Kathryn Lynn Davis has written another masterpiece in Somewhere Lies the Moon, which completes the epic story of the family of Mairi Rose of Glen Affric, Scotland. The first book in this trilogy, Too Deep for Tears, is the best book I have ever read, and has influenced me in too many ways to count. The second book in this trilogy, All We Hold Dear, was excellent, but smaller in scale. Somewhere Lies the Moon completes the circle begun with the first book, and is again an epic tale of the women touched by Mairi Rose.

Mairi Rose was married to British diplomat Charles Kittridge, and while her place was in her Highland home, his place was around the world. Together they created Ailsa, and then he was gone. In China, he fathered Lian, and in India, he fathered Genevra. Both Lian and Genevra suffered in their early lives, but when Charles grew old and ill, he returned to Mairi and she gathered together his other children and made them her own, helping each to begin the healing process. This is, in part, the story told in Too Deep for Tears.

Of course, Ailsa's story was also told, in part, in that book, and her story continued in All We Hold Dear. Ailsa shared her father's wanderlust and had left the Highlands for England as a young bride. In All We Hold Dear, after the death of her English husband, she returned to Mairi with one of her daughters, and both settled back into the glen. Ailsa created Ena, in the wild Highlands, and, in part, Ena's story is told in Somewhere Lies the Moon.

Of course, being an epic tale of more than 500 pages, far more is shared than Ena's story. Because while Mairi and the glen had worked their magic on Ailsa, it was not powerful enough to heal Lian or Genevra, and their stories are more fully told in this book.

Lian's journey takes her to France, and how she comes to terms with her past is made quite stunning by the author. The author is expert at weaving history into narrative and creating a seamless weave. Lian's pain and dignity and discovery that she can still love are juxtaposed with remembrance of Chinese life and that of the bucolic French countryside. All those around her are affected by her gifts, dignity, and sorrow, and as she discovers herself amidst her past and the present, she grows into believing she has the right to happiness. This section of Somewhere Lies the Moon is filled with incredible depth - it is immensely powerful.

The next portion, about Genevra, works less well. She has married the man in her life, a British officer, and has settled back in India where she still seems a misfit. She is not trusted by her British compatriots because she embraces India. Neither is she accepted by Indians because she is not one of them. Her husband is not seen until the epilogue of this section, and her struggles to find herself and her place in the world do not seem to be as interesting to the author as they should have been. The focus instead is on others in Genevra's life and therefore did not resonate as strongly as they could have, as they should have.

The bond between Ailsa, Lian, and Genevra is mystical and magical, and is what brings Ailsa's "sisters" back to Glen Affric. Through imagery and symbols, Kathryn Lynn Davis' sumptuously lyrical prose shines brightest in this section of Somewhere Lies the Moon. For the final third of this compelling tale, I was transfixed, and cried so often I lost count. Of course, the first bout of tears hit before page 20, but I had expected that - that's how powerful this author's words are. But for that final 150 or so pages, when the story returned to the Highlands, to Mairi, and to Ena, her words took on a transcendent quality that more than made up for any lack in Genevra's portion of the book.

The women of the glen are women I first met a decade ago when Too Deep for Tears was published. They have stayed with me since then, and while Somewhere Lies the Moon is not perfect, it is a powerful conclusion for a powerful trilogy of fiction. I urge you read all three books, preferably in order, and cannot imagine someone reading any one of the three and not being impelled from within to seek out the other two. You will have to read, though in private, where the sounds of your tears will not disturb others, and where you will have the space to journey in your mind. And since you won't be able to put the book down, set aside enough time to read it in one sitting. It's that remarkable.