The White Pearl
Mar 8, 2012
Author: Kate Furnivall
Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade (March 6, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425241009
ISBN-13: 978-0425241004
I have read several of Kate's books and generally find them interesting. I call them Power Historical Romances. The romance is always there, but the historical events surrounding them tend to take precedence.
Because it is a romance, things often take on extremely non-realistic story lines, but can usually be overcome for the sake of the entire package. This is true for this book.
It starts off with Connie living in Mayala, circa 1940, with her "companion" husband with whom she seems to lack knowledge of why he might not be interested in her since she gave him an heir. They are waiting to see if the rumors are true that the Japanese are coming to take over the world.
She needs to abandon the rubber plantation before they're invaded but hubby won't leave until the bombs actually fall. Along the way they hook up with a ne'er-do-well who seems incredibly proficient at anything he does.
This is where the story goes wild, but I like Connie as a person so I hung in there to see where it all ends up. There are curses and bombs and saving Japanese pilots out of sinking planes. There are pet dogs that are hung and women poisoned. Bombs everyone but everyone makes it to the ship where it's the only one not blown up. Gigantic island tree houses that look fun to live in... except for all the pirates of course.
There is a rather bizarre twist of events at the end that is hard to follow and completely unbelievable. No one would go off with a guy who made a promise that will make her son a hunted person his entire life just so that he could have her.
I hung in for the entire book but was a bit disappointed in the end. Still, for historical value.. the bits and pieces of history was really interesting. I also know how to get rubber out of a rubber tree now!
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Reviewed by Idgie. If you would like to have the Dew review a book, please contact me at dewonthekudzu@gmail.com
