Description
Book Synopsis1856, the Scottish Highlands. A haunting novel of a young doctor's wife, Isabel Aird, struggling to make her childless life meaningful, unaware that the sinister Robert Kirke is watching her every move when she becomes pregnant again. From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Where Memories Go and The Sealwoman's Gift.
Trade ReviewSally Magnusson's classy new novel
The Ninth Child has snared me . . .
Suffice to say I'm hooked, and I'm only on page 50. It's wonderful and I daren't stop. One never messes with the faeries. * Melanie Reid, THE TIMES *
An absolute triumph! Such a clever interweaving of history and fairytale.
I loved the lively intelligent heroine and the brooding sense of menace throughout. It had me gripped right to the end * Sarah Haywood, author of THE CACTUS *
Not only did the book transport me while I read, but when I slept my dreams were extraordinarily vivid - I dreamt I was roaming in the highlands, smelling fresh air, feeling sunlight - far from my hospital bed.
Few books have this impact on me. * Michelle Gallen, author of BIG GIRL SMALL TOWN *
An
engaging mix of folklore and Victorian history * Sunday Times *
This
eerie tale blends Scottish folklore with historical fiction * i *
Pacy and accomplished, with a supernatural chill * The Herald *
Enthralling * Scots Magazine *
Well-researched, fascinating . . . a strong sense of place . . .
an accomplished piece of writing, cementing Magnusson's place, not just as one of Scotland's best-loved broadcasters, but
one of Scotland's leading writers of historical fiction * Scotland on Sunday *
Entertaining, educational and thought-provoking, The Ninth Child is pacy and accomplished, with particular skill in capturing the supernatural chill attached to some of Scotland's most picturesque sights * Press Assocation *
A compassionate story of the clashing cultures of science and superstition, of male and female, rich and poor * Anne Goodwin Weekly *
A gripping plot, vivid period detail and a terrific touch of faery too * Caroline Sanderson *
A beguiling
weave of fine imaginative writing and deft research into Celtic folklore and a triumph of Scottish engineering.
The Ninth Child is
a dramatic and magical novel told with enormous zest and wit. I am looking forward to Sally Magnusson's next fine novel. * Les Wilson Author of The Drowned and the Saved *
A very impressive piece of work, drawing on
a strong sense of place and a rich seam of history and folklore for its power. * Donald Murray, author of As the Women Lay Dreaming. *
Sally Magnusson has written
a brilliant tour-de-force that blends together unlikely ingredients such as engineering, the Celtic Otherworld and 19th century medicine into
a memorable, riveting, page-turning story. I savoured it! * Alistair Moffat *
