Marching in Scotland, Dancing in New York

Margaret M Dunlop's novel begins in 1921 and ends in June 1940 as Churchill's "We shall never surrender" speech is broadcast. The stories of the Denny and Dryden families, one Scots the other English, are played out in Glasgow and other parts of Scotland against the backdrop of these eventful years. The marriage of Edward Denny and Honor Dryden is not an easy one. Honor struggles with limited resources and the worries of motherhood. When tragedy strikes she is devastated and her relationship with Edward deteriorates with serious consequences as he seeks solace in an affair. Susan Denny, Edward's sister, leaves Glasgow to take up a post as a nanny in New York and her life there provides a parallel story so that the action switches between Scotland and New York. In America she is witness to a dramatically different, fast and hedonistic lifestyle where temptations, far removed from her strict upbringing, are hard to resist. Margaret M Dunlop skilfully contrasts differences in social status and aspirations between the two families arising from their, at times, tempestuous relationship, but also with its lighter side. The novel evokes place and atmosphere and brings alive historic events and mores of the time with sensitivity and humour.