I wish that I had written the review for this book immediately on completing it, when I was still caught up in the rush attendant to finishing a book I've truly enjoyed. But I will try to do it justice now. The Lewis Man is the second of The Lewis Trilogy, coming after The Blackhouse which I enjoyed last year. If you plan to read these novels, you should read them in order so as to get to know the people fully, how they are revealed to themselves and each other.This book is so much more than a mystery; it's the story of a place, the history of a people and the effects of geography and religion and economy. May is such a skilled writer. He continues the story begun in The Blackhouse by returning us, with Fin Macleod to the Isle of Lewis, where he was born and raised. Life is very different for Fin now after everything that happened both in the earlier book and his off-island life. And things are different on-island too as he becomes enmeshed in a new mystery involving a bog body, but not an ancient one. But enough of that. I don't want to give too much away. Let's just say that matters of identity are huge.One of the characters who is integral to the novel is suffering dementia and I appreciate how May deals with this: the man himself, the overwhelmed and used up spouse, the sorrowful daughter, the friends not sure what to do, the caregivers trying to help in sometimes helpless situations. Parts of this are so spot on.And then there is the prose itself, especially the descriptions of the land and sea. Truly lyrical. In this selection, Fin is traveling to another island area, away from where he has lived.North Uist presented a dark, primal landscape. Soaring mountains shrouded in cloud that poured down slopes to spread tendrils of mist across the moor. The skeletons of long-abandoned homes, gable ends standing stark and black against a brooding sky. Hostile and inhospitable bogland, shredded by scraps of loch and ragged inlets. The ruins of all the failed attempts by men and women to tame it were everywhere in evidence, and those who remained were huddled together in a handful of small, sheltered townships. (p 195)A more brief example of his writing:All along the ragged coastline, the sea sucked and frothed and growled, tireless legions of riderless white horses crashing up against the stubborn stone of unyielding black cliffs. (p 89)If you like good fiction with a mystery, strong sense of place, strong characters, and excellent writing, then this series is likely for you. Now, in addition to completing this trilogy, I plan to investigate May's other series.Highly recommended.

Bello tornare a respirare le atmosfere, il vento, il mare, gli odori e i rumori dell'isola di Lewis. Bello riallacciare i nodi lasciati lenti con il precedente romanzo "L'isola dei cacciatori di uccelli". Bello ritrovare Peter May e la sua scrittura.In questo secondo capitolo della trilogia, l'io narrante è quello di un uomo anziano, colpito da demenza senile, che però, a volte, appare libero, almeno per pochi istanti, dalle catene della malattia che "gli imprigionavano la mente e gli impedivano di vivere appieno. Felice, come da bambino, di godere dei piaceri più semplici."Sono tanti i segreti del passato, lontano e sofferto, che quest'uomo nasconde e che, grazie alla sua malattia, pensa siano ben custoditi.Ma il ritrovamento di un corpo seppellito in una torbiera da diversi anni, fa di lui il maggior sospettato. Fin, dimessosi dalla polizia di Edimburgo, torna alla sua Isola e, come nella prima "avventura", si ritrova suo malgrado a ripercorrere un cammino a ritroso fatto di ricordi, accadimenti, racconti, leggende, rituali... E a scoprire verità tenute nascoste, di cui nessuno ha mai parlato, come ad esempio il caso dei ragazzi orfani, gli "homer", che venivano affidati dagli istituti a famiglie sconosciute, lontane, facendone perdere quasi le tracce.Piccolo inciso: bella la storia e la descrizione di una chiesa sita in una delle isole più piccole delle Ebridi che mi ha riportato alla bellissima Santa Maria del Mar di Falcones... Una trentina di righe appena, ma hanno lasciato il segno. Ricorsi che scaldano il cuore.Torniamo a questo romanzo...L'evento "giallo"... Buonissimo, in effetti, una grande storia. Un bel mistero che pian piano rivela i suoi neri recessi e porta scompiglio, dolore, fa cadere certezze e rende tutto da rivedere da un'altra prospettiva: passato, presente e futuro. Una gran bella ricostruzione. Il finale è un po' alla "arrivano i nostri", ma nulla toglie a tutto il resto, perché il romanzo è - in definitiva - soprattutto un inno alla bellezza di queste Isole.Mi vien voglia di partire... Europa Tour con un libro sotto il braccio: UK/Scozia (Isole Ebridi) Biblioteca

This for me was one up on the first part of the trilogy. The relationships between the characters deepen, and the islands come alive in the fantastic atmospheric rendition of their powers on the mind.I was in South Uist a few years ago for a holiday, and I got goosebumps at the bit when Fin drives through the island on his way to Eriskay. I was listening to it on Audible, and it was just brilliant.

Not often that you find a sequel that is even better than the original but this is one of them. Like the first book, this was two stories (one in the past, one in the present) that came together for a very clever ending. Enjoyed the book more for seeing the development of the characters from the first book but it could easily be read as a standalone novel.A must read for anyone interested in the Scottish Highlands/Islands and also I found the scenes in my home town of Edinburgh very interesting and found out a few new facts about places that I have visited for years without ever knowing them before !Off to track down the third book now...

In the northern areas of Europe there are peat bogs created by proximity to specific soil, water, and chemical compounds occurring in nature. There have been bodies found, perfectly preserved, within these bogs for centuries. Some of them date back to the pre-Christian era; hundreds and even thousands of years before. Many of these appeared to have been sacrificial deaths, but others were murders. Although the bogs are frequently harvested and then dried for heating purposes, they can still hold their secrets for many, many years.The Lewis man is about one such bog person. Who is he? How is he connected to a family well known to Fin Macleod when he was growing up there? And how does this connect to the homers the orphaned or unwanted children who are taken from their home environments and sent off to the wilds of Scotland to live with crofters on the land?In pursuit of answers, Fin makes the painful journey back to Edinburgh even though he is just starting to feel at home on his native island of Lewis again. His journeys also take him up and down the Island and unknown to him, his enquiries have also alerted some undesirable characters intent on harm.I keep trying to find answers myself. How does Peter May write in such a way that I find it almost impossible to put down the book without picking it up again after a few minutes? Somehow I feel I become part of these stories and putting the book down is like putting my life on hold. I need to know what happens next to experience it in full Technicolor with all the sounds, smells, and sensations that are as real as life.I am torn now. So eager to begin the third book of the trilogy; so sad because the ending of this saga is approaching. And yet, and yet . . . wild horses couldnt keep me from opening the next book.