Customer Reviews

The Loud Halo

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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).

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.