*****
At face value this is an oft-told tale of a young woman's fall from grace and redemption but it is told with such passion and depth of feeling that, what is at face value a simple tale, is transformed into something much more. I have read all of this author's work and I especially love the dialogue between her characters, through which the plot is subtly revealed. It's simplicity avoids the convoluted storylines one finds in many books but it remains engaging throughout with a few surprises along the way, just in case you thought you knew exactly where it was going.
I find Ms Priestley's female characters really interesting, there's no one-dimensional, saccharine sweetness in these historical novels. Nell ( The Calling of Highbrook); Annalise (The Strangers In Me) and now Serena from Little Robin are real with many facets; likeable but flawed, unworldly but strong, kind-hearted but unyielding and tenacious when it comes to injustice.
