Teatime for the Firefly
*Starred Review* Because she is born under an unlucky star, Layla Roy fully expects to forgo marriage in favor of following in her grandfather Dadamoshai’s footsteps to help increase educational opportunities for women in India in the 1940s. However, when Layla unexpectedly bumps into Manik Deb, an Anglo-educated Indian who has stopped by her grandfather’s home to leave a message, she begins to think there might be more to life than teaching. If only Manik weren’t betrothed to another woman in the village. When Manik gives up a lucrative civil-service post to take up a job as an assistant manager of a tea plantation in Assam, however, the possibility of a future with Layla suddenly seems within his grasp. Patel’s remarkable debut effortlessly transports readers back to India on the brink of independence, while intriguing details about the tea industry in Assam, which Patel deftly incorporates into the story, add yet another layer of richness and depth. Fans of romantic women’s fiction will be enchanted by Teatime for the Firefly’s enthralling characters, exotic setting, and evocative writing style. --John Charles