Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

A GRIPPING STORY. For me this was a “gripper” because I love Spain and traveled there extensively and studied the language and history. For years I’ve been intrigued by the “gypsy” culture and history. And the author has proven herself to be an eloquent writer in the British style, taking on layered stories that mix joy, faith and sorrow. Like real life, she blends light and darkness into the in-between shadows of real life. [NOTE: The term "gypsy" sometimes is perjorative, but not in this novel--it encompasses the lifestyle, history and culture precisely.] HISTORY AND LIFE. I also studied the Spanish Civil War with its horrors and revenge lasting well beyond its close. This novel on the very personal and emotional level fleshes out what this war did to some endearing people we can relate with. Many times to me the interactions are breathless to me as a reader – “I am there and within the characters.” It’s unusual in today’s secular novels to find a character who finds wisdom in a Christian tradition. But Rose does, often referring to her favorite Catholic spiritual book, “Divine Love by Julian of Norwich.” We also see the centrality of Catholic tradition in the culture of Spain, and that I found inspiring at times. PLOT AND TWISTS. For most of the book the plot is relaxing in its intertwining of lovable and not so likable characters. We see some valuable life lessons, such as: “What matters is how you bring a baby up. What values you can give to him or her—not what kind of person its father was.” Old sayings such as: “..that [some] children fostered by goats grow up to be noble adults!” A novel can have one twist too many, one that could be out of character or credibility. That’s how I reacted to a rather trite final ending twist in this book. I also felt that a main character, well-educated and experienced in life, wouldn’t confuse lust with love—twice. That is how many of today's “romance” novels treat “falling in love.” That weakness took away somewhat from my admiration of the main character and also credibility of the plot. LANGUAGE. I got the feel of the people in this book, some crude and some cultured. Surprising, there was no vulgar language. But the sex scenes might be too much for younger readers; several scenes are erotic but not so much that they are porn. OVERALL. I’m glad I chose this book. It kept me involved throughout, savoring the language and relating with the characters and culture. I look forward to reading other books by this author.