It’s so wonderful to be welcoming Ann Bennett and the Book Birthday Blitz for her book, Bamboo Island: The Planter’s Wife.

From award-winning author Ann Bennett comes a haunting and powerful novel of love and loss during World War 2 Malaya.

‘A vivid account of a brutal period, and a searing exploration of trauma, memory and loss..’ The Lady Magazine.

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.

This book has previously been published both as The Planter’s Wife and as Bamboo Island

Praise for Bamboo Island: The Planter’s Wife..

‘This was a story of love, passion and cruelty I could not put down … I needed to discover Juliet’s secrets.’ Lizeanne Lloyd – Lost in a Good Book

‘I raced through this book in just over twenty-four hours … I literally could not put it down. I connected and sympathised with Juliet as a character so much… and I was constantly on edge whilst reading it, desperate to find out more about her past.’ Bibliobeth – Goodreads.

‘I really loved this haunting, powerful and beautiful novel.’ Amazon Reviewer.

To celebrate its birthday, Ann has shared an extract from Bamboo Island: The Planter’s Wife. We hope you enjoy. 

*****beginning of extract*****

Bamboo Island: The Planter’s Wife

Chapter 1

Windy Ridge Estate, Malaya, 1962

The big white house dominated the crest of the hill and looked out over the lines of rubber trees to the jungle beyond. It was quite alone, miles from any neighbours, and hardly any traffic ever ventured along the rutted dirt road that ran the five miles between the estate and the nearest settlement, Kuala Lipis. It had been a proud, grand building in the years before the war, its paintwork startling white against the blue of the tropical sky, but now the walls were scabbed and peeling and there were a few gaping holes in the roof where the tiles had blown off during the high monsoon winds.

The deep veranda running the length of the ground floor was shaded with bamboo chicks, which were rolled up near the front door so that Juliet Crosby, relaxing in her deep rattan chair, had a view of the faint breeze playing in the rubber trees. She watched it ruffling the leaves, turning them from green to grey and back again.

She always sat here at this time of day, before the sun had begun its descent behind the jungle-covered horizon, and the cicadas were still chattering in the casuarina trees in the garden. This was the best hour of her unwavering routine. She liked to sit with her afternoon tea tray on the little cane table, her two Dalmatians lazing on the boards of the veranda beside her, and take deep breaths to empty her mind of everything but the mundane business of running the estate, banishing any other thoughts that might trouble her. She loved the sharp light of the early evening. It was as if the sun was burning with renewed intensity before it dipped away.

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