Daunderlust: Dispatches from Unreported Scotland

by Peter Ross

Peter Ross’s weekly articles from around Scotland have been a sterling attraction for the readers of Scotland on Sunday for years. A selection of the best are collected here, for the first time. Each a gem of insight and wit, they provide a piece-by-piece portrait of a nation as it changes.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Scotland, Audiobook

290 pages, Paperback

First published April 17, 2014

About the author

Peter Ross is a six-time winner at the Scottish Press Awards and was a shortlisted nominee for the Orwell Prize in 2015. He has written for titles including The Guardian, The Times, Sunday Times, Scotland On Sunday, Sunday Herald, The Big Issue, The Oldie and National Geographic Traveler.

Reviews

[Sammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining collection of news articles and investigative pieces regarding some less-than-usual people and their jobs/hobbies living across Scotland.

Superbly narrated in audio format by national treasure Robbie Coltrane.

(most entertaining of all was a section where the audio editor missed editing out a mistake. Coltrane read a line, lost where he was and commented "sh*t", before re-reading said line and continuing. Whether it was an accident or the editor failed to correct it on purpose for entertainment purposes, I don't know, but I was amused nonetheless).

[Iona Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely book. Not as good as its absolutely outstanding follow-up, The Passion of Harry Bingo, but only suffers by comparison with that: the collected journalism here is full of interest and heart.

[Anton Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book containing numerous short stories detailing unusual and interesting stories of life within Scotland. Each varied and not glamorous or written with a sprinkle of glitter, a fascinating insight into some unknown areas.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of stories written by the author about people and places around Scotland. They were well written and interesting. I tried to read them a story at a time but found myself wanting to read on all the time.
I bought this book after reading one of the others this author had written and was glad I did.

[Nicole Shepard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay--hence the two stars. Some of the stories were great, many of them... *shrug*... okay-ish. One shining aspect of this is that the audiobook was read by Robbie Coltrane and he was fantastic.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

c2014. An interesting insight into Scotland. Informative and sometimes really funny. Recommended to the normal crew who likes to read something a little different.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fascinating collection of articles about a whole range of Scottish subjects, great to dip in and out of, or read all the way through. Gives such a wonderful feel for life in Scotland.

[Tom Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A window into life's we walk past every day and know nothing about. Funny, sad and very interesting read.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling slice-of-life stories from Scotland. Read it as I prepare for a visit there. Helpful for getting a glimpse of the commonalities and differences between my culture and theirs.

[Alastair Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elegiac sketches of real Scotland

[Chris S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good stories here. Makes me want to visit.

[Karlien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to audiobook and loved the reader.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. If you have ever read any of Peter Ross's pieces in the Scotland on Sunday magazine you'll be aware of the high quality of the writing, capturing slices of life, 'nowt as queer as folk' quality of Scotland and its people. Some of the pieces in this collection are of more interest than others (I find Doocots and Doomen fascinating) but as a whole this is a fabulous read.

[☠︎︎༒︎✞︎ ѕℓιм ☠︎︎༒︎✞︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an alright story don't care to listen to the rest of the story.... It's kind of boring in my opinion.

[Skai · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this book at all, I listen to this on audible and it definitely didn't catch my attention, I only listen to free chapters. I will not get the rest of the book. no thank you lol.