Best book location

Published on Tuesday 1 July 2008 20:01

1 DUNDEE

Emotionally Weird, by Kate Atkinson Atkinson studied English literature in Dundee and graduated in 1974. I also studied there for a variety of qualifications from 1966 to 1974, so it was easy to connect to her book, in which her heroine, Effie, tells of her life at college in the city. This is a strange book, but it does very clearly depict the Dundee of the early Seventies. Dundee is now a vibrant city and well worth a visit of a few days of anybody's time.

2 THE MEARNS: ABERDEENSHIRE

A Scots Quair, by Lewis Glassic Gibbon Gibbon (born James Leslie Mitchell in 1901) is best remembered for his trilogy A Scots Quair, set in his native North-east, the Mearns and on the Aberdeenshire coast.

Gibbon spent most of his time in the farming community of Arbuthnott and he appears to have had a love/hate relationship with the area that is very obvious from his writings.

His work often portrays it as quite a bleak, desperate place, but driving this way recently on a beautiful day, the countryside was stunning, with an air of well-ordered and productive farming.

Make sure to visit the Grassic Gibbon centre at Arbuthnott, south of Aberdeen.

3 ST MONANS, FIFE

Twelve Months and a Day, by Christopher Rush This was recently named in the list of the 100 greatest Scottish books and it's easy to see why. Rush was born in St Monans and here tells a poignant tale of the lives of the hard-working fisher folk in east Fife throughout a calendar year. The final day is a lament for the lost way of life with the coming factory fish-farming methods and present-day fishing practices. St Monans beach is well worth a visit.

4 KIRRIEMUIR, ANGUS

The Thrums novels, by JM Barrie Although Barrie is best known for his theatre work, and especially Peter Pan, his earlier writings were set in the fictional village of Thrums, based on his home town of Kirriemuir. Barrie's father was a weaver and his mother was a great storyteller, and these early works depict the Scottish life Barrie was familiar with. There is a museum in Kirriemuir where some of Barrie's manuscripts and memorabilia can be seen. Sorry, there's no appearance by Johnny Depp, but you could also pay a visit to Glamis while you are in this area.

5 ARBROATH, ANGUS

Tombstoning, by Doug Johnstone A novel set in Arbroath? I could hardly believe it, but here it is. The book is set in the present day and is based around a school reunion, with a number of dead bodies and romance thrown in. Auchmithie, a nearby fishing village, and the Arbroath cliffs play an important part in the book and are both places I visit often. There, there is a lovely contrast between the red sandstone and the blue sea.