Promises to Keep

by Alexandra Raife

Miranda and Ian marry in haste - when she falls pregnant - and repent at what was a joyful student romance turns into an embittered marriage, which Ian abandons after two years. Left in Edinburgh to bring up her daughter, Alexy, alone, Miranda has to face the fact that while she loves her daughter, she often doesn't like her very much. When Alexy's grandfather offers them the chance to move to Kilgarth, Miranda feels that a new start might be best for everyone. She's right - and eventually a new start also means the return of an old love.

Genres: Fiction

345 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

In spite of the slow plot development, I stayed with this book all the way through because I kept hoping there would be a happy resolution eventually. But the main problem - that of the inheritance- was never changed and the ending was very unsatisfactory. I’ve read other of Raife’s books and enjoyed them but this one was disappointing.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raife channels her inner James M. Cain for a Scottish re-telling of "Mildred Pierce".

[Leanne Hunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book both enjoyable and frustrating. On the enjoyable side, I liked the intimate setting and the in-depth exploration of a mother's feelings when her daughter turns out to be ill-tempered, remote and anti-social. There is the inevitable questioning of what she has done wrong, and guilt over her unspoken reluctance to carry the baby to term when she found out that she was pregnant. In addition, there is the shame of having raised a daughter who cannot fit in, and the sense of loss regarding her marriage, which broke down as a result of child-related stress. The situation is realistic and dealt with in a compassionate and honest way, which I found intriguing. On the frustrating side, I found the writing style heavy and lacking in immediate drama. This seemed to be as a result of the author's use of reported speech and action rather than actual dialogue and description of movement and gesture. I think this created an unfortunate distance between the reader and the characters, as if the narrator was always present, summarising and interpreting events. It made the book feel longer than it was and, were it not for the fascinating treatment of the case in point, I may have abandoned it half-way through. In conclusion, I think the author is an attentive and intelligent portrayer of human dynamics, and her thoughtful approach to a complex problem makes up for her heavy-handed style.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the twelfth novel by Alexandra Raife, who has become one of my favourite modern authors of family sagas. She bases her books primarily or partly in a small town in Scotland, meaning that while each is complete in itself, characters tend to recur in minor roles. I quite like this although I tend to forget who most of them are in between reading her books.

I enjoyed the book very much on the whole; Alexandra Raife has a great writing style that - as they critics say - is reminiscent at times of Rosamunde Pilcher. Her main characters are very believable and sympathetic, although this one includes the most unpleasant, dislikable child I have ever come across.

Character-driven, with an underlying romance, and had the bonus of giving plenty to think about. I had entirely forgotten the story when I re-read it, fourteen years after I first read the book.