Midwinter

Well, that was that. The first half starts off with a bang and draws you right into the story; then all at once the MC, Alasdair, begins to make a fool of himself and ignore the counsel of those wiser than himself. Obviously, knowing the history of the time (Bonnie Prince Charlie), I knew ahead of time that he couldn't succeed in his mission...but how it came about really felt contrived. Also, in disappoint there is a bit of cursing, and the whole thinking of another man's wife with fondness really got on my nerves.

For actual enjoyment, in the end, I'd give it about a 2.5 rating. But, Dr. (Samuel) Johnson is portrayed so accurately that I spotted the misquote from him in Carnegie's famous book (end of the first chapter) and learned a bit more about the time period. Strangely, the title character (the guy on the cover) makes only cameo appearances, so that also is strange.

All in all, a decent read, but probably not one I will reread.

Content: cursing, d, h*