Shadows
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A great read, with a complex and involving plot, appealing characters and two touching love stories. Ashcroft's portrait of wartime Singapore is evocative, and the island's fall in 1942 is powerfully conveyed.
on Island in the East
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Evocative, lush and beautifully written, Island in the East is a gripping read. Romance, mysterious secrets surfacing from the past and strong women that will have you rooting for them until the last page is turned - I couldn't put it down.
author of My Mother's Shadow
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Completely entrancing - the humidity and social tensions of a bygone Singapore rise from every page. Perfect escapism, beautifully written
Emma Rous
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An incredibly special, unforgettable book. It's magnificent.
Iona Grey
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A wonderful novel, full of mystery . . . If you love historical fiction with a touch of epic romance, if you loved Beneath a Burning Sky then read Island in the East as soon as you can. Oh, whoever you are and whatever you like reading give this one a go. You won't regret it!
Rachel Burton, author of The Many Colours of Us
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Exotic and mysterious. I was gripped
Dinah Jefferies on BENEATH A BURNING SKY
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With two heart-breaking stories that interwove in such a way that I was rooting for the main characters right through, beautiful descriptions of Singapore (and two lovely sexy heroes!), I loved Island in the East. A fabulous book.
Tracy Rees
-
Absolutely brilliant
Kerry Fisher, author of After the Lie, on BENEATH A BURNING SKY
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Love, sisterly rivalry and betrayal are themes in this epic tale
My Weekly
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Jenny Ashcroft
- Narrator
- Emma Powell
- Duration
- 14 hours 58 minutes
- Release Date
- 15 March 2018
- ISBN
- 9781405539906
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Little, Brown Book Group
- Genre
- Historical crime and mysteries, Second World War fiction, Historical romance, Historical fiction
Synopsis
***THE EBOOK BESTSELLER***Perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley, Dinah Jefferies, Victoria Hislop and Lucy Foley. Two great loves. One shattering betrayal.A war that changes everything.**************'Island in the East is a stunner' Kate Furnivall'Exotic and mysterious - I was gripped' Dinah Jefferies'A moving, stirring love story' Rachel Rhys'Evocative, absorbing. . . A rich and satisfying read' Gill Paul'It becomes impossible to put this book down' Kate Riordan**************Singapore, 1897 Harriet and Mae Grafton are twenty-year-old identical twins born from a scandalous affair. They grew up in India slighted by gossip and ostracised from polite society. They had each other and that was enough. But when their wealthy benefactor sends them to Singapore, they meet the mysterious Alex Blake and their relationship fractures with devastating consequences. 1941 Ivy Harcourt is posted to wartime Singapore amid the looming threat of Japanese invasion. Ivy knows the island will be a far cry from war-torn London, but she is totally unprepared for what awaits her: strangers from her grandmother Mae's past, an unstoppable love affair and a shattering secret that's been waiting to be uncovered . . .Vivid, authentic and utterly beautiful - with a sizzling love affair playing out against sisterly rivalry and epic family drama - Island in the East is romantic historical fiction at its very best.More praise for Jenny Ashcroft:'Beautifully described . . . A moving love story' Tracy Rees'A great read.' Judith Lennox'A summer must-read' Red'Love, sisterly rivalry and betrayal are themes in this epic tale' My Weekly'Brilliant; everything romantic historical fiction should be.' Nicola Cornick'Absolutely brilliant' Kerry Fisher'Completely entrancing . . . Perfect escapism, beautifully written.' Emma Rous 'Evocative, lush and beautifully written, Island in the East is a gripping read.' Nikola Scott'First-class writing, brilliant characters, fascinating locations and gripping plots' Tracy Buchanan'Exquisitely written . . . unputdownable and unforgettable' Iona Grey'A wonderful novel, full of mystery that kept me gripped until the end' Rachel Burton
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