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High on a Cliff |
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| High on a Cliff by Colin Schindler Headline 313 pages, 1999 ISBN 0747273952 Reviewed by Faith Leslie - South Africa High on a Cliff is a feel-good story told by the three main living characters in the book - Danny who is twelve years old; his father Ralph, a journalist; and Helen, Ralph's new boss who falls in love with him. Excerpts from Angela's diary, Ralph's deceased wife, carry the story line along as well. Colin Schindler handles the four threads expertly, keeping the tale alive without confusing the reader. Ralph could appear to be somewhat too eager to keep Danny's mother 's memory alive. But it is evident that Ralph's love for Angela was so strong that he received a great deal of comfort from this. The action takes place both in California and in Britain, as Angela was a very promising actress with a future cut short by an untimely death. Father and son return to Britain where Ralph devotes himself to Danny, and an extremely close bond develops between them. Enter Helen. Danny approves of Helen, with strong reservations as to whether she should marry his father. A combination of circumstances leads Helen to realize that the bond between Ralph and Danny will create too much friction in a marriage. She returns to the USA and when Danny understands the situation he attempts to find her, cleverly coping with passports and other problems. In the United States however, his luck runs out and the tension becomes extreme as he has to survive as a street kid. This is an emotion tugging story that I found very enjoyable. -- Colin Schindler is a leading television writer and producer who has won a BAFTA for his production of A Little Princess. His first book Manchester United Ruined My Life, a major bestseller, was short-listed for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year. |
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