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The Titanic
ended many lives but for the survivors, they had to learn to cope with
the
aftermath of that horrific day. For
survivor, Isabel Golightly and her six year old daughter, Eunice, life
continued with uncertainties and guilt when they walked away from the
chilly
waters and death when the Titanic sank. They both wondered at the fate
of the
handsome man who saved their lives on the ship, fearing that the sea
had claimed
him. Isabel never lived the finer life, only holding menial jobs to
make a
living. But her friend and sponsor, Loretta, opens up a whole new world
to
Isabel and her daughter. Soon they are
dancing among the elite in San Francisco and awed by the modern
inventions
like automobiles and telephones.
It is in San Francisco that Isabel and Eunice
find the
stranger from the Titanic and are overjoyed he survived.
Somerset Fitzroy is a man who Isabel finds
herself drawn to in the following days, yet she must hold him at arms
length. But Somerset proves to be so much
temptation for
Isabel that she struggles to resist.
Somerset is determined to show
her that
their love was meant to be. But why does
Isabel resist him so?
Anne Robins
writes an enchanting tale with A Perfect
Stranger. The harrowing days
after the Titanic's demise was a mass of chaos and of fear and guilt
for
the survivors such as young Eunice, as Ms. Robins depicts, nightmares
disturbed
her sleep as it did for those many decades ago.
Eunice was a constant delight in A
Perfect Stranger. She made me
smile, want to console her and I felt revived with her around,
especially in
San Francisco as she takes in all the sights and the new world she
lived. The endearing, yet humourous
romance between Somerset and Isabel was colourful
and
entertaining. Isabel tries to find her
way in a world that she's not used to and she portrays herself as a
strong
woman who the reader comes to know by the end of the story.
A Perfect Stranger is a great historical
romance with
come-to-life words about the location, the dances and society. Isabel's friend, Loretta, brought a lot of
life to this story. I found her to be
entertaining and just the friend Isabel needed in her life.
Ms. Robins
pens a delightful story that gives us much to think about, appreciate
all that
we have and love unfolds passionately. A Perfect Stranger is an
enjoyable historical romance which finds its spot on a reader’s keeper
shelf.
Reviewed by Tracey West
for The Road
to Romance\
April 27, 2004
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