Anyone who enjoys the novels of Rosamund Pilcher will appreciate this book.  Set in Scotland and written from a male perspective this novel depicts one year in the life of the Henderson family.  Three middle-aged sons, their families and their parents.  And of course, the family home, ‘East Fortune’.  It examines what home means to different people, why we want to be there or not, and why.

Runcie writes of the defining moments of life.  How they shape our character and our future.  How love comes in many forms and is different for everybody.  How life and happiness are transient and often taken for granted.  Families shape our lives and cause us to evaluate how we see ourselves and how the world sees us.  You are always a child to your parents. No matter how old or successful you might have become some tiny part of you wants their approval and acceptance.  We strive to find happiness and success –  and then often do not recognize them until it is too late.

This novel causes the reader to become introspective and thoughtful.  Our time spent with the Henderson clan is too brief –  time is too brief.  And so it goes…