Sunset Song

By: Lewis Gibbon

Narrated by: Eileen McCallum

The most acclaimed Scottish novel of all time, Sunset Song is a powerful portrait of a land and people in turmoil, seen through the life and struggles of its heroine, Chris Guthrie.

In the years up to and beyond the First World War, Chris' resilience, like the land itself, endures despite everything and is portrayed with a lyrical intensity that echoes through the years and still resonates today.

©2015 Canongate Books (P)2015 Canongate Books Ltd

Absolute masterpiece!

This book was AMAZING and is being added to my all-time favorites list.

My wife and I are heading back to Scotland this year and I wanted to read something Scottish so I went to the 'ol Google, searched for “best Scottish novels”, and chose Sunset Song off the list. Win! .

Sunset Song was published in 1932, and the primary storyline takes place in the years 1911 to 1919. It is set almost entirely in a very small, fictional Scottish town called Kinraddie, only a few square miles in size. Kinraddie is located just off the North Sea, north of the Kingdom of Fife, south of Aberdeen and west of Stonehaven. I visited St. Andrews and a couple small fishing towns in the Kingdom of Fife in 2015 and I could picture what Kinraddie would be like in my mind. Since the entire story takes place in a small area, the natural landmarks, buildings, paths, roads, pastures, etc., all play important parts in the book and the ten homesteads and geography of Kinraddie are described in detail in the first chapter of the book to give you a mental picture of where you will be spending the next ten hours.

The book is read, actually performed, by Scottish actress Eileen McCallum. This is probably the best narration I’ve ever experienced in an audiobook. She makes every character come alive and brings life to the Scottish words and colorful language found throughout. She sings the songs the characters sing to each other and a couple songs from a wedding and this adds so much to the audio version of the book over just reading the lines in the paper version. Speaking of the paper version, after so many words befuddled me in the first chapter I bought a paper copy as it contained a map of Kinraddie and an eight-page glossary of the Scottish words used. According to the notes at the end of the book, the author reluctantly allowed the glossary to be included in the United States edition "should the context refuse to give up the meaning of a Scots word used" and he hoped it would be used seldom as to not break up the flow of the book. The author was also quoted as saying that his aim was, “to mould the rhythms and cadences of Scots spoken speech and to inject in to the English vocabulary such minimum number of words from Braid Scots as that remodeling requires.” The language gives this book an unique and enjoyable personality the likes of which I’ve rarely, if ever, experienced before.

Bothy billies = unmarried farm workers
Fleering = scaring, scoffing
Hubbley-jock = turkey
Jookery-packery = inappropriate behavior
Keek = peep
Tink = intinerant labourer
Wame = belly

Sunset Song starts by describing the history of the Kinraddie area, going all the way back to the 12th century and about thirty minutes later you are fully familiarized with the main inhabitants of the town as of 1911 when the narrative of the main storyline begins. The primary characters are fully fleshed out in this informative introduction so that you feel you know exactly what they look like, where they came from, and what their personalities were like. You even know how the gents styled their mousers.

The plot of the story begins to move forward in the second chapter when we are introduced to the Guthries, who move to Kiradde after the lease on their farm in Echt is not renewed. The Guthries become the major characters of the novel, with most of the rest of the novel told from eldest daughter Chris Guthrie’s perspective. The rest of the novel is absorbing and a joy to listen to. We laughed, we cried, and laughed some more. You feel like you know the residents of Kinraddie and feel their joys and pains as they go through life and are affected by the political and economic factors of the day, and eventually World War One.

Sunset Song is an absolute masterpiece. The cover of my paper book boasts that it was voted the "Best Scottish Book of All Time”. I can't speak for other Scottish books but I'm with the voters on this one. I can’t recommend the audiobook highly enough. Twenty stars.

A masterpiece

This under-recognized classic is an extraordinary coming-of-age story in a significant historical period for Scotland. It is gorgeously written, heartfelt, funny and devastating, with an unforgettable heroine. The narrator is superb, making the Scottish language accessible and the text come to life. I can’t wait to read the rest of the trilogy.

Audible, can you bring Eileen McCallum back to record the other two books?

A fantastic insight to a time gone by

This was a fantastic insight to a time gone by. I really enjoyed the narrator, she really made the story come to life.

Beautiful but sad

Great narrator and a beautiful, heartbreaking and heartwarming story. Scottish accent may take a bit of getting used to.

Wonderful discovery

Takes you to a different world. The writing and reading are pure lilting poetry. Almost a different language.

Beautifully told.

What a treat to hear this. Perhaps my first north east story. I look forward to seeing the show now. Thank you.

Brilliant

Absorbing story about the last days of an ancient culture just prior to World War I.

Superb performance of a marvelous novel

I loved the way the story seemed to be told by the town gossip in language that was so evocative of the time and place

Good book for learning about the land and its authors

I am going to Scotland and wanted to get in the spirit. This was a good one to give me a sense of the people, land and history. The narrator made the story come alive, with her authentic accent being both a pro and con. I enjoyed her accent and the colloquialisms of the Scottish but at the same time found it difficult to understand, especially when she was speaking quickly. I may have to get the written book to study and decipher some of the language. Would recommend!

Beautiful language

Gibbon's poetic language spoken in McCallum's appropriately thick accent combine to require closer attention, but oh, so worth it! Gibbon tells an honestly realistic tale in words that make it beautiful.