The Apple Tree

by Gerda Stevenson

Maria is an Englishwoman who has fallen in love with her husband Iain's Highland heritage - but there's a shock in store for them when they take a trip home to his mother's island croft. It is Hogmanay, and Iain has just received news of his mother's death. He and Maria set off from Edinburgh to attend the funeral. They drive north in blizzard conditions. Eventually they reach Iain's mother's house, where brother James, sister-in-law Ishbel, and the church elders are gathered. In the aftermath of this family crisis Maria's love affair with the island way of life will be severely tested.

Audio CD

About the author

Gerda Stevenson is a Scottish actress, director and writer, described by The Scotsman in 1999 as 'Scotland's finest actress'. She has played a vast range of parts in the theatre, including both Desdemona and Lady MacBeth, and has appeared in many television dramas. She was Murren's mother in the Mel Gibson film Braveheart, and her voice is familiar to listeners of British radio, as a reader of short stories and adaptations. As a writer she has adapted a number of works for radio, most recently The Heart of Midlothian by Sir Walter Scott for BBC Radio 4, nominated for a Sony Award in 2008. Gerda played the part of the heroine Jeanie Deans. Gerda Stevenson's partner was the Scottish Gaelic poet Aonghas MacNeacail and she has published poetry and stories herself.

Her father is the musician and composer Ronald Stevenson. Her sister Savourna Stevenson (born 1961) has recorded many works on the Scottish harp.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 4 Extra

Family drama set on a Scottish island, starring Juliet Stevenson.

Maria is an Englishwoman who has fallen in love with her husband Iain's Highland heritage - but there's a shock in store for them when they take a trip home to his mother's island croft.

It is Hogmanay. Iain, an artist, and the son of a crofter, has just received news of his mother's death. He and Maria set off from Edinburgh to attend the funeral. They drive north in blizzard conditions. Eventually they reach Iain's mother's house, where brother James, sister-in-law Ishbel, and the church elders are gathered. In the aftermath of this family crisis Maria's love affair with the island way of life will be severely tested.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

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