Mary Brunton: The Forgotten Scottish Novelist

Drawing on unpublished sources, many from Orkney, this is the first full-length account of a remarkable woman. The novel remains as her memorial, of an intelligent, sensitive, witty, brave writer, whose work in the course of time may well enjoy another wave of critical attention.

If Mary Brunton - The Forgotten Scottish Novelist was only about a writer who was an influence on Jane Austen, and happened to be born a Balfour of Balfour Castle on Shapinsay, her story would, in itself, be fascinating. But she observed life with a pawky humour, which also characterised her best selling novels. Drawing on unpublished sources, many from Orkney, this is the first full-length account of a remarkable woman.

Set against a Regency background that included Edinburgh and London, Mary Brunton is also part of the rich history of Orkney itself, and as Fay Weldon notes in her introduction, the book is "...by any standards...a significant book, a pleasure to read..."