Take Me Home in Aussie Readers

May 03, 2021 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc, own-read, 2021-release, reviewing-by-request, aussie-authors, sent-by-publisher, contemporary-fiction, 5000-2021

Elle Kinnaird had been incredibly close to her Gran and with the funeral over, and her will read, Elle was astounded at her Gran鈥檚 wishes to take her ashes home to Scotland, a place she鈥檇 left at fifteen with her father. She had been meaning to take her Gran to Scotland for a long while, but never seemed to get around to it, and now she was gone, Elle was determined to fulfil her Gran鈥檚 wishes. And when she lost her job, then also realized her Gran鈥檚 house had to be sold 鈥� where she had been liv Elle Kinnaird had been incredibly close to her Gran and with the funeral over, and her will read, Elle was astounded at her Gran鈥檚 wishes to take her ashes home to Scotland, a place she鈥檇 left at fifteen with her father. She had been meaning to take her Gran to Scotland for a long while, but never seemed to get around to it, and now she was gone, Elle was determined to fulfil her Gran鈥檚 wishes. And when she lost her job, then also realized her Gran鈥檚 house had to be sold 鈥� where she had been living 鈥� Elle decided it was a message 鈥� and booked her flight to Scotland, very much against her parents鈥� wishes.

Elle鈥檚 arrival in Edinburgh from Australia, and subsequent travels around Scotland, following her Gran鈥檚 bucket-list, had her amazed at the beauty of the countryside, the mountains and castles. Elle loved to sketch and found herself stopping and whiling away the hours with her drawings. When Elle arrived at Portsoy, the village where her cousins lived, she immediately felt comfortable with them. She met her Gran鈥檚 sister Moira, her cousins Grace and Aila, and their mum Alice. They made her feel welcome, thrilled to meet her at last. But more was to happen; secrets that had been buried within the family walls for many years; the castle where Elle was to take Gran 鈥� Stormeil Castle 鈥� which was where the family ancestors鈥he MacCoinnichs 鈥� had lived and which was now in ruins. Would Elle be able to scatter Gran鈥檚 ashes when the time was right?

Take Me Home by Aussie author Karly Lane is 鈥� in my opinion 鈥� her very best yet! I loved the picturesque details of Scotland, Elle鈥檚 determination and courage in doing the journey by herself, the raft of great characters. This is the closest I鈥檒l ever get to Scotland so I travelled with Elle in her little hire car as she wound her way through the countryside and little villages. Take Me Home is a poignant, heartwarming story which I highly recommend.

With thanks to Allen & Unwin for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
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May 10, 2021 Helen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: review-copy-from-publisher

This is such a fantastic story and what a trip to Scotland I had, Karly Lane has taken me to so many places that are on my bucket list and of course I got to know some awesome characters along the way, when Elle Kinnaird鈥檚 beloved grandmother asks her to take her home, a journey of a lifetime begins, Elle finds a lot of herself on this journey, a trip that surely will bring happiness after losing her Gran. I do hope that you enjoy this one as much as I did.

Elle is one of four children growing up This is such a fantastic story and what a trip to Scotland I had, Karly Lane has taken me to so many places that are on my bucket list and of course I got to know some awesome characters along the way, when Elle Kinnaird鈥檚 beloved grandmother asks her to take her home, a journey of a lifetime begins, Elle finds a lot of herself on this journey, a trip that surely will bring happiness after losing her Gran. I do hope that you enjoy this one as much as I did.

Elle is one of four children growing up in the small town of Jessup鈥檚 Creek in Australia, she is happy working in the local supermarket and has no love of a degree at university, she loves her art, this is what makes her happy, but losing her Gran who she has been living with changes everything, not only does she lose her job but with the reading of the will she is tasked with the job of taking her Gran鈥檚 ashes back to Scotland the place she left when she was fifteen, a trip that Elle and her gran had always wanted to do together.

Elle arrives in Edinburgh with the note book and their bucket list written in it and off she goes doing some wonderful sight- seeing and falling in love Scotland along the way, she meets up with family she has never met and feels so comfortable with them all, and feels that there are secrets that have been kept for many years, she also has to think about what she is going to do when she gets back home, but for now she is off to find the castle ruins of Stormeil the place her grandmothers want to go to, will she be able to say goodbye when the time comes.

Arriving on Skye and searching out the ruins brings her in touch with farmer Stuart Buchannan he offers to take her to the ruins and as they get to know each other Elle starts to look differently at what she wants in life, should she stay for longer in Scotland should she go home? Will she find love and happiness and will she finally see how good her art work is?

I really loved this story, it is filled with fabulous characters, emotion and of course an awesome trip to Scotland, this one is beautifully written it was a joy to read, yes I cried and I smiled Elle is witty and fun and I loved seeing her truly find herself and what can I say about Gran what a beautiful character. I do highly recommend this book, don鈥檛 miss it.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for my copy to read and review
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May 13, 2021 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc-are, aussie-author, provided-by-publisher

Karly Lane travels from the heat and dust of rural Australia to the cool, green hills of Scotland in her newest novel, Take Me Home.

When Elspeth Kinnaird first hears her grandmother talking to her in the bathroom of Jessup鈥檚 Creek supermarket she thinks she must be going crazy given her beloved Gran died more than a week earlier. Iona may have passed on but she hasn鈥檛 quite yet let go. She wants her granddaughter to take her home to Scotland, and she鈥檚 left Elle the money in her will to do it. D Karly Lane travels from the heat and dust of rural Australia to the cool, green hills of Scotland in her newest novel, Take Me Home.

When Elspeth Kinnaird first hears her grandmother talking to her in the bathroom of Jessup鈥檚 Creek supermarket she thinks she must be going crazy given her beloved Gran died more than a week earlier. Iona may have passed on but she hasn鈥檛 quite yet let go. She wants her granddaughter to take her home to Scotland, and she鈥檚 left Elle the money in her will to do it. Despite her parents objections, Elle is determined to fulfil her Gran鈥檚 wishes to spread her ashes on the grounds of the family ancestral castle.

Touring Scotland with Elle, and her Gran, is a delight, it鈥檚 a country I鈥檇 love to visit and I enjoyed the vicarious experience of walking Edinburgh鈥檚 cobbled streets, exploring castle ruins, and visiting the locations used in television鈥檚, Outlander. Lane鈥檚 rich descriptions of the country, and tidbits of history, are a wonderful element of the story.

A major theme of the novel is self-discovery. While Elles鈥檚 parents and three siblings are all high achievers, Elle has always been drawn to artistic pursuits. Introducing herself to what remains of her Gran鈥檚 family in Portsoy, Elle is welcomed with open arms and it鈥檚 among her cousins, who are artistic and red-haired like her, that Elle finds the confidence to make decisions about her future.

The story also includes a thread of mystery as Elle endeavours to learn why Iona emigrated to Australia at fifteen and had so little contact with her siblings. The only one with answers seems to be Iona鈥檚 older sister, but she is suffering from dementia.

Romance is the last thing on Elle鈥檚 mind until she meets lawyer turned farmer Stuart Buchannan in her search for Stormeil Castle on the Isle of Skye, where her grandmother wants her ashes to be scattered. I like that the attraction flares into a passionate fling between the two, but with Elle due to return to Australia, she can鈥檛 see a way for their relationship to move forward.

Take Me Home is a delight to read, I loved the change of scenery while still enjoying Karly Lane鈥檚 wonderful, familiar storytelling.
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Mar 02, 2022 Janine rated it it was amazing

This is my third Karly Lane book that I have read and I feel her best so far in my opinion.

Elle promises her late grandmother that she will take her home to Scotland, which she does and discovers a whole new world. Catching up with long lost relatives and discovering more about herself and the land around her just kept me turning those pages! Add to that a handsome Scotsman who appears in the mix.

Karly鈥檚 descriptions of Scotland made me feel like I was on that journey as well, it was quite obvio ...more

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