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Island on the Edge
£6.99
A Memoir of Family Life on a Remote Scottish Island
Anne Cholawo on her decades-long life on the Isle of Soay
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About the Ebook
Anne Cholawo was a typical 80s career girl working in a busy London advertising agency, when in 1989, holidaying in Skye, she noticed an advert for a property on the Isle of Soay - 'Access by courtesy of fishing boat'. She had never heard of Soay before, let alone visited it, but something inexplicable drew her there. Within ten minutes of stepping off the said fishing boat, she had fallen under the spell of the island, and after a few months she moved there to live. She is still there. When she arrived on the remote west coast island there were only 17 inhabitants, among them the legendary Hebridean sharker Tex Geddes and his family. Today, including Anne and her husband Robert, there are only three.This book describes her extraordinary transition from a hectic urban lifestyle to one of rural isolation and self-sufficiency, without mains electricity, medical services, shops or any of the other modern amenities we take for granted. Anne describes the history of Soay and its unique wildlife, and as well as telling her own personal story introduces along the way some of the off-beat and colourful characters associated with the island, notably Tex's one-time associate, the celebrated writer and naturalist, Gavin Maxwell.Why You'll Love This Ebook
- Discover what it really means to live on one of Scotland's remotest islands
- Read an honest, warm memoir of family life off the grid
- Explore the practical realities and quiet beauty of island living
- Read another celebrated title from Birlinn Ltd - Independent Scottish Publisher
Reviews
'A remarkable tale of remote living — a vivid, quietly gripping account of life on one of Scotland's most isolated islands.' Sunday Post
'A lovely, gentle tale of a woman adjusting to a new life that proves anything but dull; it will stir the adventurer in all of us.' Fleetwood Weekly News
'A subtle and convincing book, its plainness of observation exemplary — a portrait built from tiny glimpses, tone‑changes and moments of quiet revelation.' The National
About the Author
Anne Cholawo was born and brought up in Luton. She studied Art and Design at college and later became a graphic artist and studio manager at a number of advertising agencies in London, including Saatchi and Saatchi. She moved to Soay to live in 1990. While on the island she met the man who is now her husband, Robert Cholawo.Publication Details
Publisher: Birlinn Ltd
Publication Date: 18 August 2016
Print Length: 288 pages (Ebook edition)
ISBN (Ebook): 9780857903372
Format: Ebook
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