A 'gowk storm' is an untimely fall of snow in early Spring - a fitting symbol for the anguished story that unfolds. Nearly a hundred years ago, three girls were born to a minister and his wife in a remote Highland manse; the rigid patriarchal structure of the timesis set against their approaching womanhood and growing awareness of life beyond the safety of home.After the disposal by marriage of the eldest, the sisters' lives reach a new level of intensity. Emmy, the middle sister, ...

'Vastly original. Bessy is surely one of the most striking characters in recent fiction: cynical, disruptive, tender and very, very funny.' Independent on SundayShortlisted for the Orange PrizeScotland, 1863. In an attempt to escape her past, Bessy Buckley takes a job working as a maid in a big country house. But when Arabella, her beautiful mistress, asks her to undertake a series of bizarre tasks, Bessy begins to realise that she...

In 1925, John Buchan published his second most famous novel, John Macnab.Three high-flying men – a barrister, a cabinet minister and a banker – are suffering from boredom. They concoct a plan to cure it. They inform three Scottish estates that they will poach from each two stags and a salmon in a given time. They sign collectively as 'John Macnab' and await the responses. This novel is a light interlude within the Leithen Stories series – an evocative look at the hunting, ...

The Quarry Wood, although published well before Sunset Song, inhabits a similar world; the progress of its heroine could almost be the alternative story of a Chris Guthrie who did go to university. Compassionate and humorous, the grace and style of Shepherd's prose is heightened by a superb ear for the vigorous language of the north-east.The Weatherhouse, Shepherd's masterpiece, is an even more substantial achievement which belongs to the great line of Sc...

Join William Brown for more mischief, mayhem and muddles as he gets up to his old tricks in More William, Richmal Compton's second set of classic William adventures, with an introduction by Martin Jarvis. When Aunt Lucy tells William that 'a busy day is a happy day', William does his best to keep himself very busy indeed. Unfortunately, not everyone appreciates his efforts to cheer up Christmas Day – and when a conjuring trick with an egg goes very badly wrong, William finds himself in mor...

From the author of “The Snow Goose”.“I was aware, from the very beginning, that I was a most unusual cat…”Thomasina is the beloved pet cat of 7-year-old Mary Ruadh, whose strict father is the town's vet. When Thomasina falls ill, her father sees no other option but to put the cat down. Heartbroken by his cruelty, Mary stops speaking to her father and falls dangerously ill herself.Meanwhile, Thomasina is rescued by Lori, a young woman who lives alone in an isolated gl...

Bates's famous loveable rogue, Uncle Silas, has a unique range of work to his name. For the first time, all of these stories are gathered together in one collection, allowing readers to experience Silas from multiple perspectives.Some tales offer sly, affectionate glimpses of the narrator's great-uncle Silas – the rural oldster of the earthy, boozy, incorrigible school. But there is also an active tenderness as seen in 'The Revelation,' where the narrator watches old Silas being gi...

Four classic adventure novels starring Scottish hero Sir Edward Leithen from the author of The Thirty-Nine Steps, who "invented the modern spy novel" ( New Statesman).Sir Edward Leithen, lawyer, politician, sportsman and occasional philosopher, was probably the most autobiographical of John Buchan's heroes. This collection of four novels, written over a span of thirty years, shows Leithen/Buchan in all his moods—from the urban menace of The Po...

Passionate, headstrong and imaginative, Sybylla Melvyn is one of the most endearing heroines of Australian literature.'I am given to something which a man never pardons in a woman. You will draw away as though I were a snake when you hear.' With this warning, Sybylla confesses to her rich and handsome suitor that she is given to writing stories and bound, therefore on a brilliant career. In this ironically titled and riotous first novel by Miles Franklin, originally published in 190...

In her groundbreaking novel "Work," Louisa May Alcott delves into the lives of young women striving for independence and self-fulfillment in a Victorian society that often confines them to domestic spheres. Through the protagonist, Evelyn, Alcott masterfully explores themes of personal ambition, social justice, and the transformative power of labor, all while employing an engaging, accessible narrative style imbued with realism and a poignant sense of moral purpose. Written during the 1870...

A chilling Gothic **mystery from the bestselling author of Richard & Judy Book Club hit The Cold Season, p**erfect for fans of Susan Hill, The Coffin Path and The Silent Companions - where superstition and myth bleed into real life with tragic consequences.'The twist is brilliant' Daily Mail'Intriguing and unsettl...