A Love of Innocence

by Robin Jenkins

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 25, 1994

About the author

Author of a number of landmark novels including The Cone Gatherers, The Changeling, Happy for the Child, The Thistle and the Grail and Guests of War, Jenkins is recognised as one of Scotland's greatest writers. The themes of good and evil, of innocence lost, of fraudulence, cruelty and redemption shine through his work. His novels, shot through with ambiguity, are rarely about what they seem. He published his first book, So Gaily Sings the Lark, at the age of thirty-eight, and by the time of his death in 2005, over thirty of his novels were in print.

Reviews

[Jennipher7 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt like the book focused more on the Sneddon’s brothers’ adoptive uncle’s manoeuvers more than the backstory and the future of the children especially the healing of the older brother and his acceptance by the community and the adoptive father. The depiction of the women Arthur McDonald was involved with were not how women are viewed in today’s world but I give the author that since it’s an old book. Flora McDonald’s love story seemed to be a beautiful one even though the author didn’t explore it that much.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since picking up ' The Changeling' second hand I've become a fan and am reading my way through his books, this is amongst the best.

A complex of overlapping storylines that are both intriguing and heartbreaking. There's an underlying question as to whether religious belief has much to do with whether a person acts for the best. A presumed atheist acts only in his own interest. Someone who's belief in the literal truth of a cherry-picked phrase from the bible leads him down an immoral path.

Jenkins is always humane.