The People's City: One City Trust

by Anne Hamilton, Nadine Aisha Jassat, Alexander McCall Smith

“Five engrossing, resonant stories” set in Edinburgh, written for this collection by Ian Rankin, Alexander McCall Smith, Sara Sheridan, and more ( The Herald ).

Edinburgh is steeped in literary history. It’s the birthplace of a beloved cast of fictional characters from Sherlock Holmes to Harry Potter, and the home of the Writer’s Museum, where quotes from writers of the past pave the steps leading up to the entrance. The Scottish capital is a city whose beauty is matched only by the intrigue of its past, and where Robert Louis Stevenson said “there are no stars so lovely as Edinburgh’s street-lamps.” Polygon Books and the charitable organization One City Trust have brought together writers—established and emerging—to write about the place they call home. Based around landmarks or significant links to Edinburgh, from the Royal Botanic Garden to the gritty Old Town streets, each story transports us to a different decade in the city’s recent past. Through these compelling tales, each author reflects on the changes, both generational and physical, in the word’s first UNESCO city of literature.

“An atmospheric anthology . . . Each story is vibrant and layered with detail.” — Scottish Field

152 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 13, 2022

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Reviews

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice collection of short stories recounting snatches of peoples’ lives and experiences in Edinburgh.
From Pilrig to ‘Porty’, from Leith Walk to Potterow, it will appeal to natives of this city through re-kindling memories of old haunts, special moments and times that can never be re-captured.

We of a certain age are reminded of a time when parking was allowed on Princes Street, when getting hold of the front seat ‘upstairs’ on the bus was like winning the lottery, when the ‘shows’ on Portobello promenade would pull us kids in from all over the city.

The stories in themselves are simple and straightforward and keep to the script of being about people. The city and the special relationship we have with it forms the backdrop, not the castle or the palace.

But, what I like most about this book is the gritty introduction by Irvine Welsh. No holds barred. It summarises the real Edinburgh, and most likely many cities in the UK. The gap between the rich and the poor, the Edinburgh of the privileged, the businessmen, the tourists, compared to that of the ordinary folk living in council schemes. A city of contradictions where “77,000 citizens are living in poverty”. Welsh summarises it well: “the people who actually live in Edinburgh, especially in our poorer communities, are at best forgotten, at worse ignored”

The proceeds from the sale of this book go towards the OneCity Trust in its quest to deliver community benefit funding to projects in the city. A cause very much worth supporting

[Michalina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice overview of Scottish authors. Short stories for light reading.

[Aimee Truesdale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of short stories set in Edinburgh! It was like taking a little peek into people's lives.

[Gillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 - I liked this one more than I thought I would. A collection of stories by some of Edinburghs most famous authors put together for a charity, I didn't really have high hopes. However I ended up quite enjoying this, like all collections I like some stories more than others, but I didn't think any were bad, and I was interested throughout all of them. And it's always fun to read stories set in the city you're in. Not a bad read if you're looking for a book with a cause.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t often read stories set in the place I’m from, it takes me out of it too much, but I kind of liked this. Authors I’ve heard of all my life but never actually read and a couple of new ones. Short but memorable.

[Liette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not typically attracted to short stories but this book was set in a place I recently visited and I wanted to see how local authors see the city.

Verdict:; I liked all of the short stories but my least favourite was the one involving ghosts. All stories were well written and long enough to feel like a mini novel with the proper development in each story instead of the often unsatisfactory too short short stories that seem unstructured. I’d like to find some of the previous editions to see which other authors have contributed.

[Shiva · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit of a mixed bag - with a couple of great stories by McCall Smith and Rankin, as one would expect.

‘The Finally Tree’ by Anne Hamilton ⭐️
‘In Loving Memory’ by Nadine Aisha Jassat ⭐️⭐️
‘In Sandy Bell’s’ by Alexander McCall Smith ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘Broukit Bairn’ by Ian Rankin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘On Portobello Prom’ by Sara Sheridan ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

While very different, each of those short stories was very comforting to me, as I love Edinburgh and could imagine the characters walking around the city. I love hearing people's stories and this book thoroughly satisfied my expectations.

[Jim Willse · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like Edinburgh… proceeds go to a preservation trust. Kind of a mixed bag, but the McCall Smith, Ann Hamilton and Nadine Aisha Jassat pieces are excellent. Ignore Irvine Welch’s fulminating in the introduction.

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright collection of short stories. Nothing special but made better by my knowledge of the places - Rosebank Cemetery being very close to my flat. I think if they were set in a different city I'd have lost interest.

[Linda Waugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth every minute

Edinburgh in snapshots, and some stunning views there are. Different lights, different colours, different people in the foreground, but Edinburgh frames them all. Recommended.

[Christine Rennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The people’s City: One City Trust by various authors

The People’s City : One City Trust by Alexander McCall Smith, Sara Sheridan, Anne Hamilton, Natalie Aisha Jassat and Ian Rankin all contributed to this collection of short stories about Edinburgh.
Interesting

[Jenny]

A collection of short stories set around Edinburgh. Great to pick up and read one of the stories for a break.

[Ruth Brumby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting stories summoning up the streets of Edinburgh.

[unknown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book of short stories about Edinburgh. Some I liked more than others but that is the best thing about short story books.

[Wena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully atmospheric!

[Shanee Newing · Rating 2 out of 5]

All stories fell flat and were simply boring. I read this for my love of Edinburgh but was thoroughly disappointed by this collection

[Susan Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like Edinburgh, you’ll love this book

An entertaining collection of short stories based in Edinburgh that really capture the flavour of the place. Couldn’t put it down!

[Ben Gough · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Many different authors so the writing style changes several times, which can make it interesting but also challenging to keep reading at points.

[Tylor Toll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved all the Edinburgh references - really why I got the book in the first place. All the stories were cute too and I appreciated the queer influence on some of them!