Barbara Keating

Blood Sisters was written by sister authors, Barbara and Stephanie Keating. It is a thick, juicy family saga of almost 600 pages, and this is just the first book in a trilogy. The story is essentially of three girls who meet at school in Kenya and become blood sisters. These girls and their assorted brothers and friends are followed from the ages of 14 through to 21 in this first book. Sarah goes to college in Ireland and becomes a wildlife conversationalist and photographer, she has been in show more love with Hannah’s brother, Piet since she was a child, but Piet seems to be taken with someone else. Troubled Camilla is in London trying to become an actress but when she fails to get into drama school she becomes a model instead. When Kenya gained it’s independence in 1963 Hannah and her parents move to Rhodesia but before long she returns to the family farm in Kenya to help her brother who is struggling to keep the place going.

This book delivers a heady mix of romance, betrayals, murder and revenge and I was totally pulled into the story. From the swinging London of the sixties to the emerging African country of Kenya with it’s difficulties and danger there was plenty of action. As the story evolves we follow the girls lives through their various reunions, separations, heartaches and happiness.

Blood Sisters ends when the girls are still very young women with plenty of life ahead of them. Luckily I have the next two books in the trilogy on my shelf and I will be picking up the second volume soon as I was thoroughly entertained by this first volume. show less

To My Daughter In France. With these words added to his will, Richard Kirwan revealed to his both his family in Ireland and to a young woman in France that there had been a huge secret in his life, one that he waited until his death to expose. I admit I didn’t have very high expectations for this book and perhaps that is why I did enjoy it so much. Crammed with characters who revolve around each other, jumping back and forth in time from the 1940’s to 1970, the reader is soon caught up show more in this tragic love story, with all it’s implications.

The parts of the book that depicted Paris during the German occupation and the resistance movement, made for some tense and exciting reading. When the book moved ahead to 1970, there were various settings from Dublin to Paris, as well as my favorite setting in the southern French wine country of Languedoc-Roussillon.

To My Daughter in France by Barbara and Stephanie Keating was a sprawling family epic full of secrets and sacrifice, there were parts that I admit were a little overdone, but for me, at this time, the book worked. This is the type of book that is often described as a ’beach read’, one that is big, full of passion and intrigue, has a gripping story and is overall a thumping good read. show less

The second book in the Langani Farm trilogy, A Durable Fire picks up pretty much right where the last book left off. The three main characters are still dealing with the tragedy that occurred in the first book. What they also soon find out is that it isn’t over, someone is still trying to destroy their lives at Langani.

As Hannah and Lars struggle on at the farm, Sara is living in the bush, involved with the study of elephants while Camilla abandons her fashion career in London to come home show more and set up as fashion designer with her workshop at Langani Farm. But the secret overshadowing Langani needs to be addressed and with the help of an Indian journalist, the three young women uncover the truth behind the attacks. Along the way romances are developed and lost and the three close friends must fight for their friendship.

Once again, I enjoyed this epic saga about the three girlhood friends, their joys and sorrows, set against the backdrop of Kenya’s early years of independence. The authors, Stephanie and Barbara Keating grew up in Kenya and are painting a vivid picture of that country. A Durable Fire brings the story up to the 1970’s and there is one more volume to the trilogy. show less

Igår, idag och imorgon är en tegelsten på över 600 sidor, men det är också en underbar roman, som stor del utspelas i exotiska och vilda Kenya under en orolig tid full av död och förräderi.
Boken handlar om så mycket mer än vänskap mellan Sarah, Camilla och Hannah, först och främst handlar det om kärlek till ett land, stolthet över sitt ursprung och svårigheter som livet ställer i ens väg.Det är många livsöden, många intressanta karaktärer och personer man får följa show more i denna storslagna berättelsen. : show less