Tuesday, December 6, 2011

MINE IS THE NIGHT, by Liz Curtis Higgs


As promised last week, here's my review of the conclusion of Liz Curtis Higgs' beautiful retelling of the Biblical story of Naomi and Ruth.
Mine is the Night continues the story of Margery and Elizabeth Kerr as they leave Edinburgh and travel to an uncertain future in Margery's hometown of Selkirk.
Faced with near poverty, and branded as traitors for their support of the Jacobite cause, they find lodging and eke out the barest of livings in a poor section of town. When retired Lord Admiral Jack Buchanan purchases an estate near Selkirk, Elizabeth is hired as a seamstress to sew gowns for the many servants in the Admiral's employ. However fine her skills, her employment depends on the Admiral's ignorance of her Jacobite sympathies.
The story follows her difficulties, as well as the lives of the men and women she comes to care for in Selkirk. As with Here Burns My Candle, Mine is the Night is filled with fascinating details about eighteenth century Scotland. And also as with Here Burns My Candle, I couldn't put this book down. Higgs is a skillful storyteller who keeps the reader engrossed until the last page.
I give this series an enthusiastic five stars.

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