“Probably the best I’ve ever had,” was writer Donald S. Murray’s delighted reaction to the latest review of his new novel, The Loch of the Bees.
The Herald Magazine review by Alastair Mabbott stated that Donald has established himself as a “strong and sonorous voice of the isles” which has found “glorious expression in The Loch of the Bees.
The reviewer outlines the ambitious span of the book, from an 8th-century battle, a monk’s decision to build a beehive-shaped retreat on a small island near the battle site, through the Viking era and the Napoleonic Wars. And on via cairn builders, Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Victorian era to the present day.
The central point and constant in all of this is Loch nan Seillean, the titular Loch of the Bees, which is found near Donald's home village of South Dell in the Isle of Lewis.
Concludes the reviewer: “Compassion and humanity shine through this rich, rewarding novel, which portrays every individual as part of something bigger and a community as far greater than the sum of its parts.”
Read the full review on Press Reader.
The Loch of the Bees
Saraband Books
ISBN 9781916812635
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