8-25-10 There is no question but what it is easier to listen to the Scottish accent than to read it.8-27-10 Oh this is so not fair to Kidnapped--the YA book of its time; I also am reading Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian and plan to buy, this weekend, Mockingjay. I suspect this combination will not work to the advantage of my rating of Kidnapped. I may "suspend" it for a while.
9-1-10 It has taken one-third of the book for me to "get into it." That means it took until Scotland was regained. Now, I find the descriptions to be enthralling and the history fascinating and somewhat vague--which is good because it has prompted me to do a lot of Googling for Scottish geography and history. I like that.
I have known, intellectually, of the "highland clearances" but this story has an emotional impact. (But given what I have learned, not nearly enough of an emotional impact--how were the highland clearances not genocide?) Full disclosure: my heritage is Scottish (Isle of Skye), Irish and English. I shall have to consult my brother-in-law, who is a genealogy nut, about when the family Scots emigrated to the U.S. (Pat--feel free to inquire. :-))