The Cone Gatherers

by Robin Jenkins, Paul Giamatti (Introduction)

Overview

In the shadow of a war that rages through Europe, brothers Calum and Neil work to gather pine cones in the grounds of a Scottish estate. When Calum releases two mutilated rabbits from a snare, he comes face to face with Duror, the gamekeeper. In retaliation, in the depths of the wood, Duror lays a trap for the cone-gatherers.

Neil prophesises that forces of evil will encroach upon the harmony of their lives. It is a prophesy that comes true when Duror commits an act so brutal it destroys all sense of humanity in the once thriving wood. Powerful and unforgettable, Robin Jenkins' masterpiece is a haunting story of love and violence, and an investigation of class-conflict, war and envy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780857862358
Publisher:	Canongate Books
Publication date:	05/01/2012
Series:	Canons , #15
Edition description:	Main - Canons Imprint ed.
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Robin Jenkins, OBE., was born in 1912. The author of more than thirty works of fiction, he received the Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun Award in 2002 for an outstanding contribution to Scottish life and in 2003 he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Saltire Society. Jenkins was hailed as 'the greatest living fiction-writer in Scotland' ( Scotsman ) before he died in 2005.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"This book is a sheer delight. It never flags and every page makes you want to read the next."  —Sunday Herald

"Like all the great masters, his skill is lightly worn, his sentences singing with what he does not say . . . he is the great old man of Scottish letters."  —Times

"Smooth and haunting...This is definitely one I would recommend, especially if you didn't enjoy the harsh nature of Steinbeck's tale (don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of Of Mice and Men, but this was done so much better)."  —A Literary Odyssey

"Rich and descriptive...beautifully fleshed out themes of good and evil, sacrifice and class struggle."  —Anglotopia

"One of the best books I've read this year...the language is exquisite...you all need to read this."  —A Literary Odyssey

"About the war between hurrying by...or deciding to recognize that humanity is all around you....a work of slow symphony." — Maple and a Quill blog

Editorial Reviews

"This book is a sheer delight. It never flags and every page makes you want to read the next."  —Sunday Herald

"Like all the great masters, his skill is lightly worn, his sentences singing with what he does not say . . . he is the great old man of Scottish letters."  —Times

"Smooth and haunting...This is definitely one I would recommend, especially if you didn't enjoy the harsh nature of Steinbeck's tale (don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of Of Mice and Men, but this was done so much better)."  —A Literary Odyssey

"Rich and descriptive...beautifully fleshed out themes of good and evil, sacrifice and class struggle."  —Anglotopia

"One of the best books I've read this year...the language is exquisite...you all need to read this."  —A Literary Odyssey

"About the war between hurrying by...or deciding to recognize that humanity is all around you....a work of slow symphony." — Maple and a Quill blog

From the Publisher

Like all great masters, his skill is lightly worn, his sentences singing with what he does not say

The Times

A masterpiece of concision and terrible pathos

Isobel Murray

Few novels in our heritage have the bell-like harmonies of this book . . . it has a strange haunting poetic quality, conjuring from a few props a fable of eternal significance

Iain Crichton Smith

Let me alert everyone to the best-kept secret in modern British literature. If you love the novel; if you are interested in books that are humane and wise, not slick and cynical; then treat yourself this year to some Robin Jenkins

Andrew Marr