Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3537969 in Books
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 992 pages

Synopsis
AN APPLE FROM EDEN: Bridie gets a job as a maid on Sir Ian Seaton's estate and, much against her better judgement, falls in love with Sir Ian's brother's step-son, also called Ian. Ian optimistically feels that his father will understand and let them marry but Bridie expects what she gets - dismissal, with Ian threatened with the loss of his inheritance. Ian then gets involved with a burglary on the estate and is killed and Bridie, on hearing this, deciding she can't live without him, goes out into the snow, lies by his grave and freezes to death. GOODNIGHT, SWEET PRINCE: The continuing story of the Drummond family which began in FLOWER OF SCOTLAND. Andrew and Rose are running the distillery and have given a job to Jack's son, Tommy. Tommy hates the work and longs to be a pilot but Jack, horribly disfigured after the first war, forbids it. The onset of the new war sweeps aside any such decision.Andrew and Rose must cope with the loss of their baby. As Rose's behaviour becomes increasingly bizarre, Andrew must also face up to his own failing health.

Customer Reviews

A brilliant book
I picked this book up with no knowledge whatsoever of the author, thinking that I am always willing to read anything. I am now a fan. This book is an entirely gripping and enthralling read. First, 'An Apple from Eden'-there were parts of this book in the beginning that made me unsure of whether I really wanted to read on, however I'm glad that I did. This book is one of the kind that when you have finished reading it, you want to read it all over again. Filled with surprises and twists this is a must read. Secondly, 'This Side of Heaven'-Personally this is my favourite of the two. All of the above applies and more. I found it addictive right from the start and couldn't put it down. This is a great chronicle of life and is one of those books you will never forget reading for the first time-definitely the best!

Bittersweet sequel to "Flower of Scotland"
"An Apple From Eden", the bittersweet sequel to "Flower of Scotland", follows the lives of two extremely different Scottish families, the working class Irish-Catholic Flynns of Glasgow and the Seatons who reside on their inherited estate near Perth. While the Flynns struggle to eke out a living in the grimy slums, the Seatons and their friend, Andrew Drummond, head of a whisky distillery, lead a life of comparative ease. The families become connected when Bridie, the pretty and intelligent daughter of the Flynns, is employed as a domestic servant on the Seaton estate. The destructive forces of religious intolerance and class disticnction so prevalent in 1920's Scotland bring the story to a sobering and sad climax.

heartwarming story of glasgow between World Wars 1 & 2
"When Dreams Come True" begins on a sad note when Brian McKenzie, the head gardener on a Scottish west coast estate, finds himself unemployed. After finding a job as gardener at Glasgow Green, he must move his wife and 3 daughters to a tenement in the Bridgeton section of Glasgow. But from day one of their arrival, the McKenzies find warmth and friendship among the residents of their Bridgeton close. The story centers on Norma, the oldest daughter, as she and neighbor, Midge Henderson, develop their ballroom dancing talents to the point of becoming the sweethearts of the Glasgow dance hall scene. Heartbroken when Midge deserts her, indefatigable Norma trains as a radio specialist with the allied forces during World War II. On an overseas mission, NOrma falls in love with a fellow Scot. But, on their return to Glasgow, the class distinction so prevalent in those years threatens to split them apart. The analysis of characters and the value systems of the tenement areas of Glasgow make this book one you will be loathe to see end. All Glaswegians will be proud to know that out of the grime of Bridgeton a colourful panorama has been painted by Emma Blair.