Somewhere Lies the Moon [Hardcover]

Kathryn Lynn Davis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1999

In her "New York Times" bestselling novel "Too Deep for Tears," Kathryn Lynn Davis launched an acclaimed saga brimming with evocative, deeply emotional portrayals. Now, this beloved storyteller returns to a magnificent world of laughter and tears, hope and desire, in an exquisite new novel.

Eva Crawford faces the most important decision of her life -- whether to accept a marriage proposal from the only man she has ever loved -- and finds herself in turmoil over her past, and haunted by unsettling dreams. The key to her peace of mind lies where it always has: Glen Affric, the peaceful Scottish Highland sanctuary that has linked the Rose women -- mothers, daughters, and sisters for generations. For Eva, their stories are her legacy of strength, her promise of a hopeful future.

For Ena Rose, the daughter of Ailsa Rose, growing up in Glen Affric has been idyllic. Adored by all, Ena is a free spirit who prefers the company of animals to people. She saves lost woodland creatures and heals the injured with herbs, roots, and her instincts. But young womanhood looms; and as she tries desperately, to dodge the challenges before her, Ena faces tormenting questions of the heart -- and a love that can never be. For the wild child who refuses to grow up, the path to adulthood will be fraught with heartache and loss -- but will lead one day to redemption and happiness.

Then there are the women whose destinies have unfolded over decades and eras, and whose lives touch others in unseen ways: Mairi Rose, warm and wise, who binds the family together...Ailsa, who found boundless happiness in her daughter Ena, the last living symbol of Ian Fraser's heroism...Wan Lian, who is driven bysoul-consuming sorrow and anger at the death of her loved ones in the turbulent politics of the Chinese imperial court...Genevra Townsend, who finds amongst the exotic dangers of the British Raj in India an inner serenity that will allow her to return at last to Glen Affric....

Their hopes and sorrows, their desires and fears arc at the heart of this magnificent tale. Richly textured with joy and sadness, life-affirming in its depiction of the generations of the Rose women, Somewhere Lies the Moon is an astounding triumph for Kathryn Lynn Davis. Its timeless wisdom and stirring emotion will make these unforgettable heroines live on long after the final page is turned.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In her earlier novels Too Deep for Tears and All We Hold Dear, Kathryn Lynn Davis introduced readers to the Rose women, a close-knit brood of Scottish women who tend their inner gardens like master botanists. Now in Somewhere Lies the Moon, Eva Crawford connects with her female ancestors through their diaries and heirlooms and leads readers through the complex evolution of these women's relationships.

Matriarch Mairi Rose; the three half-sisters Ailsa, Genevra, and Lian; and the granddaughter Ena have an intense connection that pulls them together in times of duress. When young Ena begins to suffer foreboding nightmares, her female relatives sense her pain and rush from the far edges of the earth to help her. As Ena confronts the challenges of life, Mairi, Ailsa, Genevra, and Lian face their own battles and help inspire Ena with their successes.

With the liberal use of flashbacks and dreams, Davis carefully develops the internal state of her characters' minds. While the book is sectioned into the stories of Lian, Genevra, and Ena, the last section is by far the most compelling, although the insertion of the modern plot of Eva Crawford's nuptial paranoia feels awkward. New readers will admire the complex tapestry of emotion that Davis weaves, and previous fans will enjoy the chance to watch these familiar characters surmount their latest struggles. --Nancy R.E. O'Brien

From Publishers Weekly

Like the Scottish Highlands glen where the heart of her new historical romance beats, Davis's prose is sometimes vibrant and alluring, sometimes impenetrable as gorseAespecially for a reader new to her ongoing saga of the Rose clan (Too Deep for Tears). Despite the awkward premise that a contemporary young woman is reliving the tangled events of her 19th century ancestors, the novel will reward persistent readers. Mairi Rose Kittredge, the matriarch of Glen Affric, has embraced as daughters the love-children of her dead husband, Charles Kittredge, a British diplomat who had fathered Lian in China and Genevra in India, as well as Ailsa with Mairi in Scotland. The three half-sisters, who first meet as young women at the time of their father's death, remain empathically connected until dream-summoned back to the Glen, 17 years later, where Mari is on her deathbed. Their lives are described at exhausting length, and husbands and lovers and sons never quite completely claim the women's souls. Indeed, the most intriguing intimacies in the book are between women. An especially compelling triangle unites Ailsa, her pubescent daughter, Ena, and Jenny Fraser, whose late husband, Ian, is Ena's father. Though the betrayal is painful, childhood best friends Jenny and Ailsa eventually reconcile because of their shared love for Ena. As the novel gains momentum, it dispenses words of wisdom about mothers and daughters, women's power to forgive and the need of men to indulge in bloody, tragic heroics. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 544 pages
• Publisher: Atria (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671736051
• ISBN-13: 978-0671736057
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,547,959 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real writer!, June 26, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Somewhere Lies the Moon (Hardcover)

I love all of Kathryn's books and SOMEWHERE LIES THE MOON has to be one of her best. Oh, what am I saying? They're all terrific reads, brimming with emotion, fully developed characters, plots and rich settings. Suspense lies inside the hearts' of these characters, and she keeps you wondering about them long after you've closed the book. All of her books are keepers for me, I just wish she would write faster. It's probably one of the reasons why many don't know about this wonderful author. If you like richly told novels, real novels with characters that stay with you for years to come, don't miss this book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book that will touch your soul!!, July 8, 2000

By 

Kappy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Somewhere Lies the Moon (Hardcover)

As a woman myself, this book is a great read. It touched me in places, that had long since died. Its the journey of four women, sisters, from all different corners of the world. They come together, for there fathers funeral. This book is the discovery of what every woman goes through, the discover of strength, they didnt know they had, of friendships that are reborn again, and learning to trust your heart. Read this on it will take you on a journey of yourself also. Let it make you cry, laugh, and smile so big, you think your heart will burst. A MUST READ BOOK.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent historical romance, August 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Somewhere Lies the Moon (Hardcover)

Following the death of her English husband, Ailsa Rose returns to the Scottish highlands she always cherished. She meets Ian Frasier, who dies before she gives birth to their child Ena. Of all the Rose clan, no one seems quite at home in the wilds as Ena, who loves nature.

However, as the nineteenth century winds down, Ena is no longer a child running wild. She has blossomed into a beautiful woman with all the needs and hopes, but remains a diamond in the rough. However, as with her mother, grandmother, and aunts before her, Ena will soon learn how to live and give as she discovers the treasure and pain of love.

SOMEWHERE LIES THE MOON is the third epic tale starring the Rose women. As with its predecessors (TOO DEEP FOR TEARS and ALL WE HOLD DEAR), this novel is extremely complex with many subplots that tie back into a deep, poignant journey of discovery. The story line is more than a coming of age tale. Instead, the plot focuses on balancing love and caring with cherishing an inner harmony. What makes this trilogy a rare find is that readers will reassess personal values after traveling with the Rose brood.

Harriet Klausner