{"product_id":"the-house-by-the-loch-9781444777666","title":"The House by the Loch","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Scottish Number One Bestseller and Book of the Month.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA novel of family drama and long-hidden secrets, set in the beautiful Scottish countryside, from the bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Legacy of Elizabeth Pringle. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''Evocatively drawn'' \u003ci\u003eSunday Times  \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e''Rich, layered and compelling, Wark''s debut was impressive; with this novel she has really hit her stride'' \u003ci\u003eYorkshire Post  \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e''A deeply satisfying work of pure imagination'' Damian Barr, author of \u003ci\u003eYou Will Be Safe Here  \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e''Beautiful and atmospheric'' Alistair Moffat, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Hidden Ways \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e''\u003c\/i\u003eR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eich\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e and pleasing'' Allan Massie\u003ci\u003e, The Scotsman  \u003c\/i\u003e''Beautifully written'' \u003ci\u003eDaily Mail\u003c\/i\u003e   \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e''One to savour'' \u003ci\u003eSunday Express  \u003c\/i\u003e''An epic masterpiece'' Philippa Perry \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eScotland, 1950s\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWalter MacMillan is bewitched by the clever, glamorous Jean Thompson and can''t believe his luck when she agre\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLike Wark's bestselling 2014 debut, \u003ci\u003eThe Legacy of Elizabeth Pringle\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003cb\u003ethis novel's heart lies in the evocatively drawn landscape of southwest Scotland . . . strong on place, dialogue and believable characters\u003c\/b\u003e * Sunday Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRich, layered and totally compelling\u003c\/b\u003e . . . Wark's debut, \u003ci\u003eThe Legacy of Elizabeth Pringle\u003c\/i\u003e, was impressive; with this novel she has really hit her stride * Yorkshire Post *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBeautifully written . . . A haunting tale which combines \u003ci\u003eRebecca \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eRoom At The Top \u003c\/i\u003ewith \u003ci\u003eFame\u003c\/i\u003e. Not something you can say about many books.\u003c\/b\u003e * Daily Mail *\u003cbr\u003eSlow burning and \u003cb\u003erichly descriptive\u003c\/b\u003e, this is \u003cb\u003eone to savour\u003c\/b\u003e * Sunday Express *\u003cbr\u003eWark's second novel brings to life Galloway - one of the most beautiful and least well-known parts of Scotland, even to many Scots. This sparsely populated but spare and beautiful landscape anchors three generations of one family struggling to come to terms with a dark secret. As with her debut, \u003ci\u003eThe House by the Loch\u003c\/i\u003e draws on real historical incident and some of her own personal history while also being \u003cb\u003ea deeply satisfying work of pure imagination\u003c\/b\u003e, however real Jean and Walter and their families feel. A multi-generational story that is at once \u003cb\u003esweeping and intimate.\u003c\/b\u003e * Damian Barr, author of You Will Be Safe Here *\u003cbr\u003eIt is \u003cb\u003ea very good story.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eIt holds you.\u003c\/b\u003e You are eager to know how it will unfold . . . There is \u003cb\u003emuch to delight\u003c\/b\u003e. There is \u003cb\u003ewarmth and understanding\u003c\/b\u003e. It's \u003cb\u003ea very Scottish novel\u003c\/b\u003e, not only in its setting but in its suggestion of the duality of human nature . . . One test of a novel is whether you almost immediately want to read it again. A second is whether you find still more in it at this second reading. I would guess that \u003cb\u003efor many \u003ci\u003eThe House by the Loch \u003c\/i\u003ewill pass both tests, colours flying.\u003c\/b\u003e * Allan Massie, The Scotsman *\u003cbr\u003eHow can a book be sad and yet so hopeful and uplifting? Kirsty Wark has written \u003cb\u003ean epic masterpiece\u003c\/b\u003e (great sense of place and architecture too) * Philippa Perry *\u003cbr\u003eKirsty Wark has woven \u003cb\u003ea brilliant tapestry\u003c\/b\u003e, pulling together the threads of three generations and setting their lives against the background of one of the most \u003cb\u003ebeautiful and atmospheric\u003c\/b\u003e places in Britain. Many good novelists write well about the inner lives of their characters and some can make the landscape come alive, but very few can do both as well as Kirsty. \u003cb\u003eI loved \u003ci\u003eThe House by the Loch\u003c\/i\u003e and couldn't wait to turn each page.\u003c\/b\u003e * Alistair Moffat, author of The Hidden Ways *\u003cbr\u003eIt took me back to the books I adored when I was young - \u003cb\u003ethe sheer pleasure of immersing yourself in a single family\u003c\/b\u003e, past and present, \u003cb\u003etheir lives in thrall to the sweep and power of the landscape\u003c\/b\u003e. You need curiosity and generosity to write like this and Wark has so much of both. Her understanding of family - its mysteries, losses and secrets, and especially the fraught tenderness between mothers and daughters - is \u003cb\u003emasterful\u003c\/b\u003e. * Julie Myerson, author of SOMETHING MIGHT HAPPEN *\u003cbr\u003eI've been enthralled by the \u003cb\u003ewonderful and atmospheric\u003c\/b\u003e world Kirsty Wark has created -  really \u003cb\u003epowerful and compelling.\u003c\/b\u003e * Sue Lawrence, author of The Night He Left *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eUtterly compelling \u003c\/b\u003e * The Herald *\u003cbr\u003eIn an \u003cb\u003eatmospheric and moving\u003c\/b\u003e tale, journalist Kirsty Wark nails the complexities of rural family life, as well as the stark Scottish landscape * Woman *\u003cbr\u003eHer love for her homeland shines through every page . . . A \u003cb\u003ewarm-hearted\u003c\/b\u003e novel with \u003cb\u003evivid\u003c\/b\u003e depictions of both the \u003cb\u003elandscape \u003c\/b\u003eand the \u003cb\u003efamily \u003c\/b\u003einhabiting it * WI Life *\u003cbr\u003eWith \u003cb\u003ea fine sense of place\u003c\/b\u003e, the Galloway setting is \u003cb\u003eatmospheric\u003c\/b\u003e and the characters recognisably real, creating an altogether satisfying read * Choice *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBreathtaking\u003c\/b\u003e * Strong Words *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn assured family saga from a talented writer\u003c\/b\u003e * The Press (York) *\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"John Murray Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47836961112407,"sku":"9781444777666","price":9.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781444777666.jpg?v=1710386679","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-house-by-the-loch-9781444777666","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}