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Tuesday, December 5, 2017

With Love For Bookouture - A Daughter's Courage by Renita D'Silva - Book Review, Interview & Giveaway

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Review by Suze

It's the 1920s and Gowri wants to become a teacher. She's intelligent, loves to read and studying is her passion. She has a bright future ahead of her and her favorite teacher is helping her to achieve her goals. However, one day fate decides otherwise. To save her brother's life Gowri finds herself trapped by an evil landlord in a cottage next to a temple serving a goddess in a way she could never have imagined. Will her dreams ever come true or will the landlord have power over Gowri forever?

After a shameful incident in England Lucy should get married as quickly as possible. It's 1929 and her options are limited. That's why she marries a plantation owner in India, James. Lucy has to start a new adventure in a country she doesn't know anything about. Will she make friends and will she and her husband fall in love eventually? When Lucy explores her new surroundings she meets Gowri and she's immediately curious. What are the secrets the young woman is hiding and can Lucy do anything to help her?

Kavya's dream job is becoming an actress, but something went terribly wrong and now she can't get any work and her heart is broken. She doesn't know if she can manage to live on her own any longer and is facing a shameful return to her family. However, something else is keeping them occupied and this is making Kavya curious as well, a story about a temple many years ago. Will Kavya's return be as bad as she thought it would be? Will her family discover their connection to the temple and what has happened in the past that still holds much power over the present?

A Daughter's Courage is a beautiful heartbreaking story. Gowri is an admirable girl. She has to deal with so much awfulness on a daily basis and still remains strong. I admired her spirit and her love for others. Reading about what she's going through put tears in my eyes and I sometimes had a hard time continuing her story because it's such a heavy topic. Renita D'Silva describes her situation in a raw and honest way and makes her characters come to life incredibly well, so Gowri's story certainly shocked me.

 Lucy has done something she regrets. She was young and foolish and that made her do things she doesn't feel good about. I loved to see the growth in her personality. She slowly starts to understand how things work in life and learns how to put herself in other people's shoes. I started to like her more and more throughout the story. I loved her determination to make the best of her situation and with each chapter about her my respect for her increased. I love it when I feel so involved in a story.

Kavya is a kindhearted girl. She had a big dream and pursued it, but had to pay a steep price. She's again a spirited person with a lot of strength. She faces the consequences of her actions and takes responsibility for the mistakes she's made. I loved that Renita D'Silva writes about strong women in both the past and the present and I was curious to find out more about her main characters and their connection. She regularly alternates between them and this kept me on the edge of my seat.

Renita D'Silva has a gorgeous way with words. Her stories are vibrant and colorful and I enjoyed reading about her settings, which she makes as real as possible with plenty of detailed descriptions. It was easy to lose myself in her story. I often felt so close to the main characters that it almost became overwhelming and absolutely love how she skillfully makes her readers get to know them. A Daughter's Courage is an impactful emotional story filled with many surprising twists and turns. It's a book that has left quite an impression and will stay with me for a very long time.


If you love stories that are set in the past and the present you will love A Daughter's Courage. Keep in mind that there are some shocking scenes in this story.

About Renita D'Silva


Author links



1. Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

I love stories, both reading and creating them. I grew up in India but now live in the UK with my husband and two children. 

2. Where do you find the inspirations for your stories?

My stories are the means by which I revisit my childhood. I grew up in a small village in India that was a hotbed for gossip. I absorbed all the tales brimming with intrigue prevalent in the village, as if by osmosis, and now they are leaking out of me. 

Like all authors, I am a people-watcher. I eavesdrop on banter, I observe nuances and facial tics, I squirrel away interesting interactions and the way a person gives a certain look that encompasses an entire conversation without uttering a word, in my head for use later. I might see a person with his nose pressed to the window in a bus, a fleeting glimpse and from there a character might arise. 

3. Do you have a writing routine?

I don’t have a writing routine as such – I write when I can, whenever I am able to spare the time. Some days are more productive than others. 

4. What do you like the most about writing?

I love inhabiting the minds of different characters, experiencing the world through their eyes and doing things in their guise (on paper, of course) that I would never in a million years do myself.

5. If you're not writing or reading what do you like to do?

I cook, entertain, spend time with my family. 

6. Could you describe your main characters in six words each?

Kavya: Feisty yet vulnerable, strong, modern, independent.

Sue: Grieving, lonely, shy, looking for a sign

Gowri: Trapped yet strong, hurting yet unbroken

Lucy: Charming, beautiful, brave, kind

7. Are there certain elements that a story by you has to have, so readers can easily recognize it as yours?

All my stories are set partly in India and partly in the UK.

8. What makes your heart beat faster?

A good book. 

9. What's the best writing advice you've ever been given? 

Write a good book and it will sell; write a great book and the reader will sell it for you. 

10. What can we expect from you in the future?

I am currently working on the first draft of my next historical fiction book. 


One very lucky winner will receive a digital copy of A Daughter's Courage and a gorgeous book cover necklace.



  1. A Daughter’s Courage sounds like a captivating, emotional, immersive read with a superbly crafted setting that will pull on your heartstrings.

  2. Wow, thank you SO much for this FAB review! So thrilled you enjoyed A Daughter's Courage. XXX

  3. this looks like a really great book with well thought out plot and characters!

  4. It sounds like a really good story.

  5. I really enjoyed reading your interview, thank you!

  6. Intertwining the lives of the women or daughters really interests me. Great review.

  7. Renita, I really enjoyed reading where you find inspiration for your stories. A lot of great ideas can come from small town gossip!!