On the Black Isle

 

    This is the cover illustration, by Kate Baylay, for the book My Friends the Miss Boyds by Jane Duncan. That's an author whose name meant nothing to me, but on looking at the biographical note inside this very attractive edition, published last year by Millrace Books to celebrate the centenary of Jane Duncan's birth (you can read the note here) I discover that "[she] made publishing history in the late 1950s when, as an unknown Scottish writer, she had a sequence of seven novels accepted by Macmillan. She had written them secretly while living in Jamaica, hiding the manuscripts in her linen cupboard"!

    With the publication of My Friends the Miss Boyds, the first of what turned out to be an internationally successful series, Jane Duncan found herself at the centre of media attention. From her home up in the Black Isle, a peninsula in Ross and Cromarty in the north-east of Scotland, she wrote many more books, and her attachment to the area was such that they were firmly rooted in her own life and experience there.

    Ross-shire is home to my mother's family (they are from the next peninsula up the coast) so I'm particularly interested to read this novel which is set in the Black Isle: "Into this small, self-reliant society towards the end of the First World War come the Miss Boyds, silly, would-be sophisticated outsiders from Inverness. Their disruptive effect foretokens a wider impact on the rural way of life as war is followed by economic depression."

    "An enchanting novel ... sharp and sometimes poignant", said The Times on first publication; "Full of vitality ... the humorous incidents, piling one on top of another, carry themselves along in a thoroughly enjoyable way", said The Observer.

    I'll let you know how I get on with it, but meanwhile there is more on Jane Duncan here.

Comments

[Deborah]

That is one gorgeous cover design! And the book sounds intriguing too.

[Cornflower]

It is lovely, and it has French flaps, too!

[Sara]

Oh, I'm so happy to see someone else knows about Jane Duncan! I discovered her a long while ago, probably in the early 1990's and read all her books that I could find at the Library. Very unique. My favorite was "My Friends, George and Tom" or so I recall from this distance in time. Perhaps it's time for me to re-read her again..I recall she also wrote under another name, and had another series of novels. You can find more about her on-line.

[Sara]

Oops, I see you already gave us a wonderful link...I didn't read all the way to the end of your post.

[Cornflower]

Glad to hear you enjoyed her books so much, Sara; I'm looking forward to reading "...the Miss Boyds".

[GeraniumCat]

Oh, I'd wondered about renewing my acquaintance with Jane Duncan (least read in my early teens) - it rather sounds as though this is the time to do so!

[Cornflower]

I'm half way through the book and so enjoying it - not least because it reminds me so much of my grandmother!

[Fran H-B]

I'm not sure how I found Jane Duncan but it was at some point in my teens. My Grandmother who came from Elgin and spent most of her grown life south of the boarder took the weekly magazine, The Peoples Friend. Perhaps it was in there I came across this author, and seeing this book in your side bar has reminded me how much I loved her stories.

[Cornflower]

I've just finished the book, Fran, and I'm really sorry to have reached the end because I've enjoyed it so much.