The book was about an adventure. It was full, though, not just of the adventure, but of intrigue,love,grief,friendship,secrets,mystery and in some ways regret.
Written in a sytle similar to Debbie Macomber the opening chapter is almost scene setting, then each chapter is devoted between Emily and Clemmie, and a chapter periodically from Miss Temmis, who qas a life long companion and friend of the cousins great Aunt Mary.
Great Aunt Mary dies and as the family and friends gather at her funeral and then later the wake, Emily experiences the grief at the loss of her aunt, but also that of her boyfriend whom she had recently been betrayed by. During the course of the wake the solicitor tells Emily and Clemmie what their Great Aunt wanted them to do with her ashes. They are to take the ashes to Timadjlalen, in the Saharan Desert. This starts the adventure, why is the first question they ask. Clemmie immediately wants to follow her Aunt's wishes, Emily in contrast is more hesitant, uncertain because of danger but comes round and the two girls embark on their quest and do uncover the reason why they are despositing Great Aunt's ashes in the middle of the Sahara.
Miss Temmis is a woman with a secret. She believes that the girls will not be able to find the exact spot in the Sahara and the name of the person that is given to them by the solicitor, from Aunt Mary, will be useless to them. However, the name is not useless, and although that particular individual is dead his family live on, and Miss Temmis' secret is no more, although it is not until Emily arrives home is she able to complete the entire story.
I read this in one day, and found it be a page turning story, written in a very comfortable style.
The ramblings & obsessions of a fisherman's wife! ~ a potpourri of history, genealogy and books. Also some general ramblings if they take my fancy!
Thursday, 11 January 2007
Footprints in the Sand by Sarah Challis
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English women and deserts, before Rudolph Valentino and since.I remember a Miss English who lived in the Jebal Akadar,west of Tobruk in the 1960's.She kept King Idris supplied with Royal Jelly but really she just loved the emptiness and the desert she was always glad to see us but equally glad to see us go.
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