Sawney Beane: The Abduction of Elspeth Cumming
by Frieda Gates
Our Price: $99.99
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $7.57 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Frieda GatesEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-11-01
ISBN: 0981453600
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Sterling & Ross, Cambridge House Press
Book Reviews of Sawney Beane: The Abduction of Elspeth Cumming
Book Review: Haunting, Horrific, and Unforgettable
Summary: 5 Stars
I've read thousands of books and over the years I've had to quantify why those books were good - either to a teacher or a friend, and I've changed my reasons many times, perhaps the age/wisdom thing, or maybe it's getting hard to recall details. For the past ten years, I've been recommending books to people based on how long that book stays in my head. Exciting books that I forget in a few months no longer qualify when the images and characters of other novels stay with me for years on end, never lessening their grip on my mind despite my preoccupation with other books and matters. This novel has stayed in my head for the past year and shows no sign of letting up.
Granted, I did sign up for this book the second I heard it was coming out, and Amazon promptly sent it to me and I devoured it in a day. Cannibals, incest, and a torch/farm implement-waving mob - you really can't go wrong with that combination. I've been wanting information about Sawney Beane and his murderous batch for many years, and this did quench a bit of that thirst. He is one of the most amazing (and I mean that in a bad way) characters in history, and he deserves more attention.
Now, I really wanted this novel to be better. I wanted richer details, better characterization, and a tangible atmosphere. When I read that the author has done children's books in the past, it ... sort of explained it. I felt that the novel was aimed at an audience with a lower (high school) educational level, and yet this is not the sort of thing I'd ever hand to high schoolers. I feel slightly cheated, and yet...and yet...the author still managed to drop me into a frightening experience that haunts me to this day. I see the cave, I smell the meat, I hear the screaming, I feel the sense of twisted community, I put my hands out in the dark not knowing what I will find....
Ah, I'm changing this to five stars. I loved this book.
Summary of Sawney Beane: The Abduction of Elspeth Cumming
Sawney Beane's clan of brutal thugs grabs comely young Elspeth Cumming as she journeys to meet her betrothed. Her abductor, Sawney Beane's eldest son, holds Elspeth captive in the clan s secret hideaway deep in the caves off the coast of Galloway. The caves are home to Beane's inbred extended family, 48 in all, each worse than the last Â? and exhibit acts of unspeakable brutality. As she witnesses the horror of the clan s vicious way of life, Elspeth realizes that the dreadful rumors whispered about the Beane clan are all too true. And as she comes to know and relate to her captor, Elspeth also sees just what the clan has in store for her Â? and that escape from the caves is near impossible. Â?This compulsively readable historical thriller immerses readers in one of Scotland's most colorful legends.Historical Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Historical Books
Pirate Latitudes: A Novelby Michael Crichton
Harper; Published: 2009-11-24; Roughcut; Book
Best price: $2.28
Price in other shops:
The Master Butchers Singing Club: A Novelby Louise Erdrich
Harper Perennial; Published: 2004-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.83
Price in other shops:
The Last Witchfinder: A Novelby James Morrow
William Morrow; Published: 2006-03-14; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.99
Price in other shops:
Zorroby Isabel Allende
HarperAudio; Published: 2005-05-03; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $2.99
Price in other shops:
The Hot Kid: A Novelby Elmore Leonard
William Morrow; Published: 2005-05-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.89
Price in other shops:
The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Chronicles Series #1)Mass Market Paperback; Book
Bones of the Hills (Conqueror, Book 3)by Conn Iggulden
Harper Collins Canada; Published: 2008; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $44.70
Marchby Geraldine Brooks
Penguin Books; Published: 2006; Paperback; Book
Gates of Rome (Emperor 1)by Conn Iggulden
Harpercollins Pb; Published: 2003-09-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.80
Girl With a Pearl Earringby Tracy Chevalier
Harper Collins Audio; Published: 2002-06-17; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $34.99