About the Book
★★★★✩ |
Publication Date: July 8, 2014
Publisher: Cool Gus Publishing
Formats: eBook, Paperback
Genre: Historical Fiction
In any other circumstance but shipwreck, rape and murder, a man like Michiel van Texel would never have met a fine lady such as Cornelia Noorstrandt.
Publisher: Cool Gus Publishing
Formats: eBook, Paperback
Genre: Historical Fiction
In any other circumstance but shipwreck, rape and murder, a man like Michiel van Texel would never have met a fine lady such as Cornelia Noorstrandt.
He was just a soldier,
a sergeant in the Dutch East India company’s army, on his way from
Amsterdam to the Indies to fight the Mataram. Such a woman was far above the
likes of him.
But both their
destinies intertwine far away from Holland, on some god-forsaken islands near
the Great Southland. When their great ship, the Utrecht, founders far from
home, surviving the Houtman Rocks is the least of their worries.
As they battle to
survive and the bravest and the best reveal themselves for what they are,
Cornelia’s only hope is a mercenary in a torn coat who shows her that a man is
more than just manners and money.
He makes her one
promise: ‘Even if God forsakes you, I will find you.’
But can he keep it?
Described by one
critic as ‘Jack and Rose in the seventeenth century’, East India will
keep you wondering until the final page.
Colin
Falconer’s East India fictionalizes
the history of the Batavia shipwreck
in 1629, a piece of history I had never known before this novel, and brings it
to life in fascinating, horrifying and vivid detail. With all his well-crafted
and distinct characters, Falconer believably and authentically explores the
whole gamut of human depravity. Manipulation, greed, lust, rape, murder,
betrayal… It’s all right there. Appalled yet captivated, I couldn’t seem to
stop reading this dark, intense story.
I
should mention that the back-of-the-book summary is misleading. Before starting
to read, I assumed the plot would focus on the developing romance between
Cornelia and Michiel after the shipwreck. However, this is not entirely the
case, since the shipwreck does not occur until a third of the way into the
narrative. Of course, the preceding build-up is important and explanatory, and
told from multiple perspectives, it sets the scene well for the ensuing
conflict. But for most of the novel, Michiel makes very few appearances
(compared to other characters) and when he finally begins interacting with
Cornelia, their romance covers a few pages at most. So, I would not recommend East India to readers looking primarily
for a romance – but for lovers of historical fiction, it’s sure to be an
intriguing and thrilling read.
Thanks to Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, I received a copy
of East India and the opportunity to provide an honest review.
I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have
expressed are my own.
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About the Author
Born in London, Colin
first trialed as a professional football player in England, and was eventually
brought to Australia. He went to Sydney and worked in TV and radio and
freelanced for many of Australia’s leading newspapers and magazines. He has
published over twenty novels and his work has so far been translated into 23
languages.
He travels regularly
to research his novels and his quest for authenticity has led him to run with
the bulls in Pamplona, pursue tornadoes across Oklahoma and black witches across
Mexico, go cage shark diving in South Africa and get tear gassed in a riot in
La Paz.
He currently lives in
Barcelona.