Christine Marion Fraser (1938–2002)

Disappointing[return][return]Not having read any of the other books in this series, I suffered greatly. Speech in the early chapters was laden with paragraph long backfill ("Yes, love, back 10 years ago, when you were madly in love with your husband Davie it was different, but ever since he died a terrible death a year ago, leaving you in this horrible place with 5 kids, no money and no support......" type of thing).[return][return]She marries John, the father of her brother in law, who has show more a thing for young girls, to the point where he starts sleeping with his adopted granddaughter. Meanwhile Evie's 12 year old son is having a little sexy fling with the same girl.[return][return]Money is spent, dont know who has a job (if anyone), and some of the family have a bit of a "gift"[return]which keeps getting alluded to but not much happens with it, so you kind of wander why she keeps bothering to mention it. Supporting characters come in and out, never to be seen again, and again you wonder why she bothered, and if they had a bigger part in other books. For instance, pages are devoted to Franny Jean and Lizzie about 1/3rd of the way, in intricate detail, and they never appear again.[return][return]Whilst the first part goes into fairly deep detail over a few months, the second half covers nearly 10 years in the same number of pages. Bear in mind this is only 300 pages long which gives the second half a rushed pace. [return][return]Will not be looking out for any others in the series show less

Kirsty and Jean meet in hospital while they are both receiving treatment for cancer. Once they are in remission they spend a holiday together on Jean's home island of Sanda, however Jean's cancer reappears. Once home, Kirsty's regular check-up shows that she, too, is out of remission. Kirsty pulls through this new set-back, but Jean doesn't make it.

I really wish I had started this series long ago. What a discovery! What life iin the Hebrides is really like. I laughed and cried while reading this.

Back Cover Blurb:
Rhanna is a rich romantic saga of wholly believable people which moves readers to both laughter and tears.
Rhanna is a whole world, a wonderful picture of the tight-knit, warm-hearted community with its own life and customs, loves and feuds, childbirths and deaths. In its midst Shona and Niall fight for their forbidden love.

This is the second in the Rhanna series. Although not quite as good and enthralling as the first book I still enjoyed it immensely. It's a wonderful saga of an island community at war.

Back Cover Blurb:
To the warm, tight-knit community, the little island in the peaceful Hebrides seemed remote from the horrors of war. For Shonna Mackenzie, on leave in her beloved home, it offered a chance to recover from the nightmare of the bombing, and from her broken heart.
Then the German bomber crashed - show more and the islanders realised that Rhanna's lonely beauty was no protection against the chill reality of battle. They were indeed an island at war. And Shonna discovered that not all wars are between nations - the fiercest battles are those between lovers. show less