This book was engrossing and brought home to me the reality of starvation and terrible unjust working conditions of the 19th century Scottish miners. My ancestors may have led this life of excruciatingly hard work and privation. This is an excellent read.

3.5

This is a book that my husband has read and these are his thoughts on the book.
What a powerful story. As I know Scotland very well it was easy to follow where he was and heading to.
Yes there is no love wrote about, but you get the feeling during his days love was a difficult emotion to have.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone to enjoys this style of writing. Powerful and makes you think how lucky we are today.

Awesome book

Published in 1972, this story of Scottish coal mining is excellent historical fiction. The author describes the filth and hard work of mine work using the dialect of (what I believe to be) the turn of the century Scotsman. Maggie Drum leaves home at 16 to find her husband, Gillon, and returns to Pitmungo with him to raise their family and strives to raise their status in life. The (unlikeable in my opinion) male town librarian educates Gillon (and the sons as they grow older) from Shakespeare to Communism creating a community ripe for revolt. Entertaining AND educational.

n  Bettie's Booksn

It took until page 120 to find the 'kist'. I read this book 40 years ago and it was one of those books I've thought about often and adopted some things into my life from it. Now it is interesting to go back and read it and see what is different from the way I remember. As good a read 40 years later as it was the first time. Perspective is entirely different in this reader...

Параллельно с эссе про шотландскую идентичность отлично прочиталась книга Роберта Крайтона "Камероны": там в шотландскую идентичность как в матрешку укладывалась идентичность шотландских шахтеров вообще и поселка Питманго в частности, где жители Верхнего поселка даже в церкви садятся отдельно от жителей Нижнего, чтобы не делить свою идентичность с кем попало. 16-летняя Мэгги была твердо намерена с помощью замужества навсегда свалить из поселка, где живут одни низкорослые мужики с въевшейся угольной пылью, но почему-то привела к себе домой мужа со стороны - высокого стройного горского шотландца в юбочке.

Probably 3.5 stars. Having adored the Secret of Santa Vittoria by Mr. Crichton, I hoped to devour a similarly pleasing story here and also award it 5 stars. But it was not to be. I will admit I was a bit disappointed that the Camerons did not have the same lighthearted look at life in difficult times. However, the Camerons was undoubtedly a more realistic glimpse into the past, particularly the harshness of life for commoners in the Scottish Highlands. You clearly see the realities of starvation, terrible working conditions, long hours in the mines and the toll mining takes on their bodies. And worse, you understand the impossibility of change or escape from those hardships. Just as a mule has virtually no chance of escaping his destiny to plow fields for his master with very little water or food, you see how these people were treated no better than animals. The lords and masters (literally) cared only about making money for themselves and the death or maiming of a miner meant little to them since there were hundreds more starving people begging to take their place to earn a few pence a week.

It's not a happy book, and I wanted to wring Maggie's neck any number of times! Yet it did have a somewhat happy ending, although it reminded me much of my first tear-jerker book, Where the Red Fern Grows, at the end. It was however, an extremely well-written glimpse into the past containing hosts of extremely interesting and developed characters! Overall an excellent use of my few spare reading hours these days.

Next up though, something light and fluffy...maybe chick lit.

I didn't exactly love the start of the book. I felt it started slow even though the story progressed well. The characters were portrayed in a way that you either rooted for them or hated them. The dream of Maggie to be better was imparted into the children and though one of them doesn't live to see it, they're highest aspirations were surpassed in the end.

Loved the book. I couldn't put it down

I was a teenager when I read it. It sticks in my mind. Life isn't always fair and even during hardship there is still love of family to help you through. I want to read it again as a "grown up."