Light & Dark

by Margaret Thomson Davis

Set in Edinburgh and West Lothian at the end of the Victorian era, Light and Dark is the powerful story of the Blackwood Lorianna, a beautiful young woman, married at sixteen to a considerably older man; Gavin, her austere and sanctimonious husband; and Clementina, their wild and wayward daughter who grows up rebelling against everything her parents stand for.

In their imposing mansion in the West Lothian countryside, the Blackwoods appear to live an affluent and normal family life. But beneath this veneer of respectability, things are not quite what they seem. Gavin Blackwood is a cruel man, driven by violent animal passions, who makes his wife and daughter's lives miserable; Lorianna is secretly involved with another man; and the whole family is about to be engulfed in a dreadful tragedy that will overshadow the rest of their lives.

452 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1994

About the author

A prolific author, admired for her depiction of the Scottish working class communities.

Reviews

[Dawn Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as the "antonyms in the title" book in my annual reading challenge.
Initially I was sure this would be a DNF, I struggled to continue through the first half with Lorianna's disastrous marriage and sexual awakening. If I'd wanted Lady Chatterley's Lover I'd have just read it (and probably enjoyed it more). It's not that it was badly written, it's just very much not my kind of thing!
The second half was an improvement, focusing more on Lorianna's daughter. Clementina, has a more political awakening (but there's time for some other stirrings) arguing for women's rights emboldened by the suffragist movement.
There's definitely something "upstairs -downstairs" and rich vs poor going on (the housekeeper is terrifying) and obviously there's female awakenings. But perhaps there's just too much going on, the denouement seemed hurried (and it's not a short book) as ultimately mother and daughter get their men and everyone else's endings are left hanging.

[Patrick Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been a while since I gave a four star rating here but I reckon this one deserves it. It is a story of misogyny and misandry and the terrible consequences that result from it. It is almost two seperate book with the first half focusing on Lorianna. It is basically lady chatterley's lover. The second half then focuses on her daughter Clementina and her involvement in the suffragette movement. Women get a horrific time in the story and then one character's hatred of all men has devastating consequencs on all involved. It has a slightly worrying ending as both characters end up with men and the reader is left with the undeniable fear that the oppression by men may continue.