What do you think?
Rate this book
Ayne
“How do you gauge degrees of hell?”
Blake Calder has come back to Scotland in search of an answer to the one question that has haunted him for almost twenty years. Being back in Greenoch, overlooking the Firth of Clyde, he remembers the events that led to him joining the Kings Own Calgary Regiment, the battles he fought, the love he found. Returning to the oak tree on the bluff where he and Ayne would sit together, he draws on the strength of his Uncle Stephen, his sister Mo and his many brothers, to face the truth about the only woman he would ever love. Why did he survive Dieppe, Ortona, Arezzo, when so many others perished? Why would a God he had been raised to love and trust allow this hell to happen?
The answers, he knows, are in Greenoch. Now he has to find the strength, or perhaps a kindred soul, to help him face those answers.
Blake Calder has come back to Scotland in search of an answer to the one question that has haunted him for almost twenty years. Being back in Greenoch, overlooking the Firth of Clyde, he remembers the events that led to him joining the Kings Own Calgary Regiment, the battles he fought, the love he found. Returning to the oak tree on the bluff where he and Ayne would sit together, he draws on the strength of his Uncle Stephen, his sister Mo and his many brothers, to face the truth about the only woman he would ever love. Why did he survive Dieppe, Ortona, Arezzo, when so many others perished? Why would a God he had been raised to love and trust allow this hell to happen?
The answers, he knows, are in Greenoch. Now he has to find the strength, or perhaps a kindred soul, to help him face those answers.
263 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2012
46 people want to read
About the author
Mary Cote
20 books14 followersMary writes her books while sitting under a cherry tree in the middle of nowhere, British Columbia, gaining inspiration from her two sons, and Herbert the WonderDog.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 14, 2012
I received this book through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway. (Thanks!)
"Ayne" is a beautifully told story of Blake Calder, a Canadian farmboy who chooses to join the Army when WWII breaks out. Many years later, he returns to Scotland - where he first landed on European soil, and where he also fell in love - looking for answers to many questions: Why he survived the war, and what happened to the girl he loved? He stands on a bluff overlooking the ocean, telling his life story to an old oak tree - one he and his beloved Ayne had visited often during their time together. When a young girl joins him, with a basket of food and a jar of ale, she encourages him to continue his story. He tells of his life in Canada during the depression, of the battles he fought in the war, and how he met and fell in love with the beautiful Scottish lass, Ayne, and her young son, Rowan. His story is poignant and often direct, and moved me to tears on more than one occaision - oh heck, I cried through the whole darn thing! But don't let that keep you from reading this wonderful book. They were definitely tears well spent.
"Ayne" is a beautifully told story of Blake Calder, a Canadian farmboy who chooses to join the Army when WWII breaks out. Many years later, he returns to Scotland - where he first landed on European soil, and where he also fell in love - looking for answers to many questions: Why he survived the war, and what happened to the girl he loved? He stands on a bluff overlooking the ocean, telling his life story to an old oak tree - one he and his beloved Ayne had visited often during their time together. When a young girl joins him, with a basket of food and a jar of ale, she encourages him to continue his story. He tells of his life in Canada during the depression, of the battles he fought in the war, and how he met and fell in love with the beautiful Scottish lass, Ayne, and her young son, Rowan. His story is poignant and often direct, and moved me to tears on more than one occaision - oh heck, I cried through the whole darn thing! But don't let that keep you from reading this wonderful book. They were definitely tears well spent.
August 13, 2012
Review by Vicki L. Stenerson ~ Racing Thoughts Book Reviewer
I have an affinity for the British Isles, so I was interested in reading Mary’s book that takes place in Scotland. This story, however, is not about Scotland. It is the journey of one man, through family, war, loss, and love, that will draw you in and wring you out.
The story begins with Blake Calder returning to Greenoch, Scotland, twenty years after he last saw the town. He is remembering all that the war gave him, and took away.
Blake was a young man living in Canada who hears on the radio each night the news of Hitler’s march on Europe. He was not an idealistic youth. He had already faced hardship and death. His faith in God had been shaken to the core. But he was an amateur writer/artist/photographer who does not want to see Hitler march on Canada’s soil, so he enlists in the Royal Canadian Army. He was trained in the tank division and shipped to Greenoch, Scotland. Once in Scotland, Blake sees the town of Greenoch devastated by German air raids. Because it was a shipping center, it was rained on for two nights, by 429 German bombers that killed over 500 people and left only seven of the 12,000 homes standing. Blake was surprised by the resilience of the people to pick up the pieces and get on with life. He meets a beautiful widow, Ayne, and her son, Rowan, who became his touchstone during his years at war. Through all the death, destruction, and fury, he could think of his love, sitting under the old tree on the cliffs, and keep his sanity.
Mary tells her story in both the first person and third person. It is an excellent way to keep the reader in the present (as he tells his story to an interested listener) and the past. She has done an amazing amount of research; the details of the battles the Canadian forces fought, alone and with the Allied Forces are fascinating and heartbreaking. You can feel Blake’s frustration with the poor military planning and his grief at the deaths around him.
I sometimes skip to the end of a book and read the last chapter if I just want to know the ending and lose interest in the middle. I could not do that with this book. I needed to know each step in Blake’s journey from young soldier to scarred veteran. And I was not disappointed. Mary took me on a journey through Blake’s life that was strong, hard, sad, joyful and enlightening. Thank you, Mary. I enjoyed every minute.
A definite 5 out of 5 stars!
I have an affinity for the British Isles, so I was interested in reading Mary’s book that takes place in Scotland. This story, however, is not about Scotland. It is the journey of one man, through family, war, loss, and love, that will draw you in and wring you out.
The story begins with Blake Calder returning to Greenoch, Scotland, twenty years after he last saw the town. He is remembering all that the war gave him, and took away.
Blake was a young man living in Canada who hears on the radio each night the news of Hitler’s march on Europe. He was not an idealistic youth. He had already faced hardship and death. His faith in God had been shaken to the core. But he was an amateur writer/artist/photographer who does not want to see Hitler march on Canada’s soil, so he enlists in the Royal Canadian Army. He was trained in the tank division and shipped to Greenoch, Scotland. Once in Scotland, Blake sees the town of Greenoch devastated by German air raids. Because it was a shipping center, it was rained on for two nights, by 429 German bombers that killed over 500 people and left only seven of the 12,000 homes standing. Blake was surprised by the resilience of the people to pick up the pieces and get on with life. He meets a beautiful widow, Ayne, and her son, Rowan, who became his touchstone during his years at war. Through all the death, destruction, and fury, he could think of his love, sitting under the old tree on the cliffs, and keep his sanity.
Mary tells her story in both the first person and third person. It is an excellent way to keep the reader in the present (as he tells his story to an interested listener) and the past. She has done an amazing amount of research; the details of the battles the Canadian forces fought, alone and with the Allied Forces are fascinating and heartbreaking. You can feel Blake’s frustration with the poor military planning and his grief at the deaths around him.
I sometimes skip to the end of a book and read the last chapter if I just want to know the ending and lose interest in the middle. I could not do that with this book. I needed to know each step in Blake’s journey from young soldier to scarred veteran. And I was not disappointed. Mary took me on a journey through Blake’s life that was strong, hard, sad, joyful and enlightening. Thank you, Mary. I enjoyed every minute.
A definite 5 out of 5 stars!
March 15, 2012
Alright here is the truth----I have edited this work-twice as a matter of fact. Does that mean it is not five stars or that I am prejudiced?
Sure as hell it might mean that! However, I have edited a fair amount of books-got them published-one hell of a book to be sure!
It is always I suppose a question of the reader's taste to be sure. This book is obviously my taste or I would not have allowed myself the pleasure of partaking in the editorial process.
If you love Steinbeck, East of Eden for example, you should read this book. Is it a tad on the so called 'old fashioned' side? Sure. It has characters that one immediately empathizes with, that fill the reader with that feeling of sitting with,talking to, being a part of.
Did you enjoy Lake Wobegon Days? If so I strongly recommend this book. It goes to the top of my read more than once list. Content and style is the comparison.
Sure as hell it might mean that! However, I have edited a fair amount of books-got them published-one hell of a book to be sure!
It is always I suppose a question of the reader's taste to be sure. This book is obviously my taste or I would not have allowed myself the pleasure of partaking in the editorial process.
If you love Steinbeck, East of Eden for example, you should read this book. Is it a tad on the so called 'old fashioned' side? Sure. It has characters that one immediately empathizes with, that fill the reader with that feeling of sitting with,talking to, being a part of.
Did you enjoy Lake Wobegon Days? If so I strongly recommend this book. It goes to the top of my read more than once list. Content and style is the comparison.
May 18, 2012
There is no way I can do a review for this book justice. I enjoyed it from start to finish. It was extremely well written. Returning to Scotland to a spot he shared with his love, Blake takes you back to the stories of his small town home life as he remembers the rough times, and then goes off to war (WWII). You can't help but to fall for Blake and feel for him for all he goes through with the tragedies of war and the joy and great turn of meeting a woman on foreign soil. The way the story is told leaves you guessing with each page why they aren't together and who is the woman he's talking to. I can't say any more without giving some of the story away. I truly looked forward to curling up with this every night & was sad when it was over, but not for how it ended. Great job!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews