The Woman Who Painted Her Dreams

Isla Dewar's unique combination of brilliant characterisation, beautifully evoked landscapes and incisive humour is honed to its finest in this lovely novel

To the neighbours who helped raise her, Madeline was a handful: opinionated, disruptive, verbose. They blamed it all on her lack of a mother. But Madeline was happy: her father was parent enough. Till he wasn't there for her any more, and Madeline had to grow up fast. Befriended by Annie, she catches a glimpse of normal family life, and sees Annie glow as she marries her adoring Willie. Madeline has never wanted a regular man in her own life, yet somehow she finds herself living in a rambling Highland mansion with Stuart, loving to the point of exhaustion, and painting her heart out. Until life creeps into the idyll with a vengeance...