The Hills is Lonely

Lillian Beckwith's classic stories of crofting life on the remote Hebridean island of Bruach were first published in 1959. Ordered away to the country for a long rest following illness, Beckwith unexpectedly chooses the offer of a room in a Scottish cottage rather than the Kentish farmhouse she was originally considering. Described as being so quiet that 'even the sheeps themselves on the hills is lonely', Bruach turns out to be full of wonders, quirks and absurdities. Life with the native crofters is unique - encompassing birth, death, marriage and all stages in-between. Bruach is a place where friends fistfight in the evening and discuss their bruises the next morning; where the taxi driver is also the lorry driver, coal merchant and undertaker; where the locals don't remove their hats during funerals so their heads won't get cold; and where the post office's 'opening hours' fit around the daily milking of cows rather than the other way round. The first in a series of seven books, The Hills is Lonely is full of sparkling wit and unforgettable characters. 'A Scottish humorous classic' Weekly Scotsman