The India Fan

January 21, 2013
Readers will savor this sweeping coming-of-age tale that spans two continents, from Holt (The Time of Hunter’s Moon), one of the pen-names used by the late Eleanor Hibbert (1906–1993). Drusilla Delany has always lived in the shadow of the Framling House, her life always intertwined with the wealthy family, whether being “kidnapped” for two weeks by son Fabian as a baby, or forced into a friendship with spoiled daughter Lavinia. After a childhood prank, Drusilla comes into possession of a family heirloom, a beautiful, bejeweled peacock fan that supposedly carries a curse that could cause her to lose everything she loves. Drusilla eventually leaves home to attend finishing school in France. Then she becomes a governess in India; though her life is marked by intrigue, danger, romance, and loss, she stubbornly refuses to believe the fan or its curse are behind any of it. Lush and exotic, this is a luxuriously told story of a girl’s adventures into adulthood. At times, references are too casual, flippant, or modern for the time period, and the stock characters too predictable. But the story is well served by rich, sensual details and engrossing storylines.

July 1, 1988
Although hobbled by the flat, toneless voice of its narrator, this latest romance from Holt ( The Silk Vendetta ) manages to convey the class restrictions of Victorian England and its then-colony, India. The protagonist, Drusilla Delaney, the vicar's plain but intelligent daughter, grows up in thrall to the wealthy Framling family, whose estate is run by domineering Lady Harriet. In arranging the lives of her two indulged childrenLavinia, a vampish beauty, and Fabian, the son born to ruleLady Harriet sees to it that Drusilla, ``such a sensible girl,'' is always available as a functionary and check on Lavinia. To evade a marriage of convenience, Drusilla joins Lavinia and her husband at a luxurious British outpost in India, where she serves as tutor to Lavinia's children and where her nascent love for Fabian is acknowledged. The Indian mutiny and the decisive battle of Lucknow provide heroic opportunities for Drusilla and Fabian, and their Indian friends, as they engineer their escape to England after a bloodletting that engulfs the foolish Lavinia. Holt has a surer hand with the colorful locale of India than with the stock figures she deploys there.