The White Bird Passes

The White Bird Passes

Jessie Kesson

Jessie Kesson

Set in the backstreets of a Scottish city in the 1920s, The White Bird Passes is the unforgettable story of a young girl growing up in 'the Lane'. Poor, crowded and dirty – but full of life and excitement – the Lane is the only home Janie MacVean has ever known. It is a place where, despite everything, Janie is happy. But when the Cruelty Man arrives, bringing with him the threat of the dreaded 'home' – the orphanage that is every child's nightmare – Janie's contented childhood seems to be at an end.A gritty and moving portrayal of a young girl facing up to hardship and deprivation, written with warmth, humour and insight, Jessie Kesson's classic autobiographical novel is widely regarded as her finest work.LONGLISTED FOR BBC ONE'S 'SCOTLAND'S FAVOURITE BOOK' (2016)'Beg, borrow or steal this book.' – NORMAN MacCAIG'Memorable and beguiling.' – THE HERALD'Miss Kesson writes...
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Another Time, Another Place

Another Time, Another Place

Jessie Kesson

Jessie Kesson

In the summer of 1944, three Italian prisoners of war are billeted in a remote village in the north-east of Scotland. For most of the locals, their arrival is of little interest, hardly distrubing the quiet routines of their isolated crofting community. But for the young farm-worker's wife who has to look after them, the Italians bring with them a tantalising glimpse of another, more exotic world, reawakening dreams of a future removed from the harsh realities of crofting life.A moving portrayal of the tragic consequences of a clash of cultures, Another Time, Another Place is a haunting tale of love and war from one of Scotland's finest authors.
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Glitter of Mica

Glitter of Mica

Jessie Kesson

Jessie Kesson

In the parish of Caldwell, in the heart of rural Aberdeenshire, life goes on much as it always has done for those who work on the land. Isolated and inward looking, it is a place where no one challenges the way things have always been, and everyone knows exactly where they stand in the local hierarchy.But up at Darklands farm change is in the air. Helen Riddel, daughter of the head dairyman, has been to university and seen what the outside world has to offer. Now she must choose between family ties and the chance of a new life away from the narrow confines of Caldwell.An unforgettable portrait of a world that has now vanished forever, Glitter of Mica is a moving evocation of a close-knit rural community in the first half of the 20th century.'One of the literary treasures of modern Scotland.' – WILLIAM DONALDSON'Jessie Kesson writes beautifully, her strong, delicate prose full of poetry and humour.' – DAILY TELEGRAPH
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