I was making my way along at the glacially slow pace of this and trying to recall if the characters she drops into plot points had actually been described before and seeing most of the overwrought emotional angst and the "A Tragic Misunderstanding" plot points as quite familiar from the other novel I had read by this author when she suddenly decided to advance things by such a horrifically cruel event that I could barely finish it and hardly cared who connected up and had a happy ending. I am beginning to wonder about the rosy view I have Mountain Heather or if a reread would make it as unendurable as this got.

Clare decides to give up her wild life and live in an isolated cottage in Scotland. As she struggles to cope, and gets involved in the local community, her past gradually emerges into the open. A gentle and enjoyable book with clever observations about people. ( )