The India Fan (Casablanca Classics)

This is the first book I've read by Victoria Holt but definitely will not be the last. I love the gothic romance genre, having been a decades-long fan of Wilkie Collins.The story takes place over several years spent in England, France and exotic India during which a rector's daughter, Drusilla, deepens her relationships with the overbearing Framley family.Because she is in possession of a Indian peacock feather fan with a tragic past, she superstitiously feels as if her life has been cursed. At times throughout the story, it certainly seems to be the case.The story is long and covers several years of Drusilla's youth, but it is fast-paced and exciting. The part of the book about her experiences in India was my favorite and the most dramatic.All the characters were well-developed, and the relationships between the characters are realistic. There is no sex between Drusilla and any of her possible love interests; however, there are several allusions to the act occurring between others. There are no descriptions of the bedroom scenes, so I would say for an adult reader, this would be considered a clean romance if not a "sweet" romance.I was content but not ecstatic about the ending. I would have liked an epilogue. It would have been nice to have a chapter covering the next few months or year. I was left wondering what was ahead for some of the side characters.I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Wilkie Collins or Jennifer Blake's clean gothic romances. It's well-written, well-researched, and an intriguing read.

Having read a lot of Jude Deveraux, and Catherine Coulter, in recent years, I found reading a Victoria Holt historical romance a surprising experience. Her writing style seemed rather formal and dated to me. So, despite the fact that I read almost all of her novels as a young woman 30 years ago, it was rather like catching up with a familiar friend from whom I had grown distant, and being surprised at who they are now, compared to who they were. Even though her writing seemed more formal to me than that which I am now accustomed, Holt can tell an engaging story. A couple negatives to me where that her heroine seemed a stiff and unappealing, and I must admit that I found the subsequent romance she has, to be somewhat unbelievable. Nevertheless, Holt can bring such a rich historical perspective to a fiction novel that it was worth overlooking. Still, I would recommend it to you!

I read a condensed version of this book many years go, and did not remember it as one of Holt's more captivating books. I bought it because I remembered little of the story and wanted to read the full book this time. I felt more connected with the characters and enjoyed the many changes of setting. I was very surprised that I liked this more than one I read recently that had been one of my favorites in years past. I tend to like a slow build because I think it creates greater tension for the romance, and though the romance takes more of a back seat in this read, I didn't mind because I came to like Drusilla well enough that no matter what happened, I just wanted to see that she was okay. Again, as I remember in all of her novels, there are no detailed love scenes, which is how I prefer it. This one does have a pretty graphic description of a death that not only leaves a lasting picture in Drusilla's mind, but the reader's too, so take note. Overall, five stars because I will want to read it again and because I will not delete it from my Kindle to make room for something else.

I loved reading Victoria Holt back when her books first came out. I was delighted to find them on Kindle. I love India Fan. Although I'm sure I had read it in the past, it was like new to me. It's a wonderful story and Ms. Holt is a wonderful writer. So many books I read in the past aren't as good when I try to re-read them. India Fan was just as good as I remember her books when I first read them. I'm looking forward to reading other Victoria Holt books on my Kindle.

I am a huge fan of Eleanor Hibbert who wrote as Victoria Holt, among other pen names. 30 years ago, during my teenage years, I spent many long summer days being swept away by her tales of gothic romance. I am thrilled that Amazon is releasing her books on Kindle.Having said that, The India Fan is not my favorite book by this author. It's certainly NOT a bad book. But if you are a fan of her earlier works, such as "Mistress of Mellyn" or "Menfreya in the Morning", be aware that The India Fan, a later work, has a completely different feel. For me, Victoria Holt is like comfort food. I go into her novels looking for mystery and romance in a historical setting. While The India Fan has some of each, they are overshadowed by other elements. I am not sure how to describe this book in simple terms. Perhaps "historical, women's fiction". The setting takes you from England, to France, to India, with a little bit of Egypt thrown in as well, and Ms. Holt certainly knows how to make history and foreign cultures come alive.As mentioned by another reviewer, the romantic male lead is absent for most of the book. The book really focuses on the relationship between Drusilla, our protagonist, and her frenemy Lavinia. Their relationship spans around two decades from when they meet as very young children until both of them are in their 20s. Drusilla is smart, practical, and plain. Lavinia is beautiful and foolhardy. In modern terms, they would be described as somewhat co-dependent. Lavinia gets into scrapes, and Drusilla helps her get out of them. Drusilla, sheltered and from a family of modest income, thrives on the excitement and experiences she gains from her relationship with Lavinia's wealthy and worldly family.Perhaps because this was one of her later works, the book doesn't seem as tightly written as it could have been. I am guessing after years of successful novels, the publishers probably let Ms. Holt write whatever, and however, she wanted. But at times, the writing felt rambling and repetitive (just like this review!). Some of the internal dialog belabored the obvious quite extensively and I found myself skimming paragraphs here and there. Drusilla can at times seem rather self-righteous. Lavinia, the poor thing, never changed. There was never any growth in her character. She was exactly the same person at the end of the book as she was at the beginning, making her almost cartoon like by the end. Much was made of how Lavinia's mother had spoiled her, with the suggestion that all of Lavinia's problems were caused by her upbringing. So, why did her brother, Fabian, who was even more spoiled by his mother, turn out so awesome? Just a thought.Fabian. . .well, he offended me which I found surprising. I have always loved Ms. Holt's arrogant, bossy heroes. But every time he called Drusilla a child, I found myself very annoyed.I enjoyed The India Fan. I didn't love it and I probably won't read it again. But I'm glad I bought it.

VH writes with an imagination that is sometimes hard to follow with its twists and turns, but difficult to put down. With a nod to real history here and the difficulties that are unimaginable, you find your heart in your mouth at times. But stepping into the heat and the hustle and bustle, there is a connection of humanity that is hard to ignore. And all this with a key item - a fan. Wow. Brilliant and transfixing. Who could know where it was leading.

Tutto perfetto. Transazione seria ed articolo perfetto.

I fall for Holt's titles and then I'm always disappointed. Holt's dialogues and descriptions always seem stilted and over-precise (language-wise). No Mary Stewart magic and spontaneity, no intense M M Kaye descriptions and depth of historical knowledge, no Georgette Heyer feel for the period, its formal language and its slang, no delightful expertise in the clothing, the habits and even the food of the time. In this story there are two India fans and frankly the enormous influence the author must have wished them to have (especially the first) on the story line and the characters did not appear to me a success. To my mind the first fan ought to have been a "character" in itself - it gave the title to the book after all. The characters are dejà vu, and with the exception of one or two occurrences the whole thing is entirely predictable. A very "lick and a scrub" offering: passable if you need to while away time in the dentist's waiting room where one couldn't concentrate much on a more intricate and exacting read.

It was a long book and every bit enchanting as my other Victoria Holt's

Good read.