BAMBOO ISLAND: THE PLANTER'S WIFE by ANN BENNETT.
Genre ... Historical fiction/women’s fiction
Publication Date ... March 2016
Estimated Page Count ... 330
Standalone Novel in the Echoes of Empire collection, all of which are standalone books about WW2 in SE Asia.
Author Content Warnings ... The book contains scenes of torture and one rape scene. Purchase Link ... https://mybook.to/bambooisland
From award-winning author Ann Bennett comes a haunting and powerful novel of love and loss during World War 2 Malaya.
1938: Juliet and her sister Rose arrive in Penang to stay with an aunt, after the death of their father. Juliet quickly falls under the spell of Gavin Crosby, a plantation owner, who despite his wealth, charm and good looks is shunned by the local community. Rushed into marriage, Juliet is unprepared for the devastating secrets she uncovers on Gavin’s plantation, and the bad blood between Gavin and his brother…
But in 1941 the Japanese occupy Malaya and Singapore sweeping away that world and changing Juliet’s life forever.
For decades after the war which robbed her of everyone she loved, Juliet lives as a recluse back on the plantation. But in 1962 the sudden appearance of Mary, a young woman from an orphanage in Indonesia, forces Juliet to embark on a journey into the past, and to face up to the heart-breaking truths she’s buried for so long.
PLEASE NOTE ... This book has previously been published both as The Planter's Wife and as Bamboo Island.
Having previously taken part in the Blog Tour of the author's Bamboo Heart: A Daughter's Quest {previously published both as Bamboo Heart and as A Daughter's Quest} I was delighted to take part in the Book Birthday Blitz of this novel previously published as both The Planter's Wife and as Bamboo Island.
My feelings very much mixed on this one; the historical buff me engaged throughout, the me that loves good, strong characters somewhat disappointed.
Enthralled by the historical and cultural detail which the author excels in, the narrative beautifully woven around historical facts. If nothing else Bamboo Island: The Planter's Wife is well worth the read because of the intricate descriptions of Malaya both before, during and after the Japanese occupation.
The characterisation however let the book down for me. Main character, Juliet's story what I'd describe as awkward and not helped by the fact it kept jumping back and forth between the first and third-person, I felt the relationships on the whole to be rather wishy-washy and I'd loved to have had a better understanding of how they worked.
Still, well worth the read. Having read many books set during this period that were much of a muchness the setting of this one made for a refreshing change.
Ann Bennett is a British author of historical fiction. Her first book, Bamboo Heart: A Daughter's Quest, was inspired by researching her father's experience as a prisoner of war on the Thai-Burma Railway and by her own journey to uncover his story. It won the Asian Books Blog prize for fiction published in Asia in 2015, and was shortlisted for the best fiction title in the Singapore Book Awards 2016.
That initial inspiration led her to write more books about WWII in Southeast Asia - Bamboo Island: The Planter's Wife, A Daughter's Promise, Bamboo Road: The Homecoming, The Tea Planter's Club and The Amulet. Along with The Lotus House, published in October 2024, they make up the Echoes of Empire Collection. A further collection, Tales of Kathmandu, includes The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu and The Bookseller of Kathmandu, published in September 2025.
Ann is also the author of The Oriental Lake Collection - The Lake Pavilion and The Lake Palace, both set in British India during the 1930s and WWII, and The Lake Pagoda and The Lake Villa, set in French Indochina.
The Runaway Sisters, USA Today bestselling The Orphan House, The Child Without a Home and The Forgotten Children are set in Europe during the same era and are published by Bookouture. The Stolen Sisters, published on 29th November 2024 is the follow-up to The Orphan List and is set in Poland and Germany during WWII. Her latest book, Once We Were Sisters was published in February 2026.
A former lawyer, Ann is married with three grown up sons and a granddaughter and lives in Surrey, UK. For more details, please visit her website www.annbennettauthor
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With thanks to Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for organising a paper copy. One of several bloggers participating in the Blog Tour/Book Birthday Blitz of this book, agree or disagree with me, all opinions are my own; no financial compensation was asked for nor given; threats of violence towards my favourite teddy bear went unheeded as did promises of chocolate.
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