Sarah Maine

There is a plot convention that you will all be familiar with, the dual timeline, past and present, the present characters having some reason to be attempting to unfold the story of those in the past. I confess, when it is done well, it is a device I obviously enjoy. I usually find myself wrapped up in the characters of the past, however, with little interest in those of the present. Sarah Maine was able to keep me involved in both time frames with almost equal interest, so that I did not show more feel resentment when the story set in 1910 segued to the story in 2014.

Again, in hardly a new plot line, Hetty Deveraux, a Londoner, has lost her parents and thus inherited a crumbling estate in Scotland, which once belonged to a distant relative, renowned painter, Theo Blake. In the process of surveying to see what can be done with rebuilding the house, bones are found on the premises-- old bones buried under flooring, an obvious indication of murder. That Sarah Maine makes this feel like a fresh storyline is another almost miraculous achievement.

There are handsome, brooding men and women who are trying to establish their independence; and there is a very nice subplot regarding the responsibilities of people to the land and natural preservation. This is done without being heavy-handed and fits itself with perfection into both time frames. The atmosphere is haunting, as the house is set on an island that can be accessed across the strand only at low tides, and Maine is skilled in her descriptions and mood creation. She is able to make the setting both an ideal and gloomily isolated, so that the house and its surroundings seem to take on and reflect the characters moods and feelings.

It was serendipity that I happened to be reading this book right now. It wasn’t what I intended, but the electricity failed, making the ebooks I had planned inaccessible, and this was the top book on a stack of “real” books I hadn’t gotten to yet. I am happy the power had its glitch. I enjoyed this break and having the freedom to just sink into a story and get lost for a few hours of pure enjoyment. show less

Women of the Dunes by Sarah Maine is a 2018 Atria Books publication.

“Perhaps that’s what a legend is, a memory preserved over many generations”

What a fascinating and thought- provoking Scottish tale spanning centuries and generations, examining legends, the truth behind them, and the way history tends to repeat itself.

Libby and her university team have arrived on Ullanessm Island for the summer to work on an excavation project. For Libby, the trip is just as personal as it is show more professional. Her great- great grandmother once lived on Sturrock estate, as a service worker.

The past timelines, beginning in the 9th century, reveal adultery, scandal, trials of faith, forbidden love, and the makings of legends. Those legends, passed down through the years, has an enormous impact on Ellen, a servant girl in the 19th century. Once more a love triangle emerges, and a man of God questions his faith, while more doubt is cast on lineage and heritage, and eventually leads the reader to Libby. As Libby works closely with the Sturrock family, she finds herself embroiled in their unconventional family dramas, where once more, scandal, lies, and greed brings the legends and myths of old, full circle, while adding and creating their own contemporary legends, sure to be pondered on and investigated by future generations.

While the pacing of the story slowly connects the three timelines, it is seamless and easy to follow, and so full of drama, angst, and tension it was hard to put the book aside for any length of time. The vivid Scottish scenery helps to create the rich atmosphere of the novel, combining historical details in with present day analogies.

I love legends, myths, folklore, and stories that are passed down from generation to generation. As is demonstrated here, the stories don’t always represent the whole truth, but, they allow us a portal to the past, and has a way of connecting families. But, one must wonder at the validity of the legends, how much truth is blended with embellishments, or if the legends were censured or exaggerated to conceal a scandal, or to protect someone, thus adding a quality of mystery and intrigue to be guessed at and debated for many generations to come.

4 stars show less

A good concept, which didn't quite live up to it's potential.

Three different women, three different time periods, connected by one remote part of the Scottish coastline. The idea that place connects people through time is an intriguing one, and exploring the deep connections one has to place was a good idea (modern day Libby connected by tales from her grandmother, 19th century Ellen connected by love of legend and a home she eventually has to leave, and 9th century Ulla connected by being show more abandoned there, and making a life there).

Each of these women had a different story to tell, each was influenced in different ways by the men in their lives, for better or ill, and from Ulla down through history there was an impact from one life to another.

But despite the promising premise, unfortunately the characters were underdeveloped (particularly Ulla (and Odrhan)), with no deep exploration of motivation which left each story ultimately dissatisfying. Ulla’s story did not get as much attention as it deserved, Ellen’s story was somewhat predictable, and Libby’s story was a combination romance and thriller, with a bit of archaeology thrown in (I still wanted to know what happened, though!).

I liked this book, I sort of liked the characters (despite them being a bit one-dimensional), but that’s about as enthusiastic as I could get for it. I bought it (and recommended it for our book club) because it was Waterstone’s Scottish Book of the Year, but, for me, it sadly wasn’t book of the year material. show less

An old house, old bones, old secrets and and old murder. If you like books that weave together two timelines this is a good book for you. At first I thought each section of timeline was too short; not giving me enough time to settle in with the characters and situation, but then they got longer.

Each timeline has a heroine; Hetty in the present and Beatrice in the past. It is in the past where the titular house lives. Unfortunately, everyone in it is tortured, anguished and unhappy. Starting show more with Theo the misery surrounds and pushes out from him to everyone. The thing is, I never did really understand why he was so miserable. Unrequited love for a childhood friend was all there was, but it seemed pathetic and not enough of an excuse for his terrible behavior to everyone in his orbit. The fact that he killed about every wild creature he saw didn’t help matters. Oh and it took me a while to realize that the divers he keeps referring to are loons! Why not just call them that??

Of course there is a tangle of relationships and begots that can only be threaded by modern DNA and that does come through in the end. Luckily it is the end so you don’t have to keep track of how people are related, but all through the book you will have your suspicions.

Although the past timeline doesn’t end happily, the present does and it was nice to see Hetty finally open her mouth and assert herself. Sure she had some rebellious thoughts, but she was very passive throughout. Giles, the agents, James Cameron - they all basically pushed her down their agendas and she went with it as long as it allowed her to pursue the house’s history. Overall satisfying if not highly original or surprising. I’ve put her newest book on my library list. show less