First I want to say a big thank you to Peggy for sending me this book. I’d send her a Hielan’ coo if I could!
This is the second book by A.D. Scott which I’ve read, the first one in this series is called A Small Death in the Great Glen, which I enjoyed but I think I liked this one even more.
Set in the Highlands of Scotland in the 1950s, the main character is Joanne Ross, a typist at the Highland Gazette. She’s now a single mother as she has left her abusive husband and she’s being given more work on the newspaper, learning to become a reporter.
The Highland Gazette has just been given a makeover and the first edition has been well received, now the editor is worried about finding enough news to keep the standard up and interest more readers. But it turns out that there’s plenty going on in the Highlands, I don’t think it’s actually mentioned in the book but the Gazette is obviously based in Inverness and most of the action goes on on the Black Isle where there are two deaths on the same estate, on the same day.
As ever I don’t want to say too much about the storyline but I did enjoy it and the way that Joanne’s character and personality are developing. She’s up against the small minds of a rural community, where women who wear trousers are thought of as scandalous and leaving a husband is just unheard of – but she’s winning the battle. I’m looking forward to reading the next in the series. I read this one for the Read Scotland 2014 Challenge. A.D. Scott is actually a Scot although she doesn’t live there at the moment but I think her nationality comes across clearly, she couldn’t be mistaken for someone who has just chosen to set a novel in Scotland.
I’m so glad you liked it! You’ve sent me 2 coo’s! Don’t think zoning would like it if you sent a real one.
Peggy,
No and think how awful all those cow pies would be!
The setting – both time & place – sound really appealing. I’ll have to see if these are available here, I hope so!
Lisa,
They were published in the US so you should be able to find them, try your library, it’s more difficult to get them in the UK. I hope you enjoy them if you do read them.
I agree with Lisa, the setting and time period area sound wonderful. I can’t even imagine the days when women wearing trousers was considered scandalous!
Anbolyn,
When I first worked in a library we weren’t allowed to wear trousers, not even if they were very smart ones. We had to wait until the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 became law then they couldn’t stop us! Have a look here at 1975 http://www.mmu.ac.uk/equality-and-diversity/doc/gender-equality-timeline.pdf. The rest of the article is interesting too.
I am looking forward to starting this series. My husband read the first book and really liked it. When I was first in college, women could not wear trousers on campus (except in the dorm). Amazing when I look back on it.
TracyK,
That is amazing, students here could always wear trousers I’m sure. When you look back it is incredible how things have changed for women over the years, I think it was even worse for women in other European countries. I remember being in Germany in the 1980s and all the women in the family I was staying with were like second class citizens – ‘kinder, kuche, kirche’ was what sprung to my mind!