Once in a while you could see her struggling to find herself, trying different tactics to bring in money, use whatever people skills she had and at those times you saw glimpses of the woman she had been. As I read, Miranda’s mental condition and physical condition worsened she sunk deep into drink and even used drugs. The author, Susan Tarr, carried me into a maelstrom of emotion with extremes of euphoria to a manic depressed state. They were going to be famous–people would flock to their resort. She convinced her best friend and cousin, Pansy, to share this wonderful adventure. Everything she’d ever done was a success. Miranda was a confident woman with plenty of self-esteem. If I were to put myself into such a position as Miranda did, perhaps I’d react the same.Ĭan you imagine putting all your money into a project you just know will succeed (yet, sight unseen), selling all you have to make a go, only to arrive to find you purchased a dud, a place which will take more money than what you have to be financially solvent? My Thoughts: This was an emotional read for me, very real, sometimes scary and well described by the author. Witty and wicked, scandalous and scary, this is a story to make you laugh and cry.

What follow is intrigue and terror, and an emotional and tender unfolding of events in the face of financial ruin. She contrives an outlandish economic solution to the problem. So the guests trickle in – hardly the sophisticates Miranda has envisaged.Īt the brink of despair, she experiences deepening depression and manic behavior. But now with paying guests expected, she must make some serious decisions. Hamilton, her lascivious financial advisor, seizes the opportunity to undermine her. In her frantic drive for success Miranda hires a motley crew to get cracking on the property. She knows little about running a business and depends heavily on loyal cousin Pansy’s expertise.

Setting: Sub-tropical Bay of Islands, New ZealandĪbout the Story: Miranda, a quirky, strong-minded and lovable young woman, splurges her inheritance on the old Miranda Bay Sanatorium in the sub-tropical Bay of Islands, New Zealand, simply because it bears her name.

Miranda Bay by Susan Tarr