From Amazon - One warm, rainy summer, Freya Dane, a PhD candidate in archaeology, arrives on the ancient Scottish island of Findnar. Estranged as a child from her recently dead father, himself an archaeologist, Freya yearns to understand more about the man, his work on the island, and why he left her mother so many years ago. It seems Michael Dane uncovered much of Findnar’s Viking and Christian past through his search for an illusive tomb, and Freya continues his work. The discoveries she is destined to make, far greater than her father’s, will teach her the true meaning of love and of loss.
AD 800, and a wandering comet, an omen of evil, shines down on Findnar. The fears of the locals are justified. In a Viking raid, Signy, a Pictish girl, loses her entire family. Taken in by survivors of the island’s Christian community, she falls in love with an injured Viking youth left behind by the raiders and is cast out. Confused and bereft, eventually she becomes a nun, a decision that will unleash tragedy as she is plunged into the heart of a war between three religions. Forced to choose among her ancestors’ animist beliefs, her adopted faith, and the man she loves, Signy will call out to Freya across the centuries. Ancient wrongs must be laid to rest in the present and the mystery at the heart of Findnar’s violent past exposed.
In time the comet will return, a link between past and present. But for these two women, time does not exist. For them, the past will never die. It has waited for them both.
This is the first book I have read by Posie Graeme-Evans and she definitely has my attention! I just adore a compelling tale that the real world just falls away as I find myself immersed in the story. The Island House did just that. Two different times are told but in a fashion that the reader can easily follow along. Freya and Signy are extraordinary characters, doing the best they can with the hand that fate has dealt them. Both have tragedy in their lives and both have made life changing choices. Across time, ancient secrets are unearthed, a young romance travels south and the lure of a Viking treasure culls many.
If you enjoy a story prolific with historical details, archaeology, ancient secrets, unforgettable characters and sensational writing, you will want to pick up The Island House today. Definitely not to be missed!!
Posie is the author of five novels, most recently The Island House. She has worked in the Australian film and television industry for the last thirty years creator and producer of hundreds of primetime television programs, including “McLeod’s Daughters” and “Hi-5.” She lives in Tasmania with her husband and creative partner, Andrew Blaxland.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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The old grey donkey, Eeyore stood by himself in a thistly corner of the Forest, his front feet well apart, his head on one side, and thought about things. Sometimes he thought sadly to himself, "Why?" and sometimes he thought, "Wherefore?" and sometimes he thought, "Inasmuch as which?" and sometimes he didn't quite know what he was thinking about.
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