Posts Tagged ‘review’
The Stillman is a novel packed with dark humour
The Stillman is Tom McCulloch’s first novel and the characterisation of protagonist Jim Drever surely draws on the author’s upbringing in the Highlands. We’re in 2010, the worst winter in years, and Jim, stillman at a Highland distillery, has just turned 50. His obsessions are his comfortingly predictable job, and the movies, full of fictional…
Read MoreA gripping mystery full of historical facts
Original Death is the third book in Eliot Pattison’s colonial mystery series – following on from Bone Rattler and Eye Of The Raven. It sees exiled Scottish clan chief Duncan McCallum attempting to solve the murder of an entire village of Native Americans during the pre-revolutionary era. Pattison’s writing incorporates historical fact and is all…
Read MoreThe perfect companion for salmon fishing lovers
Salmon Flies: Past and Present is a fascinating guide for salmon fishing enthusiasts. It contains detailed dressings for 28 flies, including fully dressed flies, hairwings, Spey flies and shrimp patterns. As well as instructions on how to create these beautiful flies, the author has included possible alternatives to any hard to find, illegal or expensive…
Read MoreA fascinating look at Scotland’s eagles
Jim Crumley has been described as ‘the best nature writer working in Britain today,’ and this work on the return to Scotland of the magnificent white-tailed eagle – or sea eagle – certainly proves that point. Crumley’s beautiful, descriptive prose paints a magnificent picture of these most graceful and majestic creatures. Crumley has spent years…
Read MoreA fascinating look at the churches of Glasgow
Anyone who walks around Glasgow can’t fail to be impressed with its architecture. Despite being someone who has lived in the west of Scotland for the vast majority of his life, there are times when I forget to look around me and appreciate the beautiful buildings which are there. Some of the most impressive of…
Read MoreHome is where the heart is – and is full of emotion
John Mackay’s latest novel, Home, is the definition of the phrase ‘home is where the heart is.’ It centres around one family over a century, beginning with a simple man called Faroe who built a house on a Hebridean island for his family. Faroe and his wife had seven children, who grew up and had…
Read MoreLost opportunities and a touching human story
From the very first page of this poetic novel, the reader can witness the story shimmer into life. Writing simultaneously in Gaelic and English, Campbell evokes the haunting beauty of the Western Highlands in this romantic tale of chance encounters and missed moments. When the narrator passes a girl on the staircase of a ferryboat,…
Read MoreA refreshing fictional take on Robert the Bruce
This hefty novel gives voice to the five sisters of Robert the Bruce, highlighting the challenges they faced as sisters of Scotland’s great hero. It is certainly refreshing to hear the female voice within history’s discourse of wars and battles that is so often dominated by men. The story begins with Isa, the eldest sister…
Read MoreOn the case after a man is wrongly executed for a murder
A Rattle of Bones is a murder mystery rooted in history. In 1752 James of the Glen was executed for the murder of government man Colin Campbell. So, when publicity comes to light claiming he was innocent and that his namesake James Stewart – who has been incarcerated for the last ten years for murder…
Read MoreA fascinating insight into the history of Lewis
Lewis: The Story of an Island is a delve into the history of a great island in the Hebrides. This book explores the history of Lewis and its people as well as the mythologies, maps, architecture and of course the Gaelic language. Despite personal roots on the island, I have sadly never had the chance…
Read More