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Description
An accomplished debut, The Flower Boy is the tragically romantic story of people from two cultures, one ruling the other, and the human passions that defy and nearly overcome social taboos. In the colonial society of 1930s Ceylon, the separation between servant and master is clearly drawn. Young Chandi, however, knows that the baby born to his mother’s mistress will be his friend. And, indeed, their friendship blossoms in the lush gardens of the tea plantation on which they live. Many, English and Ceylonese, are troubled by the friendship, but the English planter is charmed by the children’s bond, and ultimately by Chandi’s mother, Premawathi. But the world encroaches on their Eden. Beautifully observed, compellingly plotted, The Flower Boy is a compassionate novel of a lost world and those who struggled to hold on to it.… (more)
User reviews
The setting (Sri Lanka, 1930's onwards) is picturesque and affecting in its nature and era.
The story is gently told and you warm to Chandi, a young Sri Lankan boy filled with wishful dreams and a vivid imagination inspired by his environment too.
Chandi's
Both families have their precious moments and tribulations.
It is a story that is both uniting and wistful in the friendship, events and circumstances that happen.
A dear, moving book.