Customer Reviews

The Prisoner of St Kilda: The true story of the unfortunate Lady Grange

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This book is a detective story trying to uncover the truth about who Lady Grange was, what happened to her and why. How did she end up being imprisoned on an extremely remote Scottish island for 7 years?

It will appeal to anyone with an interest in St Kilda, Scottish history, women's history or Jacobitism. Margaret Macaulay successfully captures the character of Lady Grange with warmth and wit as well as thorough historic research. You really begin to get a sense of what Edinburgh society in the early 18th century was like and just what an old boys network ran everything. When you understand Lady Grange's place in that society it is even more shocking that she gets gagged, has her teeth knocked out and is heaved onto the back of a horse and carted off into the night.

I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it. It is not an academic tome but it is thoroughly researched. In one of the appendices it gives the full text of one of the letters Lady Grange finally managed to get to her Edinburgh friends.

Yes I do know the author - she's my mum. But I would not recommend the book if I didn't think it was a good read.

Very readable. Chapter's are short and to the point. Some historical purists might find the narrative a touch speculative, but with a dearth of facts as to what befell Lady Grange the author is not afraid to join a few dotes. And why not?!
A tragic but cracking yarn.

This is a lovely book,written very clearly, telling a fascinating, TRUE, (unbelievable) story. Some of the quotes are very moving - and what a glimpse it gives us of life in Scotland in the 18th century.

The true story of how the wife of one of the most prominent Scottish judges of the 18th century was kidnapped and exiled on the remote island of Hirta in the St. Kilda group out in the Atlantic. There is not much documentary material to go on, but Margaret Macaulay has succeeded in filling in the gaps in the story as far as it is ever likely to be revealed. The book is probably the last word on the subject.

I knew the bare bones of poor Lady Grange's story, but Ms Macaulay has fleshed them out with wit and profound research. In that patriarchal society she must have been a thorn in her husband's flesh, but hardly deserved this punishment.
Looking forward to this writer's next book.

I am regularly asked to review books before my wife has read them. For the life of me, I cannot see what purpose this serves, and I would advise prospective buyers to ignore this review.
The book arrived in pristine condition, but I am unable to say how it reads.