Child of Awe: Child of Awe

Child of Awe is the story of Muriella Calder whose father left her at a very young age as heiress to his large estates, much to the chagrin of the rest of the Calder and Rose clans. Muriella's guardianship was given to the powerful Earl of Argyll and he eventually takes her away from her mother's family (the Rose clan) by force with plans to wed her to his younger son John, who is not thrilled with his father's choice for his bride. Muriella was also born with "the sight" and is haunted by visions of the future that cause her much angst in her relationships with her new husband and family. The story carries on through multiple clashes between the warring clans, along with John and his older brother and their sister Elizabeth who was wed to one of Argyll's great enemies, as Muriella struggles against her visions and comes to know the one great love of her life. This is not your standard romance where the H & H are drying to jump each other's bones from their first glance and there were many times I wasn't sure who she was going to end up with, as the first few years of her marriage had gotten off to such a rocky start. Although this book is billed as historical romance, the author's notes at the end of the book state that Muriella and John along with their clans did exist in early 16C (early 1500's) Scotland, so I have to agree with another reviewer who stated that this is a tough toss up between calling it historical fiction instead of romance. Not the best in the genre (that's still Outlander), but far from the worst either. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4, not a bad way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon.

I had absolutely no idea what this book was about when I bought it, but it was recommended and what reviews there were of it were good. So this was kind of a shot in the dark. But it turned out to be a good one. This is the story of Muriella Calder, who when her father died shortly after her birth became the heir to a huge amount of valuable land in the Scottish highlands. Her mother's family, the Roses, attempted to keep her safe (and keep the and by marrying her to a cousin) but her wardship was given to the Earl to Argyll. So when she is old enough she is basically kidnapped by the Campbell's (the Earl's clan) and betrothed to the earl's second son John (this is all taking place in the late 14th early 15th century by the way.) It also has a supernatural element-Muriella has the second sight and frequently has terrible visions that always come true. It's called "Child of Awe" because of Loach Awe, which Muriella lives on, and the legend of the making of that loach (lake) which weaves its way into the story along with the tale of Elizabeth, the Earl's daughter who is married off to his greatest enemy and falls in love with him, only to be terribly abused. Based on the cover (the inside flap is a glossy picture of two beautiful girls in the heather) I thought this was a romance novel. The plot even seems like fairly standard romance novel stuff but while reading it I actually had a very hard time deciding if this was a romance novel or not. There are two fairly steamy sex scenes, a loveless marriage that kind of explodes into love for no real reason and a lot of angst. But there's a lot of historical info and if it is a romance novel it's one of the better written ones (the author says she worked on this book for eight years.) "Child of Awe" reads like historical fiction, fairly good historical fiction at that. So I would recommend this. It's not a five star novel (in my book anyway) but it's a pretty good book to pass the time with and because of it's subject matter perfect to read at this time of year when it's getting dark early and the leaves are turning....it's a very fall sort of book, if you know what I mean. Four stars.

I was obsessed with this book and the characters, I have read it throughout the years many times.

I came across this book in a library in Scotland, where I spent a year of my life, and was totally taken by it. Home again in Vienna I tried to obtain it in several bookstores but none of them had it. Then my sister brought it home from a visit to England and since then I've read it about a hundred times. I simply can't get enough of it. The characters are so real and special! On a recent visit to Scotland I also went to Kilchurn Castle and Loch Awe and it is just as described in the book, immensly beautiful! This book was worth every minute of your life, Mrs Davis!!!

This book is absolutely wonderful. I've read it a number of times and passed it along to family and friends. On a recent trip to Scotland the highlight was seeing Kilchurn Castle, where much of the story is set. It was fantastic. And I could just see the Campbell clan living on the beautiful Loch Awe. The story is extra special because it is based on real people and around real events. Kathryn Lynn Davis brings it all to life.