What do you think?
Rate this book
Mure #0.5
A Very Distant Shore
Wanted: doctor for small island. Must like boats, the seaside and having no hope of keeping a secret...
Lorna lives on the tiny Scottish island of Mure, a peaceful place where everyone helps their neighbour. But the local GP is retiring, and nobody wants his job. Mure is too small and too remote.
Far away, in a crowded camp, Saif is treating a little boy with a badly-cut hand. Saif is a refugee, but he's also a doctor: exactly what Mure needs.
Saif is welcome in Mure, but can he forget his past? Over one summer, Saif will find a place to call home, and Lorna's life will change forever.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2017
141 people are currently reading
4804 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Colgan
112 books11.4k followersJenny Colgan is the author of numerous bestselling novels, including 'The Little Shop of Happy Ever After' and 'Summer at the Little Beach Street Bakery', which are also published by Sphere.' Meet Me at the Cupcake Café' won the 2012 Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance and was a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller, as was 'Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop of Dreams', which won the RNA Romantic Novel of the Year Award 2013.
For more about Jenny, visit her website and her Facebook page, or follow her on Twitter.
Jenny Colgan has also been published under the name Jenny T. Colgan.
For more about Jenny, visit her website and her Facebook page, or follow her on Twitter.
Jenny Colgan has also been published under the name Jenny T. Colgan.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 313 reviews
February 7, 2017
I love Jenny colgans books and the summer seaside kitchen has been on preorder for quite some time now and I can't wait to get it into my little hands and start reading it.
So when I saw that there was a little quick read with some of the characters that are going to be in the upcoming book. I jumped at the chance to read it.
This is a very quick but super sweet book.
It tell the story of a little seaside town needing a new doctor because their current one is retiring. Saif a refugee from across the sea is appointed the job and quickly settles into seaside life. But there is so much more to him then let's on in this book.
Lorna is extremely busy looking after her father, running the farm and so much more. When she takes her father in for a check up because he keeps getting terrible headaches. Saif instantly transfers them to the hospital and the story really goes from there.
But there was a spark of something between Saif and Lorna and the book also investigates this a little as well.
We also get introduced to Fliss Lornas best friend in this book which is good because she is the star of the next book.
I'm hoping we are more of Lorna and Saif in the next book.
Happy reading everyone
So when I saw that there was a little quick read with some of the characters that are going to be in the upcoming book. I jumped at the chance to read it.
This is a very quick but super sweet book.
It tell the story of a little seaside town needing a new doctor because their current one is retiring. Saif a refugee from across the sea is appointed the job and quickly settles into seaside life. But there is so much more to him then let's on in this book.
Lorna is extremely busy looking after her father, running the farm and so much more. When she takes her father in for a check up because he keeps getting terrible headaches. Saif instantly transfers them to the hospital and the story really goes from there.
But there was a spark of something between Saif and Lorna and the book also investigates this a little as well.
We also get introduced to Fliss Lornas best friend in this book which is good because she is the star of the next book.
I'm hoping we are more of Lorna and Saif in the next book.
Happy reading everyone
January 7, 2023
The small island of Mure off of Oban is in dire need of a doctor with the vacancy advertised for eight-months without a single applicant. Thirty-one-year old primary school headmistress, Lorna McLeod, has an ailing father and Syrian refugee, Saif Hassan, has lost contact with his family and needs a place to resettle and look to the future. But will Saif, Mure and potentially Lorna be a match made in heaven? A Very Distant Shore follows how they all get on.
April 24, 2022
A sweet, light read with quirky characters; surprisingly moving as well as enjoyable.
August 6, 2021
Ja, har man läst resten av serien, så är det lika bra att läsa den här också. Särskilt om man befinner sig på en ö, tre timmar från fastlandet.
Men vad är det här egentligen? En halvt bortglömd bihistoria från författarens indexkort? Ett försök att skriva något seriöst om flyktingkrisen? Handsome doctor-tropen är en aning tröttsam. Liksom sitta-ensam-på-en-klippa-med-armarna-om-knäna-tropen vid personlig kris.
Men vad är det här egentligen? En halvt bortglömd bihistoria från författarens indexkort? Ett försök att skriva något seriöst om flyktingkrisen? Handsome doctor-tropen är en aning tröttsam. Liksom sitta-ensam-på-en-klippa-med-armarna-om-knäna-tropen vid personlig kris.
January 16, 2022
Docking a point for timeline incoherency but otherwise a very pleasant intro to Lorna and Saif.
February 7, 2017
So if your like me and are eagerly awaiting Jennys next book "the summer seaside kitchen" then you should definitely read this, as its left me desperately wanting more, i very much want to know what happens with Lorna and Saif and find out more about his past. This is a great little read centered around the tiny Scottish island of Mure where new doctor and recent Refugee Saif has just started working, Lorna is a teacher looking after her ill dad and starts up a friendship with Saif i wont go into much detail except to say things are complicated for reasons we don't fully learn which is why i am itching for more. Lornas best friend Flora is introduced in this book aswell which is great considering she's the main character in the upcoming book.
What can i say i cant wait for more and i hope we get more Lorna and Saif in the upcoming book!!
What can i say i cant wait for more and i hope we get more Lorna and Saif in the upcoming book!!
January 16, 2020
Naar mijn mening was deze novella niet nodig geweest.
Ik heb deze gelezen na het lezen van de 3 boeken uit de serie en ik had het gevoel dat de storyline niet helemaal overeen kwam met de storyline uit ‘Café Zon & Zee’, ‘Het Eindeloze Strand’ en ‘Wintereiland’.
Bovendien waren het erg korte hoofdstukken en had ik graag meer informatie gekregen over bepaalde gebeurtenissen.
TW: Kanker, Oorlog, Vluchtelingen
Ik heb deze gelezen na het lezen van de 3 boeken uit de serie en ik had het gevoel dat de storyline niet helemaal overeen kwam met de storyline uit ‘Café Zon & Zee’, ‘Het Eindeloze Strand’ en ‘Wintereiland’.
Bovendien waren het erg korte hoofdstukken en had ik graag meer informatie gekregen over bepaalde gebeurtenissen.
TW: Kanker, Oorlog, Vluchtelingen
November 12, 2023
Leuk, klein verhaal over Lorna en Mure
February 17, 2024
Jag läste boken mellan bok 1 och 2 i en serie jag läser just nu, och det är så man bör se den. Jag läste klart den på en kväll och den är bra, men inte djup nog att vara helt självständig och ge en full berättelse. Det är däremot en bra short-story!
August 8, 2021
‘Een verre kust’ heb je zo uit, maar het blijft wel goed hangen. Je krijgt echt een beeld van het leven op Mure en hierdoor vind ik het een mooi instap-deel voor deze serie. Ik vond het erg leuk om te lezen hoe Saïf een bestaande praktijk overneemt en het vertrouwen van de patiënten voor zich probeert te winnen. Ook de verhaallijn rond Lorna las prettig weg.
Lees verder op mijn blog :)
Lees verder op mijn blog :)
February 21, 2017
I had heard that Jenny Colgan wrote good books so I decided to see which of her books were at my local library. As the weather was atrocious I looked at their online catalogue. I hadn't realised that I still had 'Books about islands' in the search engine as well as Jenny's name. So this book came up as a result of that search.
Stupidly I just thought 'That looks good' and didn't read the description. If I had I would have seen that it was in fact a quick read. They are not usually my thing as I prefer to really get to know the characters as the story unfolds. But I gave it a go anyway.
The story is actually nice and it is well written. But not for me as too short.
BUT...
What I want to stress here is that I think that Quick Reads (www.quickreads.org.uk) is a fabulous idea. I don't normally hilight websites in my reviews, but this is slightly different.
Is was set up to help people who either have difficulty reading, or don't usually read. hence the shortness of the books and somewhat larger print.
They have a Dementia book list where books can be prescribed on prescription in the UK. What a fabulous idea!
They also have mood-boosting books which is a real positive.
They will also be running a Reading Friends scheme from June this year which has been co-produced with older people. It will run over 4 areas of England. You can read more about it on their site.
So well worth a look!
Stupidly I just thought 'That looks good' and didn't read the description. If I had I would have seen that it was in fact a quick read. They are not usually my thing as I prefer to really get to know the characters as the story unfolds. But I gave it a go anyway.
The story is actually nice and it is well written. But not for me as too short.
BUT...
What I want to stress here is that I think that Quick Reads (www.quickreads.org.uk) is a fabulous idea. I don't normally hilight websites in my reviews, but this is slightly different.
Is was set up to help people who either have difficulty reading, or don't usually read. hence the shortness of the books and somewhat larger print.
They have a Dementia book list where books can be prescribed on prescription in the UK. What a fabulous idea!
They also have mood-boosting books which is a real positive.
They will also be running a Reading Friends scheme from June this year which has been co-produced with older people. It will run over 4 areas of England. You can read more about it on their site.
So well worth a look!
December 22, 2018
Wat een fijn kort verhaal! Zo leuk en fijn dat de uitgever dit als cadeautje in hun nieuwsbrief had zitten!
Dit verhaal is echt volledig zelfstandig, een compleet verhaal met een begin, midden in slot. Voelt als een volwaardig boek. De personages maken een mooie persoonlijke groei door in dit verhaal. Mooie, belangrijke en actuele onderwerpen komen aan bod.
Dit is hoe een kort verhaal hoort te zijn! Wat is Jenny Colgan toch een fijne schrijfster, ik heb echt zin in haar volgende boek in het Nederlands! :)
Dit verhaal is echt volledig zelfstandig, een compleet verhaal met een begin, midden in slot. Voelt als een volwaardig boek. De personages maken een mooie persoonlijke groei door in dit verhaal. Mooie, belangrijke en actuele onderwerpen komen aan bod.
Dit is hoe een kort verhaal hoort te zijn! Wat is Jenny Colgan toch een fijne schrijfster, ik heb echt zin in haar volgende boek in het Nederlands! :)
December 30, 2019
I spotted this on my bookshelf and didn't realise that it was part of a series until I came to this GR book page however it didn't matter at all that I hadn't read the other full length books as this could be read on its own. This may only be 129 pages but it was a lovely way to spend an hour in the company of Saif, a refugee, sent to the Scottish island of Mure to be their new doctor and local primary school headmistress Lorna. This was both a delightful and a poignant read and as huge as my TBR pile is I'm now tempted to get hold of the other books in the series!
August 27, 2019
Wieder eine gute Einstimmung auf den 2.Teil, nachdem es schon so lang her ist seit ich den 1. Teil gelesen habe. Es hat sich für mich wie nach Hause komme angefühlt. Freu mich jetzt schon weiterzulesen.
4 Sterne
4 Sterne
May 15, 2017
A good read but I wanted to know more about the characters.
Good short story :-)
Good short story :-)
June 29, 2019
Ik vond het verhaal tegenvallen, had iets anders verwacht.
August 15, 2017
Well, this was interesting. 'A Very Distant Shore' is a very short story about Lorna, head mistress on a small Scortish island and Saif, Syrian refugee, who gets the job as a desperately needed doctor on that island.
While she struggles with her ill father, he does so with his past. After a while, they become friends...well, and then it's already over :D It was really refreshing to quickly read such a 'quick read'. A haha!
While she struggles with her ill father, he does so with his past. After a while, they become friends...well, and then it's already over :D It was really refreshing to quickly read such a 'quick read'. A haha!
August 16, 2020
Een novelle in de serie over Flora en Joël. Deze keer gaat het over Flora's vriendin Lorna en de Syrische vluchteling en huisarts Saif.
March 13, 2017
This was an excellent short story and was a good length. Was lovely as based on a small Scottish island and it's my favourite area so loved reading. Lorna lives with her father on the island but they are desperate for a new dr and have waited a long time. Saif is a refugee and also a dr and comes to the island can everyone get on with him and can people find love it not. A really good story.
February 10, 2017
Thoughtful read. Really heartfelt story. I'm hoping the characters appear in Jenny's next book. Perfect weeknight reading material for me when I've had a long day.
October 15, 2019
A nice little taste of Muir #1.5 before re-reading “The Endless Beach”. It enhances the entire Mure experience with some back story about Saif and Lorna.
October 5, 2018
„Begegnung in der kleinen Sommerküche am Meer“ ist eine gefühlvolle und sehr lesenswerte Erzählung. Freundschaft, Hoffnung, Mut, Anderssein und Zusammengehörigkeit sind die Themen dieses Kurzromans. Die Protagonisten sind liebevoll gestaltet, der Leser lernt sie relativ gut kennen - trotz des geringen Seitenumfangs.
Die Autorin schafft es, mit ihrem Schreibstil und genau richtig gesetzten emotionalen Nuancen, den Leser direkt ins Herz zu treffen. Auch wenn es kein klassisches Happy End gibt, birgt es viel Zuversicht, von der wir alle nie genug haben können.
Der Titel der Erzählung passt zwar gut zur Buchreihe, aber zur Erzählung selbst nicht so wirklich. Die kleine Sommerküche lernen wir in der Erzählung nämlich gar nicht kennen. Dafür gibt es andere Einblicke in das beschauliche Leben auf der schottischen Insel Mure und man möchte am liebsten direkt die weiteren Bücher der Reihe lesen!
Die Autorin schafft es, mit ihrem Schreibstil und genau richtig gesetzten emotionalen Nuancen, den Leser direkt ins Herz zu treffen. Auch wenn es kein klassisches Happy End gibt, birgt es viel Zuversicht, von der wir alle nie genug haben können.
Der Titel der Erzählung passt zwar gut zur Buchreihe, aber zur Erzählung selbst nicht so wirklich. Die kleine Sommerküche lernen wir in der Erzählung nämlich gar nicht kennen. Dafür gibt es andere Einblicke in das beschauliche Leben auf der schottischen Insel Mure und man möchte am liebsten direkt die weiteren Bücher der Reihe lesen!
September 6, 2019
Ultimate switch-off short story with a bit more depth than standard chick lit.
I had read Jenny Colgan in her earlier days when she published as Jane Beaton and remembered enjoying her writing and I was very satisfied with this Quick Read of 130 print pages. The small island of Mure off of Oban is in dire need of a doctor with the vacancy advertised for eight-months without a single applicant. Thirty-one-year old primary school headmistress, Lorna McLeod, has an ailing father and Syrian refugee, Saif Hassan, has lost contact with his family and needs a place to resettle and look to the future. But will Saif, Mure and potentially Lorna be a match made in heaven? A Very Distant Shore follows how they all get on..
The story was neither as predictable or chick-lit esque as I had imagined and is more about a community supporting each other and finding hope in even the most trying situations. A very decent switch-off read in which the background details were well filled out and it wasn’t simply a romance.
I had read Jenny Colgan in her earlier days when she published as Jane Beaton and remembered enjoying her writing and I was very satisfied with this Quick Read of 130 print pages. The small island of Mure off of Oban is in dire need of a doctor with the vacancy advertised for eight-months without a single applicant. Thirty-one-year old primary school headmistress, Lorna McLeod, has an ailing father and Syrian refugee, Saif Hassan, has lost contact with his family and needs a place to resettle and look to the future. But will Saif, Mure and potentially Lorna be a match made in heaven? A Very Distant Shore follows how they all get on..
The story was neither as predictable or chick-lit esque as I had imagined and is more about a community supporting each other and finding hope in even the most trying situations. A very decent switch-off read in which the background details were well filled out and it wasn’t simply a romance.
October 29, 2025
Na dat ik in 2023 de hele serie had afgerond, kwam ik dit tussendeel nog tegen. En natuurlijk moest ik die ook nog luisteren! 😊
Het was zó leuk om weer even terug te zijn in Mure — dat kleine Schotse eiland voelt toch een beetje als thuiskomen. 🏝️ De sfeer, de bewoners, en dat typische eilandgevoel… Jenny Colgan weet het weer perfect te vangen.
Een verre kust is een mooi extraatje binnen de serie. Korte luisterduur, maar precies genoeg om me weer even helemaal mee te nemen in dat warme, sfeervolle wereldje van Café Zon & Zee. 🌊☕
📖 Flaptekst:
In Een verre kust neemt Jenny Colgan ons mee naar het prachtige eiland Mure, waar een nieuwe dokter het rustige dorpje op z’n kop zet. Gezocht: dokter voor klein eiland. Moet van boten en de zee houden en geen problemen hebben met nieuwsgierige buren… 😉
Algemene beoordeling: 4 sterren
Het was zó leuk om weer even terug te zijn in Mure — dat kleine Schotse eiland voelt toch een beetje als thuiskomen. 🏝️ De sfeer, de bewoners, en dat typische eilandgevoel… Jenny Colgan weet het weer perfect te vangen.
Een verre kust is een mooi extraatje binnen de serie. Korte luisterduur, maar precies genoeg om me weer even helemaal mee te nemen in dat warme, sfeervolle wereldje van Café Zon & Zee. 🌊☕
📖 Flaptekst:
In Een verre kust neemt Jenny Colgan ons mee naar het prachtige eiland Mure, waar een nieuwe dokter het rustige dorpje op z’n kop zet. Gezocht: dokter voor klein eiland. Moet van boten en de zee houden en geen problemen hebben met nieuwsgierige buren… 😉
Algemene beoordeling: 4 sterren
Read
November 27, 2024Wanted: doctor for small island. Must like boats, the seaside and having no hope of keeping a secret...
Lorna lives on the tiny Scottish island of Mure, a peaceful place where everyone helps their neighbour. But the local GP is retiring, and nobody wants his job. Mure is too small and too remote.
Far away, in a crowded camp, Saif is treating a little boy with a badly-cut hand. Saif is a refugee, but he's also a doctor: exactly what Mure needs.
Saif is welcome in Mure, but can he forget his past? Over one summer, Saif will find a place to call home, and Lorna's life will change forever.
Lorna lives on the tiny Scottish island of Mure, a peaceful place where everyone helps their neighbour. But the local GP is retiring, and nobody wants his job. Mure is too small and too remote.
Far away, in a crowded camp, Saif is treating a little boy with a badly-cut hand. Saif is a refugee, but he's also a doctor: exactly what Mure needs.
Saif is welcome in Mure, but can he forget his past? Over one summer, Saif will find a place to call home, and Lorna's life will change forever.
March 19, 2017
Lorna, head teacher lives on a small Scottish island where nothing happens and everybody knows everything about everyone.
Saif is a doctor. He has lost all contact with his family due to being a refugee. He is brought to the small island of Mure to be a local GP as nobody wants to live on the island.
Lorna and Saif get off to a rocky start when she goes to the doctors to ask for something to help her sleep - he refuses and she is angry with him. However, they share a mutual interest of walking with the dogs on the beach, it is here that they become friends.
I really enjoyed this little book. I found it quite emotional in a couple of parts, actually making me cry as the feelings were very similar to some of those I have experienced. I believe the characters in this quickreads book may feature in a book in the future. I do hope so, as I will certainly read it.
This book gets a big thumbs up from me
Saif is a doctor. He has lost all contact with his family due to being a refugee. He is brought to the small island of Mure to be a local GP as nobody wants to live on the island.
Lorna and Saif get off to a rocky start when she goes to the doctors to ask for something to help her sleep - he refuses and she is angry with him. However, they share a mutual interest of walking with the dogs on the beach, it is here that they become friends.
I really enjoyed this little book. I found it quite emotional in a couple of parts, actually making me cry as the feelings were very similar to some of those I have experienced. I believe the characters in this quickreads book may feature in a book in the future. I do hope so, as I will certainly read it.
This book gets a big thumbs up from me
December 26, 2020
So I decided to read the rest of the Mure books, when the 4th one came out for Christmas, even though I hadn't love-loved the first one. Interestingly, I don't even remember what I disliked about the ending of the first, (I read it 31/2 years ago) but I remembered the setting, and the people. And that of course is all in this book that gives some of the story around Lorna, and Saif. Sensitively written, and a lovely, gentle story, I very much enjoyed this. Will be reading the next 3 in quick succession, so long as I keep enjoying them too!
November 15, 2021
I decided to pick this up so that I can read Endless Beach next in the series. I went into this not expecting much, and just looking for a comfort read but I was definitely in for a ride.
This book was so full of emotion and I was pretty much broken by the end. The ending was bittersweet. I loved the message this story gives regarding emotions. There is definitely a lot that was left out and felt incomplete because this is a shorter length but I am really hoping for more in the sequels.
This book was so full of emotion and I was pretty much broken by the end. The ending was bittersweet. I loved the message this story gives regarding emotions. There is definitely a lot that was left out and felt incomplete because this is a shorter length but I am really hoping for more in the sequels.
April 27, 2022
Det är en kort och lättläst bok men förhållandevis händelsefattig. Den stora händelsen är om Lorna och hennes pappas sjukdom men utöver detta inget mer. Jag skulle dock önska lite mer berättat om Saif som är invandrare och letar efter någon som jag antar är familj. Jag vill helt enkelt veta mer om honom. Sammanfattningsvis så är det inte det bästa författaren gjort, jag gillar hennes serie om bageriet på strandpromenaden men inte denna så mycket.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 313 reviews