by
On my flight home from Arizona late Sunday night, I finished the kindle book, Butcher's Broom by Neil M. Gunn. It was written in the 1920's and is a Scottish Classic. I would not call it an easy read because the writing style was very different than what I am accustomed to, but it was worth every effort I put forth to read it. Since there are plans in the works for me to visit Scotland next spring I am reading and studying up on the area. Butcher's Broom is a historical novel set during the Highland Clearances which took place in the late 1700s. During the clearances the homes of the Scottish Highland people were burnt down and the people were turned out homeless. They either relocated to remote coastal areas of Scotland or were sold into slavery in the British Colonies. The reason that the aristocrats did this was to allow the highland areas to be transformed into pastures for sheep with roads and bridges and other improvements. They felt the land was not being utilized as well as it should be. Many people in the new industrialized areas of Great Britain were going hungry and the mutton from the sheep would feed them. These aristocrats felt like the lifestyle of the Scottish Highlanders was not a lifestyle that was worth preserving. While Gunn describes this point of view in his book it is clear that he felt like the life style of the Scottish Highlander should have been respected and that the removal was completed in an extremely cruel manner. The author explains the political reality of the social system at that time and the role the church played to support the clearances. I really liked the book and will definitely struggle though more work from this author. Please click on the book title and author's name above to follow the links to more information and enjoy the videos that follow.
No comments:
Post a Comment