THE BLURB:-
It's Christmas 1937 when Rowan and Thea travel from London to Scotland to visit their dying father. Having lost their mother in a tragic sailing accident when they were young, the sisters are accustomed to grief. But they have no idea that their father's death will expose a terrible deception...
For back in London is his wife Sophie and their two sons. Neither family knows of the other's existence, and when news reaches Sophie of her husband's death her whole world is turned upside down.
Meanwhile, Rowan's marriage is crumbling, and Thea reluctantly finds herself drawn into an act of betrayal. But, with the onslaught of World War II, their lives change forever and they must confront the secrets between them before they can seize their chance of happiness...
THE REALITY:-
This was a slow burner for me, but one that clearly touched me as I don't feel ready to part with it just yet, so it will remain in my bookcase for a while. I think it's because it's partially set in the remote islands of western Scotland, and I read it at a time just before and just after I was in the Isles of Scilly (I didn't have much time to read when I was there!), so could relate to the remoteness; the contrast in landscapes; the ancient history and the menhirs.
Judith Lennox has touched on some of the themes displayed here before; such as a bigamist husband and a mysterious father appearing right at the end. I've mentioned this before about her work, and that is, if you've written as many novels as she has then you're bound to repeat some storylines. But... In a way it's a shame. I'm sure she could think up something new... I did kind of work out that the book should end with Thea reuniting with her natural father, but did wonder when it was actually going to happen- seven pages before the end is the answer to that question. The novel did seem to wander a bit, so it was a bit of a relief to finally reach some kind of conclusion, and not be left hanging.
As with all family sagas, we go through many different social ages and explore different aspects of changing relationships and people falling in and out of love with one another. I enjoyed reading about all of the characters in this story, and found the one I related to the most was Thea; what with her love of history and dissatisfaction with life as a homemaker. Rowan was the most glamorous though, and it's good that she, like every other character was well-rounded, and had to endure her fair share of sadness and toil. I adored the passion of Sigrid and her love of brutal nature (which contributed to her death) and also loved the way different landscapes regarding sections of the UK were described.
A great read, but it did seem a bit without direction as you progressed- maybe Lorcan (Thea's father) could have been introduced earlier?
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