Susan Ferrier – författare

Susan Ferrier sold more copies of her novels than her contemporary, Jane Austen. Sir Walter Scott declared her his equal. Why, then has she been lost to history? On the 200th anniversary of this sharply observed, comic novel, it is time to rediscover her brilliance.'Edinburgh is reclaiming Susan Ferrier as the equal of Scottish greats in literature' SIR WALTER SCOTT AND ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE'A forgotten literary heroine' VANESSA THORPE, GUARDIAN 'Ferrier writes with crisp, telling details and a knack for naming characters' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 'What have you to do with a heart? What has anybody to do with a heart when their establishment in life is at stake? Keep your heart for your romances, child, and don't bring such nonsense into real life - heart, indeed!'Understanding that the purpose of marriage is to further her family, Lady Juliana nevertheless rejects the ageing and unattractive - though appropriately wealthy - suitor of her father's choice. She elopes, instead, with a handsome, penniless soldier and goes to Scotland to live at Glenfarn Castle, his paternal home. But Lady Juliana finds life in the Scottish highlands dreary and bleak, hastily repenting of following her heart.After giving birth to twin daughters, Lady Juliana leaves Mary to the care of her sister-in-law, while she returns to England with Adelaide. Sixteen years later, Mary is thoughtful, wise and kind in comparison to her foolish mother and vain sister. Following two generations of women, Marriage, first published in 1818, is a shrewdly observant and humorous novel by one of Scotland's greatest writers.

In this latest book, the renowned Southern-based designers discuss the principles that guide their extraordinary work. Five stylish houses are presented that resonate with the McAlpine aesthetic of elegant restraint and hospitality: a colour palette of heathery pastels and warm white, and grace in every piece that wears its age with dignity. Throughout this design primer, we are shown the steps that these masters have honed to produce striking interiors. Presented are five sections that cover such useful topics as the transformative powers of light through reflective materials like silver and glass; and bringing the natural world indoors with accents of shells, stones, and horn. Evocative still life compositions are devised, representative of the hues and textures that express a harmonious mood. In one of the featured residences, the prevalence of white creates a modern ambience. In another, shades of gray combined with highlights of silver, glass, and gilt establish a restful atmosphere.Colours and textures drawn from the outside world - the reflective blue of water, the soft lustre of eggshells, and the velvety brown underside of a magnolia leaf - bring natural beauty inside casual and traditional houses. All these spaces are filled with sensuous pleasure, and quiet messages of welcome and comfort; combining slipcovered furniture with Paris Flea Market finds, they appeal to a wide range of tastes.