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Lillian Beckwith

    January 1, 1916 – January 3, 2004

    This author is celebrated for her series of comic novels, vividly capturing her experiences living on a croft in the Scottish Hebrides. Writing under a pseudonym, her work offers a humorous yet insightful look at rural life and family dynamics. She explored the lives of both children and adults, with her memoirs providing a nostalgic glimpse into childhood and a family business. Her distinctive style blends wit with keen observation, making her stories both entertaining and resonant.

    The Hills is Lonely
    Lightly Poached
    The sea for breakfast
    The Spuddy
    Tara Kane. Elephant Bill. The Brendan Voyage. A Stranger Is Watching. The Spuddy
    The Loud Halo
    • 2012

      Beautiful Just!

      • 136 pages
      • 5 hours of reading

      '. . . in Bruach when a single woman or a widow owns a net which is borrowed for the fishing that woman is entitled to a share of the catch and there came a day when, my net having been borrowed and the herring having obligingly swum into it, I found myself the recipient of a whole creelful of fresh fish.' The Hebridean island of Bruach provides the setting for more enchanting tales of life among the crofters. Rich in incident and humour, Beautiful Just! sees Lililan Beckwith at the top of her form. 'This is crofting life at its strenuous best . . . masterly story-telling.' Press and Journal 'hilarious' Sunday Times 'absorbing . . . its humour is happy, easy and natural.' Daily Mirror

      Beautiful Just!
    • 2012

      Lightly Poached

      • 160 pages
      • 6 hours of reading

      The author's adventures continue on Bruach in the Hebrides. The way the Bruachites saw it, poaching wasn't a crime, even if you did have to keep a weather eye out for the policeman.

      Lightly Poached
    • 2012

      The Loud Halo

      • 208 pages
      • 8 hours of reading

      In her charming account of the rural village of Bruach, Lillian Beckwith paints a vivid picture of life as a Hebridean crofter, introducing a cast of colourful locals including village clown Johnny Comic and the irrepressible Erchy and Hector. With her trademark warmth, wit and lively humour, "Miss Peckwitt" spins a sparkling, unsentimental tale of an idyllic, long-lost way of life. 'For an unsentimental, lively, apparently photographically accurate picture on a Hebridean island, Miss Beckwith's essays or memoirs or stories would be hard to beat.' The Times 'A sparkling book which could well become a Scottish humorous classic' Weekly Scotsman

      The Loud Halo
    • 1995

      "Island-born Kristy MacLennan marries Ruari MacDonald in order to escape city life and return to her idyllic homeland. As Kirsty joyfully rediscovers her roots and adapts to the rigours of her new life, there is only one thing standing in the way of happiness - the silent, brooding presence of her brother-in-law..." - back cover.

      An Island Apart
    • 1990

      The Small Party

      • 204 pages
      • 8 hours of reading

      When her children wake in the dead of night to loud bangs and flashing lights, Ruth is quick to dismiss the commotion as a simple thunderstorm. Yet it soon becomes apparent that their island port is under attack, besieged by a gang of violent rebel forces. And they're heading their way . . . Forced to flee their home, the family begin a perilous journey of escape. But Ruth could never have imagined the terrible scenes that they are forced to confront, as the anarchists wreak havoc, and every islander is out for themselves in a desperate fight for survival. The small party of refugees face unimaginable dangers, and with only a desperate mother's strength to keep them alive, they will be forced to rely on others for help. But whom can they really trust?

      The Small Party
    • 1974
    • 1963