Scotland Is Not for the Squeamish and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more

Kindle Edition
 
   
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Scotland Is Not for the Squeamish
 
 
Start reading Scotland Is Not for the Squeamish on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Scotland Is Not for the Squeamish [Hardcover]

Bill Watkins (Author)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition $8.49  
Hardcover --  
Paperback $11.21  

Book Description

November 2000
In his second work in a trilogy involving the Celtic identity, Watkins mingles poetry, history, and song with tall and true tales of his adventures in the Scottish Highlands. Whether shanghaied on a ship to the Arctic Circle, hunting for gold in the mountains, sinking a docked barge, shooting the breeze with ghosts at a pub, or bedazzling friends with druid magic, Watkins keeps readers on their toes as he dances us through his days and nights as a young man finding his way through the world. From the roaring seas to the verdant Scottish countryside, Watkins tackles his rugged environs with good humor and smarts on this ultimate journey of maturation and self-discovery.
Bill Watkins is the author of the Book Sense best-seller A Celtic Childhood. Watkins was born in Birminghamin 1950 into a Welsh/Irish family. Both of his parents were traditional singers. He learned to play the tin whistle, guitar, banjo, mandolin, and fiddle as a youth, and has been performing ever since. As a young man he made his living on frieght and fishing ships. Watkins has won several awards for his poetry, and has contributed numerous articles to Private Eye, a satirical magazine in the U.K., and the Glasgow Herald.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This is the second of a planned trilogy, the first of which explored Watkins's childhood (A Celtic Childhood, LJ 9/15/99). In this volume, we follow his adventures as a young man, first on the high seas and later in Scotland. It is no surprise that these reminiscences are more colorful in language and content, but they still contain the youthful na vet and charm that buoyed up the earlier volume. The characters and settings are vividly described in Watkins's colorful, somewhat florid style. Throughout, he skillfully intertwines history, literature, and the real world, creating an entertaining composite of "true and tall tales" in the process. The book includes a glossary (particularly helpful for the slang terms) and lyrics for some of the songs referred to in the text. An entertaining read; recommended for larger public libraries. Angela M. Weiler, SUNY at Morrisville
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Watkins' gift is as a storyteller -- Herald Sunday

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Ruminator Books; 1st edition (November 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1886913420
  • ISBN-13: 978-1886913424
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,832,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

 

Customer Reviews

12 Reviews
5 star:
 (11)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Celtic magic and Caledonian missadventure., December 6, 2000
By 
KLM (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Scotland Is Not for the Squeamish (Hardcover)
I thought Bill Watkins would find it hard to top his first book "A Celtic Childhood" but he's done it! "Scotland Is Not For the Squeamish" is a rip-roaring, 'seat of the pants' adventure that will thrill Scotophiles and armchair travelers alike. His discriptions of Scotland and its hardy people sing out from the page in crackling poetic imagery. History and song blend to fill the reader with salty tales of the high seas and earthy stories of everyday life in pre-oil boom Aberdeen and the magical city of Edinburgh. Though his contorted trail takes him up mountains and down mine shafts, panning gold in the Highlands and fishing for cod in the Arctic, he entertains another ambition; to become a Druid! See how he gets on in this feast of a book. Hurry up and write the next one, Bill. I can hardly wait to see what happens next!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Scotland is Not for the Squeamish, February 22, 2001
By 
Nan (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Scotland Is Not for the Squeamish (Hardcover)
How long has it been since you've read a book that captured you on the first page and didn't release you until the last? If it's been a long time since you have experienced that supreme pleasure, buy a copy of this book and head for a comfortable chair--you won't be moving for a while.

Bill Watkins has an amazing talent for combining poetic storytelling with well-timed humor and a bit of mystery. Whether he's telling about Pete the Poisoner (you have to read the book to find out about him), Adolf Hitler or King James, the reader always finds out something unexpected, and it's all learned on a merry romp through Scotland. The author's adventures alternately terrify and pacify; the people he meets show that he's an equal opportunity friend; and his good-humored spirit is always evident. Anyone who reads this second book of Watkins's trilogy should be prepared to laugh a lot and maybe shed a few tears, but most of all, enjoy an incredibly worthwhile book. One more thing--when you finish the book, hang on to it. You'll probably want to read it again.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Evocative, humorous, thought-provoking, September 22, 2001
By 
G. A. Findlay "Gordon" (Christchurch New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Scotland Is Not for the Squeamish (Hardcover)
This continues Bill Watkins's autobiography through his time at sea, and in the Scotland of the late 60's and ealy seventies.

As well as the humour, you'll love the evocative prose, which with a surprisingly few words summons up as vivid a picture as any I've ever read.

Especially clever is his rendition of the Scots tongue.

His stories of the start of the Celtic music revival, of living "on the broo" in Edinburgh and the start of the "Silly Wizard" folk group will make anyone smile.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews










Only search this product's reviews



Inside This Book (learn more)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Create a Listmania! list

So You'd Like to...


Create a guide


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject