A Tapestry of Light

February 15, 2021
Life for Ottilie Russell in nineteenth-century Calcutta is rapidly changing. Born to an English father and Indian mother, Ottilie isn't fully accepted by either culture. After losing several family members, Ottilie must support her grandmother and younger brother, Thaddeus, and does so by creating unique pieces of beetle wing embroidery for Calcutta's English elite. When an Englishman arrives and informs them that Thaddeus is the heir to their father's estate and a nobleman, Ottilie is unwilling to leave until cholera strikes the city, and she has no choice. Still an outcast in England, Ottilie struggles to find her place in society while helping Thaddeus cling to their heritage. As isolation and new betrayals threaten her, Ottilie must untangle her life's threads and, as with her beetle wing embroidery, produce a new masterpiece. In her inspiring tale about the value of belonging and the importance of roots, Duffy expertly engulfs readers in the exquisite worlds of Victorian Calcutta, London, and the English countryside. On pages laced with tragedy and hope, Duffy's writing shines like Ottilie's glittering beetle wings.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.