Hame, Annalena McAfee
Hame, Annalena McAfee
List: $34.99 | Sale: $24.50
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Hame
A Novel

Author: Annalena McAfee

Narrator: Ruth Urquhart

Unabridged: 18 hr 15 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/12/2017

Categories: Fiction, Women


Synopsis

Commissioned to set up a museum on a remote island in the north of Scotland and to write the biography of the island's celebrated poet and chronicler, Mhairi McPhail is slowly drawn in by the complicated life she is uncovering and writing about—the Bard of Fascaray—as she finds herself being transformed, awakened by the ferocity and power of the island.

Who was the celebrated poet, Grigor McWatt, The Bard of Fascaray? What was his past? Details of his life are elusive. As Mhairi struggles to adapt to her island life and put her disappointment and troubles behind her, she begins to unearth the astonishing secret history of the poet, regarded by many as the custodian of Fascaray's—and Scotland's—soul.

In McAfee's rich novel of invented island life, she interweaves extracts from Mhairi's journal entries, her discoveries and writings of McWatt, and tales of Fascaray itself into a resonant, compelling, dimensional narrative that at its heart explores identity, love, belonging and the universal quest for home.

About Annalena McAfee

Annalena Mcafee was born in London and educated at Essex University. She is the author of The Spoiler and several children's books. She worked at the London Evening Standard as a drama critic and arts editor and at the Financial Times as Arts & Books editor. She was the founding editor of the Guardian's literary supplement, the Guardian Review. McAfee has edited a collection of literary profiles from the Guardian titled Lives and Works. She has been a judge of the Orange Prize for Fiction, the South Bank Show Awards and the Ben Pimlott Prize for political writing. She lives in London with her husband, the writer Ian McEwan.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Gavin on May 14, 2019

Schottland – dieses kleine, dünn bevölkerte Land am Rande des europäischen Kontinents, arm, stolz, traditionalistisch, geschichtsbewußt, unwirtlich und wunderschön – kam spätestens Mitte der 1980er Jahre durch Hollywood-Filme wie LOCAL HERO (1983) und vor allem HIGHLANDER (1986), der mit Mittelalter......more

Goodreads review by switterbug (Betsey) on September 14, 2017

I admit to two personal reasons for reading this book. 1) I am going to Scotland next year, and I wanted to get some insight on the culture, geography, and anything that would be helpful. 2) Annalena McAfee is married to one of my favorite authors, so was hoping the electric charge is in the very ai......more

Goodreads review by Steve on June 29, 2018

This was a birthday present from my wife, who picked it up from the bookshop in Morningside when we were in Edinburgh this summer. The combination of literary mystery and Scottish language just seemed like it would add up to a winning read for Steve, and so it did. Mhairi McPhail is getting in touch......more

Goodreads review by Elite on February 01, 2017

A narrative that explores identity, love, belonging and the universal search for home. Mhairi McPhail very tidily packs up her life and relationship in New York and moves to the remote Scottish island of Fascaray in the Hebrides with her nine year old daughter, Agnes. She has accepted a commission to......more

Goodreads review by nickoli :) on December 23, 2024

This was another reread for me. I’ve been thinking about this book a lot recently, so I decided to explore it again. I love the concept and the layout of the story. I will say that I think the ending is a bit unsatisfying and I wish there was more conclusion. I know the story technically isn’t over,......more