A beautifully told and intriguing mystery about two generations of Scottish women united by blood, an obsession with the past, and a long-hidden body, from the author of The House Between Tides. Libby Snow has always felt the pull of Ullaness, a headland on Scotland’s sea-lashed western coast where a legend has taken root. At its center is Ulla, an eighth-century Norsewoman whose uncertain fate … Norsewoman whose uncertain fate was entangled with two warring brothers and a man who sought to save her. Libby first heard the stories from her grandmother, who had learned it from her own forebear, Ellen, a maid at Sturrock House.
The Sturrocks have owned the land where Ulla dwelled for generations, and now Libby, an archaeologist, has their permission to excavate a mysterious mound, which she hopes will cast light on the legend’s truth. But before she can begin, storms reveal the unexpected: the century-old bones of an unidentified man. The discovery triggers Libby’s memories of family stories about Ellen, of her strange obsession with Ulla, and of her violent past at Sturrock House.
As Libby digs deeper, she unravels a recurring story of love, tragedy, and threads that bind the past to the present. And as she learns more of Rodri Sturrock, the landowner’s brother, she realizes these forces are still at work, and that she has her own role to play in Ulla’s dark legend.
more
Scotland, back and forth in time, murders, illegitimate children, missing jewels, secrets, buried treasures, legends, a permitted excavation, authentic characters, and an old estate all greet us in WOMEN OF THE DUNES.
We follow Libby as she and her university team have gotten permission to excavate the estate of Hector Sturrock and an estate where Libby’s great grandmother worked as a servant.
Libby’s grandmother told her of the legend of Ulla that was part of the estate and the town of Ullaness. Libby had always enjoyed the legend and liked to hear it every time she visited her grandmother.
When Libby joined the team for the excavation, she had to decide if she would tell what her grandmother had told her and what her great grandmother had kept from the estate.
The legend began with a ship coming into a harbor where a monk named Odrhan lived. Ulla was pregnant with her husband’s brother’s child, but when the husband found out about the baby, he badly hurt his brother, Harald, so Ulla sailed away with the injured Harald and sailed to Odrhan for help.
As generations continued so did the legend and its people. The most interesting aspect was that Libby was the current generation of the women involved, and there were many secrets kept by them all.
WOMEN OF THE DUNES was captivating simply because of the lifestyle of the original family as well as those who lived in the Sturrock estate today.
The women of all generations had stories to tell, the estate’s castle-like home still kept its charm, and the legend made WOMEN OF THE DUNES enticing.
I really enjoyed the descriptions of the land and the house. Going back in time and hearing a story re-created is something I always love to read about.
The two stories – present and past – connected, came full circle, and brilliantly meshed together as mirrored stories.
Any reader who enjoys castles, secrets, looking for clues in old documents, and re-tracing the steps of characters that lived long ago will want to read WOMEN OF THE DUNES.
WOMEN OF THE DUNES is going to be a favorite. 5/5
This book was given to be as an ARC by the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Women of the Dunes by author Sarah Maine is a beautifully written story which covers three generations of women. Ulla, Ellen, and Libby are each from different time periods but connected by myth, murder, and blood ties. Libby is a present-day archeologist who has more than an educational interest in accompanying a group of students to an island in western Scotland where her grandmother Ellen told her stories of ancient myth, murder, and later sent her a gold cross hidden within the folds of the letter. Libby decides to take a trip to Ullanessm the island of mystery and ruins before the scheduled dig to get a feel for the stories she has been told and to decide what to do about the gold cross which must have come from the artifacts of the former Norsemen who lived there. I won’t post spoilers, but the story is rich in the personalities of the strong women and how history seemed to repeat itself across generations in some of the events. This book brings together so many elements of life and conflict, such as love, family, religion, and greed.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I enjoyed reading this book. The book follows three different timelines. Libby arrives on the coast of Scotland to work on an archaeological dig to solve one historic mystery. While there she she uncovers another historic mystery. There is also something mysterious about the current residents of the manor house. There is a lot going on in the book but I still found the book easy to read. But with everything going all there are some plot lines that do not feel completed. The mysteries do get solved . The author does a very good job with the Scotland setting and I really enjoyed the all the characters. I look for word to reading more by this author. Enjoy
This novel took a moment to get into but when you get there you don’t turn back OR stop turning those pages as fast as you can. Poetically written, which can be wordy for some, but just beautiful to me.
A beautifully told and intriguing mystery about two generations of Scottish women united by blood, an obsession with the past, and a long-hidden body, from the author of The House Between Tides. This is truly one of the best books I have read this year. It has everything you need for a great story; suspense, great location, fabulous characters and a mystery that kept me guessing right up to the end of the book. If you enjoy the books of Susanna Kearsley or Kate Morton, you will enjoy this one A definite “could not put this one down” read. 5 stars all the way.