Catherine Czerkawska Livres

This is a collection of twelve varied but thought-provoking pieces of short fiction, written over a long period of time. The intriguingly titled A Quiet Afternoon in the Museum of Torture is a subtle story about our vulnerability through our children. Civil Rights takes a wry look at youthful naivety and dangerous politics, while Lip Reading is an unnerving account of what it's like to be an immigrant in a hostile land. For fans of the supernatural, Stained Glass and the Penny Execution are intriguing and disquieting, while the title story, A Bad Year for Trees, written and first published many years ago, seems to have become more relevant rather than less as the years have gone by. These are stories of love and disillusionment, of mature reflection and the small pleasures and cruelties of everyday life. Catherine Czerkawska is an extensively published writer of highly praised fiction (novels and short stories) non fiction and award winning plays for theatre, BBC radio and television.

A novel sure to appeal to fans of Outlander. A modern love story in the Scottish islands runs parallel with the darker 18th-century tale of Henrietta Dalrymple, kidnapped by the formidable Manus McNeill and held against her will.

A true story of a murder in Victorian Leeds that reveals deeper truths about us, our past, and even our present.

Jean Armour's marriage to Robert Burns was extraordinary: passionate, tempestuous and enduring against all odds, and its rocky course reveals Jean's indomitable strength and character. How she lived with, and frequently without, Scotland's most famous son also tells us much about the life and times of Burns himself.

The island of Gigha is a small gem, the most southerly of the true Hebridean islands, lying just off Tayinloan on Scotland's Kintyre peninsula. Gigha's good harbours, fertile land, mild climate and strategically useful position have given it a fascinating history. Catherine Czerkawska relates the sometimes turbulent story of the people of Gigha, from the settlers of prehistoric times, through successive incomers including the Celts, the Vikings, and the McNeill lords of this island.

City life in the 19th century was often dramatic: poverty killed, and resurrection men prowled the streets for corpses. But life is improving for William Lang, who's courting Jenny, and forms an unlikely friendship with botanist Dr Thomas Brown. The young couple's relationship blossoms, until seeds of trouble threaten to grow out of control.

1960s Scotland. When young Finn O'Malley travels from Ireland to work at the potato harvest, he forms a close friendship with Kirsty Galbreath, the farmer's red-headed grand-daughter. The farm becomes a sanctuary for him, but Finn is damaged by a childhood so traumatic that it will be years before he recovers his memories of that time. What happened at the brutal Industrial School to which he was committed while still a little boy? For the sake of his sanity, Finn must try to find out why he was taken into care and what became of the mother he loved and lost. Many years later, Kirsty's daughter, India, a successful folk musician, tries to unravel the tragic love story that has coloured her whole life. Dealing sensitively with the realities of state sanctioned abuse and its aftermath, Bird of Passage is a powerful story of cruelty, loss and enduring love against all the odds. Catherine Czerkawska is an established and award winning author of novels, short stories and plays.

A very grown-up love story from award winning novelist and playwright, Catherine Czerkawska, a sexy and appealing novel about an irresistible mutual attraction and what comes after. Rosalind is in her mid thirties, divorced, depressed and working in property sales on Tenerife. Only a few weeks ago, with a precious Irish passport from her Mayo born mother, she left wintry Glasgow to make a new life for herself in the sunny Canary Isles. That was the idea at the time, but now she's not so sure. You take yourself with you wherever you go, and she's as lonely and unhappy as she ever was. Luis is a musician from the nearby island of La Gomera. He plays the guitar and sings traditional songs in the bar where the young property crowd spend their evenings. But all his time and energy is focused on a future project, a dream that will take him back to his beloved birthplace. That is, until he is distracted by his unexpected but overwhelming attraction to Rosalind. The feeling turns out to be mutual - but nothing in life is ever simple and nor is love at first sight. Can Luis and Rosalind achieve a lasting relationship, or will the cultural divide between them prove to be too wide for them to bridge? Bitter Oranges, a sequel to Orange Blossoms, will be published in Autumn 2023

Marianna is a Polish landowner’s daughter, born and brought up in the beautiful manor house of Lisko, while Danilo is a poor Ukrainian estate worker. The lives of these two young people from vastly different backgrounds are destined to become hopelessly and tragically entwined from the moment of their first meeting. The Amber Heart is a sweeping and compelling love story, set in rural Poland in the middle years of the 19th century, and loosely based on extraordinary episodes from the author's family history. This epic novel follows the fortunes of an array of characters whose lives are disrupted by the turmoil of the times, but central to the story is the lifelong relationship between Marianna and Danilo, a powerful saga of conflict, loss and enduring love. Catherine Czerkawska is an award winning writer of historical and contemporary novels, short stories and more than 100 plays for the stage, for television and for BBC Radio 4.