This was quite a journey, no pun intended. A very interesting take on Scotland's history that I wished I would've read before my holiday there.. but it surely has its benefits for reading it after I headed to the Scottish Highlands.
The reason I picked up this book in the first place, in a little bookshop in the dutch town Middelburg where we were enjoying the scenery while biking along the coastline, was that I had a longing to visit this beautiful country.
I'm therefore happy to tell you that we ultimately decided to travel to Scotland and see the sights this past July and it has been every bit as fantastic as I had imagined.
Although the book mainly focuses upon the Lowlands and their struggle with England and my vacation was mainly in the Highlands, the Isle of Skye and the Caithness region, I still felt connected with the very soil I walked upon when reading of their historical exploits.
It's a country you pity, cherish and feel proud of at the same time when you read about what they've done and what has been done to them. When I was there I could see myself owning a holiday home there one day when I'm a bit older and hopefully have collected some savings.
After reading what has grafted their collective pride of their country, of their nation, I'm more willing to pursue that inkling of a thought of being partly located there.
Of course the future is a big unknown and I might never set foot there again, for all I know. Still I'm glad I've visited and I'm glad I had the decency to pick up this interesting work of non-fiction.
The book itself is a tie-in to a dramatic BBC-series which goes by the same name and is narrated by the author of the book. I haven't seen it yet, but am on the look out for it. Definitely something I'd want to see, but the book itself is also a very in-depth work of art. As a history buff I can only cheer.
You might wonder why I've ranted about my love for scotland instead of properly reviewing this novel, but it's plain to see what the novel is about and I don't want to appear silly when I get names and dates wrong trying to portray its contents.
It's safe to say that the story starts with how the island is formed and ends with their newly born parliament in 2009. Already almost 10 years ahead in the future we are today and their call for independence is strident once more, with the brexit vote.
It's a worth while read, even if you haven't visited or even plan to visit the island itself.
And for those Game of Thrones fans out there. You'll find a lot of common ground between the history of Scotland and the tale of the Seven Kingdoms. I have a suspicion George RR Martin may have scooped a bit of mustard from Scotland's tales. You never know ^^
