“A highly entertaining read. The beguiling shifts in the narrative from the earthy to the erudite give the writing a distinctive voice, characterised by sustained wry humour which kept me chuckling from page to page. These are juxtaposed with lyrical descriptive passages which transport the reader to magical – sometimes nerve-tingling – sojourns in the high and wild places of the Scottish mountains and the Alps. All of this is part of an interwoven and perceptive memoir of the manners and mores of life in Scotland in general and its capital Edinburgh in particular, at a point in time – with again the humour caricaturing some character types and the fond rivalries as between Edinburgh and Glasgow, highlands and lowlands – and even managing to bring a light touch to the sometimes disfiguring sectarian religious divide which many Scots know only too well. Well worth reading, especially for lovers of Scotland, Edinburgh, and the hills and mountains.”
–Ken Jack, Amazon review
“If you’re Scottish, a climber and of a certain age you will have no problem identifying with the social and recreational context of the book and its central character Moira .
“For those who are none of the above, Mons Graupius is an eloquent and entertaining introduction to the somewhat occult world of climbing in the nineteen-fifties and sixties. With humour, wit and intelligence it captures the essence of the country and the climbing.
“With a wealth of historical, social and climbing references, both modern and ancient, it challenges the reader with as many questions as answers. It takes them into an environment that lies deeper than the crags and hills to which our heroine is drawn, and which was founded on social mores that are perhaps extinct in the modern age.
“Well worth a read.”
–Amazon reviewer