Both the characters and the landscape are wonderfully conjured into life, but whilst the novel has a definite “end of epoch” feel this is no romanticised portrait of past rural life.

Their age-old way of life is facing its end as the modern world reaches them. The novel itself is set in the years before and during WW1, amongst a community of small tenant farmers in the north-east of Scotland. “Sunset Song” fits this pattern, with its central character being a young woman, Christine (Chris) Guthrie. Lewis Grassic Gibbon was in fact a penname, though of a man called James Leslie Mitchell. So pronounced was this tendency that during his lifetime some people thought his books were written by a female author using a penname. For a man of his time he was unusual in that he often placed women as the central characters of his stories, many of which were told from a female perspective. The author lived a short life between 19. I’ve just listened to it again on audiobook, with a superb narration by the actress Eileen McCallum, and have linked this review to the audio version rather than the paperback I previously read. This book will be loved by those who appreciate nature, those who prefer country over city, those who have been to and love Scotland, and all of you who appreciate superb writing.Ī much-loved novel in Scotland, that I originally read 30 or more years ago. Keep in mind that a threat can be more disturbing than an actual event.

and we aren't always nice! Some readers may be upset by the realistic description of childbirth. The characters fall in love, they are happy, they are sad, they hurt each other and some die. A world that changes means that people's lives change too. The themes are the impact of the First World War and pacifism, socialism, the disappearance from the Scottish Highlands of the traditional small-scale croft farming, the cutting of the forests and the subsequent increase of sheep raising. It fails because it does not convey how the reader / listener will be drawn into the story.

After reading the article I thought that while I agreed with all that was said, the article fails. If you look on Wiki you will get a map of the fictional town of Kinraddie. I love the story, how it plays out, as well as the writing. In my view the narration enhances one's appreciation of the text. McCallum's intonation reflects the humor, sadness and anger found in the lines. The dialect is said to be artificial, but I didn’t realize this. The dialect captures the colloquial speech of the area. Understanding the Scottish dialect is difficult, but worth it. I am listening to the audiobook narrated by Eileen McCallum. Writing can be all about creating the atmosphere of a particular time and place. When? At the beginning of the 20th century. When you listen to this you are there in the Scottish Highlands. Voted 'Best Scottish Book of All Time' by 'the public' in 2005

Sunset song by lewis grassic gibbon