Window Friends

by Carol Darley Dow

This charming tale begins when a lonely young American girl moves across the pond and is befriended by an unlikely young Scotsman. Their relationship plays out in the beguiling city of Edinburgh through an exchange of letters until tragedy and life separate them. Fate, and perhaps the hand of God, reunites them as they meet for the first time face to face as adults–forever changes, yet forever the same.

323 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 20, 2022

Reviews

[Ann Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an Amazing Read

I picked this book up at a signing event and got to meet this amazing author. This is an great debut book, and my understanding is she is writing another book. Sign me up for that one too. I am an avid reader and rarely run across a book that captures me as this one did. It moved along gently with tenderness and a few surprises. I loved all the information about Scotland. I hope someday the author thinks about an audible version as the rich accents would be yummy. I encourage you to read this book the first chance you get.

[Andy Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, let's do the disclaimer. I've known the author, Carol Darley Dow, for years. Some may think that me knowing that she is a wonderful woman may have helped my conclusion that this is a wonderful book. But I take my reviews seriously and in the past have simply chosen not to review books written by authors I know and not letting them know that I read the book. And Carol did not ask me to read it.

This is a fun novel, some suspense, some romance, some plot twists, and believable characters who you end up feeling like you know them. And speaking of characters, Scotland itself is a character. The author clearly knows and loves Scotland and there are many references to real places throughout the novel.
The novel starts with Sarah's first day at her new school in Edinburg. Her father, Richard Duncan, is the new head of the American consulate in Scotland and while Sarah is used to the many moves and new schools, she does not like it. The snobbishness and claques in this private girl's school keep her isolated, the only friendliness from someone her own age comes from a young man in a neighboring house who waves to her from his window on her way to school. Soon they start leaving notes for each other eventually leading to exchange of presents and a meeting. During this time, Sarah's dad does what he was assigned to do, clean up the mess in the consulate. This includes firing the acting head which ends a corrupt scheme subjecting Duncan to danger. Along the way, we learn that Sarah is an only child whose mother abandoned both of them when Sarah was born. And I'll end the plot discussion here to avoid any spoilers except to say it includes a detour for Sarah to the Shetland Islands which becomes yet another character along with a large, loving family that welcomes Sarah into their home.
And if there is another character it is tea. It got to the point that where a character offered tea or a conversation was punctuated with references to the tea service I was reminded of the game of watching the old Bob Newhart show where you needed to take a drink when a character said "Hi, Bob"--here I felt that I should be taking a drink of tea every time it's mentioned in the book.
This is a great book

[Lori Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down. Maybe a little predictable but the characters are well drawn. The story contains a lot of plot twists and the writing is delightful. For a first novel, I loved it and highly recommend this charming tale

[Natilee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would recommend this to anyone! Absolutely loved it & cannot wait for the second!

[Jen Craver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has amazing character development and kept my attention. Loved this book.

[Sharon Halazon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read, perceptive and inspirational.