The Crofter and the Laird

The Crofter and the Laird: Life on an Hebridean Island by John McPhee

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was going to re-read this for our trip to Colonsay in April. My impression after reading it was that things probably haven't changed all that much on the island since 1970.

The people are still resourceful and hold multiple jobs around the island. They are still vastly outnumbered by the ghosts of former inhabitants and by the 'nearly sixteen hundred place names' on Colonsay.

It's easy to forget about the present in a place like Colonsay and get immersed in the past -- fantastically vivid in a place with standing stones and ruined dwellings and ancient remains everywhere you look.

One of the high points of our visit was being able to buy the definitive history of Colonsay, Lonely Colonsay, from the man who is author-publisher-bookseller-bus driver-piermaster and get his autograph, while also getting a tail-wagging slobbery greeting from his very friendly dog.

We also loved seeing the tiny little bookshop/publishing house on the beach where this edition of the book was published. They were in the process of moving out of the scenic bookshop into new, more accessible premises in town, but it still had the House of Lochar sign up.



View all my reviews