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After her husband's death and her own breakdown, from which she has been rescued by her good friend Sashie, Janet Sandison sets sail from her West Indian home to return to Scotland and make a new life for herself as an author. She is beset by doubts, but as the days pass aboard R.M.S. Mnemosyne the personalities and dramas of her fellow passengers claim her attention more and more, not least of all the puckish child Helga, and the three elephantine sisters, the Misses Kindness, whose mission in life is to make everyone as much like themselves as possible. Behind their backs they are soon nicknamed 'The Friendly Ones' for, like the Furies of Greek mythology, they must be placated as well as, if possible, avoided. There are other Furies aboard too, for each passenger has his or her private interior demon; but in the young Second Engineer Janet finds an unexpected and rewarding friend, and as the ship draws near to England the threads of all their lives dramatically come together for a while.The deep vein of truth that underlies all Jane Duncan's books is here at its most impressive and, together with her sharp observation of human nature and her story-telling skill, make this one of her most compelling novels.

'From the rail I looked down at Sashie's upturned face and the brilliant, early tropical sunlight made me think of the lights upon the stage of a theatre long ago . . .'With these thoughts Janet Sandison says goodbye to the West Indian island that has been her home for many years, for her husband Twice has died, the great house where old Madame Dulac held court for so long is to be sold, changes are coming to the island, and Janet herself is setting out on a new and adventurous life.That she is doing so is due in no small measure to her friend Sashie, the ex-RAF pilot who walks on 'tin legs' and whose tender, sensitive friendship has drawn Janet from the dark limbo of desolation into which her husband's death had plunged her. The flamboyant Sashie is a brilliant and subtle character, as readers of Jane Duncan's previous 'Friends' books know; and in this story of Janet's move to a new life he is revealed with all the perception and clear-sightedness that make Jane Duncan so compelling a story-teller.

It was a long journey from the West Indies to Scotland - but Janet's holiday turned out to be unforgettable . . .It was a wrench for Janet to leave her husband behind-but Twice's heart condition did not permit him to leave the West Indies. So she set off to Scotland without him, to spend a holiday with her family-her brother Jock, his wife and their three lively children, Liz, Duncan and George.Having to take their mother's place while she is in hospital, Janet finds the Hungry Generation almost too much for her . . . but stories of her childhood at Reachfar prove the first step towards a surprising alliance . . .

'I think you are forgetting one thing, Twice,' I said. 'You seem to forget that my home is where you are.'Janet is unhappy in St Jago. Although Twice Alexander is now convalescing from his serious illness, the strain of the past year has caused an emotional rift between them-and Reachfar, her beloved childhood home, is sold. Friends from Cairnton, past and present, unknowingly provide the help she needs. The rich, pathetic Lady Hallinzeil arrives with Mrs Drew, her malignant companion; and later come those beloved friends of Janet's schooldays, Violetta Cervi and Kathleen Malone-now a famous singer.When these memorable characters leave, Janet and Twice are able to face their new life together with hope and understanding.

'Since I lost the baby, you and I have been so close together that we have been almost a single person'Janet Alexander returning by sea to the Caribbean with her husband 'Twice' finds their domestic harmony threatened by the emotional problems of the two young people aboard.Ashore at St Jago the shipboard characters find themselves at the centre of a fast-thickening plot, with Friends old and new joining in against the colourful background of Carnival and sugar-harvest, regattas and plantation life.And on land or sea is Cousin Emmie herself, dominating the scene in her shapeless dresses with her voracious appetite and her uncanny ability to get at the heart of a problem.