By Susanna Kearsley

 Each stir of the breeze through the leaves had, to my childish ears, seemed to carry a faint lilting music, not meant for the grown-ups, that beckoned me on. I had often imagined the tunnel of trees was the doorway to fairyland, and I’d been certain that one day I’d step out the other side into some wonderful place.

Wow. Susanna Kearsley always aspires to a twisty emotionally charged climax and resolution, and she really nailed this one. Her books are usually quite leisurely with lots of detail on history and description, and culture. Of course, this is another time travel book with romance usually taking a second seat to atmosphere and plot. So, in my opinion, they really need those endings to push them over the top to a 5 star rating from me. I didn’t really try to figure out in advance how all the past and the present were going to resolve themselves, so I don’t know if I should have seen it coming or not. Safe to say, I didn’t, and because of that, I was very moved and astonished. I loved that she really took her time with it and went into detail with the “reveal.” I had to go back and trace the few clues that were hidden from the reader in the minutia of description and background. I am glad I read this on kindle so it was easy for me to trace back to the important scenes. Knowing what I knew at the end of the book while rereading those pages really breathed new life into her words. The moral of this story, past and present, is “Home is where the heart is.”

March 20, 2016

By Susanna Kearsley

“I do promise that you will survive this. Faith, my own heart is so scattered round the country now, I marvel that it has the strength each day to keep me standing. But it does,’ she said, and drawing in a steady breath she pulled back just enough to raise a hand to wipe Sophia’s tears. ‘It does. And so will yours.’
‘How can you be so sure?’
‘Because it is a heart, and knows no better.”

“Whatever might become of them, she knew that there was nothing that could rob them of that happiness. For they had lived their winter, and the spring had finally come.”

I did like the book. I liked the history and atmosphere and the sense of place. I guess I liked the plot and was intrigued by the idea of the modern heroine inheriting the memories of her ancestor, Sophia. I just wasn’t too taken by either heroine. They weren’t all that interesting, personality-wise. and neither were the main love interests. I had the same reaction to the plot development late in the book that most readers had. It was clumsily and, it seems, cynically done to provide the opportunity for a sequel. I loved the romantic ending, however telegraphed it was and however fantastical it was. Why 4 stars? Darned if I know. there was just something about it. Also, I do have a soft spot for the Jacobite Rebellion and Scotland. Will I read the sequel? You bet.

July 15, 2015