Catherine Czerkawska – författare

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.A few years ago Gigha was the subject of the largest community buyout in British history, and she brings the story up to date, in examining the relationship between a contemporary island community and its own rich past. The author, like so many people, fell helplessly in love at first sight with Gigha and returns to it time and again. This book explores just what it is that makes the island such an enchanting place.

A stunning family saga set on the banks of the River ClydeImmerse yourself in this beautiful family story set in the heart of Scotland as stories old and new emerge from the banks of the river. Featuring a full-cast, this is a stunning drama from the BBC archives and a treat for any audio fan with a love of rich stories, beautifully told.On a trip home, young Alison Lynn discovers an old wooden boat lying out of the water in the marina, named Isabella. Curious as to the origins of the boat's name, she sets about finding the story of the elusive Isabella. Discovering that the boat's namesake is still alive, an elderly lady of eighty-eight, Alison decides to track her down. The journey transports Alison back to the 1880s and she is immersed in her own family history, where the Lynns were a powerful force, building exquisite yachts with great craftsmanship. As a yachting fan herself, Alison is determined to bring Isabella back to her former glory with the help of her new found relative.This is a story full of love and passion, sorrow and death. It weaves a tale of family history against a backdrop of turbulent times that echo down the generations. Will Alison and Isabella be able to find peace and will they be able to save this relic of the past and embrace a new future?This listening treat is perfect for fans of immersive family stories from authors such as Anne Tyler and Joanna Trollope and is available as a complete download for the first time.Cast and creditsWritten by Catherine CzerkawskaDirected by Hamish WilsonIsabella - Sybil WintropeAlison - Louise BeattieAdam/Stirling - Allan SharpeDavid - Alec HeggiePaolo - John Buick Hetty - Monica GibbIan - Liam BrennanMaclehose/Luke - Gibert Martin Annie - Sheila DonaldSadie - Anne DownieMalcolm - Alec MonteathDavid - Mark McDonnellForeman/ Alexander - Tom Smith Emily - Irene MacDougallJessie/Receptionist - Astrid Wilson Archivist/Archie - William ArmourMatron/Young James - Mary Riggans Nurse/Midwife - Susie MaguireCook - Ceit Kearney Kitchen maid - Wendy RonaldYoung Hetty - Isabel WrightJames Lynn - James MacPhersonBosun/Gardener - Stuart Davids OldMan/Paolo's Papa - Douglas StivenEpisode titles 1. Casting Off2. Hoisting the Sail 3. Still Waters 4. Weathering the Storm First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 16th March - 6th April 1994(c)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

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.A few years ago Gigha was the subject of the largest community buyout in British history, and she brings the story up to date, in examining the relationship between a contemporary island community and its own rich past. The author, like so many people, fell helplessly in love at first sight with Gigha and returns to it time and again. This book explores just what it is that makes the island such an enchanting place.

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.

A luscious historical novel, The Jewel brings to glorious life the dramatic years of Jean Armour and Robert Burns’s courtship, and their tempestuous, passionate married life, against a background simmering with political intrigue and turmoil. Jean, a beautiful young woman with the voice of a nightingale, set young Rab’s heart aflame from the first. Jean’s father tried to protect her from the advances of the mercurial ploughman-poet, whose roving eye was notorious. But she would not be kept from him. Their marriage endured against all odds, its rocky course revealing Jean’s indomitable strength and character. How Jean lived with – and frequently without – her famous husband is surely Scotland’s greatest love story.

“Moving, poetic and quietly provocative.” – The Independent. A novel sure to appeal to fans of Outlander. When Alys revisits the beautiful Scottish island of Garve after an absence of 25 years, she is captivated by the embroidered casket on display in her hotel. She discovers that it belongs to Donal, her childhood playmate, and soon they resume their old friendship. Interwoven with the story of their growing love is the darker 18th-century tale of Henrietta Dalrymple, kidnapped by the formidable Manus McNeill and held on Garve against her will. Despite the 300 years separating them, the women are strongly connected: their parallel lives are linked by the cabinet and its contents, by the tug of motherhood and by the magic of the Hebridean island itself. But Garve has its secrets, past and present. Donal must learn to trust Alys enough to confide in her and, like Henrietta before her, Alys must earn the right to belong.

A beautiful historical romance from the author of The Curiosity Cabinet. When antiques seller Daisy Graham inherits an ancient house on the Hebridean island of Garve, she’s daunted by its size and isolation. But the building, its jumble of contents, its wilderness of a garden and the island itself prove themselves so fascinating that she’s soon captivated. She’s also attracted to Cal Galbraith, who is showing an evident interest in the house and its new owner, yet she’s suspicious of his motives – with good reason, it seems. In parallel with their story runs that of sixteenth-century cousins Mateo and Francisco, survivors from the ill-fated Spanish Armada who find safe passage to the island.There, one of them falls in love with the laird’s daughter. The precious gold posy (poesy) ring he gives her is found centuries later. Are its haunting engraved mottoes, un temps viendra and vous et nul autre, somehow significant now for Daisy and Cal?