The Silver Darlings

The Silver Darlings is a tale of lives hard won from a cruel sea and crueller landlords. It tells of strong young men and stronger women whose loves, fears and sorrows are set deep in a landscape of raw beauty and bleak reward. The dawning of the Herring Fisheries brought with it the hope of escape from the brutality of the Highland Clearances, and Neil Gunn's story paints a vivid picture of a community fighting against nature and history and refusing to be crushed.

The tale of lives won from a cruel sea and crueller landlords. The dawning of the Herring Fisheries brought with it the hope of escape from the Highland Clearances, and this story paints a vivid picture of a community fighting against nature and history, and refusing to be crushed.

Of all the superstitions held by the crew of Dunure fishing boat The Silver Darling, the most perilous of all is that under no circumstances should a white-handled knife ever be carried on board. Ignoring this long tradition, Danny the latest to help out the family business, steps onto the boat with a mop top, oil-skinned jacket and an ivory-handled knife. Determined to bring an 'enlightened attitude' aboard, Danny is biding his time until he moves on to college in Glasgow. Intricately researched, Morris portrays the gruelling life of a Dunure fishing crew

Scots like to smoke or salt them. The Dutch love them raw. Swedes look on with relish as they open bulging, foul-smelling cans to find them curdling within. Jamaicans prefer them with a dash of chilli pepper. Germans and the English enjoy their taste best when accompanied by pickle's bite and brine. Throughout the long centuries men have fished around their coastlines and beyond, the herring has done much to shape both human taste and history. Men have co-operated and come into conflict over its shoals, setting out in boats to catch them, straying, too, from their home ports to bring full nets to shore. Women have also often been at the centre of the industry, gutting and salting the catch when the annual harvest had taken place, knitting, too, the garments fishermen wore to protect them from the ocean's chill. Following a journey from the western edge of Norway to the east of England, from Shetland and the Outer Hebrides to the fishing ports of the Baltic coast of Germany and the Netherlands, culminating in a visit to Iceland's Herring Era Museum, Donald S. Murray has stitched together tales of the fish that was of central importance to the lives of our ancestors, noting how both it - and those involved in their capture - were celebrated in the art, literature, craft, music and folklore of life in northern Europe. Blending together politics, science, history, religious and commercial life, Donald contemplates, too, the possibility of restoring the silver darlings of legend to these shores.

Kenn returns to the Highlands of his youth, back to the river which has haunted his dreams since boyhood. Determined to walk all the way back to its source, Kenn embarks on a journey that will lead him deep into the wilderness of his own heart. Profound and moving, Highland River is a stirring tale of what is lost and what endures, and the unexpected ways we can be renewed.

"A fascinating account of a largely forgotten culture.""This debut novel is so absorbing I read it in two sittings!""I loved it from beginning to end.""Wilde created a wonderfully immersive world which has made me want to revisit Holy Island but as a fan of the book - to see Clara's story for myself." (Reader reviews)Island life is hard... leaving is harder.In 1895, a Northumbrian island welcomes two new residents. Clara and Jimmy are born on the same night, to families poles apart. Clara is an islander through and through; content to live among the rhythms and barren beauty of Holy Island. Jimmy's future is set in stone; fishing with the father he despises on the family boat. When tragedy forces them from their island and each other, they join the herring season in a bid to survive. Jimmy strikes out for Seahouses, where he joins a Scots herring crew. From Seahouses he can still see the island, his father too close for comfort. The crew's departure for Lowestoft brings welcome relief. Clara is sent to North Shields, to live with her wealthy, estranged grandparents. A chance encounter with a group of herring girls offers her an escape from the grief filled luxury of her grandparents' home. 1913 is a record-breaking year, but as Clara and Jimmy chase shoals of silver darlings to Lowestoft, their paths are dogged by war, injury and misunderstandings.Set adrift from all they know; will they ever find each other? And will they ever find their way home?"I was whisked away to Lindisfarne and felt so invested in the characters that LK Wilde created. For those who love a comfort read that transports you to another time and place then this is the book for you. I was left wanting more and cannot wait for the next book!""I loved this book, and devoured it over a weekend as I couldn't put it down! The story was engaging,the authors use of dialect and colourful descriptions transported me to another place and time .A story with twists and turns,love and loss,poverty and privilege.I recommend this read,a worthy companion,feeling a bit lost now I have completed it!" (Reader reviews)