Sunset Song

Widely considered to be the most acclaimed Scottish novel of the twentieth century, Sunset Song is a powerful portrait of a land and people in turmoil, seen through the life and struggles of one heroine. The daughter of a Scottish farmer, Chris Guthrie comes of age in a rural community, torn between her love of the land and the brutal harshness of farming life. But as the first world war and the social and economic upheaval that follow thrust the community into a new age, and the days of the small crofter are over, Chris continues to endure the devastating impact on her life. Symbolising a resilience which, like the land itself, endures despite everything, Chris Guthrie’s struggle is portrayed with a lyrical intensity that echoes through the years. The first and most celebrated of Grassic Gibbon’s great trilogy, A Scot’s Quair, Sunset Song is a momentous classic of Scottish literature. It is hard to find any other Scottish novel of the last century which has received wider acclaim and better epitomises the feelings of a nation.

Reviews of Sunset Song

Sunset Song's great gripping hybrid of melodrama and realism … left me scorched — ALI SMITH Chris Guthrie is the most passionate and appealing heroine in Scottish literature; Grassic Gibbon's magnificent novel is fresh, powerful and timeless — ANNE DONOVAN This book may be read with delight the world over * New York Times * Beautifully written … While describing a way of life in decline, it also presents a vision of hope for the future via its strong female lead character * Independant on Sunday * It is gritty and passionate and one of Scotland's great 20th-century novels — Jim Naughtie * Daily Express * Cries out for the widest international audience * Herald * His three great novels have the impetus and music of mountain burns in full spate * Observer *