The Cherry Ribband
First published 1905
This Covenanting tale illustrates the divisions within families brought about by ‘The Killing Times’ It’s a story of love and betrayal and of the impact of politics and religion on the lives of ordinary people. Sewn up inside a love story which sees Raith Ellison cast out of his Cameronian home because of his love for soldier’s daughter Ivy Rysland. Adven
ture is sure to follow and the story shifts from Galloway to East Lothian, where Raith’s family are imprisoned on the Bass Rock and he is charged as their guard.
First serialised as ‘Peden the Prophet,’ this is less a story of that historical figure and much more a fictional adventure romance, although one does learn plenty about Covenanters in the process of the book. One also learns about the role of women in society and the power of true love.
But this is no cloying love story – there is harshness and brutality aplenty and of course many twists and turns of plot before the story reaches its resolution. In this novel Crockett shows us his characters doing their best while in the grip of larger political forces, and one of his characters aptly sums up the situation as choosing ‘the best of two bads.’ That perhaps is a timeless condition for ‘ordinary’ people.
This Covenanting tale illustrates the divisions within families brought about by ‘The Killing Times’ It’s a story of love and betrayal and of the impact of politics and religion on the lives of ordinary people. Sewn up inside a love story which sees Raith Ellison cast out of his Cameronian home because of his love for soldier’s daughter Ivy Rysland. Adven
ture is sure to follow and the story shifts from Galloway to East Lothian, where Raith’s family are imprisoned on the Bass Rock and he is charged as their guard.
First serialised as ‘Peden the Prophet,’ this is less a story of that historical figure and much more a fictional adventure romance, although one does learn plenty about Covenanters in the process of the book. One also learns about the role of women in society and the power of true love.
But this is no cloying love story – there is harshness and brutality aplenty and of course many twists and turns of plot before the story reaches its resolution. In this novel Crockett shows us his characters doing their best while in the grip of larger political forces, and one of his characters aptly sums up the situation as choosing ‘the best of two bads.’ That perhaps is a timeless condition for ‘ordinary’ people.
