Kathleen Givens (1950–2010)
Auteur van On a Highland Shore
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My Scottish Summer (Lassie Go Home / Sinfully Scottish / The Maddening Highlander / Castle in the Skye) (2009) — Medewerker, sommige edities — 51 exemplaren
Tagged
Algemene kennis
- Geboortedatum
- 1950-09-21
- Overlijdensdatum
- 2010-01-01
- Geslacht
- female
- Nationaliteit
- USA
- Woonplaatsen
- California, USA
Leden
Besprekingen
The Destiny door Kathleen Givens
Not quite as good as the first. 3.5/5
Not well written, exaggeration of characters traits, and Shore's attempt at feminism was vastly out of place. As much as I hate to admit it or think about it, the rights for women at this time were so few. The narrator's voice certainly did not reflect that. It seems the actions of the main character could certainly have found her killed at the time. As a lover of Scottish history, I can say that this novel seemed to engage the spirit of Scotland. Yet it still failed in its historical narrative.
The historical setting for this novel is what first drew me to it. I've always been interested in the Scottish struggle for independence in the 14th century, with all its inherent drama, emotional content, and struggle against tyranny. This novel doesn't disappoint in that aspect. The author captures the emotions of the times in all their harsh glory. The author has captured enough historical detail to make 14th century Scotland and London come to vivid life for her readers.
Most of the characters came to life for me. Both of our heroines and one of our heroes sucked me into their daily struggles to survive and thrive in the brewing war atmosphere. I especially enjoyed Rachel. She was a lovely mix of insecurity in her place in the world and holding fast to the traditions that have maintained her family for centuries. Seeing her try to blend those traditions with an ever-changing world kept me enthralled.
I wish I could say all the characters were as riveting. Rachel's love-interest, Kiernan was pretty much a side character. He'd pop in now and then to perform a rescue and steal a kiss, but for the most part, he's a flat, two-dimensional Highlander dude that I didn't really connect with.
And that leads into the romance side of things. Rory's and Isabel's romance was sweet and attention-capturing. Seeing how these two had to overcome almost insurmountable odds to be together was entertaining as hell. And yet, Rachel's and Kiernan's romance?! It's almost pretty much a "What romance?!" kind of situation. With hardly any page time together in the novel, I was left wondering more than once how they even started to feel anything for each other. They hardly knew each other.
While overall the pacing of the narrative was pretty smooth and kept the reader engaged from one scene to the next, there were times where the author lumped in months within a few pages then turned around and put a few days over chapters. There were also sections that read more like a historical textbook, with paragraphs that said basically "In this year, this happened" or "In this month, that happened". Not novel-like at all and that threw me out of the story more than once.
Overall, this was an enjoyable novel detailing the Scottish struggle for independence in the 14th century. The main characters were lovely to get to know, and one of the romances was very engaging. Yet, with pacing issues, a romance that really wasn't there at all, and somewhat flat main hero, this book is kept from being outstanding to just being mundane. It's a good read, but I probably won't be re-reading it any time soon.… (meer)
Most of the characters came to life for me. Both of our heroines and one of our heroes sucked me into their daily struggles to survive and thrive in the brewing war atmosphere. I especially enjoyed Rachel. She was a lovely mix of insecurity in her place in the world and holding fast to the traditions that have maintained her family for centuries. Seeing her try to blend those traditions with an ever-changing world kept me enthralled.
I wish I could say all the characters were as riveting. Rachel's love-interest, Kiernan was pretty much a side character. He'd pop in now and then to perform a rescue and steal a kiss, but for the most part, he's a flat, two-dimensional Highlander dude that I didn't really connect with.
And that leads into the romance side of things. Rory's and Isabel's romance was sweet and attention-capturing. Seeing how these two had to overcome almost insurmountable odds to be together was entertaining as hell. And yet, Rachel's and Kiernan's romance?! It's almost pretty much a "What romance?!" kind of situation. With hardly any page time together in the novel, I was left wondering more than once how they even started to feel anything for each other. They hardly knew each other.
While overall the pacing of the narrative was pretty smooth and kept the reader engaged from one scene to the next, there were times where the author lumped in months within a few pages then turned around and put a few days over chapters. There were also sections that read more like a historical textbook, with paragraphs that said basically "In this year, this happened" or "In this month, that happened". Not novel-like at all and that threw me out of the story more than once.
Overall, this was an enjoyable novel detailing the Scottish struggle for independence in the 14th century. The main characters were lovely to get to know, and one of the romances was very engaging. Yet, with pacing issues, a romance that really wasn't there at all, and somewhat flat main hero, this book is kept from being outstanding to just being mundane. It's a good read, but I probably won't be re-reading it any time soon.… (meer)
In 1263, Margaret MacDonald is about to marry Lachlan Ross when her village is attacked by Vikings. Most of her family is killed, and her brother Davey is kidnapped. Gannon MacMagnus is one of those who appear just after the raid, and despite being part Norse, he and his brother, Tiernan, show kindness to Margaret and her sister, Nell. Margaret's brother, Rignor, insists that she still marry Lachlan, despite having caught him in an affair with her best friend. They marry, but Lachlan publicly shames her because he saw her kissing Gannon before their wedding. Margaret declares she will have the marriage annulled. Rignor, always immature, turns his back on her and makes reckless decisions, ending up getting himself killed by Vikings. Margaret is kidnapped by the Viking who raided them. Tiernan is also killed in the second raid. Gannon pursues her and rescues her just in time.
A very good and complicated story, making me want to read the rest in the series!… (meer)
A very good and complicated story, making me want to read the rest in the series!… (meer)
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- 8
- Ook door
- 2
- Leden
- 845
- Populariteit
- #30,259
- Waardering
- 3.8
- Besprekingen
- 14
- ISBNs
- 33
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- 3
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- 4