EXTRACT from Another Sun Shines
"Oh Mother!" Diana said despairingly, "Don't be hypocritical. I have not sinned by raping, by abusing, by incest or murder. I have taken no one's husband or wife. I have not killed through greed or drink; I have not aborted a life or become involved in sleaze. I fell in love with someone of my own sex - is that so dreadful? We related to each other. We like each other, we are companions and friends, we respect each other, we can empathise, and yes, we can love each other too?"
REVIEW from Diva Magazine
Young English teacher Diana Benton starts a new job at an exclusive Scottish school, and is confronted with a rebellious American student, Sam Stevenson.
Their personalities clash. Having set up this expectation De Burgh delivers, but it is actually the story that follows their fiery courtship which is most interesting and compelling, as the two live separate lives which, eventually, reconnect.
Publisher's Reader Report
Set
between the mid 1960's and 1981 Another Sun Shines is a bittersweet love story
of loss and sexual identity. When 27 year old English teacher Diana Benton goes
to teach in an exclusive Scottish school, she finds herself confronted by a
rebellious but gifted student, Samantha 'Sam' Stevenson, an American girl ten
years her junior who dreams of becoming a writer. Even when their initial
antagonism turns to respect, friendship and finally a passionate physical love,
Diana and Sam know that their path to happiness is far from assured. But they
cannot know the extent of the trials that lie ahead, including cruel bigotry,
painful separation, madness and bankruptcy.
This is a lively human interest story; replete with themes that sit snugly
within the confines of the novel's time, place and gender-structure, yet also
transcend them. The sub-plots add yet another dimension, making the reader
ponder the myths and realities of different kinds of love e/affection,
particularly the platonic and maternal.
Characters are the cornerstone of this novel forming the bricks and mortar of
the extensive but solid plotline and creating plenty of emotional interest.
Overall, this is an entertaining, often touching tale, with two robust and
colourful female characters at its heart. It is clearly aimed at the women's
market, and most especially at the lesbian niche, and as such I think it could
do well. But its far-reaching and very human subject matter means its appeal
would not necessarily be limited to one section of the market.
ANOTHER SUN SHINES by Annette
De Burgh
Published by Indepenpress
ISBN: 978-1-907499-36-4
Available from all good bookshops and online outlets.
Book Trailer on YouTube
