A House by the Shore

by Alison Johnson

The true story of two impoverished teachers who bought a derelict house on the Isle of Harris and, with a lot of hard work, converted it into an award winning hotel - written with humour and passion.

Genres: Biography

216 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1986

Reviews

[Bev Walkling · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given this book by my sister sometime after we had both traveled to the Isle of Lewis, tracing down some our Scottish roots. It tells the story of a couple who moved to Harris (which is the other end of the Isle of Lewis) and eventually purchased a falling down old manse and turned it into a thriving Guest House/B&B. I started reading the book not long after receiving it, but it quickly became a "bathroom book" and was picked up only when I didn't have another book handy. Parts of it were fascinating to me, but the story of the actual repairs and rebuilding were a little tedious for me (given I most definitely not the do-it-yourself type when it comes to house repairs!) I found the most interesting bits were the ones telling about what life was like after the Guest House was open for business. I was interested enough to visit the website for Scarista House - http://www.scaristahouse.com/ and I understand that the person who wrote the book and with her husband did the work has since moved on to other endeavours. This would be very interesting for those planning to travel to the area or considering similar plans. For the rest of us, it made a great bathroom book!

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alison and Andrew met as post graduate students, who were 'filled with dismay' at the thought of becoming 'tax inspectors, or research assistants in dismal universities.' Instead, they wanted to find a job and way of life that enabled them to combine living in the country with 'opera, sailing, architecture, religion, joinery, cooking. It did not at first seem like a hopeful combination.'

This book is the account of how they managed to find a way of life that combined most, if not all, of these interests. They decide to go into teaching because 'teachers can live in the country...and they have plenty of free time in which to sail around contemplating religion and opera'. They pick on Scotland because it has 'a lot of coastline' and find the perfect job in Oban, but decide to attend an interview on 'remote, unsuitable Harris' out of sheer curiosity. No prizes for guessing which location they end up moving to! The rest of the book talks about how they settle in to life on Harris, how they try to juggle teaching with searching for and doing up a derelict house and how they are eventually able to resign from teaching to fulfil their dream of becoming hoteliers.

Alison writes with a nice sense of humour and shows great sensitivity to the local people, appreciating the kind welcome they received and how patient the islanders were as the Johnsons attempted to adapt to island life. She does not mention many local people by name, and I liked the way she respects her neighbours' privacy, although the downside of avoiding writing about them is that the book does lack something of a sense of place - I felt that it could really have been written about anywhere reasonably remote and coastal.

I was disappointed by the couple's attitude toward teaching in the early part of the book. It's obvious that they only chose teaching as a means to an end, but I still felt annoyed on behalf of their poor pupils. They felt that most of their work was pointless because their students would either end up unemployed or working on farms and so not needing English, History or Chemistry. And I don't find anecdotes about badly behaved dogs, especially ones who chase sheep, at all funny. The irony is that Alison writes several times about the appalling suffering that humans inflict on animals, yet she doesn't seem to realise that allowing her dog to chase sheep was causing just as much suffering as the people she criticises. These things were not enough to spoil the book, but did prevent it being a 5star read.

I found this story inspiring because it shows what happens when people refuse to follow the accepted tramlines and try to turn their dreams into reality instead. Alison doesn't shy away from describing the hard work, frustrations and set backs they experienced, but she also shares the joys of their new life. Perhaps it's an encouragement and a challenge to all of us not to 'settle'.

[Era · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written, From the first chapter to last chapter it was very motivational, the couple were very inspiring.Their determination are amazing. They are the good example of dreams come true and their plan came to life.

[Izzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting in small doses. I enjoyed the descriptions of the island of Harris in the Hebrides. The author has a very blunt manner and some of the descriptions of the DIY preparations for the hotel, the neighbors, the guests, and the dog Jet and quite amusing. The hotel Scarista is now owned by another couple. In the last chapter of this book, the author states that she and her family are ready to move on and since then, have done so.

[Judith Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining re-read, just before going to stay in the hotel of the title.

[Cindy Moyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting description of their journey in turning a dilapidated building into a guest house.