About book Lady Of The Glen: A Novel Of 17th-Century Scotland And The Massacre Of Glencoe (1998)
This is a fairly historically accurate story of what led up to the massacre of Glencoe, a horrible episode of Scottish history that took place during the Jacobite uprisings (one of many, sadly, but not anywhere near as bad as Culloden), and of all the people that were involved in it, from the victims to the perpetrators to people who were caught in the middle. The book weaves multiple stories together, including that of the machinations that led to the massacre and that of the the two people who fell in love despite clan rivalries. It does this by having the viewpoint switch between a number of different characters, all of whom we get to know throughout the years from 1682 through 1695.This book is incredibly, wonderfully Scottish. The characters wear trews and arisaids and ride garrons and drink usquabae (and do other things you may not recognize) and, when talking, use many expressions that the average reader who isn't obsessed with Scotland may not ken. Och, but dinna fash, dinna greet, just bide a wee, and ye'll get used to it, aye?Unfortunately, the Scottish-ness was my favorite part of the book. The love story, once it finally got going, was enjoyable for a while, and the politics and behind-the-scenes of the royal courts were interesting, but for some reason, not enough. It took me what felt like forever to get through this book (I had to renew it once), especially the first 180 pages. I wasn't really interested until the gathering of the clans at Achallader, and I didn't reach the point where I was waiting for just one more chapter--just one more! or maybe two, the next one's short--before I would get up to find food or take a shower or something until pretty late in the book. I had really high hopes for this book, both because its subject seems right up my alley (I love Scotland and Scottish history and highlanders--I even wear a Jacobite rosette pin on my coat), plus there's a recommendation from Diana Gabaldon on the cover, and she's one of my favorite authors. I hope it didn't work for me because it was just the wrong time for me to be reading it; a lot is going on in my life right now. I did enjoy the book quite a lot, because the parts I liked, I really liked, but I fear that was outweighed by how frustrated I was at how long it took me to get into it. I wanted to give the book 3.5 stars, but since I liked it so much, I couldn't bring myself to round down, so it's four. Another reason I can't round down is that while reading I was bothered by how Jennifer Roberson portrayed John Hill as so sympathetic to the Highlanders, because it seemed unrealistic, but it turns out that he actually was, so I can't complain about that any more.
This was a very good book and an enjoyable read. I really enjoyed the two main characters, Catriona (Cat) and Alasdair (Dair) a lovely Romeo and Juliet story. A pleasant change to have the heroine not be drop dead gorgeous. Their characters were well drawn, intelligent and displayed great chemistry. I enjoyed their playful banter as they "courted" and afterward when they become lovers. LOL when she became worried after their first time together in bed, as her brothers had always told Cat her tongue would shrivel a man's --- well you know what. Even though when Cat and Dair get together they are a loving and lusty couple, the sex scenes are mostly left to the imagination and not overly drawn out, which helps make this book more appropriate for a younger reader than many books available these days. The author was able to convey much just with the subtle sexual banter betwen these two, it was very funny and sweet. Although there is the "romance" of the book with the two main characters, this is more about the massacre of Glencoe, a little known piece of Scottish history, and a very sad tale for so many members of this clan. Don't let the cover of the book fool you, this is not a Julie Garwood type of book where the story is mostly fluff to place the H&H in in order to write steamy love scenes. And I'm not knocking Garwood, I loved Ransom -- this is just a different type of book altogether despite what it appears from the cover. If you are looking for a light book heavy on romance and light on the history, this book is not for you. All in all quite an enjoyable read.
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Scottish history has been a passion of mine for quite some time, and the story of Glencoe, as horrific and tragic as it was, remains most intriguing. It's surprising that more novels aren't written based on that event, but Roberson's retelling is good. The romance itself is rather implausible...while inter-clan marriages occurred all the time, I have a hard time swallowing one between such hated enemies. But I guess that's what makes it such a good yarn. You might want to brush up on your history a bit before undertaking this book...it will make much more sense if you get a general background of the people and events of the time.
—Colleen Martin
It's a shame that this book is out of print because it's a real treat for Scottish history lovers: romance, politics, violence, and bloodshed. The cheesy title and steamy cover do this book a real disservice, in my opinion, because though it's a love story, it's not a bodice-ripper featuring men in kilts; the story has more depth of character and complexity of plot than any other highland romance I have read. Most of the characters are based on real Scots, the key players in the drama and tragedy of the Glencoe Massacre, and the author has done her research. The prose is solid, workman-like, the pacing was just right, and even though I knew how the story had to end, I was still turning pages into the wee hours of the morning. I wish that Roberson had gone on to write other stories about Scotland and its people; tracking down a copy of this one was well worth the trouble. Recommended.
—Mary
This book is an account of the massacre of the MacDonald clan and sacking of Glencoe in 1692, presented from the viewpoint of a fictional heroine--a feisty woman who doesn't follow the normal path for women at that time in Scotland(probably like the heroine in the new movie Brave). However, all of the primary characters except for the two women actually were involved in the events presented in the book, and the author seems to have taken pains to present details as accuratly as possible. This book provides a vivid view of the bloody, brutal battles involving Scottish clansmen. Scotland certainly does have a bloody history of terrible battles--from the battle at Loudoun Hill where my ancestor, a covenanter, fought, to Culloden where the Jacobite fighters were basically exterminated. We were at Glencoe last summer and saw the memorial to the slain MacDonalds and went to the site of Culloden. Memories of these old battles still loom fresh in the minds of Scots.
—Mary
