Elspeth Sandys — River Lines

Sceptre 1995 Paperback, 534pp. Deidre Byrne grows up in a remote area of rural New Zealand in an atmosphere of physical hardship and emotional deprivation. Despite her father's implacable opposition, she becomes a nurse, even though it means exile from her beloved father. The fulfilment Deidre experiences in her career is cut short when she agrees to an unlikely marriage with businessman Feargus McLean. By contrast, Sarah Dutton's background is one of affection and privilege. But when she falls in love with a radical artist, she has to face up to unresolved issues in her own family relationships. The loves of these two women touch only briefly. But there is between them a deep and mysterious bond that lasts for three generations and illuminates the complex emotional legacies of marriage and family life. Owner's Name inside. Cover creased and sunned. (ISBN: 9780340640579). Good.