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Bitter Oranges
Hera’s Orchard posed the what happens when two people from very different backgrounds fall in love?
This sequel, Bitter Oranges, follows the story of Luis and Margaret after the lightning strike of love at first sight. Both in their mid-thirties, they have plenty in common, but there’s a gulf of culture and character between them, a disconnect that may drive them apart.
Can Spanish Luis and Scottish Margaret compromise on a future for themselves, and achieve a happy ending in the face of misunderstandings and family opposition?
From acclaimed novelist and award winning playwright Catherine Czerkawska, this is the story of what follows on from an irresistible mutual attraction.
This sequel, Bitter Oranges, follows the story of Luis and Margaret after the lightning strike of love at first sight. Both in their mid-thirties, they have plenty in common, but there’s a gulf of culture and character between them, a disconnect that may drive them apart.
Can Spanish Luis and Scottish Margaret compromise on a future for themselves, and achieve a happy ending in the face of misunderstandings and family opposition?
From acclaimed novelist and award winning playwright Catherine Czerkawska, this is the story of what follows on from an irresistible mutual attraction.
250 pages, Paperback
Published April 2, 2025
About the author
Catherine Czerkawska
45 books41 followersI’m a novelist, historian and experienced professional playwright, living and working in Scotland.
I write warm, intelligent and grown-up stories - some historical, some contemporary and some a mixture of both. I have more than 100 hours of BBC radio drama to my name as well as many professional theatre productions.
My fiction and non-fiction was previously published by Saraband, now by Dyrock Publishing, and some of my plays by Nick Hern Books.
My fiction includes The Physic Garden, a Scottish historical novel about an early nineteenth century gardener, his love for weaver's daughter Jenny and his friendship with botanist Dr Thomas Brown. Set in Glasgow, this is a moving and engrossing story of friendship and betrayal.
The Jewel, published in May 2016 is a luscious historical novel, bringing to glorious life the dramatic years of Jean Armour and Robert Burns's courtship and their tempestuous, married life against a background simmering with political intrigue and turmoil. For Jean is a selection of poems, songs and letters written by the poet with Jean Armour in mind
The Curiosity Cabinet is set on the small fictional inner Hebridean island of Garve, and involves parallel stories, three hundred years apart. Henrietta Dalrymple is kidnapped and held on Garve by the fearsome laird, Manus McNeill, while in the present day, Alys returns to the island where she spent childhood holidays, and renews an old friendship. While Henrietta must decide who she can trust, Alys must earn the trust of the man she loves. But for both women, the tug of motherhood will finally influence their decisions.
The Posy Ring set on the same small fictional Hebridean island as the Curiosity Cabinet, is (almost) a sequel to that novel, now published by Dyrock Publishing.
My books, fiction and non-fiction, are available in paperback and as eBooks on Amazon.
I’ve held Creative Writing fellowships and residencies and spent four years as Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow at the University of the West of Scotland. I enjoy giving readings and talks about all aspects of my work and love chatting to my readers so please don't be shy about contacting me.
I also collect and deal in antiques, mainly textiles, in my spare time - quite often they find their way into my fiction.
I write warm, intelligent and grown-up stories - some historical, some contemporary and some a mixture of both. I have more than 100 hours of BBC radio drama to my name as well as many professional theatre productions.
My fiction and non-fiction was previously published by Saraband, now by Dyrock Publishing, and some of my plays by Nick Hern Books.
My fiction includes The Physic Garden, a Scottish historical novel about an early nineteenth century gardener, his love for weaver's daughter Jenny and his friendship with botanist Dr Thomas Brown. Set in Glasgow, this is a moving and engrossing story of friendship and betrayal.
The Jewel, published in May 2016 is a luscious historical novel, bringing to glorious life the dramatic years of Jean Armour and Robert Burns's courtship and their tempestuous, married life against a background simmering with political intrigue and turmoil. For Jean is a selection of poems, songs and letters written by the poet with Jean Armour in mind
The Curiosity Cabinet is set on the small fictional inner Hebridean island of Garve, and involves parallel stories, three hundred years apart. Henrietta Dalrymple is kidnapped and held on Garve by the fearsome laird, Manus McNeill, while in the present day, Alys returns to the island where she spent childhood holidays, and renews an old friendship. While Henrietta must decide who she can trust, Alys must earn the trust of the man she loves. But for both women, the tug of motherhood will finally influence their decisions.
The Posy Ring set on the same small fictional Hebridean island as the Curiosity Cabinet, is (almost) a sequel to that novel, now published by Dyrock Publishing.
My books, fiction and non-fiction, are available in paperback and as eBooks on Amazon.
I’ve held Creative Writing fellowships and residencies and spent four years as Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow at the University of the West of Scotland. I enjoy giving readings and talks about all aspects of my work and love chatting to my readers so please don't be shy about contacting me.
I also collect and deal in antiques, mainly textiles, in my spare time - quite often they find their way into my fiction.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 6, 2025
In her two latest novels, “Hera’s Orchard” and “Bitter Oranges”, soon to be a trilogy, Catherine Czerkawska transports the reader to the beautiful Canary Islands, especially La Gomera. Having lived there herself for a time, Catherine is a guide not only to the lives of Margaret and Luis but also to the islands and people she loves. I delighted in traveling around the islands with this couple, experiencing the growth of their relationship with its ups and downs, With her deep compassion for human emotions, Catherine demonstrates how two people from different cultures, in this case a Scottish woman and a Spanish man, may be deeply in love but still struggle, at times, to understand one another. Catherine draws upon this compassion to immerse the reader in this love story and arouse our deep interest in the lives of the protagonists, I can’t wait for the third volume, just as I was hungry for the second. I am a great fan of Catherine’s writing and she never fails to delight me with the originality of her fiction and fact. I not only enjoy her writing, I always learn something new. It gives me great pleasure to highly recommend her latest offering.
Displaying 1 of 1 review