Meet Me in Bombay

Jenny Ashcroft

Jan 2021 · Sold by St. Martin's Press

About this ebook

All he needs is to find her. First, he must remember who she is.

Jenny Ashcroft's "Meet Me in Bombay is a powerful, poignant and deeply emotional tale of love, mystery, loss and joy." –Kate Furnivall, New York Times bestselling author

It's New Year's Eve in Bombay, 1913, and Madeline Bright, new to the sweltering heat of colonial India, is yearning for all she has left behind in England. Then, at the stroke of midnight, Maddy meets Luke Devereaux, and as the year changes so do both their lives.

Bold and charismatic, Luke opens her eyes to the wonders of Bombay, while Maddy's beauty and vivacity captures his heart. Only her mother disapproves, preferring the devoted Guy Bowen as a match for her daughter.

But while Maddy and Luke are falling in love, the world is falling apart. World War I is on the horizon, and Luke will be given no choice but to fight. They will be continents apart, separated by danger and devastating loss, but bound by Luke's promise that they will meet again in Bombay.

Ratings and reviews

“Life can go from being one thing to another thing entirely - with no hint, no warning sense of the change afoot.” This quote is on the very first page and caught my eye. How true it is. I don’t often read historical fiction, but the exotic local caught my attention and I wasn’t disappointed. In the beginning of the book, Bombay was like another character in the book. The underlying theme of the book is what is love. There are multi generations of family, romantic relationships, friends and acquaintances, but who shows what is love? There are many acts throughout the book that leave the reader questioning if that is love or selfishness. Set during the lead up to World War I, Maddy and Luke first see each other at a New Year’s Eve party, but don’t actually meet for weeks. He shows her the everyday Bombay as they fall in love. They are then torn apart by the war. And as each are living apart, you’re left to wonder if they’ll reunite.

About the author

JENNY ASHCROFT is a British author of historical fiction including Beneath a Burning Sky and Island in the East. Having spent many years living, working and exploring in Australia and Asia, she is now based in Brighton where she lives with her family by the sea. She has a degree from Oxford University in history, and has always been fascinated by the past—in particular the way that extraordinary events can transform the lives of normal people.