The Exile of Sara Stevenson
Sara Stevenson, spoiled daughter of a wealthy lighthouse builder, gives her love to a common sailor; but, after promising to return to her always, he disappears, leaving Sara pregnant. She means to wait for him, but this being 1815 Scotland, her father has other plans. He sends Sara to a remote lighthouse to have the baby.
During the severe winter that follows, Sara gives up on ever seeing her sailor again. She learns to cope with hardship, becomes involved with the island community, and begins to fall in love with the handsome, brooding light-keeper. Letters from a stranger seem to reveal the sailor’s fate – and yet Sara cannot forget him. Will her lover return after all? Suffice it to say, true love transcends the barriers of time and space.
The Exile of Sara Stevenson contains all the elements of a gothic novel: the dark mood and remote location, a hero with a past, a touch of the supernatural, and a courageous young woman who tells the tale in florid language. The action scenes are colorful and the plot complex, but, alas, the characters (as described by Sara) appear on stage like silent movie actors with wild eyes and furtive gestures. This was an age of extravagance, but we learn nothing real; to understand people, we need the subtlety that is sadly lacking.
Hannah is a writer of promise. Her work may appeal to romantics who enjoy a long, slow read, but probably not to HNR readers.
