Alexandra Raife

Advantages: Great characters, enjoyable story, interesting issues explored
Disadvantages: Rather too many minor characters

...mention of people who were featured as main protagonists in earlier books. So there are quite a few to catch up on, as this is her ninth novel. I've read all the others, although not recently, so I had a vague memory of who was who, and I still found the sheer number of people a bit overwhelming at times. I think this aspect could be really quite confusing for someone who hasn't read Alexandra Raife before. What's more, some of the returning characters seemed to me to be extraneous to the plot, such as a hotelier on the other side of the glen who has a seriously ill husband. I didn't have a problem myself with these people being included, as they had been the main characters of one of the earlier books I'd read, so there was a sense of catching up on news of old friends. However if this had been the first Raife book I'd come across, I... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Lovely characters, well-written plot, satisfactory ending
Disadvantages: One or two minor continuity flaws

...under her wing, shows her around, introduces her to various animals including her beloved horses, and generally helps her settle in more than anyone else. I didn't feel that Laura was as sympathetically drawn as the children in similar books by other authors, but she certainly helped to move the novel forward, and provided a much younger person's viewpoint. • Other characters • There are other minor characters: a significant one is James, the introverted widower who lives not far away with his small twin daughters. There are also various domestic and farm workers who play significant parts in Kate's new life. They are introduced gradually, and I didn't have any difficulty remembering who each one was. In addition, there are a few 'extras' whom I recognised from previous books - names Alexandra Raife has re-used, in character, which... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Delightful characters, great plot, quite thought-provoking in places
Disadvantages: Not long enough!

...My favourite kind of novel is the family saga: I read everything by Rosamunde Pilcher, Maeve Binchy, Alexandra Raife, and a growing circle of others. I came across Erica James almost by chance, when someone gave me one of her books for Christmas a few years ago; I liked it sufficiently to ask relatives for others, and even to buy one or two myself. The only one I didn't like so much was 'The Holiday', which seemed to me more like an average holiday romance 'chick-lit' book than a family saga, and I nearly didn't bother to read 'Precious Time'. I'm extremely glad that I gave her books another chance! I was totally charmed, and rank this now as one of my all-time favourite books. * Brief synopsis * Clara, a single mother, decides to take her four-year-old son Ned travelling in a camper van, so they can spend some time together... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful