Where Earth Meets Sky

by Annie Murray

Beautiful, dark-haired Lily has been abandoned in a Birmingham slum as a tiny child. With few clues as to her identity she endures a childhood of loneliness and loss. At eighteen she applies for a post as nanny with the family of a Captain Fairford, a soldier in Ambala, north India and his highly strung wife Susan. Lily is drawn into the emotional life of the Fairford family and adores her charge, two year old Cosmo. When, in 1907, Captain Fairford orders a new Daimler car, it is brought out by a young motor mechanic, Sam Ironside. Sam and Lily fall deeply in love, and it is only later that Lily learns that Sam is married and feels utterly betrayed. When Cosmo is later sent home to school, Lily finds another post with a Dr. McBride and his invalid wife, in a beautiful Himalayan hill station. The place is idyllic, and Lily settles for a quiet life. However, she is unprepared for the pain and misunderstandings that follow and force her to run from everything she has known... Where Earth Meets Sky takes us from Edwardian England and the British Raj, through the darkness of the Great War to the glamour of Brooklands Race Track in the 1920s. Spanning two continents, it is a story of enduring friendships and two hearts which cannot be kept apart.

Genres: Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction

544 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Annie Murray was a ‘childhood writer.’ Her career was helped a great deal by belonging to Tindal Street Fiction Group in Birmingham and by winning the SHE/Granada TV Short Story Competition in 1991. She has published short stories in a number of anthologies as well as SHE magazine. Her first regional saga, Birmingham Rose appeared in 1995 and reached the Times bestseller list. She has since published more than a dozen others, including the ‘Cadbury books,’ Chocolate Girls and The Bells of Bournville Green, Family of Women and her latest, A Hopscotch Summer. Annie has four children and lives near Reading.

Reviews

[Yanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

You will traveled between India and England. We follow Lily, a nany. Lily wants to have a good life.
We will be next to her, during her happiness, her love, her sadness,and different situation that life put you in that you don't or want to be.

I like the story, the only part that I didn't appreciate, it is the details about mechanical car. But other than that, it is a pleasant story.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it ! set in early 20th century - in England and India - how a woman who has gone through a tragedy leaves for India to be a governess and encounters many hardships - with nice background story on the beginnings of motorcars at one point ! - insightful on how not only parents can feel unconditional love for a child

[Ana Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably you will manage to get to the end of the book because the story is somehow interesting. However, I found some details that didn’t make sense to me. For example, although not literally, the book has that tone like asking “what could go wrong”? That is a cliché that I personally don’t enjoy at all. This book was nominated for Romantic Historical Novel of the Year, so I was honestly expecting more of the narrative style.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The storyline was intriguing, the setting was intriguing and the characters were very interesting. It wasn't a 'heavy' book, relatively quick reading, but kept you interested.

I will look for other books by this author.

[Pritthijit Datta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ann Murray's forte is historical fiction. I am an admirer of her work. Where Earth Meet Sky is a poignant read set in the backdrop of India, during the British raj period. She makes us feel part of the story. Enjoyed the book.

[Vicky D · Rating 2 out of 5]

Generous at two stars. Listened to audiobook and Lesley Sharp's narration is always good so that helped. Glad it was short.

[Sue Hickling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book .

[Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book. Having read others by the same author and enjoyed them a great deal this one really sparked my interest if only because of it's exotic setting of India. I debated between three or four stars and my honest rating would be 3 1/2 stars. The story starts off well enough. Lily who works as a companion for an elderly lady finds herself without a job when her employer passes away. She is given a great reference and applies for a job as a nanny for a English family in India. Lily has potential to be a great character, with a spirit of adventure and fun. She is hard working and caring and seems able to blend in anywhere. She arrives in England begins to work with the Fairford family. Her young charge is Cosmo two years old, a charming sweet boy who's future is planned out for him including being sent back to England for his education in a few years. There is also another child, Isadora who has developmental delays and has a strong attachment to her ayah a Indian nanny as opposed to her own mother. Their parents are Susan and Charles. Susan proves to the best and most well rounded character in the book. She seems cold, distant and unfeeling at times, but underneath the surface lies a woman of compassion, who is insecure about parts of her life including her role in the household and she is actually quite likeable, in fact overall the entire Fairford family are good people. Into the mix comes Sam Ironside and this is where the story started to go downhill for me. Sam delivered a new car to Charles Fairford and spent weeks there as a mechanic. He is also meant to be a love interest for Lily. The romance felt forced and I couldn't figure out what Lily saw in him, especially as he deceived her, and only her, as everyone else knew he had a wife and a child on the way. The would be lovers part ways, Cosmo goes to school and Lily finds another job. This time with a Doctor and his invalid wife. Dr. Ewan McBride is also complex but quite unlikeable, his unfortunate wife Muriel remains in bed with what I suspect is anorexia. Lily finds herself sucked into another unfortunate relationship this one filled with abuse and being controlled by an older man. It also didn't feel right to the story. For someone raised an orphan you would've thought Lily would be a tougher person and less likely to put up with that sort of thing, able to recognize a predator when she saw one. Instead she came across as a naïve sheltered young child protected by her parents. The theme of the book was the enduring love between Sam and Lily, but I didn't feel the chemistry between them at the start of the book and the romance still felt forced and unnatural. Despite these complaints though there were parts of the story that were quite enjoyable. As I mentioned Susan Fairford is an excellently written character, well rounded and very deep with many sides to her. The friendship between Lily and Susan endures throughout the book as well and made for some of the best parts. The descriptions of India, the Himalayas, the details in the book was wonderful. You could feel the heat and humidity, smell the exotic and sometimes not to pleasant smells. It made me want to go and see some of these sights for myself, though most of them are likely long gone as the story was set about a hundred years ago. If you are looking for a romantic novel look elsewhere, however if you want a good story about enduring and strong friendship and set in a beautiful exotic location than this might be the book for you.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely enjoyable book covering the early part of the twentieth century. Some lovely descriptive writing which really helped to set the scene.

The story itself about Lily and Sam was beautifully written although at times I felt it was a little repetitive. There was a definite nod towards Tess of the D'Urbervilles which leaves you screaming "go with him now!" and an unsettling section akin to "Misery"

The portion set in India gives some really wonderful description and likewise with the Brooklands part. However I did feel that the book should have ended some 50 pages before it actually did and it would have been nice to know what happened to their daughter...

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have enjoyed several of her books but this one was not great.it started well enough but then I just got fed up of all the married men chasing her and her succumbing to 'survive'. Her background was irrelevant to the story as I was waiting for some twist to bring together her but there was nothing.none of the characters were particularly likeable including the main character and her true love and I skipped most of the car racing and fixing.I only had any sympathy with one character and that was Sams wife who was slighted for not being Lily.

[Akanksha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story takes you through all shades of love, maternal, true and dangerous. The beautiful description of the scenery in the himalayan ranges in the Hill-station of mussorie engulf you so much in the story that you feel like you are there witnessing everything yourself....
Starting is nice...in between it feels like a bit dragged un-neccesarily...but as the story proceeds it becomes more interesting and the ending has added the final flavour to it.

[Mary Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really highlighted the hardships of growing up in poverty and as an orphan in the early 1900’s, especially as a female. The author tackled some difficult topics including having a child out of wedlock, substance abuse, and domestic violence. The author did a really good job in showing the fact that not all love stories are meant to be perfect - because in reality they’re not - but I’m glad Lily was able to get a happy ending after everything she went through.

[Penny Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light, historical romance with plenty of twists & turns but it all works out ok in the end! I enjoyed the Birmingham references and some early car industry history as the background to some of the story.

[Suellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a real problem with this book in that I didn't like any of the major characters. The heroine appeared weak and naïve and her suitors were unscrupulous. I'm rather disappointed after enjoying Murray's "Chocolate Girls" so much.

[Nora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love , India , sense the view .. Go on

[Louise Jennings · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes you through a story of how having a nanny can become so attached to there charges and it really builds the characters an story equally I loved it.

[Kath · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started well but I got bored and did not warm to the characters so I didn't care what happened to them.

[Jennie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Usually love Annie Murrays books but got quite bored about 150 pages in, struggled with the next 50 and gave up. Might try it again one day...

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel was very beautiful. I loved how the author described Lily's personality, and the subject of the book is still present even if the story is set in the early 1900.

[Trudie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sorry to say that this was my least favourite book of Annie's, although well written I just couldn't take to the main characters at all.