The Hills is Lonely (1000 Books to Read)

I know I said that Birthday Boys was my last book (at least for a while), but I just could not leave the list on such a depressing note as men dying in the Antarctic! 

So, I read this delightful little book to start the beginning of my "hiatus" from the 1000 Books to Read List. 

It was delightful, and I want to go to the Hebrides of Scotland now!!! 

Here is a Goodreads summary:

The plot of "The Hills is Lonely" by Lillian Beckwith revolves around the protagonist's decision to seek solitude in the Hebrides, a remote and picturesque island cluster off the west coast of Scotland. Beckwith, a teacher from the north of England, is advised by her doctor to take a complete rest somewhere in the country. She is intrigued by the description of a croft in the Hebrides, which is said to be 'that quiet even the sheep themselves on the hills is lonely'. Ignoring her friends' skepticism, Beckwith travels north to live among the crofters in a village with no modern conveniences. The novel captures her efforts to adapt to a completely different way of life filled with humor, resilience, and the warmth of genuine human connection." Goodreads. 

Many of Mustich's books are quite dark. That is why I am taking a break. I was exhausted by them. (Also, WAY too heavy on Science Fiction!) This was such a simple and delightful book. 

Here is why James Mustich thinks it should be one of the 1000 Books You Read Before You Die:

The Hills is Lonely tells a simple tale. Needing to recuperate from an illness and in possession of a small annuity, the author gives up her teaching post in “a smoky North of England town” and advertises for a suitable retreat where she might, per her doctor’s prescription, “rest without being too lazy, and laze without being too restive.” Beckwith’s gentle, slightly fictionalized memoir describes—with humor (often hilarity), surprise (sometimes shock), tolerance (at times sorely stretched), affection (genuine and everdeeper), and keen observance—the routines and rituals, traditions and ceremonies of life in Bruach. From her arrival in heavy weather through a cattle sale and a ceilidh (an evening of traditional tunes, tales, and dancing), a funeral and a culminating wedding, Beckwith’s island experience is restorative in every way (Carol Ann Agrees!), peopled with characters as eccentric and endearing as any reader could wish.