Customer Reviews

Scottish Girls About Town: And sixteen other Scottish women authors

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was given this collection as a gift after a great trip to Scotland. I was surprised when what I expected would be a so-so "chick-lit" read turned out to be a sampling of mostly accomplished stories that often went far beyond the limited chick-lit plotlines.

I was totally baffled when I read the comments of the previous reviewer, and I completely disagree. The reviewer makes the stories sound like a collection of frustrating post-modern work -- inaccessible and without defined endings. Other than the one piece written in dialect (probably clearer to UK readers), the stories are quite accessible and generally traditional in their construction. Their final resolutions are not necessarily spoon-fed to the reader, but it's hardly difficult to understand where, how, and why each one ends as it does.

Almost all of these stories are enjoyable reads, and a few are exceptionally well-written. For example, "A Choc Ice down the Shore" by Morag Joss is a marvelous treatment of the potentially cliche-ed situation of the distant, distracted daughter visiting her elderly mother in a nursing home. "School Gate Mums" literally skewers the the cliquish mothers who are cattily disdainful of an outsider -- a seemingly quiet, innocuous single mom and her shy, bucktoothed son. Episodes in which young girls get telling glimpses into adult secrets are conveyed with skill and originality in Aline Templeton's "A Mixed Blessing" and Julia Hamilton's "A Day at the Seaside." The stories that fall into the more usual chick-lit preoccupations tend to rise above the pack, and their non-US settings are a dimension to their appeal.

Bottom line: It's hard to believe that I was reading the same short fiction as did the reviewer below. This collection doesn't disappoint, and several of the stories are superb.

I bought this book after having read and enjoyed some of its Irish inspirations - Ladies Night at Finbar's Hotel, Irish Girls About Town, etc.

I'm sorry to report that these short stories from Scottish female authors are not nearly as engaging or as lively. There were a few gems - "In the Garden of Mrs. Pink" tells of a young girl's encounter with a lady of disrepute through charmingly innocent eyes. "School-Gate Mums," about a single mom/hitwoman, was so cynical and over-the-top that, despite the exciting story line, it just depressed me. But most of the stories were basically un-memorable. Overall, disappointing.

Well, I don't know what to think about the first review where she kept asking for an ending. Makes me wonder if we read the same book. This collection was nothing short of fabulous. Only a couple didn't have the traditional "closure" to it that this particular reviewer must have been wanting.
There are some real gems in this book. Lovely, lovely stories.
The Standouts:
In the Garden of Mrs. Pink by Isla Dewar. Charming story of a young girl and her "working" neighbor.
A True Romance by Shari Low. A woman gets what she thinks she wants only to realize that wasn't it at all.
The Six Stone Pack by Sara Sheridan. A weight loss competition between best friends.
A Choc Ice Down the Shore by Morag Joss. Beautiful story of a dying mother and her daughter and the examining of their relationship.
But the best was saved for last...Bonny in Scotland by Katie Agnew. I'm not going to say anything about this one..read it and you'll see why.

Of course it's not really fair to pick favorites here. It almost seemed that each one was better than the last. And the wonderful thing about them is the universal themes presented throughout. No matter these are Scottish women authors. They could be from anywhere..writing about all the feelings and issues women anywhere experience.
It's a glorious collection...now go enjoy it.

Having read and enjoyed "Irish Girls About Town" I picked this book up without a thought the other day. I'm three-quarters of the way through it, and have enjoyed every story except one, which was written in a Scottish brogue (complete with dialect) which made it a rather difficult read. And not only are the stories good, but the proceeds go towards benefiting womens charities in Scotland. Good book for a good cause!

I wish I could give this collection a positive review. Yes, I know it's for charity. And yes, I enjoyed the similar collections of Irish and English writers - people like Cathy Kelly and Sheila Flanagan and Marian Keyes made the Irish one well worth reading.

But this one... Sigh. The fact that I've only heard of about three of the authors is beside the point - and as it happens, the novellas by those I've heard of aren't any better than the others in the collection anyway. My complaint about this book is that there is barely a single novella which actually has an *ending*. From stories which just make me go 'huh?' at the end to stories where I turn a page and suddenly discover that I'm looking at the title page of the next short story, leaving me wondering what the heck the ending is supposed to be... I'm practically speechless.

Just give me an *ending*, someone! At this stage I'm not even bothered about whether it's happy or not - *any* kind of ending will do!

And that's before I start on those stories where I spend the entire ten pages going 'huh? what the heck is this about?'.

Sorry - not worth anyone's money. Just give your cash direct to the charities!

wmr-uk