The Island Harp

by Jeanne Williams

Book Overview

"Touching romance chronicles a spirited people living during a harsh time." Weekly

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312065701
• ISBN13: 9780312065706
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 338 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A masterpiece about the Isle of Lewis

This books originally was put out under the banner of historical romance, but actually landed in the wrong spot. It should have been historical fiction, a wee fine distinct, but a significant one. Yes, there is romance, but only as a small part of the true tapestry of human emotions. It did not fair well in the US mostly because of the romance banner. So for sometime the book has gone unnoticed and was only available in used bookstores. Thus, I was delighted to see the wonderful work given a reprint treatment more deserving of his subject matter and hopefully people will discover this marvellous story of Scotland.Many of you I am sure know of the Great potato famine that hit Ireland, how nearly a million died. But were you aware, the same blight that hit Ireland, moved to Scotland? Worse, this horrible loss of life sustaining crops came at one of the ugliest periods in Scottish History: the beginning of the Clearances. More and more of Scotland's Gentry were city folk, generally living in the big cities of Scotland and England, and paid a Factor to run their country estates, caring little how he ran them as long as he produced profits to sustain their rich lifestyles. Crofters were not really a money making situation for these people wanting the highest return for the least investment. Sheep were low maintenance, high cash return. People cost more and what the gave as payment for living on the land was small. So began the Clearances, literally running people off land their families had farmed and lived for centuries to make way for sheep.Island Harp details this terrible slice of Scottish History through eyes of Mairi and is based on fact. Set on the Isle of Lewis during the Clearances of the 1840's, when the English landowner (the Countess of Seaforth) drove crofters from their homes to use the land for grazing or hunting. Young Mairi loves her life, simple though it is. She loves her family, her beloved grandfather Fearchar, Gran, brother Tam, and other relatives of the Clan. But one Summer, her life is shattered as the laird's factor as set fire to their homes, the start of the evictions. Fearchar runs into the burning house to rescue the harp he treasures and dies for his effort, but before dying he bads Mairi to protect the harp a symbol of their heritage.A dash Captain Iain MacDonald ride in to the rescue. Scot by birth, he soldiers for the English Queen and is a son of one of the Local Gentry. Iain does what he can to help Mairi and her family and naturally she falls in love with him. She gives herself to him in the Ring of Stones (Calanais) knowing she will always loves this man. Later, as she learns she is with child, she finds out Iain is engaged to wed another - one of his class. Mairi leads her clan to the Auld Broch (an ancient circular tower) and reclaims it for her people, rallying them into farming on land considered unfarmable, weaving, fishing - anything to survive. Not only does Mairi and her child survive, they thrive along wi

A Poetic Saga Of The Heart Of A People

This poetic historical novel is set on the Isle Of Lewis, Hebrides, Scotland, in the early years of the 19th century. It is the story of a people's fight to stay on their land and to retain their culture and language. During this period in Scotland, called the Clearances, wealthy landowners paid henchmen to clear the land of crofters and tenant farmers. These farmers' homes and all their possessions were frequently burned or otherwise destroyed. Destitute men, women and children, whose ancestors had lived and worked this land for time out of mind, faced the elements and starvation, most without money for passage to America, Canada or Australia. Thousands died. The wealthy wanted to use the now available land to graze sheep, or to build hunting lodges for the nobility and emerging middle class. This was a much more profitable way to earn money than collecting rent from poor tenants.Seventeen year old Mairi MacLeod's tiny family farm was destroyed, and her grandfather, Fearchar, killed during the Clearances. Fearchar represented the courage and the culture of the old ways. His deep love of his heritage, all things Gaelic, and his beloved harp, called "Cridhe" (Heart), was what kept the clan going in times of hardship. The harp had belonged to an ancestor bard who'd played at the court of Conn of the Hundred Battles. Fearchar taught the clan his songs: of war, peace, love, the harvest, and the sea. Mairi inherited the bard's voice and the magic to make music on the harp. She also inherited the noble heart, and the ability to endure, of a clan leader. She takes charge of the few remaining family members who decide to stay on the island, and vows she will never leave her homeland. They live in the ruins of an ancient tower, having had time only to build a roof, before the coming winter. They survive on their small harvest, fish and shellfish and seaweed. Clan members, men and woman alike, are inspired by Mairi's leadership, ingenuity, strength and guidance.A dark and brooding army captain came to the assistance of the MacLeods and the Nicolsons immediately after the burning. He finds happiness that he has never known with the generous island family. There is an instant attraction between the captain, Iain, and Mairi and she falls in love with him. She keeps her feelings to herself, because the rigid class system of the time would never accept the marriage of a gentry-born man to a crofter woman. Mairi does cherish the little time they had together, usually with the family singing around the hearth, playing the harp and listening to Iain play the pipes. Other characters enter the story: a few crofter families are taken in when they are evicted; a Viking-like ship's captain becomes enamored of Mairi and wants to marry her; the new landlord, impressed by the clan's endurance, decides to assist them. Numerous crises arise: the potato famine hits hard; a brother is kidnapped, conscripted against his will by a ship's crew; Mairi's older brother seeks reveng

Step Through a Window in Time

The writing is almost as lyrical as the harp in this rather desperate tale of the dispossessed crofters during the clearances of the 19th century. Research and background of island life and the history of the times is realistic. Grim circumstances for the hardworking folks determined to stay where generations of their family have lived. They find defeat around almost every corner - yet their spirits come together and hope lurks in even the darkest corners. From ancient stones to the Calvinist culture that attempts to forbid the music of the isles, Mairi and her harp inspire promise and perseverence, and if the tone is a bit feminist for the highly patriarchal, independent island people, the story is clever and mostly believable. The characters are portrayed with a gentleness and generosity as well as strong spirits, the harshly magnificent scenery envelopes the reader, and the historical references make this book a standout.I just finished Lillian Beckwith's books about the Hebrides (which I highly recommend), and found this glimpse into history totally absorbing and fascinating.