a story of tragedy and love written in exotic location like rangoon that keep us the reader gripped from start to finish. this is a beautiful story filled with sadness and passion. and the main part of the story is the disapperence of a baby girl. if you want to find out what happened to elvira you will have to get this wonderful book by dinah jefferies praise to her for writting such an amazing novel

The Missing Sister isn't my usual sort of read but when I saw the beautiful cover and read the blurb, I was intrigued. What followed was an enchanting and, at times, heartbreaking story of a British baby, Elvira, stolen in 1911 from her parents' garden in Burma. Gossip-mongers suspect the baby may have been killed by the mother, Diana, but no charges are brought. Diana gives birth to a second child, Belle, but unable to recover from the loss of Elvira and now suffering mental health issues, her husband packs her off to England with an understanding that it's in Belle's best interest she never sees her mother again. Fast forward to 1936 and an adult Belle has accepted a job as a nightclub singer in Rangoon, Burma. With both parents now dead, she's determined to discover what happened to her sister all those years earlier - is she still alive and if so, what became of her? But when Belle starts asking questions, it soon becomes apparent Elvira's disappearance has been covered up. . . Although I have all of Dinah Jefferies' previous novels on my bookcase, The Missing Sister is the first I've read. I was transported to another time and place with the author's beautiful, vivid descriptions. It felt authentic - I could smell the spices in the marketplace and feel the sun's heat beating down on me. The expressive and faultless writing will stay with me for a very long time. Characterisation was superb; especially Belle and Diana. To have a child stolen and then be expected to pick up the pieces of a shattered life is beyond comprehension and without compassion. The pre-war British 'stiff upper lip' was excellently portrayed with any hint of a scandal being swept under the carpet. I thought this was a great piece of historical romantic fiction and it's opened my eyes to the possibility that actually yes, I maybe do kind of like this genre after all.

Belle is determined to find out what happened to her sister. She never really knew her mother. Loss has defined her life. Glancing at the house you would think nothing was amiss, the faded beauty, golden in the sunshine. It was hard not to imagine her parents living peacefully, before everything went wrong. As the light gradually tinted the pagodas, shimmering shades of pink and gold. Your spirit would soar as you witnessed the full magnitude. That the world could contain extraordinary beauty and yet such violence seemed utterly incomprehensible. It’s subtle observations on history are lingeringly poignant.

Travelling out on the boat to Rangoon, Belle Hatton happens to chum up with Gloria de Clemente, a quixotic and charismatic woman around town. Belle has landed a job in the sizzling city of glorious colour and smells as a star performer.and through Gloria she comes to meet her brother Edward, who is a fixer and philanderer (given the chance). Yet he seems to the have the wherewithal to help progress Belle’s stage career. Belle’s parents were stationed in Rangoon earlier in the century but they suffered a severe loss. Her older sister, Elvira, went missing as a small child, and was never found. The mystery over her disappearance – the suspicion, the gossip and general ill-feeling – prompted her parents to return home to England without their daughter. Now Belle finds herself picking up the pieces of the mystery and finds support and encouragement in the form of Oliver, a journalist mooted to be always on the look out for a good scoop. Who can she trust? Little notes are posted under her door by a stranger, warning her off and unsettling her determination to discover the fate of her sister. She is a plucky young woman and is not easily thrown off the scent as she battles riots, intruders and bomb attacks. A trip up the Irrawaddy River starts to help her get clarity. Dovetailing with Belle’s story is the story of her mother Diana in 1920s Cheltenham and then Minster Lovell. She has been blamed all these years for the disappearance of her daughter, a heavy burden to carry around and consequently her mental health has suffered dreadfully. Her long standing friend Simone takes her under her wing and after some Freudian therapy, her vitality and mental health are restored. The connection between Diana and Belle has long been severed. Is there a chance that they will find each other again? This is a fairly loosely woven story with some scenes that are a little hard to credit but which nevertheless takes you into the heart of what I imagine Burma could well have been like. The author is always terrific at creating a colourful, exotic and vibrant setting for her stories. She describes her personal visit to the country at the end of the book and what she saw – now recorded here in the written word – really brings the book to life. This is the era of faltering British Rule where unrest and uprisings were rife and Belle has to steer her way through this dramatic period of history, single-mindedly pursuing news of her sister.

This is my first book by this author and it is well written in the style of the 1930s, although it is surprising to see a young woman travelling alone in those times. The book portrays Burma so well you begin to believe you know it. Interesting story well told, with well developed characters. Many thanks to Netgalley for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.