I loved this book, as I have the other 4 Pilcher books that I have read. Pilcher takes you into her world, and you feel the vulnerability, the joy, pain, and everything in between of her characters in this book. Her descriptions of the countryside are superb.

This short and sweet novel of Pilcher is as usual, very well written. Caroline, persuaded by her brother Jody at the beginning of the book, decides to take a trip to Scotland to see their brother Angus, of whom they haven't seen for years. So when a neighbor friend agrees to let Caroline use his old car to travel, they set off for this trip.

What happens as snow falls in April over in Scotland, is the two get stuck in snow, leaving them stranded, but not for long. They are almost to their destination when they meet a kindly gentleman, Oliver Cairney, who provides shelter and food for Caroline and Jody.

Sparks fly between and Oliver and Caroline, but she is engaged to be married soon. The story has a very interesting turn out in the end.

This is a quintessential Rosamunde Pilcher novel. Her characters are almost subdued, a little more like ordinary mortals with their rather unadorned personalities, which give them (esp the major characters) something that attracts kinship with the reader. The story is about how life for anyone has an unexpected whimsy, and finding love in the unlikeliest of places and in the rather unimagined person. Rosamunde Pilcher has mastered the craft of how to make love seem always sweet and precious, in this modern day where everyone is all eager to jump under the covers. Characters in this novel are unpunctuated, yet with all their loose-ended personalities, one sees a possibility that real love is able to blossom despite all kinds of improbabilities. This is a real "must read" for those of us hopelessly in love with love!

Understanding Contemporary Africa is a general textbook that is perfect for introductory courses in African studies. Authors of the various chapters are university-level scholars and teachers of history, political science, sociology, religion, and African studies. The subjects covered are African history, politics, national economies, international relations, population growth and urbanization, the environment, familial structures, women's effect in society, religion, and literature. There is an entire chapter devoted to South Africa.

This book contains many helpful references. Full page maps are near the beginning of the book, showing major physical features, the ITCZ and vegetation zones, natural resources compared to railroads and navigable rivers, early states and empires, colonies in 1914, and current countries and their capitals. I needed to refer to them often enough that I put a paperclip on the pages. Table 5.1 is a current export chart. Each chapter ends in a lengthy bibliography for further study. At the end of the book, acronyms are defined and there is a thorough glossary to which I referred many times. Basic Political Data is the third appendix. Each country is traced from independence to the present day in terms of its leaders.

Although the book suffers from sweeping generalizations, many times these are acknowledged by the authors. There are too few examples of these generalizations for my own taste. I personally prefer more "real people" stories to demonstrate points being made. This does not detract from the excellence of this intended introductory textbook for college-level African studies courses.

The last chapter of the book leaves the reader on the upbeat. There is hope for Africa in the current generation of young, educated middle and upper class men and women. They are seeing a bright future for Africa with hope in place of despair. Autocrats are being replaced with democratic leaders. Small businesses are on the rise; this is always a healthy sign in an economy. Health services and public education have increased since independence. The book closes with the observation that it will take a world partnership with Africa to make things work to neutralize the long term effects of exploitation of the African continent.