Imagine an island, a place separated from the mainland by choppy seas. A place of myths and faith, where a Headless Horseman is said to stalk the woods but where the kirk is always full.
Imagine a community which held its own against Darwin but which can’t hold on to its own.
Prepare to meet a pioneering female travel writer, two fatherless boys, and a man who, quite simply, fell from the sky. And, at the centre of it all, the figure who links the past to the present – the irrepressible, unforgettable former Sergeant Punch.
Ivor Punch will not be taking his secrets to the grave. He’s going to share them: with a departed relative, with President Obama and, especially, with you.
Hilarious and heartfelt, rowdy and true, THE LETTERS OF IVOR PUNCH is a novel about fathers and sons, secrets and lies and how, sometimes, you have to leave home to know what home is.
Read by Angus King
(p) 2015 Orion Publishing Group
Imagine a community which held its own against Darwin but which can’t hold on to its own.
Prepare to meet a pioneering female travel writer, two fatherless boys, and a man who, quite simply, fell from the sky. And, at the centre of it all, the figure who links the past to the present – the irrepressible, unforgettable former Sergeant Punch.
Ivor Punch will not be taking his secrets to the grave. He’s going to share them: with a departed relative, with President Obama and, especially, with you.
Hilarious and heartfelt, rowdy and true, THE LETTERS OF IVOR PUNCH is a novel about fathers and sons, secrets and lies and how, sometimes, you have to leave home to know what home is.
Read by Angus King
(p) 2015 Orion Publishing Group
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Reviews
Beguiling tales built on secrets and sadness, each of them with a keen sense of place
Witty, shocking, curious and wry, it is a multi-faceted novel that delights at every turn... A thing of genius and wonder.
MacIntyre is a storyteller with a unique imagination and has created a genuinely heartfelt novel with some standout elements of dark comedy
We meet a pioneering female writer, two fatherless boys, a man who fell from the sky and, of course, the prolific letter writer Ivor Punch
He writes with a clarity of style
A truly original and enthralling novel. Ivor Punch is a magnificent creation and his story is mischievous, sad, funny and truthful
As a songwriter, Colin MacIntyre seems always to have been a natural storyteller. Perhaps it was only a matter of time before he turned his abilities to the longer form of the novel. It is fitting that the man best known as Mull Historical Society has crafted a story to which he has put his own name, yet it is a novel which owes so much to his roots on the island of Mull. Such powerful storytelling resonated strongly with readers at the Book Festival, making Colin a runaway winner in voting for the First Book Award
The Punch family history is both fascinating and sad. The book is interesting, funny, has a famous cameo and keeps you reading, and it's only when you reach the end of the final chapter that the Punch family history falls into place... The characters are original, well-written, and it's one of those books you want to re-read after you've finished it
I raced through this clever, poignant, beautiful book in one sitting. It's peopled by a cast of brilliantly off-the-wall characters, and full of keen-eyed observations about life on a remote Scottish island - and, by extension, everywhere. A must-read.
This is a novel packed with funny characters.
The poetic prose he uses for sea and the changing island life... is unforgettable