First Sentence: My cousin
didn’t try to catch the bride’s bouquet.
Sara Thomas finds, having Asperger’s Syndrome, it is
much easier for her to work on her own. A computer programmer,
she uses Sudoku as a way to control her episodes. Presented
with the challenge of breaking a cipher, which she does in
17 seconds, leads her to a job within a family home in Paris
deciphering and translating the journal of Mary Dundas, a
Jacobite exile yearning for freedom, and a place to belong.
Divided by centuries, these two women are each on a journey
of self-discovery.
Kearsley is an absolute delight to read. She introduces us
to an interesting, unusual character creating an immediate
affinity, and then adds a very intriguing puzzle.
Her wonderful descriptions allow us to walk into the middle
of a scene…”It was, I thought, the perfect postcard
view of what an English village green should look like, right
down to the pond at the far corner, with its trailing golden
willows and its noisy scrambling ducks…” Yet it’s
the details of something seemingly insignificant, such as
a man and his gun-shy Gordon Setter, that make such a difference…”He
took his glove off when he shook my hand—the mark, my
father always said, of a true gentleman.”
Kearsley does a wonderful job of providing a very concise,
yet informative, lesson on Scottish history and the Jacobites.
She also brings characters across from past books, but in
a way that someone reading this, and no other, aren’t
left wondering. Sara, our present day protagonist, is a very
interesting character and the information on Asperger’s
is fascinating but included in such a way that is natural
and fits with the flow of the story. Luc, to whom Sara is
attracted, is a bit too good to be true, but don’t we
all wish. However, it is through him that we learn interesting
about French laws related to children and the school schedule.
The dialogue is excellent, capturing the structure of English,
French, and Scots characters. There are lovely descriptions
of meals, from the simple snack of bread with lots of butter,
chocolate and milk or coffee, to a festive dinner…”We
had champagne and oysters, smoked salmon on toast and roast
pork and a platter of delicate cheeses, with wines for each
course and a chocolate log cake for the finish.
While dual time-period stories can often be frustrating, Kearsley
handles them beautifully. The character and plot in each period
holds its own; one doesn’t feel to be less important
or significant and both are equally intriguing. What is even
more impressive is that it reflects what usually happens when
reading historic texts or journals. We, in the present, have
only an overview, somewhat of a summarized view of the events
of the past. By including the story from Mary’s point
of view, we are privy to the actual events. It is within Mary’s
story that we also find wonderful suspense and tension. It
also opens the door to learning things with otherwise might
not, such as the history of fairy tales. And for those who
love stories of Highlanders, McPherson is a true, red-headed
Scot with two swords, one being a basket-hilt Scottish sword,
and a dirk.
The depth of Kearsley’s research is very impressive.
Within the historic period, much is based on actual figures,
places and events, all of which adds richness and veracity
to the story.
“A Desperate Fortune” begins in the present, and
ends in the past, yet both stories are complete, satisfying
and completely wonderful and touch your heart. This may well
be Kearsley’s best book…yet.
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