The Unbroken Harp

This novel, from a foremost expert on the Clearances, tells the story of Flo Campbell and her eviction from the family's island home, and all her subsequent struggles. The compelling storyline has terrific energy, from the Battle of the Braes and Flo's departure from the island to her travels and employment on Skye and beyond. Flo's spirit remains unquenched whether challenged by the faithlessness of lovers or the callousness of employers and she is a historical witness who embodies the undying memories of her Highland people. She spends much of her life in the lowlands of Britain and in this as in many ways she incarnates the crofters, fishermen, labourers and artists who spring from that epic northern terrain. This is a masterful portrayal of the perverse power and wretched consequences of the Clearances and how they transformed the lives of individuals, and also the power of a native landscape in a Celtic breast.