The Scotswoman
Title page for The Scotswoman (1954) | |
| Author | Inglis Fletcher |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Bobbs-Merrill |
Publication date | 1954 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
The Scotswoman is an American historical novel by Inglis Fletcher. The novel dramatizes the experiences of Flora MacDonald before and during the American Revolutionary War after emigrating to what would become North Carolina. Known for her Carolina Series, in which fictional lead characters interact with real historical figures and events, this was Fletcher's first novel to center an actual historical figure as its protagonist.[1]
Plot
Following the defeat of the Scots at Culloden, Flora MacDonald becomes one of many Highlanders to emigrate to the Americas and settle in North Carolina. As tensions leading up to the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge causes many of the Scots, including Flora and her husband Allan, begin to side with the British colonial forces.[1][2]
Publication
As with all of Fletcher's Carolina novels, The Scotswoman was published in the United States by Bobbs-Merrill. In Canada, it was published by McClelland & Stewart[3] It was reissued in paperback in 1974 by Bantam.
Reception
The Scotswoman received mixed reviews. Ruth Loaring-Clark Mainord, in her review for The Jackson Sun, described it as "a delight" and write that the reader will "feel that he is living with her characters rather than reading about them."[4]
Writing for The Anniston Star, Barbara Hodge Hall noted that "the North Carolina portion of The Scotswoman does not live up to the promise of the earlier chapters," but attributed this more to "the sometimes disappointing turn of history itself" rather than ant technical or stylistic failings by Fletcher. Hall gave the book a positive review, arguing that Fletcher's departure from her usual formula was "one which many readers will find more than welcome."[5] The Boston Globe offered, sympathetically, that Fletcher may have been out of her depth when tackling a project of this scale:
It is undoubtedly a bold foray in story telling but, apparently, the sheer volume of the historical material and the extraordinary time-span involved, have proved too much even for Inglis Fletcher's proven competence. ... To merge the glamorous tale of [Bonnie Prince Charlie's] rescue with the swirl and surge of the American Revolution involves an almost impossible feat for any writer, however talented."[2]
Kathleen Graham, writing for the Regina Leader-Post, was more dismissive: "Far too many incidents in The Scotswoman follow the tried and true pattern of the historical novel. By the time the most interesting part of the plot is reached—the part played by the Scottish settlers in the War of Independence—it is too late —one is anaesthetized [sic] by the background."[6] The review in The Hamilton Spectator allowed that The Scotswoman had "its stirring moments" but dismissed it as an "inflated, gaudily-jacketed historical romance, whose ultimate and deserved destiny, if it is lucky, will be a motion picture."[3]
References
- ^ a b Walser, Richard. "Flora Macdonald Colorful and Tragic Heroine of Historical Novel." The News & Observer Vol CLXXX No 100 pIV-5. 10 April 1955. Accessed 23 November 2025.
- ^ a b J.H.P. "Prince Charlie Rescuer and America." The Boston Globe Vol CLXVII No 107 p2-A. 17 April 1955. Accessed 24 November 2025.
- ^ a b "Historical Romance." The Hamilton Spectator Vol CX No 89 p28. 16 April 1955. Accessed 24 November 2025.
- ^ Mainord, Ruth Loaring-Clark. "Flora MacDonald's Big Role In Pre-Revolutionary Carolina Theme Of New Historical Novel." The Jackson Sun Vol. 107 No. 205 p3 (classifieds). 28 August 1955. Accessed 4 February 2026.
- ^ Hall, Barbara Hodge. "Book Reviews: Inglis Fletcher Writes On Carolina Again." The Anniston Star Vol 74 No 211 p4-A. 17 April 1955. Accessed 23 November 2025.
- ^ Graham, Kathleen. "This week I read." The Leader-Post Vol XLVI No 89 p29. 16 April 1955. Accessed 24 November 2025.