Mine Is the Night: A Novel

I truly enjoyed this book by Liz Curtis Higgs.This book was slower paced than the previous one but that did not detract from the book. As before, there is a vocabulary list of Scottish words to help understand the dialogue. But I only referred to it twice since it was so easy to figure out the meaning from the context.All the characters were well developed and I was very satisfied with the ending. I appreciate all the research that the author has done into Scottish history and weaving in the story of the Book of Ruth from the Bible. I must say that I will miss Elizabeth, Marjory, Anne and of course Gibson.I love the way that Liz Curtis Higgs intertwined the customs and holidays of the times like Michaelmas into the story. After reading about the customs and feast for that holiday, I checked for more information and was surprised to find a custom that I grew up was derived from this holiday. Look it up yourself!I was also pleased with the amount of humor and wit in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to go back in history again with the author. She makes it all come alive.This book is a book of hope too. One of the verses from the Bible that she quoted was "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning (Psalms 30:5) truly sums up the book and makes you think about it in reference to our lives today.I recommend this book to anyone who loves a book rich in thought and history. I truly enjoyed this last book of the trilogy by Liz Curtis Higgs. At the time that I started reading 'Here Burns My Candle' I didn't realize that this was a trilogy. It was slower paced but that did not detract from the book.I love the way that Liz Curtis Higgs wove the customs and holidays of the times like Michaelmas. After reading about the customs and feast for that holiday, I checked for more information and was surprised to find a custom that I grew up was derived from this holiday. Look it up yourself!I am definitely a Liz Curtiz Higgs fan!

With her prior Scottish historical fiction, Liz Curtis Higgs has proven herself to be a talented storyteller, skilled at taking Bible stories and translating them (and plausibly at that) into 18th and 19th century Scotland. Given that the book of Ruth is one of my favorites of the Bible, I have been eagerly anticipating Mine is the Night. Happily, it did not disappoint.As in her prior works, this one is infused with warmth and character and a touch of whimsy. Higgs' work is saturated with detail from her research and many trips to Scotland, and is infused with her love of that country and its history. All of this effectively transports the reader to that time and place. Mine is the Night is full of details and scenes that do not advance the plot, but serve simply to give an added feel for the customs and culture of 18th century Scotland; they do this amazingly well, without ever slowing down the pace of the story. Mine is the Night is 440 pages of small print, but it reads quickly.In her Scottish historical fiction, Liz Curtis Higgs never ceases to amaze me with her ability to translate a Biblical story from ancient Judea into 18th century Scotland. She does an incredible job of meshing all the twists and turns of the Biblical account with details of Scottish tradition, merging the two seamlessly.My only dissatisfaction with Mine is the Night is the way she developed Marjory Kerr's storyline. I am sure many readers (perhaps most?) will be satisfied to have all three of the female main characters find true love and live happily ever after. However, for me, such sugary-sweet endings weaken a book. Inserting the invented character of Anne Kerr into the story, and giving her a happily-ever-after romantic ending, was a nice touch and was sufficient in that regard. But Marjory Kerr's romance has no Biblical basis and, to make it worse, having her fall in love with her former butler/footman was just too much. I really wish Higgs had left this out of the story altogether; it felt more silly than anything, and thus brought down the overall tone and mood of the book.However, except for that one aspect of the plot this is an excellent book, a beautiful re-telling of the book of Ruth and another example of Liz Curtis Higgs' fine writing. I hope she has more Scottish translations of Biblical stories in the works.

Steeped in history, you can see the story of Ruth running through its pages.Kept you wanting to read more.

love this Author, she is amazing. This is a great story, with easily recognisable characters, a good read but not as gripping as a thorn in my side books.

I enjoy old fashioned stories and it's about the town l live in. The author stayed locally and it was lovely reading the place names that mean so much.

The sequel to Here Burns my Candle. Wonderful read.

This book was amazing as the story of Ruth and Naomi and then Ruth and Boaz unfolded. Easy to read and exciting.