A Rope in Case

The Second Hebridean Trilogy #1

by Lillian Beckwith

Cover worn, page edges tanned. Shipped from the U.K. All orders received before 3pm sent that weekday.

Genres: Scotland, Fiction, Humor, Comedy, 20th Century, Biography Memoir

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Lilian Comber wrote fiction and non-fiction for both adults and children under the pseudonym Lillian Beckwith. She is best known for her series of comic novels based on her time living on a croft in the Scottish Hebrides.

Beckwith was born in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, in 1916, where her father ran a grocery shop. The shop provided the background for her memoir About My Father's Business, a child’s eye view of a 1920s family. She moved to the Isle of Skye with her husband in 1942, and began writing fiction after moving to the Isle of Man with her family twenty years later. She also completed a cookery book, Secrets from a Crofter’s Kitchen (Arrow, 1976).

Since her death, Beckwith’s novel A Shine of Rainbows has been made into a film starring Aidan Quinn and Connie Nielsen, which in 2009 won ‘Best Feature’ awards at the Heartland and Chicago Children’s Film Festivals.

Reviews

[Jill Bowman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm just starting this one - but as I've read 4 from this series I can safely say that I will love it. It's just so sweet. A tiny anthropological study. I love these people.

[Clare Earley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book years ago, but loved it. Like the rest of her books it was so funny.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came by this book completely by chance! It was in a little free ‘library’ box near the place I was staying in Lerwick, Shetland Islands. Being set on a Scottish island, I thought it would be perfect to read during my stay - and it was! Though obviously not set in the Shetland Islands, there were many similarities, and it enhanced the enjoyment of my stay. But I don’t think you need to be visiting a Scottish island to read this book. It is light and funny, includes a host of interesting characters and just makes you feel good. A great read.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humorous, lightly-fictionalized memoir of an Englishwoman living in the Hebrides, specifically on the Isle of Skye in the 1940s and 50s. The author's Wiki page links sample chapters from this and some of her other novels: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillian...

These were family favorites when I was growing up. On the reread list. I have a copy. The 5-star rating is by memory, but others her also give this and others of her books high marks. They are more-or-less stand-alones, but you would probably want to start with the earlier books -- depending on which ones you can find . . .

[gloriabluestocking · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful book with quirky, flawed, but ultimately loveable characters, interesting tidbits of daily life and chores in the Hebrides, and a healthy dose of humour.
My first introduction to the series, and I'll now be going back to the first and working my way through.

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short essay stories of life on Bruach. As good as the first.

[Brendan Ng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another instalment - I enjoyed this more than the sea for breakfast, I felt like this had more clarity.

[Judy Brunner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating insight into island life in the Northern Scottish islands.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book about living in the rural Hebrides. I'm ready to go!!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

"When I had first come to the Hebrides Morag, my landlady, had advised me always to 'take a rope -- in case' . . . Over and over I had proved its usefulness. I might need it to catch a calf or a sheep, to carry a bundle of hay to the cow or a can of paraffin from the grocer; to tie a bundle of driftwood I had collected, or a sack of peat; to secure a boat, make a temporary repair to a sagging fence or a halter for a horse . . . Excepting when they were going on holiday or to church, the Bruach crofters were rarely without a length of rope, either coiled around an arm or protruding from a pocket.

"The fourth of Lillian Beckwith's books on her life on Bruach, A Rope -- In Case is packed with hilarious stories and delightful characters. Yet it is never sentimental -- always observant."
~~back cover

In her previous book The Loud Halo, it seems as though the author was leaving Bruach to return to England to live (although that was never plainly stated.) So it surprised me that this book came after The Loud Halo, because this book again is a potpourri of stories about life in Baruch and how she is viewed by the residents, and how she sees them. It seemed to me that her heart wasn't in this book, as it was in the first three ... but that's only my opinion.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beckwith--Miss Peckwitt to her neighbors--tells more stories of life on a remote Scottish island. Since she's English, she's had to prove herself willing to undergo the hardships of that life, from finding and milking her cow twice a day to dragging supplies from the shore to her croft (even though much older women carry 100+ pound weights on their backs). She and the neighbors tell each other ghost stories, have mild adventures, and scrape a living from the inhospitable soil and sea while fighting often vicious weather. This is one of my favorites of her books (that I've read).

[Gareth Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful descriptions of the Hebrides in times past, populated by enchanting characters or caricatures?
This is the fourth collection and I sense Beckwith was already feeling some resentment from locals about her portraits which she claims are not based on real people. In the end, she moved away - to the Isle of Man.
Nevertheless, these tales evoke a way of life long gone. For that, they are worth a read. They also overflow by beautiful nature writing easily missed amidst the capers and trials of the village of Bruach.

[Pam Keevil · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second in a series of four books chronicling Lilian Beckwith's move to Bruach in the Hebrides is a joyous as the first. Set in the late 60s it shows the tough life of the crofters living there; a way of life that has largely disappeared. Set against this is a strong sense of community. The book is written as a series of stories, really, each very self contained and is full or vivid characters. If you want to escape the social media, consumer driven world we live in today, this is the perfect book for a summer read.

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like a warm blanket and a cup of tea. Set on a rugged island full of colorful locals off the coast of Scotland. Like Craggy Island but ten times more remote, where your groceries arrive by boat every couple of months (!), and no one thinks twice about being isolated from the rest of humanity.

[Adele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beat the backlist reading challenge 2021: Chapter title page has art.
These delightful tales from Bruach have a beautiful sketch drawing by Douglas Hall at the start of each of the 15 chapters. Making the Hebridean series a joy to both read and look at.

[Esther · Rating 3 out of 5]

The vignettes in this fourth book in Lillian Beckwith's Hebridean series, more often than not, put the emphasis on poignancy rather than humor. I expect the next book, Lightly Poached, to follow suit.

[Joan Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

delightful as always!

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really a set of short stories. Pleasant and sometimes funny.

[Colleen Flaherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a bit of fun is what it is.

[Johann Rossouw · Rating 4 out of 5]

a rope in case is so far my favorite Beckwith Hebridean .

[David Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprising look at life in the Hebrides islands in the 1950's or thereabouts.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enchanting collection of escapades from the land of tackety boots and peat fires.

[Patrick Neylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming, unashamedly lightweight collection of fictionalised anecdotes based on the author's years in the Hebrides after moving there from England in the 1940s.

[Brynn Cagno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book but probably most because I bought it abroad and read it in Scotland (book is set in the Hebrides islands). Easy read, minimal cohesive story through the book :)

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 4th of Beckwith's Hebridean memoirs, and the second I've read. I picked up four books by her in my local used bookstore, and have been utterly delighted so far. Beckwith was an Englishwoman who initially came to the Hebrides for a rest cure, though how the harsh and physically demanding lifestyle of the islanders could be thought of as rest is a little beyond me. This volume is a little less city mouse meets country mouse, as Beckwith has been living on Bruach for years at this point. She's still an outsider, though, and her insights reflect the subtle way that she is both included and loved by her neighbors, but seen as inexorably different. Beckwith's humor and kindness shine throughout the book, making it a delightful read for a blustery day.

[Stormy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun book telling tales of "Miss Peckwitt" living in the Hebrides during the 1960s. The copy I held while reading just came to the USA from Scotland--brought back by an intrepid friend who hunted for as many of Lillian Beckwith's books as she could find. They are hard to locate! Maybe they not politically correct in these 21st century times...

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

slim volume about the living in the Hebrides. Giggle all the way

[Jennifer Aitkens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the author seems to be laughing at the locals and their bizarre customs, often enough she is herself the butt of the joke. Warm-hearted escapist fiction.

[Joanna Calder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful little gem of a book, kindly and warm but avoiding false sentimentality.

[^ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light amusement.