First published in 1907, the setting is a small Argyllshire town, easily identified as Inveraray. The novel centres upon a local family and the arrival of a young American niece from Chicago. Thus West Highland beliefs and values are repeatedly contrasted with those of the outside and wider world, yet the patterns and rhythms of life in the town are also seen beside those of a tiny Hebridean island. Kate, maid-of-all-work to the Dyce household, is torn between the sophistication of her new home on the mainland and her nostalgia for the gentler pace of life in her native Colonsay.
Light-hearted and humourous in tone, this is also a subtle and serious examination of the way in which women with creative gifts were once restricted byt the conventions of contemporary Scotland.
With an introduction by Ronnie Renton.
A native of Inveraray, Neil Munro was a journalist by profession and for many years was the editor of the Glasgow Evening News. He is best known for his comic tales about Para Handy, but he also produced a number of historical and contemporary novels, as well as poetry and non-fiction.
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