Mitji is an aborigine girl who is considered a freak in her tribe, for she has fair skin, red hair, green eyes, and freckles. When she is around 15-years-old, she encounters a near-dead man in the desert, and saves his life. Although they speak different languages, they understand each other, and when Mitji gets herself sick, the man is the one who saves her, taking her to the civilized world.
And there is where Mitji's adventure begins. First, with the help of the man she saved, Luke, and his kind wife, Rosemary, she learns English, how to read, write, count, etc. Then, when a man comes to kill her, and eventually, poor Rosemary dies of sickness, Mitji/Meg travels with a nice couple, Simon and Elisa, to France. There Meg goes into a fancy school, where she is again a brave, unafraid girl who stands up against bullying (I love that part!)
Eventually Luke comes to rescue her, telling her that someone is trying to kill her because turns out, she is a heiress. She is taken away to her trustee's house, lives there for some month, until Simon and Elisa take her to her mother's friend's house. After that, they go on a sea voyage; their ship wrecks, and they have to live in a desert island but thanks to Meg's skills, they survive.
Uff, describing all her adventures was long, but it was a lot of fun to read them. Specially because I liked all the characters, but Mitji/Meg/Moira was the best of all. She was a very resourceful girl, capable, honest and her ability to "scent" people was very useful.
However, there were 2 unforgettable points in this book:
**SPOILERS**
1. Luke: his attitude was very irritating. I get that he was attracted to Meg and he had to hide it someway, but I hated that he was so cold and hot. He was odious towards poor Mitji most of the times, after she had saved his life! I get that he did not want her to touch him (that was OK-ish) but to be so harsh with her! Ohhh, and all because, turns out, he was in love with her too. That is right. He "loved" two women; his generous, loving Rosemary, AND Mitji. Because let me tell you, Rosemary was a sweetheart; it was not like they were not happy together, and did not love each other. Quite the opposite. But, oh, Rosemary could not fulfill her duties, and they have not being-being together for years (because Rosemary was almost dying, see?). But "poor Luke" was suffering, and of course he had his lusty moments -that he fought so bravely- once Mitji come into their lives. And once they are in the island, in the verge of death, he confesses his feelings, and la la la, we have a HEA. Whatever.
2. Simon and Elisa: who were together for years, but Simon does not appreciate Elisa as she deserves, and had never asked her to marry him. In fact, Simon likes to fool around. Don't get me wrong, they were excellent background cast and good friends to Meg, but once Markie asks Elisa to marry him, Simon realizes "oh no, actually, I want to marry her". So, poor Markie -such a nice, suffered man, all because he was an albino- gets erased from the map all very conveniently because, duh! Simon and Elisa belong together.
**END OF SPOILERS**
Fun, adventurous book, just like his other books (boarding school, sea voyage, attempts of murder, etc.), and despite my 2 negative points, it is recommended.
