Ardnish Was Home: A Novel

Description

A young piper, Donald Peter (DP) Gillies, brought up in a remote community in the West Highlands, signs up to join the famous Lovat Scouts. He and his childhood friend are destined for the horrors of Gallipoli and the deprivation of the First World War. After being seriously injured in action, he encounters Louise, a Queen Alexandra Corps nurse who cares for him. As DP lies wounded, far from Scotland, his mind turns to home and he recalls the tales that have been passed down his family from generation to generation. The story then follows the pair's desperate escape bid through enemy territory.

Angus MacDonald has lived all his life in the west highlands, serving in the local regiment The Queens Own Highlanders before becoming an entrepreneur with businesses in publishing, education and renewable energy. Now largely retired from corporate life he has written the Ardnish trilogy, is the proud owner of The Highland Bookshop and has built The Highland Cinema in the Fort William town square.

'If ever there was a story ready-made for the big screen, the Ardnish trilogy is it: an unforgettable case, heart-thumping adventure and romance, but above all a backdrop of spell-binding beauty' * National Trust Magazine * 'Extraordinary. Far more than another wartime love affair. I closed the book with the strong feeling of the importance of kin shire, the need to nurture one another, and the power of love. It will enter your soul' * Scots Magazine * 'a tragic tale, captivating and a good read' * Press and Journal, Book of the Week * 'Striking, charming, page-turning novel about love in the ruins of the first world war' * Piping Times * 'Burns with love for his country...[Macdonald's] plain, easy-going style takes on a natural engaging momentum' * The National * 'a genuine portrait of a time gone forever ... a very good read' * Rosamunde Pilcher * 'This is a book that is truly enthralling - brutal, poetic, unjust but beautiful... A beautiful yet tragic tale, set in the First World War, Ardnish Was Home kept me captivated throughout and left wanting more at the end. It delivers everything the title implies about family and community in the Scottish Highlands and illustrates that love can be found in the most desperate of circumstances' * The Bookbag * 'a fast-paced narrative with deeply likeable characters ... far more than yet another wartime love story ... impossible to put down' * Scottish Field *