Wild Highland Home

West Coast Trilogy #1

by Alexandra Raife

When a woman gives up the fast-paced life of London and purchases an isolated cottage on a remote Scottish loch, no one believes that she will remain there. But for her, moving here is the key to the journey she must embark onto heal herself and put a tragic past behind her. Yet this new life is not without its own share of complications, as she finds herself deeply attracted to a local man of quiet strength...one who possesses his own inner conflicts and may not be free to love in return....

Genres: Fiction, Scotland, Romance

396 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 1997

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alexandra Raife is a newly discovered author by me (although this book was written in 1997). I found this book by accident on Paperbackswap while looking at some similar books, and it totally fit the bill for my kind of comfort reading:

- An older heroine scarred by life leaves the big city behind in a effort to find (and heal) herself
- A remote and ramshackle cottage on a loch that our heroine fixes up
- A Scottish highlands locale, with vivid and lush descriptions of the area in a similar vein to Mary Stewart's descriptive prose
- A cottage
- Eccentric but likable neighbors (and of course one tall, handsome and dependable highlander for a romantic interest)
- A cottage
- A gentle lovestory that doesn't make up the entire story, with no graphic sex scenes or purple prose
- A cottage
- A steady and uneventful story that doesn't go anywhere, but merely lulls the reader with a nice, undemanding, expected and happy conclusion
- Did I mention a cottage?

Raife's books have been praised by fellow writers Mary Stewart, Barbara Erskine and Rosamunde Pilcher, which is good praise indeed. On the down side, our buddy Harriet Klausner from the Zon also throws in her 2 cents (but in this case she's like that broken clock - bound to be right at least twice a day).

I'll definitely look for more by Raife.

[anastasia ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - cozy scottish domesticity🧘‍♀️🏠

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the premise, but found the writing to be very cluttered and unintelligible at parts. The house-taking bits were good, but Clare was a bit dim.

Also, I find any book despicable that kills a beloved pet as a plot device , especially to hurry along an anemic romance.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely read. For some reason, I LOVE books set in remote Scotland lately. This author does remind me of Rosamunde Pilcher, and I love her books as well!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars. Although many will feel it's not their cup of tea, this story had a lot of elements that I really enjoyed, like "starting a new life in the middle of nowhere in order to escape/work through their past". I also rather enjoyed the building love story, even though I'm not a fan of the "we've been dating for x weeks but let's get married" trope. Regardless, this will probably be a book I'll reread in the future, for its hopeful and cosy atmosphere.

[Izzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story set in Scotland. A young woman needs to make a break with her current life and buys a cottage in the highlands. After a rough start she begins making peace with herself and making friends in the small village. First read this in 1998 and kept it to read again.

[Val Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Larach

Wonderful heartwarming story. Well written - you can just imagine yourself there! Must get the next book. Alexandra Raife writes a very good story.

[Joy O’Toole · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. Lots of similarities to Rosamund Pilcher.

[Lesley-Ann Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend recommended Alexandra Raife. How did I not know of this author. She is a Scottish Maeve Binchy. Love, love love

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Immersive read but the ending felt rushed and unrealistic in comparison

[Linda Orvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Wild Highland Home was a true treat. I was worried at first because I didn't care for the main character. But that's the chance an author takes in order to display growth in a character. Claire, an English businesswoman, leaves the city because she feels she's sinking into a lifestyle she hates. In Scotland she buys a rundown cottage previously owned by an old man. There is no electricity, forced air heating, telephone etc. Reading of her struggles with the cottage, the weather, and the locals, and watching her strength of character surface was fascinating and enjoyable. Of course there is a love interest that the author handles perfectly.

[Cinders · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Ms Raife reminds me of a cross between Maive Binchy and Doris Davidson. Can't wait to read more of her books. A real page-turner (but not in the "edge-of-seat" style) - I couldn't wait to find out how the central character was going to cope with the isolation and solitude. Now living in the north-east of Scotland myself, I can appreciate how difficult and daunting it would have been for her trying to be accepted by west-coasters in such a rural location. A must read! Hope you enjoy as much as I did.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clare decides to give up her wild life and live in an isolated cottage in Scotland. As she struggles to cope, and gets involved in the local community, her past gradually emerges into the open. A gentle and enjoyable book with clever observations about people.

First read in 2001. I believe this novel is known as 'Wild Highland Home' in the USA.

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. Raife reminds me a bit of Mary Stewart. I enjoyed the scenery and the characters. I love the way the protagonist developed over the course of the story. I have read it at least 3-4 times and now want to go read it again.

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good. It was a little slow to get going - didn't really grab me until half way through - but the second half was great. Messed up, modern-day 30-something English widow tries to "find herself" by leaving everything behind, and moving into a small Scottish cottage - no electricity, no phone.

[rachel hawkes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly good read.

Clare chooses to change her life completely, this book was very hard to put down as you read through her journey of her new life. Her new friends and her new love.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A comfort book!

[MaryHelen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this book. As usual, Raife kept my interest. I find her writing very appealing.

[Jina Howell-Forbes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this long story of personal growth, although I times I wanted to scream at all of the characters to C-o-m-m-u-n-i-c-a-t-e. Very reminiscent of Rosamunde Pilcher, but not -quite- as good.

[maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Rosumund Pilcher-esque Scottish romance perfect for non-profound beach reading. My Penguin version was titled 'The Larach'.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this story, so I'm reading it again.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed all of Maeve Binchy's books so I found this book to be an enjoyable easy read.