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Two questions about Scottish authors

laceyvail 6A, WV

17 years ago

Or should I have written "Scots" authors. I'm never sure.

Veer, I hope you look at this. You mentioned three works by Finlay J. MacDonald. I find listings for them on Amazon, but can't find anything about them. Can you tell me a bit more.

And, here's the tough one. Many years ago I read a trilogy set in rural Scotland by a Scottish author that I liked very much. I believe the author had three names (first, middle, last), and I think each one had two syllables. One of them may have been Lewis. Can anyone help me?

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Comments (5)

veer
17 years ago
lacey, the books by F J Macdonald are very gentle reads about his simple life growing up on a remote croft on Harris (it's worth looking it up on a map just to see how far it is from the centre of population).
I remember he describes his Grandfather, the Kirk Elder, who lived in the 'town' of Tarbert, having the first flushing WC installed and soon wondering what had happened to the wonderful oyster harvest in the sea-loch. The price of progress!
I think JFM must have been born at the end of WW1 or early '20's and his story takes him up to WW11 . . .hence the Lysander . . .
He used to give talks on the BBC and when I read his work I could 'hear' his Highland lilt coming through.

'Scots' or 'Scottish' are fine. I don't think 'Scotch' is correct; it's a drink.

I can't help you on your second request (unless it's Robert Louis Stevenson and the 'Kidnapped' stories) but the Abe books site below might jog your memory.

Here is a link that might be useful: Some books about the Highlands
anyanka
17 years ago
I googled with the keywords "Scottish trilogy Lewis" and got several hits for the same author, Lewis Grassic Gibbon (pseudonym for James Leslie Mitchell) and the following:

"A Scots Quair is a trilogy by the Scottish writer Lewis Grassic Gibbon, describing the life of Chris Guthrie, a woman from the north east of Scotland during the early 20th century.

It consists of three novels: Sunset Song, Cloud Howe, and Grey Granite. The first is widely regarded as an important classic, but opinions are more varied about the other two."

That's the Wikipedia entry. I've never heard of it myself. Any good?
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woodnymph2_gw
17 years ago
I remember when Gibbon's wonderful "Sunset Song" came on television as a serial many years ago. I always wanted to read this author's work but never could find the books.
veer
17 years ago
Another author I've never heard of, and on checking it appears that Gibbon's work hasn't made the journey South over the border. It seems it was used in Scottish schools and aimed at 15 year olds.
laceyvail 6A, WV
Original Author
17 years ago
anyanka, that's it! Thank you. I've been trying to think of it for years. The first one was very good but I do remember the second two not being of the same quality as the first, but, of course, I read them "to find out what happened."

veer, it may have been used in Scottish schools, but I do remember it as an adult novel.

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