Favourite Scottish (themed) Novels

[Peter Crowe]

Much as I am interested in Traditional Highland Civilian Dress, I am also interested in Scottish History (which I studied for Joint Honours with Politics as an undergraduate), and Scottish Literature, especially the works of Burns and the genre of the Scottish (Historical) novel.

This interest was sparked early at around the age of 11 when my mum gave me her copy of R.L. Stevenson's Kidnapped. To this day (now in my mid-40's) I still regard Kidnapped as the single most formative novel I ever read.

Other personal favourites would include Stevenson's Catriona, and Neil Munro's New Road and Doom Castle.

I'd be interested to learn what Scottish novels X-markers have read and enjoyed, and how influential folk find them.

[GoodGirlGonePlaid]

I really (REALLY!) enjoyed the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. It's a historical fiction w/ time travel and a sold romance. I believe it's been mentioned on here before.
Warning: these books are long. About 1000 pages each and there are 7. I got thoroughly sucked in on book 1, but they're not for everyone.
Disclaimer: books contain sex, violence, horrific prison abuse, spousal discipline (18th century style) Culloden hi-lights, Jacobites, and a mancrush or two.
Well written with thoroughly researched Scottish details.

[Dale Seago]

Well written with thoroughly researched Scottish details.

Some things are a bit "off" in the first novel particularly, but Gabaldon acknowledges that. I also got totally sucked in on the first novel, which I was NOT expecting to happen. But it turns out that the author is one hell of a storyteller, and I couldn't stop. Had to get every one of them as they became available.

[Bugbear]

It's been a long time since I read a Stevenson novel; I might take a fresh look at some of them. A while back, I was looking over a few of the Scott novels to get an idea of the romanticization everyone talks about for Scotland. I don't really like historical fiction too much.

And I did, as I've brought up in other threads, read the Katherine Kurtz Adept series; they're modern Scotland with some old folklore and such worked into the plots.

[MacRobert's Reply]

Each year Mrs MacRobert's Reply and I organise a car rally through part of Scotland. We try to include historical and cultural stuff in the weekend's activities and entertainment. This often entails me doing lots of heavy reading on the history of the area. This year our rally was was in rural Perthshire so I picked up a second-hand copy of the historical novel The Lady of Kynachan by James Irvine Robertson. A much lighter read than my usual preparation but well seasoned with real people, historical facts and cultural insights from the '45 era.

[Neil Clark]

I really (REALLY!) enjoyed the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. It's a historical fiction w/ time travel and a sold romance. I believe it's been mentioned on here before.
Warning: these books are long. About 1000 pages each and there are 7. I got thoroughly sucked in on book 1, but they're not for everyone.
Disclaimer: books contain sex, violence, horrific prison abuse, spousal discipline (18th century style) Culloden hi-lights, Jacobites, and a mancrush or two.
Well written with thoroughly researched Scottish details.

Whisky Galore!

Anyway, I had a crack at reading the Outlander stuff, as there is a company here actually running tours based on the locations from the book, so I thought, as I run tours too, I should acquaint myself with them.

I'll concede they are maybe a wee bit more accurate than Braveheart, but I really thought they were basically drivel with just enough fornication thrown in to stop one's interest completely clouding over. However, I'm prepared to try again, as surely the HUGE audience they get can't all be wrong? Maybe NZ people feel the same about Tolkein?

Plus, I don't want to offend any guests who may actually think this stuff is great. I can, after all, show people where everything in the books didnt happen. And at least we know its fiction, there's undoubtedly been more crap written about Wallace, Rob Roy et al.

So I'd be really keen to hear more about these books, then I'll dive in again. Tell me what u think the best bits are? Why is this stuff good, and what would you want to see from the books?

Thanks all.

[Peter Crowe]

It's been a long time since I read a Stevenson novel; I might take a fresh look at some of them. A while back, I was looking over a few of the Scott novels to get an idea of the romanticization everyone talks about for Scotland. I don't really like historical fiction too much.

And I did, as I've brought up in other threads, read the Katherine Kurtz Adept series; they're modern Scotland with some old folklore and such worked into the plots.

I have never managed to complete reading a whole Sir Walter Scott novel Bugbear. I am currently attempting to read his Rob Roy, and have made several attempts at The Heart of Midlothian, but I must say I find his prose style a wee bit dull.

[Sir William]

I've read Stevenson's Kidnapped several times as that is a historical period of interest to me, but I put Scott's Rob Roy aside when I went on a trip a few years ago and have never finished it.

I've thoroughly enjoyed George MacDonald Fraser's lighthearted look at the Border Reivers in The Candlemass Road and The Reavers, as well as his MaAuslan series.

Over a couple of years I have read the entire Hamish MacBeth series by M.C. Beaton, and about a half-dozen of the Inspector Rebus series by Ian Rankin. I got into both after seeing the TV series, though of course the MacBeth books are nothing like the TV episodes.

I like fantasy and sci-fi but I found Outlander to be rather boring and too full of romanticized errors to hold my interest. I've been thinking of giving it another try since it is so popular (and I met the person who leads Outlander tours).

I've read Tunes of Glory at least twice.

I've been trying to find a copy of Whiskey Galore (suppose I could get my library to do an interlibrary loan someday).

[Tobus]

I loved the Outlander series too. It is indeed pretty inaccurate on the historical stuff, but let's face it: you're not reading it to get a history lesson. It's a romance/action series that just happens to be set in Scotland (for most of the books, anyway). The storytelling is great, the plot has lots of twists and turns, and it really is an entertaining series. But that's all it is. It's not a history book.

I'm also a huge fan of Sir Walter Scott. Waverley was the first book of his that I read, and it got me hooked. So I'm reading all his books in the order they were written (I'm currently on The Heart of Midlothian). I'll admit that it takes a certain determination to get through them sometimes. And his style of writing is difficult for modern people to comprehend. But once you get used to the older use of the language, his books really open up and have a charm that's hard to describe.

[Jimmy]

Much as I am interested in Traditional Highland Civilian Dress, I am also interested in Scottish History (which I studied for Joint Honours with Politics as an undergraduate), and Scottish Literature, especially the works of Burns and the genre of the Scottish (Historical) novel.

This interest was sparked early at around the age of 11 when my mum gave me her copy of R.L. Stevenson's Kidnapped. To this day I still regard Kidnapped as probably the single most formative novels I ever read.

Other personal favourites would include Stevenson's Catriona, and Neil Munro's New Road and Doom Castle.

I'd be interested to learn what Scottish novels X-markers have read and enjoyed, and how influential folk find them.

Always thought that Kidnapped should have been compulsory in Scottish schools, not only because it is a great story but the journey from the Western Isles after the shipwreck to David's home near South Queensferry is a great geography lesson for all.

Perhaps some of the novels of A J Cronin would be of interest to you if you have not already read them although not all of them are located in Scotland