Book reviews of a selection of titles curated by our critics.
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Long Island by Colm Tóibín by Lottie Fyfe Long Island by Colm Tóibín (2024) follows the critically acclaimed Brooklyn (2009), which saw Eilis Lacey return to America and her husband Tony after an unexpected romance in her rural Irish hometown of Enniscorthy. Now, it’s the mid-seventies, Eilis is in
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Thank you for the kiss by Beth Jordan by Liz Treacher, Author Beth Jordan is a local author, photographer and business woman living in Ross-shire. Her debut novel Thank You for the Kiss (Moultavie, 2023) is a fascinating mix of fiction and memoir. Set in Cuba, the novel throbs with
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Absolutely & Forever by Rose Tremain by Liz Treacher, Author Athough it was only published in paperback this year, Absolutely and Forever (Vintage, 2024) by Rose Tremain feels very retro. Set in 1960s London, the novel describes the struggles of Marianne to forget her first love, Simon, who she met
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Blàs, Across the Machair by C C Hutton By Liz Treacher, Author C C Hutton / Ceitidh Hutton is an award-winning writer of Gaelic children’s picture books and writer of English women’s contemporary fiction with a dash of Gaelic, a large sprinkling of humour, and a wee drop of
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Ardgay Girl, by Lily Byron By Liz Treacher, Author I f you have read and enjoyed Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee, you will love Ardgay Girl (Byron, 2023) by local author Lily Byron. It’s a journey back in time, a dive into Highland life in the post-war era
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The Last Witch of Scotland, by Philip Paris By Liz Treacher, Author I love to read novels about the area penned by other local writers. So it was with great excitement that I picked up The Last Witch of Scotland (Black & White 2023) by Philip Paris. Philip has already
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Enchantment, by Katherine May by Liz Treacher, Author 'Our sense of enchantment is not sparked by grand things,’ says Katherine May. It’s ‘all around us all the time.’ In her latest book Enchantment (Faber & Faber 2023), Katherine explores how the four elements of earth, wind, fire and
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Nightwalking, by John Lewis-Stempel By Liz Treacher, Author IT feels a bit strange reviewing a book about nightwalking when the days are getting longer and the nights are getting lighter, but I was captivated by Nightwalking by nature writer John Lewis-Stempel and wanted to tell you about it. Nightwalking (Transworld,
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Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan by Liz Treacher, Author If you enjoy books that plunge you into a different time and place, then look no further than Small Things Like These (Faber, 2021) by Claire Keegan. Shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize, the novella charts an incident in
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Shadow Man, by Margaret Kirk by Liz Treacher, Author I always enjoy reading books by local authors and if the book is set locally, then it’s even better! Shadow Man (Orion, 2017) is set mainly in Inverness, but Helmsdale and Dornoch also feature. The novel has a great sense
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Wildwood, by Elinor Florence by Liz Treacher, Author Do you ever long for a simpler life? Could you live off the grid? Canadian author, Elinor Florence, explores this in her novel Wildwood (Dundurn Press, 2018). I met Elinor this summer when she came to Brora to do some research into
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Conversations with Friends, by Sally Rooney by Liz Treacher, Author Iread Sally Rooney’s Conversations with Friends (Faber, 2017) during a recent trip to see an Eighties band, so maybe that is why I found it so nostalgic. The novel is set in Dublin in the present day, but it