Iain Crichton Smith (1928–1998)

I was initially put off Iain Crichton Smith by my husband's dire warnings about Remember the Lilies but was glad I read this in the end

While set during the Highland Clearances, "Consider the Lilies" isn't really about them, rather it's a character portrait of 70 year-old Mary Scott, and the family and cultural influences that lead her to be living a lonely, embittered existence. The Clearances are a shock, causing Mary to confront her assumptions about social and religious authority, to re-evaluate her life relationships, and her moral judgements about her neighbours. A resounding 5/5 🌟

All interesting stories that emphasize among other things, the losses of a once well-knit community (for the most part those of the Highlands or Western Isles), the pain of the scape-goat and the limits that low social value impose on individual lives.
For all that, on occasion an affirmation of life often redeems a situation, but Smith writes of a world where one's self-validity is at risk in an unsettled and banal world.
Well worth reading.

These tales are very unique to their country. I would say that my favorite tale was about the Seal Woman - which is about seals who become beautiful women at night and shed their seal coats until dawn. I would say this is appropriate for 3rd and 4th grade children.