I thoroughly enjoyed Like Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen,
so when given the opportunity to read an advance copy of her new novel, I
jumped at the chance.
Once again, Ms. Gruen takes her readers inside a place and
time in history and brightens it up with magical or at least mystical
intervention. The story is set in WWII
Scotland, in a little town near Loch Ness.
The protagonist, Maddie, is a young woman traveling with her new husband
and his best friend on their mission to find the Loch Ness monster and redeem
their society position with family and friends after having been rejected to
serve their country in the war. Of
course, nothing is as these pampered and protected travelers expect and they
find themselves in a barebones inn where rations, blackouts, bombings put their
expectations in perspective. Only Maddie
sees the injustice and foolishness of their lifestyle, and the story follows
her discoveries of the special history of the place, the people and her own
courage.
This book
felt like a blend of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander, a bit of Julian Fellows Downton
Abbey and traditional romance. The
characters are well developed; (you will learn to really hate the husband!)
and, as in Like Water for Elephants, lends a sympathetic setting for the abused
and helpless, but strong, smart female characters. My only complaint was that it wrapped up a
little to quickly and tidily for such a complicated plot. It was a quick and easy read though, and I
enjoyed learning about wartime Scotland.
I received this ebook review copy from NetGalley. The book is available for pre-order now, for release on March 31,2015.
