The Blood And The Barley (The Strathavon Saga)
Set in a close-knit crofting community below the Cromdale Hills (north-east Highlands of Scotland) in 1780, this novel opens with a Beltane ceremony, in which Celtic traditions survive within a devoutly Catholic, Gaelic-speaking community in the long aftermath of Culloden. Crofting life is one of unrelenting toil, where a meagre income is supplemented by the tending of covert whisky stills and accompanying smuggling – an existence under continual threat of eviction or from the excise-men – notably the dreaded McBeath. Against this backdrop is told the story of Morven Macrae, and her tentative courtship by Jamie Innes, nephew of the ‘wise woman’ Rowena – who is teaching her craft to Morven. McBeath is obsessed by the widow Rowena and, under threat of arrest for witchcraft, presents her with a terrible choice.
This novel is beautifully written and thoroughly researched: I could probably set up an illicit still myself given the detail provided. References to actual historical figures are seamlessly and naturally interwoven (Joseph Skene, for instance). Shanks makes gentle use of the Doric throughout, but this enhances the authenticity of the narrative rather than impedes the reader (she helpfully provides a glossary of the few more impenetrable words). The plot does not move fast yet occasionally Shanks gives it away too early; the nature of Rowena’s choice could potentially have been held back from the reader until Morven herself knows it, to build the tension more, and there is some repetition which slows the pace in places. However, the final pages are pleasingly dramatic. I’d recommend reading this book especially in conjunction with a visit to the area portrayed.
