Robbie Taggart: Highland Sail

Highland Collection #2

by Michael R. Phillips, Judith Pella

After his love for Jamie MacLeod was refused, Robbie Taggart left the Scottish Highlands to seek fortune and adventure on the high seas. But when military discipline becomes too constraining for him, he resigns and takes a position on a freighter bound for China. From London to Shanghai, will Robbie's invincible attitude toward life finally be his undoing?

Genres: Christian Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Christian, Romance

384 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1987

About the author

Librarian Note: there is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.

Michael Phillips has been writing in the Christian marketplace for 30 years. All told, he has written, co-written, and edited some 110 books. Phillips and his wife live in the U.S., and make their second home in Scotland.

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robbie Taggart like many men was fun loving, a little cocky, but compassionate in his heart. He thought he believed in God until he heard that God's son Jesus was the man he needed to know. But the more he learned, the more he felt that being a real Christian might change his life more than he wanted it to. He had been a wanderer, a drifter, all his life. He was independent, strong and very capable. What would God use to help him see his life in a different way? Would he be able to surrender himself? He couldn't understand why an old sailor friend of his fathers was interested in him or his life. All the time he remembered Jamie and her family in a loving way. He also remembered what she told him about her Lord. Off on a ship he perseveres to be the sailor and person he should be and almost looses his life. But God was not finished with him. Not by a long shot. This story will take you into mystery, love, pain and death, but the finale will make you cry for joy. At the very top of the best books I have ever read!

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, however was disappointed that the majority of it was not in Scotland, which I had hoped. Still, a good read.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the story, but a lot of the theology was a wee bit over my head. I hope when I read it again eventually I'll be able to fully grasp more of it. Additionally, the stuff that was more on my level; I didn't necessarily agree with all of it. There was also a lot of stuff I did agree with and learn from.

There is so much in this story I want to talk about but I also don't want to spoil it! As far as the story itself and the way it was written, I have no complaints EXCEPT that most of the romance was just kind of skipped over. I'm not normally a sap but in this case I was really looking forward to it just to have it... not there. The authors also made Robbie's reaction to Hsi-Chen's terminal illness kind of vague in my opinion. There was no shock/heartbreak, no long conversation with Hsi-Chen and/or Isaiah about it, no intense, tearful pleading with God for understanding. I feel like that scene had huge potential for being super gripping and emotional but it was just bleh. There was also one loose end that didn't get tied up. I also want another book. :)

In short, this is an incredible story with fantastic characters and deep theology.

[Tarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful book! It made me feel as if I was reading a work of classic literature. But this novel was only published in the 1980s. If you're looking for a dramatic saga to become immersed in, you need this this novel. Robbie Taggart is on his way to becoming a man, not just physically, but also spiritually, a true man of God. He goes through many trials and tribulations in his life, but also finds the beauty in God's grace.

I definitely recommend this novel! I wish there was more in this series.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robbie Taggart becomes a missionary; finally marries a Chinese woman and has a child, then goes back to his Scottish highland home.

[Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book 2 of The Highland Collection by Michael Phillips and Judith Pella. I read it and Book 1 decades ago and was looking forward to rereading them. The second one was more interesting this time around than the first. I'm unsure why it struck me that way; I loved them both previously. As I said in my review of book 1, I enjoyed it less than years ago. Michael Phillips is one of my favorite authors. He writes excellent stories and also builds his characters and their growth while building the reader's. I have found few that make that effort. As Christian fiction, it is edifying and enlightening. This particular story deals with a Scottish sailor who eventually ends up stranded in China at a Christian mission. It is a love story of both Jesus and a woman and involved death, loss, and disfigurement. God's grace and goodness are evidenced in the circumstances of Robbie's life. It is not light reading but it is enjoyable and as I already stated, edifying. I know it has contributed to my own spiritual growth beginning with the first time I read it and again this time around. Recommended.

[Leeya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh my days. I read this book ages ago as a teenager and I don't remember a whole lot, just that I had begun to outgrow the genre of Christian romance novels and didn't really enjoy the story or the writing style. The only part I liked was the setting in China.