3rd or 4th reading? Not sure, but the first time in many, many years. I first read this book as a teenager when I first discovered romantic fiction. I absolutely loved it then, and my opinion hasn't changed over the decades. I became an instant fan of the author Madeleine Brent, and devoured all of her books.
I was very surprised to learn some years ago that Madeleine Brent was a pseudonym for Peter O'Donnell. He had an amazing gift for writing strong female characters, women who find strength through their suffering and overcome the obstacles thrown their way - and oftentimes they even rescue their own male love interests.
All of the books follow the same basic pattern: Young girl grows up in some disadvantaged environment but where she finds her strength, meets her love interest (typically at an early age, but not always), stumbles upon a patron of sorts who changes her circumstances for the better, then some event happens that brings her back to her roots where she proves her bravery and rescues one or more people, including her love interest.
Merlin's Keep is my favorite of Madeleine Brent's novels. While it adheres to the above pattern, it includes additional elements which have made it stand out to me: the supernatural, the mysteries of the East, a radiant best friend (whom the main character must rescue), the best friend's love interest (who is also a dear friend), the most evil of all of Brent's villains, the scrappy main character who can talk to animals (and who ends up being an actual princess), and the charismatic man she falls in love with.
There are some things about this book, published in 1977, that modern readers may find offensive, e.g., the way natives in Nepal and India are spoken of by the English. While unfortunate, Brent is merely staying true to the period in which the narrative takes place, which is the turn of the 20th century; the British Empire was at its height, the Great War was still ten to fifteen years off, and Europeans in general considered themselves vastly superior to the rest of the world's inhabitants. It would be anachronistic to present the British (in general) in any other way.
I'm really glad I made the effort to rediscover this book after so many years. ( )

This was the first Madeleine Brent book I ever read and it remains my favorite. Once I read this as a teenager, I had to find the rest of her books.

This is the story of Jani, a girl who is raised by Sembur in the hills of Tibet. She is taken to England when he dies and eventually becomes part of a family. She never forgets Mister, the young officer who cared for her when she was a sick child.

This is a wonderful story and I recommend it highly to everyone! ( )

A strong female protagonist, adventure, settings in both the English countryside and Tibetan mountains, love, and the supernatural- this is right up my alley! So, why only 3 stars?

- I liked the use of Oracle through foreshadowing, and that the author repeated parts so the reader doesn't have to try to remember or look back (though I still did sometimes)

- The general writing style is just okay

- The middle of the novel reminded me a lot of Jane Eyre, which I liked, but made it somewhat predictable

- I do not like the portrayal of love in this book, uncompromising and unchanging (a person only loves one other in their life?)

- An adult falling in love with a 13 year old is creepy, though it does make it better that it's not acted upon until later

( )