Finding Happiness

by Emma Blair

Sandy McLean is training to be a doctor to follow in his father's footsteps - indeed, to surpass his father who is just a general Sandy is to become a top surgeon. Or so his father insists. Sandy feels he has no choice, though knows he is not a natural and life is becoming miserable as he struggles through the exams. What he really wants to be is an artist. Every spare moment he paints and is especially good at people. He even gets a commission when a loyal pub bartender is retiring. And then a French girl, Sophie, offers to pose for him - which leads to his first love affair and the beginning of his rebellion against his father...He has a row with his father and runs off to Montmartre. Meanwhile, left behind is his sister Laura. Her father believes she should wait about idly for a potential husband to turn up. But she wants to earn a living. She tells her parents she's working voluntarily for an orphan centre, but really she has a job working at the Marie Stopes Clinic - and learns a lot about life! When she gets raped on the way home one night, she is understandably seriously traumatised. And decides to follow her brother to Montmartre...

Genres: Audiobook

Paperback

First published January 2, 2003

About the author

Iain Blair was born on 12 August 1942 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. He was an actor and writer, married with the also writer Jane Blanchard. Initially he wrote plays for theatre and television, but later began to write novels. He started out writing suspense novels as Iain Blair, but after being unsuccessful with this genre, switched to writing popular historical romance fiction sagas. But according to his Web site, Iain Blair's publishers decided he'd sell far more books simply by being published as a woman because is a women's fiction genre. "I was given absolutely no choice in the matter. They'd decided on a sex change and even the name. So that was that. Emma I became and Emma I've stayed." His true identity remained a secret until 1998 when his novel Flower of Scotland was nominated for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association Awards, which required him to admit to being the author. He passed away on 3 July 2011 in Torquay, Devon, England.

Reviews

[Margaret Lewis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't like it at all. Started to get incest vibes through the book, and I find that creepy and unsettling. Persisted with it, and regretted it because the ending was far from what i find acceptable

[Mika Rudio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ew. No. I only liked how Sandy was a painter and all that, but this book was just pure incest vibes. I can't believe this was in my school library.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read but not exciting

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Iain Blair wrote such lovely books! His writing is so comedic as well, his characters are so well developed and easily formed and gel together with ease. I love it.

*** Please only read this review if you have read the book!***

Sandy is such an interesting character and I grew very fond of him. I felt very sorry for him when I realised his love for art far out weighed any dreamt up love for medicine, which has the story progresses we learn that it is in fact, Sandy's Father, Matthew's dream to become a surgeon and live his life again through his son's. I felt so pleased for him when he decided to go to France, and met Harold - a true friend whom boosted his confidence and found him some much needed work. With regards to Sophie, whom Sandy clearly had feelings for and would have made very happy if she'd not gone back to her ex-boyfriend, I feel Sandy made the right choice in going forward from her and not back when she revealed herself to be sofa surfing and ready to rekindle anything they once had, when she saw him a bar in France.
I loved the relationship between him and Laura also, I feel they have such a good friendship and relationship. He's so loving with her and that's very rare in most books I have read but also lovely, having had a sibling myself, the protectiveness he gave to Laura in later years clearly helped and supported her but also I feel that they gave each other something they couldn't get from their parents, as Matthew is very old fashioned, I would imagine, he would be the kind of Father that believes children should be "seen and not heard", heaven forbid, give his children reassurance and support, or even a hug. I would imagine that Harriet might be the best port of call for that. Which is why Sandy and Laura compliment each other so. I was surprised to learn of the extent he would go to ensure that Laura was completely safe and I felt rather touched by that.

Laura - I never felt very connected with until she grew up and began to be interested in her own body and male genitalia, these bits were very comical and Blair writes them in a such a way that they are so very easy to connect with. I felt very sorry for her after she had fought for her independence with her Father, purpose; by going to work at The Marie Stokes Clinic and having a role like most women need, knitting and sewing is no consolation for an inquisitive mind like Laura's. Of course the result of working with bullying husbands in Glasgow clearly ended up in bie
Matthew McLean really needs to get with the times, he's such an old bigot. It's okay to be old fashioned it one's ways but he really needs to stay safe and move with the modern world. For a Protestant he really surprised me in his backward and intolerant views, considering himself to be more worthy of anyone else. I can't imagine he would have thought himself to be anything less than important.

Harriet McLean is clearly middle class but unlike Matthew, I wouldn't consider her to be a snob. She's very thoughtful, trying to help where possible, example, Morag the maid who got stood up when she discovered she was pregnant, she tried to help whereas Matthew just shouted at her, his answer for everything. Harriet is clearly more open minded than Matthew but obviously not completely, she is always fair to both Laura and Sandy and has always tried to do right by them, including staying with her clearly awful husband purely based on her wedding vows and the respect the children give her, putting their happiness before her own.

I loved Aunt Cakey. I suspected she'd known for a while that she was unwell and terminal and I was greatly appreciative that she left her fortune to her niece and nephew of whom she was lucky enough to get to know before she left them her great fortune, as she could have very well not bothered. I'd rather Laura and Sandy be set for life rather than let Matthew have the money through Harriet's inheritance.

The story itself just winded on and before I realised it, it was over! Thoroughly an enjoyable read and one I really, really loved!

[Gina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't finish it.