An Island Apart

by Lillian Beckwith

Island-born Kirsty MacLennan marries Ruari MacDonald in order to escape city life and a menial job in a guesthouse and return to her beloved homeland. As she rediscovers her roots and adapts to married life on the idyllic Westisle, there is only one thing standing in the way of her future happiness - the brooding presence of her brother-in-law who shares her and her husband's home.

Genres: Fiction, Scotland

192 pages, Paperback

First published July 27, 1992

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

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts interestingly enough, with strange character motivation but enough interest to keep one reading. The last two chapters, however are rushed and disappointing. Does not stick the landing.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Kirsty MacLennan is the cook at Islay, a respectable guest-house in a Scottish suburb. When her employer retires and the irritable Isabel takes her place, Kirsty decides it is time to leave -- but where will she go?

"Her dilemma is unexpectedly solved by islander Ruari MacDonald, one of the guest at Islay, who has come to the city in search of a wife. Accepting his proposal, Kirsty leaves her old life behind and takes up residence on Westisle, an idyllic small island uninhabited except for the MacDonald brothers.

"As Kirsty joyfully rediscovers her Hebridean roots and adapts herself to the mysteries of marriage and the challenge of a rigorous new working routine, only one thing stands in her way -- the silent, brooding presence of her brother-in-law.

"A haunting story of love and loss, An Island Apart is one of Lillian Beckwith's most magical and elegiac evocations of island life."
~~front flap

How many times have you read the trailer for a book that promises "a haunting story of love and loss" and read only find it was just ordinary ... or worse? I promise you: this book is truly a "haunting story of love and loss" with an ending that is completely unexpected. I read it in a single, unable to put it down. I think this book will stick in your mind for a long time to come -- I know it's going to do that in my mind.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruari MacDonald came to the guest house at the right time. He was looking for a wife, and Kirsty MacLennan was that fed up with the guest house's new manager! She was surprised at Ruari's proposal, but going back to the islands sounded like a good idea, and she was a good cook, strong, hard-working, loyal--neither she nor Ruari was romantic, but why not make a match? So Kirsty went back with him to the only croft on Westisle, with the only other inhabitant his brother, also called Ruari. But Kristy was disappointed by her brother-in-law's hostility. There were to be many changes in her life before she found out the reason, and then it was, heartbreakingly, too late. This is a very old-fashioned book, and lacks a lot of Beckwith's usual detail about Hebridean life, but it is nonetheless very touching.

[Jill Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kirsty had been sent to the city, as a child, to live with her Aunt Mrs Ross. To take up work in ISLAY a bed and breakfast establishment, formerly run by a kindly woman whom she looked upon as her mother. Now owned by her niece Isabel and husband to take over. Her life at ISLAY changed for the worse and when a man came to stay, with an unusual proposal, Kirsty accepted it.

She returned to the remote wind-swept and often desolate islands, of the New Hebrides. These are difficult places to live in. You can feel her connection with the landscape and her love of the country, cattle, sheep, chickens and the fickle nature of the men who keep her company while turning the pages.

I love the language in Lillian Beckwith's books.

[Mookie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A woman marries a man out of convenience. Barely enjoyable sex life. Widowed. Brother-in-law clearly in love with her but probably as equally sexless as his brother. Tragic, impotent ending.

I don't normally fixate on sex and chemistry, but yeesh. I get she falls in love but I just don't understand it.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet story of a woman who has the opportunity to leave the city and return to the islands where she had been a child. She takes easily to the austere life, making herself useful, but can't seem to win over her husband's unfriendly brother.

It isn't until her brother-in-law is near death that he gives her a glimpse of his emotions. Beautiful!

[A Foster · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short, interesting book moves along at a fast pace. Offers insight into life in the Hebrides islands. I knew nothing about it ahead of time and it was just a sort of simple book and story that told of one woman's life in this time and place.

[Marie French · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved the description of island life and loved the beginning love story. The ending was too tragic for my taste.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

In keeping with my recent interest of hardship lives in England, I cam across this one by Lillian Beckwith. A young girl with no family is forced into service in a Scottish town in order to support herself. She does her job as household cook for 15 years and then the owner of the boarding house turns the house over to her niece, not near to Kirsty's liking. A middle aged man in search of a wife comes to stay at the boarding house and offers Kirsty a proposal. The proposal takes her back to the land of her childhood, the Hebrides islands. Here she comes into contact with other of her husband's family and her hard work and good spirit ultimately win her over to them. In a surprise ending, the reader wishes life had gone differently for Kirsty.

This book is a good description of life on a small island where everything must be done by hand and day follows day without much change. THe sea, the sky and the way of life all make this a good study of a life that probably no longer exists.

[Holly McIntyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having recently visited Scotland, I could easily imagine the cold, windswept, and beautiful setting of this gentle story. There is little drama to the tale, no excessive violence, sex alluded to most modestly. There is instead life lived really in a poor and rural place. Kristy is a good, hard-working, kind woman who makes the best of the life she has. If you like the novels of Miss Read's England, you will enjoy Beckwith's Scotland. And along the way, you'll learn a little Gaelic, too.

[Graceu · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book is an attractive love story and is interesting , and gives an insight to hebridean life and the struggle in that part of the world, which is quite remote.
However this book is an easy read, and i dont strongly recommend it though, it is not a must read book but a more of a fun book to read.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

My friend suggested I read this book, and it was a great recommendation. Once I started it I couldn't put it down.

A quick read, and thoughtful presentation of dealing with loss from relationships as well and dealing with cancer.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming. Saw the "big surprise" at the end way ahead of time, but that didn't really detract from the fun of the book.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is very moving. I couldn't put it down.

[Karen Fiandaca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story - a bit out of the ordinary and you learn something about the Hebrides!

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

most disappointed, terrible ending

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read, gentle and relaxing. Nothing shocking or demanding, sometimes its what you need!

[Sonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very unusual to me but maybe a common thing in isolated places.

[Susan Laughton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The style is similar to Maeve Binchy, therefore if you enjoy reading her books I think you will like this one.
It revolves around the life of Kirsty who escapes her city life when she marries a man she just met and moves to an island.