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, 29th 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 16th 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.
The Mackintosh Group of Writers co-hosted the event and extend an invitation to attend the ’Next Evening with…’ on 26th June when Pat McIntosh, known for her Gil Cunningham novels, will be the guest. (Books by Pat McIntosh)On 24th July the guest will be Graham Morgan, author of ‘Start’, available on Amazon.
This section: Book and Event Reviews, Mary Irvine: Writer and Philhellene
Filed under: Book and Event Reviews, Mary Irvine: Writer and Philhellene
Related Pages
- Mary Irvine’s Blog: The Eve of Destruction – again?
- Weird Pleasure by Jim Ferguson review of the launch by Pat Byrne
- Mary Irvine’s Blog: A Year to Remember – or forget..
- Book Launch: Weird Pleasure by Jim Ferguson
- Mary Irvine’s Blog: Guy Fawkes – what if he had succeeded?
- Mary Irvine’s Blog: Something for Hallowe’en
- Mary Irvine’s Blog: Emmett Till – How Far Have We Come…
- Mary Irvine: What Did You Do In Lockdown 2020?
- Glasgow Film Festival 2020 – Jazz on a Summer’s Day review by Pat Byrne
- John Byrne’s 80th Birthday Bash, Paisley Book Festival 2020 review by Pat Byrne
- Mary Irvine’s Blog: ‘Troy’ Exhibition at the British Museum
- Mary Irvine’s blog: Tutankhamun – Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh
- Mary Irvine: Closer than we thought
- Mary Irvine: Revived Controversy
- Mary Irvine blogging about a break
- An Unwanted Gift by Mary Irvine
- Glasgow Film Festival 2020, The August Virgin review Fionnuala Boyle
- Glasgow Film Festival 2020: Close Up – Susan Wood Exhibition
- The County, Glasgow Film Festival 2020 review by Pat Byrne
- Celtic Connections 2020: This Is Caledonian Soul review by Pauline Keightley