The Quarry Wood

Nan Shepherd is best known for [b:The Living Mountain|25773742|The Living Mountain|Nan Shepherd|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1434993148s/25773742.jpg|7230627], her uniquely personal book about The Cairngorms which is rightly regarded as a classic piece of nature writing. This 1928 novel was her first published work.

At its core is a rites of passage novel, told largely in Aberdeenshire dialect - this does make it quite difficult for a non-Scot to follow at times though many of the dialect words are explained in a glossary, in fact just reading the glossary shows how rich the dialect is.

The heroine Martha has to fight the limited expectations of her family and the close knit community in which there are very few secrets. I suspect a show more degree of veiled autobiography as the book is very strong on her hidden thoughts and motivations. She gains a place at university and is consumed by her thirst for knowledge, and is drawn to her friend's husband Luke.

I found it quite gripping and in places surprisingly modern, despite the setting and the language. show less

Written by a woman, "The Quarry Wood" explores the awakening sexuality and awareness of the young Martha. More outspoken than Thomas Hardy, but not yet as free as D.H. Lawrence. Very worth-while reading.

Young woman grows u in poor family, goes to university, falls in love with married man and endures rumors.