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Star Gazing by Linda Gillard


Michelle

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I just finished 'Star Gazing' and I absolutely loved it, I could not put it down, I wanted to know so badly how it would all turn out for Keir and Marianne, I was not disappointed.

 

A lovely romantic story, Marianne is a fantastic character, as stated before, I felt at times that Marianne was her own worst enemy, I understood why and she had built so many barriers around herself, it took a man like Keir to see how wonderful Marianne is, which was a delight to read. I loved Louisa and Garth too, lovely characters, Louisa's enthusiasm and personality was infectious.

 

The description of Marianne's blindess was represented so well, the part when Marianne was lost in the snow, my heart was in my mouth, I kept imaging how many things she could fall over and hurt herself with. Everything about Piper Alpha was heart breaking and it was shown so well in this book, the ripple effect of such tragedy.

 

A great book and I am planning to read the rest of Linda Gillard's books.

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I thought you might all be interested to know that STAR GAZING has been shortlisted for another book award. :D

 

This time it's a Scottish award for books inspired by Scotland's landscape, particularly forests and trees. It's the Robin Jenkins Literary Award and this is its first year. (Robin Jenkins is arguably the best Scottish novelist you've never heard of and he died in 2005.)

 

The winner (who gets

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Thanks for the support everyone! :D

 

There are 4 judges but I don't think the names will mean much outside Scotland as they're all journalists and academics. No celebs. One of the judges is Alan Taylor, the editor of the Scottish Review of Books. There are 2 women and 2 men. The panel is chaired by Brian Morton who is a well-known writer, journalist and broadcaster.

See http://tinyurl.com/58gnth for the website.

 

I don't know how they will make their decision since they'll be comparing several different genres, published and unpublished books. I haven't seen the full shortlist yet but I know there's a novel about the last bear in Scotland by Mandy Haggith and an unpublished book about walking in Scotland.

 

I think SG is probably going to be too lightweight to win but it's great to be shortlisted.

Edited by Linda Gillard
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Just had an email from my friend I had loaned the book to and she said 'loved Star Gazing' and adding Linda Gillard to her list. Have offered/recommended her the other two to read.

 

Hurrah another fan, I'm on commision again I think.....:D

Edited by Inver
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Found out! This article let's us know that a Mandy Haggith won with her book entitled 'The Last Bear', The Argyll News reports that

The Last Bear is a haunting and compelling novel set one thousand years ago in the remote northwest Highlands of Scotland. It tells of an ecological and spiritual crisis from the viewpoint of one extraordinary woman.

 

The article goes on to say (regarding the short-listed authors),

All of the short-listed books are enticing pieces of writing - and we will be promoting them in various ways over the coming months. In the meantime, here is a short introduction to the winning book and to its author.
so at least Linda's 'Star Gazing' will be promoted through her being shortlisted.

 

Well Done Linda, you know how much we adore SG and your other books. Commiserations for not winning, but brilliant for being short listed! :lol:

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Sorry everyone, but I have to disappoint you. :D Mandy Haggith's novel THE LAST BEAR won. She's a friend of mine and a very good writer, so it wasn't so bad losing to her.

 

2 of the judges let it be known to me that it had been a very hard decision to make and I got the impression it wasn't exactly a unanimous decision anyway (as is often the case with book awards. Sometimes they go with everyone's 2nd choice because the judges can't agree on a first choice. That's true even of the Booker.)

 

But I had a great time at the reception afterwards meeting some really interesting people from the Forestry Commission who sponsored the award. And they'd read STAR GAZING! They loved it.

 

One of the judges had also read EMOTIONAL GEOLOGY, so as the wine and the compliments flowed, I almost forgot I hadn't won. It was a great networking session and I also had my husband and daughter there. This was the first time my daughter had ever seen me at an author event.

 

It was great to be short-listed and a dream come true to be at the Edinburgh Book Festival with a pass to get me into the Authors' Tent!! (We had our own portaloo - like the Queen!)!

 

So now it's nose-to-the-grindstone time and back to the work in progress. You guys need more books to read....... :lol:

Edited by Linda Gillard
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Sorry everyone, but I have to disappoint you.
You couldn't disappoint us if you tried! Your books are winners, whether you win an award or not.

 

It was a great networking session and I also had my husband and daughter there. This was the first time my daughter had ever seen me at an author event.

Wow, that must have been great for both of you!
(We had our own portaloo - like the Queen!)!
You actually made me snort tea then! :D

 

So now it's nose-to-the-grindstone time and back to the work in progress. You guys need more books to read....... :lol:
'Fraid so Linda, WE WANT MORE! :friends0:
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You couldn't disappoint us if you tried! Your books are winners, whether you win an award or not.

 

Wow, that must have been great for both of you!

You actually made me snort tea then! :lol:

 

'Fraid so Linda, WE WANT MORE! :D

 

I couldn't have said it better, Linda! (Thanks Chrissy!)

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