The Kiln

A pitch-perfect blend of warm lyricism, limpid observation and excruciatingly funny comedy. It is a beguilingly brilliant portrait of the artist as an adolescent * * Sunday Times * *
On almost every page it offers matter for reflection and the sudden stab of emotion that comes from reading something that is truly evoked or created . . . It is rare and it is wonderful * * Scotsman * *
McIlvanney plumbs, in language of luminous precision, the tortured psyche of the Scottish character. It's Greek tragedy, hilarious to boot * * Mail on Sunday * *
The best novel yet from the finest Scottish writer of our time -- Allan Massie * * Daily Telegraph (Books of the Year) * *
Delightfully funny . . . [McIlvanney] is a compassionate writer and leaves an impression both of high seriousness and great charm * * Sunday Telegraph * *
Finely judged and beautifully written * * The Times * *