Lachlan's War - Hardcover

Cannon, Michael

3.8

71 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670916323 ISBN 13: 9780670916320

Publisher: Penquin Viking, 2006

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On a wintry evening in 1941 Dr Lachlan McCready is on his rounds in the remote Scottish village of Rassaig when he comes across a silent, frightened evacuee boy who is trying to survive in one of Rassaig's poorest homes. Lachlan, also scarred by loss, sees that desperate times call for desperate measures and decides to take him under his wing. Meanwhile, down the road, some very different newcomers have turned up - three English land girls have 'come to help' much to the delight of the young men and to the consternation of the local religious firebrands.

Soon it becomes clear that these four strangers will change the village forever as the war that had seemed so far away begins to cast its long shadow over windswept Rassaig.

Breathtakingly moving, gripping and funny in equal measure, Michael Cannon's novel is storytelling at its best. Brilliantly evocative of time and place, Lachlan's War is a heartbreaking story of war and loss but also a powerful celebration of the human spirit.

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Review:

‘A dark tale that manages to offer hope. He is not only an appealing writer but an extremely good one’ -- Sunday Herald

‘A fine tapestry of plot and character . . . page-turning, entertaining and comic. An incredibly moving, wondrous piece of writing’ -- The List

‘A novel of great integrity, a moving, slow-burning celebration ... its honesty and poignancy are ultimately rewarding' -- Joanna Briscoe, Guardian

‘An engrossing, rather marvellous read’ -- The Herald

‘An excellent book . . . lyrical, well-paced . . . Cannon, in just a few words, can give a familiar image an arresting vitality’ -- Literary Review

‘Bold, readable, fascinating, moving . . . it runs along at a cracking pace. Cannon is a natural storyteller’ -- The Tablet

‘Brilliantly written characters and pace-gathering plot make this, quite simply, unputdownable’ -- Eve

‘Highly intelligent, absorbing, moving . . . distinguished by Cannon’s talent for characterisation and by a strong, well-managed plot. [A] very fine novel’ -- Allan Massie, The Scotsman

‘Lyrical prose, absorbing . . . a book that remains with the reader. [Cannon] brilliantly conveys a sense of displacement and despair’ -- Time Out

‘The slow-burning intensity and unforced poignancy of Cannon’s
translucent prose holds our attention to the last’
-- Sunday Times

From the Publisher:

Intensely atmospheric, lyrical and comic in equal measure, Michael Cannon brilliantly depicts the way in which war darkens the lives of the innocent on even the most distant shores. Michael Cannon writes like a dream and Lachlan's War is not only a terrific evocation of wartime Scotland but also a hugely rich, wonderfully plotted story of love and loss. It is a rare gem of a novel.

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