Last Highlander: Scotland's Most Notorious Clan-Chief, Rebel and Double-Agent - Hardcover

Fraser, Sarah

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0007229496 ISBN 13: 9780007229499

Publisher: HarperPress, 2012

Synopsis

Fans of C.J. Sansom must read this Saltire Society Literary Awards Scottish First Book of the Year - a great non-fiction adventure about Scotland's most notorious clan chief. Lord Lovat was a spy, clan-chief, traitor, polyglot, deserter and philosopher. His wit, ambition and dubious morality thrust him repeatedly into the thick of political intrigue. A treacherous turncoat, and yet a martyr for Bonnie Prince Charlie's dreams to retake the British throne, Lovat conjured a legend: a man whose loyalty had no home, whose sword had a price, and whose taste for risks led him into pacts with Catholics and Protestants, Scots and Englishmen. The last nobleman to be executed for treason, Lovat was one of Scotland's most notorious and romantic figures, and this swashbuckling account of his life creates an extraordinary portrayal of a nation in revolt. As Sarah Fraser argues, the defeat at Culloden led directly to the end of traditional Gaelic civilization; to the brutal clearances and 'pacification' of the Highlands which followed and the lost civilisations of Scotland that were destroyed after 1745 by English repression.

About this title

About the Author:

Sarah Fraser was born in 1960 and, until recently, was married to Kit Fraser, one of the Lovat-Fraser clan. She has a PhD in obscene Gaelic poetry and is a regular contributor to Scottish radio and newspapers on Gaelic issues. She has four children and still lives in the Highlands of Scotland. This is her first book.

Review:

'Sarah Fraser tells the story of the "Old Fox" with notable panache ... Makes delightful bedside reading for a posterity spared from having to live with him' Max Hastings, Sunday Times 'Superb ... akin to a John Buchan adventure story' Mail on Sunday 'In this colourful, entertaining biography, Sarah Fraser does not attempt to excuse Lord Lovat's personal faults or political chicanery but, rather, [presents] him amply in a complex historical context' The Times 'Sarah Fraser deserves to be acclaimed as a notable biographer ... This is a brave and meaty book tells this remarkable tale with admirable patience, industry and understanding' Spectator 'A vivid and fascinating biography of a quirky aristocrat' Evening Standard 'Irresistibly romantic biography' Sunday Telegraph

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperPress
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0007229496
• ISBN 13: 9780007229499
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 402