Tiger Hills by Sarita Mandanna

As the first girl to be born into the Nachimanda family in over thirty-five years, the beautiful Devi is the object of adoration of her entire family. Spirited and strong-willed, she befriends the shy Devanna, a young boy whose mother has died in tragic circumstances. Together they grow up amidst the luscious jungles, rolling hills, and coffee plantations of Coorg in Southern India; cocooned by an extended family whose roots to this beautiful land can be traced for centuries. Their futures seem inevitably linked, but everything changes when, one night, they attend a 'tiger wedding'. It is there that Devi gets her first glimpse of Machu, the celebrated tiger killer and a hunter of great repute. Although she is still a child and Machu is a man, Devi vows to marry him one day. It is this love that will gradually drive a wedge between Devi and Devanna, sowing the seed of a devastating tragedy that will change the fate of all three - an event that has unforeseen and far-reaching consequences for generations to come.
Told in rich, lyrical prose and set against the background of a changing society, TIGER HILLS is a sweeping saga about one woman's determination to live life on her own terms — and a riveting novel about the choices we make in the name of family, nation, and love.

If you enjoy historical family sagas, then this book needs to be on your TBR list. It is a sweeping tale of love, hate, redemption and most importantly, forgiveness.

There is such beauty to this book. From the opening, with its lush descriptions of herons, to the very last page, it envelops you in an exotic landscape full of wonder. And that’s without even including the characters. But with this book, the land itself is another character, and a protagonist at that.

Devi, Devanna and Machu, the three main characters, are as beautifully written as the landscape. They are multi-dimensional creations that linger long after the reader finishes the book. Devi, in particular, tugs at you the longest. Her life, the good and the bad she’s ever done, captivate us and make us love this woman who has so many faults and yet such a spirit of survival. The side characters are also well done, with diverse personalities that fill the plot, deepening it. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the last generation represented in these pages. The book left me wondering what happened to Baby and Appu, since they’re storyline doesn’t feel like it ended.

This is definitely a book I recommend. I fell in love with it and I hope you do too.