Reviews of The Trials of Mary Johnsdaughter
"Waas and Happyhansel are where Christine grew up and her love for the area shines through her account. She tells her story in both English, for the narrative, and Shetlandic, for the speech, with a helpful glossary. This innovative approach helps to emphasis the dichotomy between the authorities and the less well-off people in a story which will appeal to both Shetlandic speakers and others."Review of 'The Trials of Mary Johnsdaughter', Linda Riddell, Shetland Family History Society, Coontin Kin, Hairst 2022 (Read the full review)
"...reading the lines spoken by the characters makes me feel like the proverbial fly on the wall...the dialog is a place where truth and pleasure meet"Review of 'The Trials of Mary Johnsdaughter', Jeff Smith, Cincinnati, USA, June 2023 (Read the full review)
"A good book will take you on an imaginative journey across space and time, writes Jordan Ogg. The Trials of Mary Johnsdaughter (Luath, 2022), the new novel by Christine De Luca, offers a chance to be transported into the bosom of a tight-knit Shetland crofting community in the 1770s as it reckons with a seismic incident. Most impressive is the sense of place and community that pervades throughout. De Luca's book is something of a love letter to her home village of Waas, one we are all invited to read and take into our hearts."'New novel injects drama into crofting life in Shetland 250 years ago', Jordan Ogg, Promote Shetland, October 2022 (Read the full review)
"By exploring the impact of an actual event on a small Shetland community Christine De Luca vividly recreates the place, its people and the realities of lives dependent on hard work and mutual support. This is a compelling story of resilience and hope that will linger long after the book is closed."Review of 'The Trials of Mary Johnsdaughter', Jenni Daiches, historian, poet and novelist
"This fascinating story is a deep and vivid immersion in a small eighteenth century Shetland community. Above all it is an intimate and moving portrait of a young woman who remains strong in the face of dreadful misogyny. It's impossible not to care about what will happen to Mary, she is so sensitively and deftly drawn."Review of 'The Trials of Mary Johnsdaughter', Mandy Haggith, poet and novelist
"Christine De Luca has delivered a beautiful book to us, which I had great pleasure in discovering, with the Shetlandic charms, carried by endearing characters and which - I told her - would deserve the next Walter Scott Prize for the historical novel, especially since this diary is supplemented by very useful maps, a presentation of these very real actors who make the story, documents from the period and local photos."Review of 'The Trials of Mary Johnsdaughter', Pierre Deligniere (Chairman), Brittany-Scotland Association (Read the full review)