The women of the tiny town of Fetter-Rothnie have grown used to a life without men, and none more so than the tangle of mothers and daughters, spinsters and widows living at the Weatherhouse. Returned from war with shellshock, Garry Forbes is drawn into their circle as he struggles to build a new understanding of the world from the ruins of his grief. In The Weatherhouse Nan Shepherd paints an exquisite portrait of a community coming to terms with the brutal losses of war, and the small tragedies, yearnings and delusions that make up a life.

Too often seen as a ghost from the past, nationalism has resurfaced as a major factor in European politics and culture. A powerful commitment to national autonomy has marked Scottish writing throughout the twentieth century. How has the emergence of new voices from feminist, gay and lesbian critics transformed that commitment? How critical and pluralistic can the new nationalisms be? This collection serves notice that the tradition is being read in new and disruptive ways. Five women and four men examine the relationship between gender and nationality, how male and female authors portray women, the treatment of sexuality in Scottish writing, the construction of Scottish masculinity and its relation to class and homophobia. Covering modern fiction and theatre, poetry, film and television, it is a provocative reassessment of the gender and culture of a 'stateless nation'.

When three strangers arrive on Block Island, RI just months before the US enters WW1, suspicion fills the air. A close-knit family working together at the United States Weather Station doesn't trust these strangers -- for what turns out to be a very good reason. Even before the first murder occurs, the Weather House crew realizes they need back-up, but who can they trust? It becomes their burden to unlock these strangers' true objectives, which, if carried out, will decidedly change the course of our nation's history. With the family's two sisters at the center of the action, The Weather House -- equal parts international espionage, mystery, and history -- explores relationships and communication, motives, hidden agendas and loss, and the purpose of being. The greatest triumph of the author, beyond the story, is the creation of such memorable characters and the reader finds him/herself cheering the girls on as they help uncover why three strange men have suddenly appeared on their island. One of the sisters has had to overcome a significant physical disability as the result of an unfortunate accident. The author, a physician, has worked within the disabilities world and portrays the struggles and triumphs of these girls with aplomb. Set at a time when death and destruction are synonymous with an isolated island life, Block Island and its inhabitants become a metaphor for life in this classic American tale where the line blurs between villain and hero. Gary E. Eddey's debut novel shows that even a small island can hold a very big secret.