The RETURN: THE RETURN [Paperback]

Haeger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1993

A spellbinding new romance from the author of Courtesan. Set against the tumultuous backdrop of colonial India and the deceptive peace of a rustic English village, this is the story of a widow who sets sail to find her husband--who, she has just discovered, is miraculously still alive.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This historical romance, set in India and England in the mid-1800s, introduces Charlotte Lawrence, the spirited daughter of an English colonel stationed in Delhi, to Captain Edward Langston, an ambitious laborer's son. They marry, but after a few months, a Hindu uprising separates them and each believes the other died during the massacre. Ten years later, Charlotte, who has remained in Delhi working in a hospital, discovers that Edward may be alive and living in England. She sails immediately to find him. Incredibly, the dark glasses she wears and the broken nose she suffered during the uprising leave Edward oblivious to her real identity. Arriving at his home, she finds his new wife, Anne, a child named Charlotte and a second child on the way. Anne has had a difficult pregnancy, so she asks Charlotte, who pretends to be newly widowed and without family, to stay and help until the baby is born. Eventually, Anne learns Charlotte's true identity and conveniently removes herself, leading to a predictable end for Haeger's ( Courtesan ) tale, which suffers from shallow characters and lifeless prose.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (December 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671864807
• ISBN-13: 978-0671864804
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,902,988 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Return, June 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The RETURN: THE RETURN (Paperback)

The story starts as what would seem to be your typical romance where two people who meet and it is love at first sight.....Well it may start this way but stick with it. What you get is a book that had me in tears for most of the book. As with most of Ms. Heager's stories she doesn't write your typical ever after love story. For those of you who have read the Courtesan you will understand this. Once again she has created a character with class and morals who dispite her adversities has unwavering strength. The story centers on a newlywed couple who are seperated by a civil uprising in exotic country. After finding great love each are lead to believe that the other has died. Ten years pass before "Charolette" finds out that there was a horrible mistake and that her husband lives and has traveled back to England. Packed with only her heart and hope she travels only to find that he has again married....I'll let you finish the book. My only compliant is that in reading two of three books pinned by Ms.Heager the hero was somewhat weak and during the more trying of events we see it is the herione with the real strength. Not that this is news but in creating such great love stories it seems the hero's fall short of deserving such a great woman-wait maybe this is a biography and not fiction! Despite this small flaw the story is great and once you have gotten past the first few chapters your trapped-save a weekend or at least some down time as to not be interuppted. I only have one request: Ms. Heager write more and fast; please!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spellbinding, August 29, 2001

By 

"alisapooh" (State College, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The RETURN: THE RETURN (Paperback)

I borrowed this book to use up some free time and could not put it down. I was absolutely engrossed in it and am looking to find more books my her now... I would recommend this book (and do!) to everyone I know who loves reading.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Tale of the British Raj, September 18, 2004

By 

anneej (East Coast U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The RETURN: THE RETURN (Paperback)

I obviously disagree with the view expressed by the Publisher's Weekly reviewer quoted elsewhere on this page. There is nothing lifeless about Haeger's prose or her characters, especially in the bedroom scene early in the novel after Charlotte and Edward are married. But if that were all, the book would just be "another romance novel." Instead I found this to be a complex and compelling novel with shades of Thomas Hardy in the latter half of the book, which is set in England.

When Charlotte Langston discovers that the husband she thought was killed ten year earlier in the Indian mutiny is alive and living in England, she must go to him. Physically scarred, attractive but obviously no longer the great beauty she was at age 16, she has raised their son alone in India. Arriving in England, she discovers that Edward has remarried but she must be near him. She takes employment in his household and he does not recognize her. This is the weakest part of the book, as the wounds and their resulting faint scars do not sound as though they are so disfiguring that a husband would not recognize a beloved wife, even after ten years. However, if you can suspend your disbelief, this book is very worthwhile. The character of Anne, Edward's second wife, reminds me of the tragic Sue Brideshead in Hardy's "Jude the Obscure." I am surprised that this book has not been reissued, as Haeger continues to publish and has a devoted following -- although not as large a one as she deserves.