I was first introduced to Linda Gillard when Linda gave some brilliant talks to groups of bookcrossers of which I was one, a few years ago. I read her novels A Lifetime Burning and Emotional Geology around this time with enormous enjoyment. I was responsible for introducing these books to my mother and her friend who loved them too, before later reading Star Gazing and kindle book House of Silence. I have to admit to having had Untying the Knot on my kindle for a very long time – since soon after buying it in fact, it is so easy to forget the books waiting to read on a kindle I find. Thankfully Simon’s recent review of House of Silence reminded me that I still had two of Linda Gillard’s books to read.
“Everyone makes mistakes, but I sometimes think I’ve made more than most. Marrying Magnus was one of them. But the biggest mistake I ever made was divorcing him”
Textile artist Fay divorced from Magnus and living alone in Glasgow, maintains a good relationship with her mother-in-law, but has difficulty with her daughter. Fay’s former husband, whose experiences as a soldier in the Falklands, Belfast and the Gulf have left him suffering from PTSD, is a damaged man.
“I’ve had cause to think about memory and the harm it can do; the way it also heals and consoles. I spend my working life preserving other people’s memories trying to capture them in a form of textile “still life”, but I spent much of my marriage watching the man I loved being tortured – all but destroyed – by the demons of memory.”
Living away from the city in the ancient Tullibardine Tower which he restored from a ruin, Magnus now lives with Nina. When their daughter Emily at only twenty two decides to marry a man who Fay has a very real reason to think is unsuitable, forced to contact her ex-husband, she confides her fears to Magnus. However it isn’t only Emily with marriage on her mind, when Magnus surprisingly announces his own engagement, only Fay seems to realise he is almost certainly making a huge mistake. It is Fay, for years living with and understanding Magnus’s demons, who knows him best of all. Powerful family secrets are at the heart of this novel, Magnus’s mother has her own story to tell, which she has never revealed to her son.
As I don’t want to spoil the story for future readers, I am stopping there – I hope some of you will be tempted to find out more for yourselves.
Untying the knot is an enormously readable and engaging novel. I have to admit to quickly developing a soft spot for Magnus a brilliantly written character, his vulnerabilities and frailties, portrayed with honesty and understanding. The back story of Magnus’s life as a soldier, demonstrating powerfully the dark realties for many soldiers and former soldiers, I can only assume was well researched by the author.
I now must make sure I don’t leave it quite so long before reading The Glass Guardian – Linda Gillard’s most recent novel. ( )

If you have read other novels by Linda Gillard you know that she is an advocate for the understanding of the kinds of mental illnesses that are not severe enough to prevent a person from living in society, but perhaps for that very reason, add additional stress onto anyone thus afflicted. In this book, which is also and I would say primarily about enduring love, the author tackles the important issue of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and she does a wonderful job.

The main protagonists in this book, Fay and Magnus, have been divorced for five years. Previously, Fay played the role of a faithful army wife, while Magnus was periodically deployed as part of an "Explosive Ordnance Disposal" or EOD team. But Magnus came back from the Falklands War with PTSD, and thereafter suffered from frequent nightmares and even violent episodes during which he thought he was back in the war zone.

Although Fay loved Magnus, she left him when she could no longer cope with the toll his illness was taking on both of them. She started a new life on her own, finding success with the therapeutic craft of textile art. Magnus engaged in his own therapeutic work, restoring the crumbling Tullibardine Tower out in the countryside of Perthshire.

After the divorce, Fay and Magnus only interacted intermittently, and eventually a young woman, Nina, moved in with Magnus in the Tower. But when Emily, the grown daughter of Magnus and Fay, announces her engagement to a young man that Fay had "known" in the Biblical sense, Fay feels she has to tell Magnus, and all the relationships come to a crisis point.

Discussion: The characters in this book aren't too different from those in most of the author's other books, in that the female main protagonist is a bit crabby, and the male is tall, dark, handsome, and quite Scottish. Furthermore, both the male and female protagonists, as in the other books, struggle with issues of creativity and sanity.

This is not to say the writing is formulaic, however. There are many differences in each of the books, the largest of which is the disability affecting one of the main characters, a disability which in turn drives the plot. In this book, that disability is PTSD. I especially appreciated how the author shows what the disease would look like after 25 or 30 years, rather than only portraying the situation immediately after a soldier returns. And though it's central, it's also not central, in that it's just something that affects the relationship of the main characters, rather than An Issue about which the author wants to browbeat us.

The characters are all endearing, flaws and all, and moreover, one can't help falling for Magnus, with his appealing mix of reputed good looks, sexual prowess, vulnerability and heroism.

This author is funny, smart, sensitive, and has a great feel for romance. Highly recommended! ( )

Another triumph by Linda, very different to her other 2 I have read, but that appears to be her forte, creating these very distinct people and places that capture you and draw you in, until you're not just reading a book, but meeting friends and learning of their lives!A much more challenging book than Star Gazing, with a much different hero, but all the more rich and satisfying for it, Untying the Knot will stay with me a long time! ( )

Untying the Knot is a Kindle book, my first since I bought the Kindle, and though I'm not excited about the Kindle, I'm very excited about the book. Full disclosure here: although we have never met in person, I consider Linda Gillard a "virtual" friend and I have enjoyed all of her previous books set in Scotland, her home, so I bought this one fully expecting to be just as pleased with it. I was right.

Gillard has a talent for creating fully realized characters that the reader comes to care about very much. In this book the main characters are Fay and Magnus Gillivray. They have been divorced for five years but have never stopped loving each other. Now their daughter is engaged to a man who presents an awkward situation for Fay, and Fay and Magnus are united in their determination to make her wedding and marriage happy and fulfilling.

Another aspect of Gillard's books is that there is always a physical or mental handicap to muddy the waters so to speak. In this case, Fay is emotionally fragile and Magnus suffers from severe PTSD as a result of his service where his job was to disarm bombs. In Londonderry, in fact, he had been nearly blown to pieces by an IRA bomb. He occasionally becomes violent, other times frightened; he is startled into these mental lapses by loud noises, dreams, and other triggers.

As in her other books, Gillard lets us in on the inner turmoil of the characters and there is a fine plot to keep us turning pages. She understands the complex thinking and motivations of her characters. A very satisfying read in all, and I recommend it highly. ( )

How does Linda Gillard do it? She writes such easy to read books, that flow and are never ever a chore to read, and yet they contain so much emotion and such depth to the story and characterisations.

This latest offering is about Fay and Magnus, a couple who divorced but never fell out of love with each other. Fay works with textiles, making what sound like some wonderful pieces, and Magnus is an ex-army man with PTSD. They're interesting characters in their own right, but put together they become even more intriguing as their love story is revealed. Added to the mix is Tullibardine Tower, a ruined castle that Magnus has taken on and renovated as a labour of love.

There are very few supporting characters in this book, because they are not needed, but I did particularly like Jessie, Magnus's mother.

This is another beautifully written book by one of my favourite authors. I feel that Linda Gillard gets to the very heart of what her characters are about, and their feelings.

I can't wait for her next book, whether it be self-published on Kindle or if a publisher actually takes a chance on a unique and brilliant writer. Publishers, you're missing out, but thankfully we, the readers, are not anymore! ( )