The Hills is Lonely: Tales from the Hebrides (Lillian Beckwith's Hebridean Tales, 1) Paperback – 11 Feb. 2016

When reading this book, it is worth keeping in mind that it was first published in 1959 - things have moved on considerably in the world since then - and that includes the Western Isles.The story of 'Miss Peckwitt' and her time in the Hebrides is covered in a number of books, but this one relates her arrival and early times on the island, and her introduction to the community, its foibles, drawbacks, and pleasures. It is extremely entertaining, and it is to be hoped that the islanders had as many jokes at her expense as she did at theirs. She says in the book that she is sure they did, but that they were discreet about it. Reading the story again after a number of years, I do find a touch of superiority in her attitude towards the locals, but I take consolation from her tale of the two visitors who encountered a local young man on the hill, and decided to test his intelligence by asking him if he could count well enough to say how many of them were standing there. Their faces were apparently a picture when he said there were 100: he was the one, and they were the two nothings. It seems that while he was a local, he was also a medical student at a well-known university, at home on holiday....While light-hearted, the book is nevertheless a useful social history of the time, when Gaelic was the islanders' first language, light was provided by oil lamps, water was carried from the well, and entertainment came in the form of ceilidhs, visiting neighbours, reading, and going to church, and a trip away from the island involved boats and buses, and several hours' travel to get to a town. The introduction of a public telephone, with red kiosk and internal small mirror was a major event, and reading about it here takes one back to the days of pressing button A to talk, or B to get one's money back....This is a great read, and I would recommend the whole series, with the caveat that anyone planning to visit the islands now should expect quite a few changes.

Initially worried that the delivery was delayed, but eventually arrived just one day late. Lovely condition which was important as this is a much loved book and was also a favourite of my late Wife.Thank you so much for getting it to me.Mike Poxon

As a devotee of crime fiction this is way off my normal reading list, but I love the Hebrides, if only as a murder location, so thought that it was worth splashing out 99p on this as a 'Daily Deal.' It's beautifully written and the author has a humorous and intelligent turn of phrase that fits the situations perfectly. Being of a practical nature, I had to reflect on how a teacher in Manchester managed to survive financially for two years without working, and would like to have known more about her life prior to her travels. She certainly deserved my admiration for managing to overcome her previous townie life and cope with the spartan conditions she found. Set in the 1950s it's evocative of a time gone by, though at times I sat and wondered if those times had actually passed, or were the Hebrides still clinging on to some of the ways and conditions described in the book. I really must go and find out!

The Hills is Lonely (Bello) Lillian Beckwith accepts an invitation to recuperate on the Hebridean Isle of Bruach. She describes the characters she meets and the adventures she has with a detached amusement that frequently had me laughing out loud. The longer she stays the more you become aware of her growing affection for the place and its rustic and traditional way of life. She writes with a real eye for detail and beautifully conjures up both the beauty and ruggedness of the Hebrides. She is not ashamed at having a good laugh at herself as she describes, for instance, how she is dragged across the island by one of her host's cows. Whether you have a real interest in the Hebrides or just enjoy a good laugh, this book will keep you enchanted throughout. I thoroughly recommend it.

I suppose I must have first read this about 10 years after it was written. I loved the gentle tales of Hebridean folk and probably, though only a youngster, would have shared the author's attitudes towards the people she clearly came to love but nevertheless seemed to feel superior to.I then remember hearing that the "Bruachites" had been annoyed at her "artless" depiction of them, and couldn't understand it - they'd sounded like lovely people to me.45 years on (labuntur anni!) I'm re-reading on Kindle and thoroughly enjoy it again. I still enjoy the gentle pace but am very far from sharing Miss Beckwith's attitudes any more. Her shock at unmarried mothers, for example! - but this is a book of its time, and I'm frankly getting extra pleasure from not only reading the tales but comparing the then and now of how ordinary, main-land, main-line people felt/feel.Beautiful just!

I first read this book many years ago and at the time laughed so much, the whole book is amusing but especially the beginning. Unfortunately I feel this Kindle version has been abridged as one of the particularly amusing episodes is completely missing from the first one or two paragraphs. The rest of the book is lighthearted and interesting but I cannot remember whether any more is missing or not. Nevertheless worth reading if you like something lighthearted with a narrative rather than a plot.

The book tells the story of an Englishwoman who moves to the highlands of Scotland for her health, and the characters she meets there. The people are funny without being ridiculous, and you will be left either chuckling to yourself or laughing out loud. What I really loved was Lilian Beckwith's writing style - her descriptions are such that you can absolutely visualise the places or what is happening.This book is written in the first person and appears to be biographical, but reading about the author elsewhere I found that this is just her style - the characters are not real people although she makes you feel that they are.A very enjoyable light read - I've bought another of her books in anticipation.