When you move to Skye what else can you do but read a book about the very same Isle?
On Wings of Skye – the blurb
Following the success of ‘Like a Bird on the Wing’, this second book is an armchair tour of the ‘other wings’ of the ‘Wingèd Isle’. Skye is well known for its landscapes – mountains, lochs and headlands, but equally so for its history and legends. The romance of Skye has brought many visitors ‘over the sea to Skye’ since Victorian times, and the island still fascinates the tourist. The Cuillin mountains attract climbers and walkers, Wildlife Tourism is on the increase, and there is a welcome emphasis on renewable energy. Although crofting and farming are going through a bad patch, there is still a vibrant attitude in evidence among the young people of this beautiful island.
When in Rome…
A house move to a different country left me not much time (or energy) for reading. I had been passed On Wings of Skye by my mom who had bought it when she last visited. Thinking it a very relevant topic (and it only being short) I picked it up to break my reading hiatus. Macdonald is a local and his writing clearly illustrates his love of the Isle. People of past, poetry and extracts from writers are crammed in the pages as you join Macdonald around the tips of Skye. I had no idea Al Capone had ever visited, my heart broke for those who emigrated (beautifully put by Dundas Warder) and I wondered if G RR Martin had ever heard of the Campbell/MacLeaod wedding involving Iain Dubh as images of The Red Wedding immediately sprang to mind.
It was the perfect read at the perfect time for me. I now want to visit the Highland Games in Portree and can only hope to witness the beauty J A MacCulloch describes. I’ll keep an eye out for Macdonald’s first offering, Like a Bird on the Wing, and hope he does get round to writing about my little corner in the hinted at Beneath the Wings.
