The Loud Halo [Paperback]

Lillian Beckwith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2001

In The Loud Halo Lillian Beckwith serves up another delightful slice of Hebridean life and a collection of local characters. Meet Johnny Comic, Morag, Kirsty, Behag, Hector, Erchy and the postie - among others. Subjects for amusement include tourists, an election, blizzards and a tinkers' wedding. Each episode is told with wit and affection.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A sparkling book which could well become a Scottish humorous classic' -- Weekly Scotsman

About the Author

Lillian Beckwith (Lillian Comber) was born in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, in 1916. She went to live in the Hebrides before the Second World War and stayed there for nearly twenty years, living first on Elgol, Isle of Skye, and later on the nearby and smaller Isle of Soay. Her hilarious initiation into crofting life is captured in the heart warming book 'The Hills is Lonely'. She acquired her own cottage, and living and working on her own croft gave rise to a series of magical Hebridean books such as 'The Sea For Breakfast'. She retired to the Isle of Man, where she died in 2004.

Product Details

• Paperback: 238 pages
• Publisher: House of Stratus (January 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0755102711
• ISBN-13: 978-0755102716
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,072,835 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fine Life, in the Hebrides of Scotland, October 3, 2003

By 

bensmomma "bensmomma" (Ann Arbor, Michigan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Loud Halo (Paperback)

Lillian Beckwith provides a charming and memorable addition to the "writer encounters pleasingly eccentric foreign rural culture" genre; but while Peter Mayle writes about his encounters in Provence, and Frances Mayes writes about Tuscany, Beckwith's encounters are with the people of Bruach, an lonely island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.

To my mind, Beckwith is by far the best of the bunch. She writes without the condescension that sometimes mars others in this genre, and her descriptive prose is really outstanding. You really get a sense of the smell, the light, the "feel" of life on a small Scottish croft (farm).

My main caution is that "Loud Halo" is the 3rd of a series of books on the same subject, so I did feel a little as though I had been dropped into the middle of a conversation; characters presumably carefully introduced in the earlier volumes Beckwith assumes you know well at this point, which is sometimes a bit confusing. Thus, you might be better off starting with "The Hills Is Lonely" then carrying on only if Beckwith suits you (I predict she will).

5.0 out of 5 stars Come warm your feets-----, December 17, 2010

By 

Hiker Mama (Concrete, Washington) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Loud Halo (Paperback)

Lillian Beckwith never fails to warm my heart or "feets". I never tire of the escapades or observations of the characters in the Hebrides. Lillian is masterful with the pen and will keep the reader fascinated, enthralled and giggling throughout each and every one of her books. Your will sit amazed, amused and thirsting for more with each page and chapter. If you've ever longed to be a "fly on the wall", here's your chance. You'll never forget the eccentric Croft people or Lillian Beckwith. Start with her first book, though, as it will introduce you to the characters and answer the question of how a refined and educated school teacher came to live in the crude surroundings of the Hebrides. You won't stop grinning for days to come once you finish the book.