Alison Johnson

Exquisite evocation of claustrophobic Scottish island life. Bleak, black, biting and beautiful. This is no twee Ballykissangel-style book of country life - happiness here is hard-won, but won nonetheless. Don't be put off by the awful paperback cover.

A highly enjoyable tale of adventure and hard work in which Alison and Andrew Johnson convert a decrepit old Manse into a hotel. Impossible to read without feeling lazy and inadequate!