Feminist period drama with a hint of the supernatural? Sign me up!
Orphan Lizzie is growing up on a farm in Scotland with her grandparents. Her life is relatively normal, except for the fact that she occasionally gets premonitions. She never sees herself, only those around her, and the visions are seldom joyful. As if that doesn’t complicate things enough, Lizzie learns she has an older sister, who begrudgingly comes to live with them on the farm.
Things seem to take a more positive spin when a young man named Louis enters Lizzie’s life, and encourages Lizzie to move to Glasgow to be closer to him. However, Louis is evasive when it comes to “making an honest woman” of Lizzie, and things take an incredibly unfortunate turn, changing Lizzie’s life forever.
It is only as I try to summarize this novel that I realize how much plot is packed into this wonderful piece of work. I have never read Margot Livesey before, and I was completely enamored by her writing. Lizzie is such an empathetic character, and her experiences reflect that of so many young women in the past and present. Even without Lizzie’s premonitions, the narrative is incredibly compelling.
The Road from Belhaven is a quiet novel about the variably-sized struggles of a special life. I love that Livesey mentioned that her mother had the gift of second sight in the acknowledgements. A beautifully written story. I can’t wait to read more of Livesey’s work.
California Reading 