Too Deep for Tears

I recently reread Too Deep for Tears by Kathyrn Lynn Davis to continue reading the next two books, All That We Know and Somewhere Lies the Moon, from this trilogy. As I found after my first reading many years ago, this was a wonderful family saga and onyl wish there were more like this book these days. In the tradition of The Thorn Birds or more recently The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly, this book taskes hold of you and doesn't let go till the last page. Charles Kitteridge sires three daughters from three different women in three very different areas of the world. Aisla is raised in the hills and glens of the Scottish moors filled with all sorts of mysticism and traditions. Li Ann, whose mother was Chinese, was raised a blue eyed woman in China while Generva is raised in India the daughter of a Bristish woman who abandons her when she is very young. I really enjoyed this book and found the charazcters wonderful and entrancing. This was an unusually good story of three very different women and how they grew up imaginng their father. The characters were well drawn and their circumstances found me once again turning the pages of a real good book. And the end was very poiugnant and quite fitting as a father finalyl meets his three daughters from all over the world. I now look forward to reading the next two books in this series and continuing my enjoyment of this author's esepcially fine storytelling.

An Englishman has three daughters by three women in different parts of the world. Unable to be with them as they grow up, he sends for them when they are older so they can be together. The book revolves around each daughter and what impact their absent father has on their lives. One of the daughters is Scottish, the second Chinese, and the third an English girl raised in India.The descriptions of the scenery and total ambiance of each locale made me see, smell, and feel where they were. When I read about Ailsa Rose in Scotland, I saw the mists and waterfalls of the highlands. With Li-an, China came alive for me with its gentle women but politically unstable atmosphere. With Genevra, I saw the poverty and untouchables of India. I could see everything so clearly because Davis drew me into the stories. I confess to liking Ailsa Rose's story better than the other two though I got emotional through parts of it. Li-an drew my sympathy because she inherited her blue eyes from her father and had to always keep her eyes lowered because her countrymen would kill her if they knew. Generva had to bear the shame of her father and mother's adulterous affair that resulted in her birth. Anyone who loves reading about foreign places and romance will love this book. I don't consider this a romance book but romance is a strong factor. The book has two sequels that I haven't read yet but I bought them as soon as I read Too Deep For Tears. It's a truly wonderful book.

I was pleasantly suprised at the depth of feeling this book evoked. It's been a long time since I have been moved so by characters in a book. I had a hard time putting the book down, I felt I was a part of their world. I could imagine Glen Affric, and the heartache that Mairi, Ailsa, Li-an, and Genevra suffered, all because of the father they never knew. I would recommend this book for anyone, not just "romance" buffs.....it touches your heart.

I first read Too Deep for Tears when it was released in 1989 and can trace my love for Scotland back to it. Since that time I have interviewed Kathryn Lynn Davis. She is as fascinating as a person as she is talented as a writer, and her style is lush, lyrical, and sensual. I re-read this book whenever she releases a new book, and the fact that I have an advanced copy of the third and final book in this trilogy sitting in my living room means I will be up all night reading and crying.Too Deep for Tears is NOT to be missed. TTFN, Laurie Likes Books

I loved this book, it was so vivid in the character development, the emotions so clearly presented...you truly feel as if you are there...I love the different story lines and different settings each sister has...all the love and loss is of such a realistic manner that after you read the book, you have gained a space in your heart for each character...and even after you close the book and place it back on the shelf...they remain with you as clear as when you first discover them the day you opened the book.