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An Evening with Multi Award winning author Robin Lloyd-Jones

Hosted by the Helensburgh Library and the Mackintosh Group review by Mary Irvine

There was a full house at the Helensburgh Library on Wednesday, 29^th May, 2019 for ‘An Evening with Robin Lloyd-Jones’. A brief introduction and Robin took over. He began by reading the very first piece he had had published, which was in the Scots’ magazine in March 1978. He then produced the actual copy to read of climbing ‘Beinn Ime by Moonlight’. The reading was most evocative and drew a spontaneous round of applause.

The next reading was from Robin’s first novel ‘Lord of the Dance’ which won the BBC Bookshelf First Novel Award and was nominated for the Booker prize. Set in 16^th century Mogul India one of the characters is Brother Peter, known as ‘Frog’. This reading, which had the audience both laughing and being repulsed, displayed powerful writing as a graphic description brought Frog to life. 

The third reading was from the novel ‘Red Fox Running’, described as ‘Young Adult’ but equally enjoyable by all. Set in the 1850s it tells the story of a young boy, Adam, and the search for his ‘lost’ father in the Artic. What shone through in this reading was Robin’s ability to convey the beauty of nature in his writing. In this case the harshness of the Artic landscape.

Robin’s last reading was a more recent extract from ‘Autumn Voices’, a collection of interviews with and writing of Scottish writers over the age of seventy and still actively writing. He wrote of how, in more mature years, you become more aware of your immediate environment. ‘The old tree trunk on the Helensburgh Shore’ was followed by a short silence as people absorbed the truth of what had just been read, before appreciative applause reflected their enjoyment.

 A very successful evening continued with Robin circulating and chatting with with audience over wine and nibbles kindly provided and served by the library staff.

www.robinlloydjones.com

The Mackintosh Group of Writers co-hosted the event and extend an invitation to attend the ’Next Evening with…’ on 26^th June when Pat McIntosh, known for her Gil Cunningham novels, will be the guest. (Books by Pat McIntosh)On 24^th July the guest will be Graham Morgan, author of ‘Start’, available on Amazon.

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