Isla Dewar (1946–2021)

When Iris moves into the country after her husband's unexpected death in the late 1960's, she has no idea that her new position as the local school's 'Missie' will reshape her life. The decision is one she makes out of desperation after she loses her home due to her husband's secret gambling habits. Unwillingly, she wakes each morning in a beautiful place, longing for her city home, and for human touch.

Dewar's warm, full characters make 'Dancing in the Distant Place' a rich novel, one that show more induces laughter, watery eyes and statements such as 'No! Don't do that!' She writes with graceful, strong prose, and possesses an uncommon ability to paint her characters as well as she does the country scenery in Scotland. Her world and the lives in it are convincing - those rare kind of characters one could recognise walking down the street.

There's little Colin - a self-imposed mute whose love for the little things, and quiet fight against the world, is precious to read. There's Emily, whose surge into free love has met with the bitter truth that she is just homesick and wants to eat more than potatoes and lentils. Michael likes to drive with his eyes closed along the country roads, because he knows and loves them so well. And Sophy, Iris's teenage daughter, thinks death is a very romantic thing indeed.

This is definitely one of those kind of books that will stay with me for a long time, and I'm very pleased to discover she has six more books out there for me to get my greedy little hands on. show less

I love this book! It reminded me of "Behind the scenes at the Museum". It's a story about a family and their complicated and interwoven relations. I got the impression that every character in the book was presented in the worst possible light with all their faults, weaknesses and foolishness exposed. I smiled and laughed a lot during the little bickerings and fights that happened because they were so very well observed and I liked the writing style: contrasting the dialogue/fight with their show more feelings. Despite what I found out about Lily, Marie, Rory, Mattie and John I really liked them and rooted for them. Which reminds me of my favourite quote from the book (although I'm not a romantic person):
Art: "I think love is knowledge. You only love someone once you know them. Then the more you know them the more you love them."
Lily: "Sometimes the more you know somebody the less you love them."
Art:"Then you didn't really love them in the first place." show less

A pleasant, comforting story whose focus is the members of an extended family, all of whom are struggling with disappointments in their own lives and envy over the lives of other members. The result is a slice of life novel with well-drawn characters, interesting stories, and a large dose of humor. I particularly liked that Ms. Dewar could take the most banal of events, such as giving a cheese sandwich to the wrong person, and fashion a situation whose emotional content I immediately show more understood. If you're looking for an uncomplicated, make-you-feel-good sort of book, I enjoyed this one. show less

This is my first Isla Dewar book, but I doubt it will be my last. This is the tale of Iris Chisholm, whose husband dies and leaves her high and dry with debts galore. She takes her two teenage children to live in a remote highland glen, where she can teach at the local school and live in the house that comes with the job.

Over the year covered in the book, Iris becomes very involved with the community of Green Cairns, and I loved the characters that popped up in the book, both children and show more adults.

I found this to be a very pleasant read. It flowed nicely and kept me turning the pages quickly to find out what happened next. It's a gentle tale of remote rural life in Scotland in the 1960s, but Iris is a feisty and forthright character. Very enjoyable. show less