{"product_id":"o-caledonia-paperback","title":"O Caledonia - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eElspeth Barker\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eMaggie O'Farrell\u003c\/b\u003e (Introduction by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn the tradition of Shirley Jackson's \u003ci\u003eWe Have Always Lived in the Castle\u003c\/i\u003e, a darkly humorous modern classic of Scottish literature about a doomed adolescent growing up in the mid-19th century--featuring a new introduction by Maggie O'Farrell, award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eHamnet\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eJanet lies murdered beneath the castle stairs, attired in her mother's black lace wedding dress, lamented only by her pet jackdaw...\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003e​\u003c\/i\u003eAuthor Elspeth Barker masterfully evokes the harsh climate of Scotland in this atmospheric gothic tale that has been compared to the works of the Brontës, Edgar Allan Poe, and Edward Gorey. Immersed in a world of isolation and loneliness, Barker's ill-fated young heroine Janet turns to literature, nature, and her Aunt Lila, who offers brief flashes of respite in an otherwise foreboding life. People, birds, and beasts move through the background in a tale that is as rich and atmospheric as it is witty and mordant. The family's motto--\u003ci\u003eMoriens sed Invictus\u003c\/i\u003e (Dying but Unconquered)--is a well-suited epitaph for wild and courageous Janet, whose fierce determination to remain steadfastly herself makes her one of the most unforgettable protagonists in contemporary literature.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn her career as a novelist and journalist, Elspeth Barker wrote for \u003ci\u003eThe Independent\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Observer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e(London), \u003ci\u003eThe Sunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e (London), \u003ci\u003eLondon Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e, and many others. Elspeth also taught Latin at what she described as a naughty girls' school on the Norfolk coast and worked as a tutor and lecturer in creative writing at the Norwich School of Art and Design. She published her first novel, \u003ci\u003eO Caledonia\u003c\/i\u003e, at the age of fifty-one. \u003ci\u003eO Caledonia\u003c\/i\u003e was awarded the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize and was shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize. Elspeth was married to the poet George Barker and died in 2022. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMaggie O'Farrell\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003eis the author of the #1 \u003ci\u003eSunday Times \u003c\/i\u003e(London)\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling memoir \u003ci\u003eI Am, I Am, I Am \u003c\/i\u003eand eight novels, including \u003ci\u003eThe Distance Between Us\u003c\/i\u003e, which won the Somerset Maugham Award; \u003ci\u003eThe Hand That First Held Mine\u003c\/i\u003e, which won the Costa Novel Award; \u003ci\u003eInstructions for a Heatwave\u003c\/i\u003e, shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award; \u003ci\u003eThis Must Be the Place\u003c\/i\u003e, shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award; and \u003ci\u003eHamnet\u003c\/i\u003e, winner of the 2020 Women's Prize for Fiction, the 2020 NBCC Award for Fiction, the 2020 Waterstones' Book of the Year, and was the Fiction Book of the Year at the 2021 British Book Awards. She lives in Edinburgh.\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 208\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.57 x 8.31 x 5.57 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 20, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51766091841824,"sku":"9781668004616","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/febffb13f39b05d480a86120bb071032.webp?v=1780285241","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/o-caledonia-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}