Every so often, it’s good to have a little breathing space and the opportunity to catch up with an author whose books I’ve very much enjoyed. It’s a real pleasure today to share my review of Island Ties by Christine Campbell, the sequel to her Rose & Laurie that I so enjoyed when I read it back in 2019. This lovely book was independently published in July 2021, and is now available for kindle (free via Kindle Unlimited) and in paperback. The e-copy I read was my own, purchased via Amazon.
I first came across Christine’s writing back in 2018, with the chance discovery of Gold Plated – our paths had crossed through our involvement in promoting books for older readers (plus a little push in my direction by her editor Wendy Janes!), and I was delighted to find that she wrote the kind of books I enjoy reading. The story was one that any older reader would absolutely identify with as I did, with exceptional authenticity to every relationship, and a perfect emotional touch (you can read my full review again here). When writing Rose & Laurie, Christine asked me to cast an eye over the book’s nursing home scenes to make sure they rang true (they most certainly did…). And it was a book I really enjoyed – so many twists and turns to keep the pages turning, two superbly drawn women at the heart of the story, and some very accomplished writing (you’ll find my full review here). I always meant to return for more, but could never find a suitable window – it’s now time to put that right, visit the Scottish island of Arran once more, and catch up with the lives of Rose and Laurie…
Book one, Rose & Laurie, is a contemporary story set partly in London, partly in Edinburgh and mostly on the Scottish island of Arran, the Island series is about loyalty and love, sadness and betrayal, as well as forgiveness and new starts.
With mysteries to be solved, relationships to forge and romances rekindled or new, it’s a character driven story that goes on a journey with twists and turns.
Rose, an outgoing, feisty woman, enjoys a challenge. She moves from London, where she lived with her husband, had a fulfilling job and a daughter at university. Her life was all mapped out – until she was blown off course by events outwith her control.
Laurie lived a quiet life with her mother on the Scottish Island of Arran. Unmarried and childless, she struggled with disruption and uncertainty. When her mother’s dementia necessitated moving her into a nursing home, Laurie saw only loneliness ahead – until she uncovered something that explains her past and changes her future.
When their separate journeys brought them together, Rose and Laurie found they had more in common than they could ever have guessed.
When Rose meets her birth mother, Mary, dementia has robbed them of the chance to get to know each other.
In this second book, Island Ties, Rose follows a bitter-sweet path through the pages of Mary’s diary – learning about the life of a woman who loved her but only held her close for a few fleeting weeks before she gave her away.
Rose also discovers tantalising snippets about Mary’s parents, Agnes and Duncan McLeod, who ran a guest house on the beautiful island of Arran, where Rose now lives. Although she knows they must have died some years ago, she can find no death certificate for her grandmother.
In her determination to find out what happened to Agnes, she risks alienating the rest of her family, but how can she stop when she seems to have unearthed a terrible family secret?
This is a follow up to the book Rose & Laurie. It could be read alone, but will be enjoyed more after reading Rose & Laurie.
Their stories converged in the first book, Rose & Laurie, and both women are now moving on with their lives after the death of their mother Mary. Laurie had cared for her and painfully witnessed her decline with dementia – still deeply feeling her loss, it is mitigated by her sister Rose’s decision to make her home on Arran, and the opportunity to get to know each other better after their life-long separation. And there is much to look forward to – she’s found happiness in her new marriage, her still grieving father welcomed as part of their family, and Rose and her adult daughter moving to a cottage only walking distance away.
Mary wrote a diary, where Rose discovers much of the missing detail of her mother’s earlier life – and that leads them towards the mystery of their grandmother’s disappearance, leaving a young Mary alone with her curmudgeonly father, running a local guesthouse until banished when she became pregnant. Fearing that her grandmother might have been murdered – and even perhaps buried under the rockery – Rose’s obsession with uncovering the full story leads to the discovery of a cache of unopened letters, filling in the missing parts of the story, and leading her into a new relationship she never expected.
I’d agree that these books might be best read as a pair – although the author does provide enough glimpses of the story so far to make it possible to read this one as a standalone. And once more, I found the author’s writing particularly emotionally engaging – in the authenticity of the present-day relationships, the remnants of grief following Mary’s death, and the various twists and turns of family history slowly uncovered. But there is a lovely lightness in the story’s telling too – plenty of gentle humour (especially in Rose’s interactions with her daughter), and the joy you can feel in the closeness (with some teasing at times) between the two sisters. But there is a particular authenticity to their relationship – it’s not all sweetness and light, as Rose’s dogged pursuit of the full story behind her grandmother’s disappearance causes a fair few arguments and more than a little upset.
There’s a really strong focus on motherhood that I really enjoyed – the need to understand how grandmother Agnes could have left her daughter behind, the difficult decision Mary made in separating her daughters, and Rose’s difficult relationship with her adoptive mother, all set against the comfortable closeness between Rose and her own daughter. The romantic elements were nicely done too – the recent loss of a wife getting in the way of one possible relationship, the unexpected start of another (and its circumstances) taking the story in a rather lovely new direction. The story-telling is excellent – the author has created some very real and sympathetic characters, and has a particularly special touch in capturing the relationships between them and the uncertainties for some of moving their lives in a new direction. And the setting is quite wonderful – the writing captures the essence of island life, and shares plenty of Arran’s wild beauty. And I must mention the book’s perfectly chosen cover – when you read the book, its significance (and poignancy) will soon become clear.
I really enjoyed this one – as well as engaging me emotionally, I found the story perfectly paced, integrating the intriguing historical threads so well into a contemporary story that was everything I hoped it would be. Perhaps with particular appeal for a more mature reader, this book – and the one that preceded it – is very much recommended.
About the author
Christine Campbell lives in Scotland, in a small village outside of Edinburgh with her husband.
When she is not distracted by the varied wildlife currently taking up residence in her garden and the field beyond, Christine writes novels for your pleasure and hers – because, let’s face it, writing is fun!
As a self-confessed stationery junkie, Christine has an impressive collection of notebooks and pens, which sit nicely among her many books. In fact, she is almost as passionate about reading as she is about writing.
You can find all her novels on Amazon Kindle via her Amazon author page: if you prefer to read a paperback, they are all available via FeedARead. She posts regularly on her blog, as well as producing occasional videos about her writing on her Facebook page: you can also find her on Twitter.
I know a few gals who just came back from a writing retreat on Arran.
I spotted that Rosie – and another destination to add to my ever-increasing bucket list!
So pleased to read this review, Anne. Like me, you see many wonderful things in Christine’s writing – the authentic characters and their relationships, the beautiful descriptions…
She’s such a natural storyteller too Wendy – I so enjoyed this one!