This is an exciting book blog hop that book bloggers can take part in once a week to share with their followers, the books that they most recommend reading!
The rules for Friday Recommends are:
Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.
Pick a book that you've read, and have enjoyed enough to recommend to other readers. It can be a book you've read recently, or a book you read years ago - it's up to you - but make sure you tell us why you love the book (like a mini review). You make the post as long or as short as you like.
Visit the other blogs and enjoy!
This week my book choice is:
Book Description from shelfari.com
Returning to the Hebridean island of Garve after 35 years, Alys falls in love with Donal, her childhood playmate. Interwoven with their story is that of Henrietta, held on an island against her will 300 years earlier. Linking the women are an enchanting embroidered curiosity cabinet, the tug of motherhood, and the island itself.
Returning to the Hebridean island of Garve after 35 years, Alys falls in love with Donal, her childhood playmate. Interwoven with their story is that of Henrietta, held on an island against her will 300 years earlier. Linking the women are an enchanting embroidered curiosity cabinet, the tug of motherhood, and the island itself.
My Review
When Alys returns to the Hebridean island of Garve she feels comforted by the strength of her childhood memories, of holidays spent exploring rock pools, and the feel of the silvery white sand between her toes. Re-discovering fragments of herself, she sets out to search for the secret of a beautiful embroidered cabinet which is on display in her hotel. Her curiosity is encouraged by the deepening friendship with her childhood friend, Donal, who has remained on the island, and who is the guardian of the curiosity cabinet’s secrets.
Three hundred years earlier, Henrietta Dalrymple is forcibly removed from her life in Edinburgh, a life she shares with her baby son, but when she is kidnapped and held against her will on Garve she finds life on the small island totally abhorrent. Her captor is Manus McNeil, Laird of the isle and a highlander to boot, fearsome, devilish and ultimately controlling. Henrietta is lost and alone but takes comfort in small friendships, as gradually the relationship between captor and captive becomes something more meaningful.
Beautifully written, this dual time romance captures time and place completely. The interwoven love stories blend together quite seamlessly, both strands of the story are equally appealing, neither one outshining the other. The spirit of Garve is captured perfectly, the imagery is so unique, you may find yourself gasping as you see wild swans fly across the sky, and the tang of seaweed, and the hint of a sea breeze remain with you as you turn each page.
The skill of this talented story teller is present in every word, she weaves a kind of magic, and makes beautiful pictures in your mind.
This book pulled me in from the opening page - if you enjoy dual time narratives, with characters that leap off the page and enter into your world, then please give this lovely story a try.... it's now available as a Kindle download, which is great as the story has become accessible to a wider audience.
If you're lucky you may find a paperback copy of this book.
Paperback
Polygon An Imprint of Birlinn Limited (Feb 2005)
ISBN-10: 1904598420
ISBN-13: 978-1904598428
ISBN-13: 978-1904598428
Happy Reading
Josie and Jaffa
xxx
Thank-you very much for this lovely review - so glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine - thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog - I appreciate your comment !
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