


This book is written so well that you don't feel as though she, the older heroine, took advantage of him, the much younger hero. If it had been that, I wouldn't have read this story. He's a teenager when they meet; the privileged son of the heroine's friend. She's an attractive woman in her mid-thirties. Besides being charming, he's clearly quite perceptive, clever, and mature for his age. Their love story is written intelligently in very poetic language without being overly graphic. There isn't a whole lot of coversation. The author's writing style reminded me of Michael Ondaatje who wrote The English Patient. He has a very lyrical, almost poetic way with words. In much the same way, Dianne Highbridge's language is deceptively simple yet evocative and haunting. The Aussies obviously have a different take on a relationship between an older teenager and a grown woman. I would never have guessed that I would root for these two, but both characters are so endearing and likable that you root for them to find happiness over the objections of others. I loved this book. Not sure I will part with it.