10/25/2023

Sturmjahre-Ein Gefühl Von Unendlichkeit by Lia Scott

The soft colors of the beautiful cover and the design motive was the first thing I noticed. And when I found out, that the author was the same only with a different name from another series I had read, I had to know how this novel is. The tone is different, the writing style is different, and the time of the story is different. However, the way the author describes the landscape is still the same. And Scottland is with its rough and gorgeous landscape and people the perfect setting for this new family story.

Sturmjahre-Ein Gefühl Von Unendlichkeit*

by Lia Scott
Sturmjahre Saga #1
Publisher Fischer TB on April 26, 2023
Genre Novel
Pages 492
Format Paperback
Source Fischer TB
Goodreads
✶✶✶✶

Gentle hills, rough cliffs: a great love in dramatic times.

Scotland 1917: Green meadows and strong winds - this is the home of Bonnie and her family. But since the First World War raged, she worked as a nurse caring for injured soldiers in a London hospital. When her brother Archie lands on Bonnie's ward, she is incredibly relieved that he is still alive. Archie is accompanied by his comrade Connor, who is immediately attracted to Bonnie. When they return home together, she finally feels something like confidence again - but the shadows of the past threaten her happiness...

Story

Bonnie wants to help. She works in Edinburg as a nurse and when one day her brother is in her ward, she knows what to do to help him. Back home he and the other soldiers have to deal with their pain, and nightmares, and Bonnie too, needs to deal with the past and the pain of the present. And if she will ever have a happy future, she needs to convince not only her brother but also the man she loves, that everything is worth fighting for.

Style

Lia Scott's writing style is sensitive, somewhat lengthy in places, and easy to read. The way she presents the mood of the time and the living conditions in both the city and the country to the reader is very successful and convincing. The horse-drawn carriages, the houses, and the Scottish landscape were described so vividly that you couldn't help but see it vividly in front of you. The exuberant townhouse in Edinburgh alone was so obvious, it was almost too much for me. In terms of furnishings. The author plays with incredible contrasts that have it all.

Characters

There are many wonderful contrasts here in the individual characters. Archie, who sees himself as the king of his small village, Bonnie, who is almost too guarded by him, Connor, who at some point got on my nerves with his overwhelming feelings of guilt. That was a bit too much.

Blaire, Bonnie's sister, on the other hand, is awesome. How she keeps her brother Archie under control, what she dares to say or even do, hats off to her! And everything is held together by mother Mairead in a patient, I-see-everything way. This character is the secret star of the novel. When her son Archie says no, she gives her blessing in a mischievous and charming way. This leads to some delicious scenes and dialogue.

Conclusion

A solidly written novel that scores with a fantastic Scottish landscape. But I don't understand why it had to go on for well over 400 pages. Here less would clearly have been more. As a positive point, I also note that I really liked some of the characters. And Bonnie's sister is an absolute blast. She often made me laugh. Whiskey and gin will never again have the same meaning for me as they did before reading this novel, that's for sure *laughs*

Happy reading

*This book was kindly provided to me by Fischer TB in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you. The book was, at the time of this review was published, only available in the German language.

Deutsche Rezension

Stil

Lia Scotts Schreibstil ist feinfühlig, stellenweise etwas langatmig und einfach zu lesen. Wie sie vor dem Leser die Stimmung der damaligen Zeit und die Lebensumstände sowohl in der Stadt als auch auf dem Land ausbreitet, ist schon sehr gelungen und überzeugend. Die Pferdekutschen, die Häuser und die schottische Landschaft, das war so plastisch beschrieben, da konnte man gar nicht anders, als es bildhaft vor sich zu sehen. Allein das überbordende Stadthaus in Edinburgh war so deutlich, das war mir fast schon zu viel. In puncto Einrichtung. Die Autorin spielt da mit unglaublichen Gegensätzen, die es in sich haben.

Charaktere

Es gibt hier viele wunderbare Gegensätze, bei den einzelnen Figuren. Archie, der sich als der König seines kleinen Dorfes sieht, Bonnie die von ihm fast schon zu sehr bewacht wird, Connor, der mir mit seinen überbordenden Schuldgefühlen irgendwann gewaltig auf den Nerv ging. Das war einen Tick zu viel.

Blaire, die Schwester von Bonnie hingegen ist der Hammer. Wie die ihren Bruder Archie im Griff hat, was die sich traut zu sagen oder gar zu tun, Hut ab! Und alles wird von der Mutter Mairead auf geduldige und Ich-seh-alles-Weise zusammengehalten. Diese Figur ist der heimliche Star des Romans. Wo ihr Sohn Archie nein sagt, gibt sie auf verschmitzte und charmante Weise ihren Segen. Das führt zu so manch köstlicher Szene und Dialog.

Resultat

Ein solider geschriebener Roman, der mit einer fantastischen schottischen Landschaft punktet. Doch warum er weit über 400 Seiten gehen musste, erschließt sich mir nicht. Hier wäre weniger eindeutig mehr gewesen. Als positiven Punkt merke ich aber auch an, dass mir einige Figuren sehr gefallen haben. Und Bonnies Schwester ist der absolute Knaller. Die hat mich oft zum Lachen gebracht. Whiskey und Gin werden für mich nie wieder die Bedeutung haben wie vor dem Lesen dieses Romans, das ist schon mal sicher *lach*

Lia Scott

Lia Scott, born in 1984, lives with her husband, two children, a dog, and lots of chicken in a small town near Freiburg. With the Storm Years Saga, she combines her love for Scotland with the moving fates of the time - during and after the First World War. Lia Scott is the pen name of author Lilian Kaliner.

Follow

Twitter ❀ Instagram ❀ Goodreads ❀ Facebook ❀ Bloglovin ❀ Tumblr ❀ Pinterest