Customer Reviews

The Starry Child

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Lynn Hanna sure knows how to write a beautiful book! This is a lovely story about a mother and daughter and the man they meet who will try to straighten out the mess their lives have turned into.

Images of Scotland take the reader there, and the characters will endear themselves to you. I love a good paranormal romance novel and this is one I highly recommend to all.

I hope Lynn Hanna has many more books in the works.

Rainey is a woman who has been through hell and back; her eight year-old daughter, Sasha, is her saving grace. Rainey has lost her husband in a plane crash, and Sasha now exhibits strange speech and dangerous behavior.

After Rainey's older neighbor, Emma, hears Sasha speaking in the "old language" of Gaelic on a video tape, she recommends that Rainey get in touch with linguistics professor, Matt MacInnes. What Matt discovers about Sasha, and how it will turn their lives around, is the spellbinding part!

Lynn Hanna sure knows how to weave a spellbinding, beautiful tale of romance, Scottish magic, and mystery. The cover of the new Novel Books edition is just gorgeous, too. But, it's what's between the covers that will hook you to this incredible storyteller.

THE STARRY CHILD is a definite keeper for me, and I can't wait to read the other books in this series.

I have never read a book and been so anxious to read the authors next book. I finally came across Circle of Time and it is as well written and intriguing as the first.

This is truly an amazing story. It captured my interest from the very first chapter. If you read the sample, you'll be hooked! Sasha is an intriguing character, so different from any other character I've read. Her relationship with her mother and with Matt is complex and very emotional at times, especially when it comes to her widowed mother. Legends and fantasy will keep you guessing throughout this very well told story by a gifted and imaginative author. I highly recommend it.

Three years have passed since Alan Nielson, a caring father and wonderful husband, died. Alan's positive outlook on life brought energy and stability to anyone he touched. His widow Rainey has had to bury her own grief over the loss of her beloved spouse because their daughter Sasha has not coped at all with the loss of her idolized dad, who affectionately dubbed her the "Queen of the Woodland Fairies". Instead, Sasha has not spoken one coherent word since she learned that her father was never coming home again.

Sasha occasionally speaks in gibberish, leaving the medical profession and unsympathetic neighbors to believe that she should be committed to an institution. Rainey's friend, who never heard the child speak before, recognizes the gibberish as a form of Gaelic. She convinces Stanford University Linguistics Professor Matt MacInnes, who speaks fluent Gaelic, to visit the Nielson home. Shockingly, the little girl and the teacher easily communicate. However, Sasha's story is even more frightening as she describes the tale of a long dead Scottish princess whose mission on earth is being carried out by a small American child.

THE STARRY CHILD is one of the most imaginative love stories to have been published in several years. The mixing of the mystical myths of the Celts with modern day California is brilliantly designed, making for a unique, crisp story line. The three main characters are all warm and real as they struggle to deal with a perilous inevitability that most likely will lead to their doom. If this is any indication of her creative juices, Lynn Hanna has a long time destiny of her own as a very successful writer.

Harriet Klausner

Sasha has not been able to communicate verbally with anyone since she was five. She became a quasi-elective mute when her father died in an airplane accident. By eight, she is a veteran of special schools and misguided experts. One of these "experts" is bound and determined to have her institutionalized so he can use her as a chemical guinea pig. Her mother fights like a soldier for her and refuses to institutionalize her and protects her from gawking strangers, intrusive strangers who misinterpret her muteness as evidence of abuse. One intrusive little boy and his ill mannered mother make trouble for Rainey and Sasha when Sasha ignores the boy's entreaty to play on the see saw with him. The boy's mother meddles, makes inappropriate comments and later reports Rainey to Child Protective Services.

As another reviewer noted, the villians stand out in stark contrast to the other characters. In the old west, they'd have a show down in Dodge City and wear hats that identify their good or bad guy status.

Hope comes in the form of a neighbor named Emma. A lady from Scotland, she recognizes Sasha's intermittent speech as Gaelic. She points Rainey, Sasha's mother in the direction of a Gaelic professor with the idea of reaching Sascha.

Rainey heeds her gentle advice and the rest of the book is filled with misty, starry skies, Gaelic flavored history and the identity Sascha has claimed as hers. A cliche romance ensues, and Sasha is on the road to recovery. She travels a long and bumpy road from California to Scotland, where she reconnects with the soul of a dead Scottish princess.

Replete with Celtic legends, language and flavor, this book is much more interesting than most romance novels. Sasha, her mother Rainey, Matthew the professor and Emma the good hearted neighbor are the good guys. You cheer when they win.

I loved this story about magic and love. You'll fall in love with the little girl and I promise you won't put the book down until you find out what happens to her and the people who love her. It's got everything, the Celtic legends and adventure and travel.

You must have this beautiful new edition of The Starry Child, just now available. It's a magical story of love and mystery. You'll love it!

The moment I started this book I was swept into a timeless story of love, loss, and life. Rainey, a strong,independent, woman, lost her husband, Alan, to a plane crash. After her husband died, her daughter Sasha refuses to speak to anyone at all. Three years later when Sasha speaks again, it is in an old form of Gaelic, the language of Scotland in the Middle Ages, used some today, but in a different dialect. The only person who can understand Sasha is Matt McGinnis, a professor Rainey can't sort out her feelings for. Matt tells Rainey of the impossible task Sasha must achieve, only further confusing her feelings towards him. Overall, this book tells a tale of the many aspects of human nature, the good sides, the bad sides, and the sides that are bittersweet.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!! It was so refreshing to read such a creative romantic modern day fairy tale with a twist! I look forward to her next book! What a refreshing way to tell a story. After reading other reviews the only thing I agree on is the fact that I do wish the book had gone into some more detail to make it longer. I only say this selfishly because I didn't want it to end! GREAT BOOK!