The House by the Loch: 'a deeply satisfying work of pure imagination' - Damian Barr

At first I wasn't sure whether this book was for me yet as I read on it became a page turner I found hard to put down.

What drew me initially, its setting in the beautiful Galloway hills and lochs and Wark's clearly deep affection for and affinity with Scotland, is my favourite aspect of the novel.

The characters, too, and their relationships , what carries from one generation to the next, good and bad, the ties that bind us to our families and places where we spend our formative years. What happens when our hopes and dreams cannot be fulfilled due to circumstances, do we stay or do we go? This applies to relationships and to place, where we come from. So many Scots either chose or were forced to leave their homeland and Scotland has been shaped and marked by that emigration, as celebrated by artist Andy Holdsworth whose Striding Arches feature in the novel.

While easy to read there are difficult issues dealt with I found upsetting-mental health, alcoholism, loss and grief , however it's a deeply satisfying book that ultimately offers hope. A slow burn with twists and complexities that weave together into something moving and. memorable

This very readable book turned into a page-turner, after a slow start. Excellent writing, believable characters set in a part of Scotland. I would recommend this book to others.

This multi-generational story is very interesting with its historical accuracy and descriptions of the area of Scotland. The story line is a little contrived and convoluted but entertaining. It is not a challenging read but it is interesting. I think it be enjoyable to almost anyone and a good dreary weather or vacation read.

Not challenging, but a good read with delightful passages on the Galloway landscape. The characters were well drawn but rather too many; there were really enough for two books. Some family secrets are taken to the grave, some are revealed and cause both heartache and relief. Which will it be here?

With the reviews I'd read I was looking forward to reading this book, however, it didn't live up to my expectations. It jumped from one character to another too randomly and I felt it tried to include too many social issues and it all seemed too far fetched. The narratives of Galloway were enjoyable though.

I didn't expect to like this book ( am no fan of the author) but it was surprisingly good. i loved the scottish descriptions of the land and the accuracy of the evolution of the landscape.It risked being twee but for the most part steered clear.She nails the frailty of human beings and created some very nice role modelling - especially the role of grandad !Its not going to satisfy the intellectually hungry but it was an easy read

i didn't read Kirsty Wark's first book but will now do so as I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a good read that you wanted to finish in one day. Although there were clues leading to the end of the book they were not so obvious that you could guess the ending. I didn't find it irritating that it jumped backwards and forwards as can happen. Good holiday reading.

The story totally gripped me and I struggled to put it down. Set over two time frames, it tells the story of Walter Macmillan and his family. A tale of love and loss – Kirsty Wark writes beautifully. I found it deeply moving and emotional, but such a pleasure to read I didn't want it to end.

The House by the Loch is a beautifully written book, with vivid descriptions of the Scottish landscape and also of the lifestyle of the people. The writing is a treat and a real highlight of the book.

However, I found at the start there were too many characters to get to know. Once the story got underway, eventually people did start to fall into place. I also found the author used a technique of jumping from the past to the present with no notice. A new paragraph often signalled the jump. This jarred a little.

There are a number of threads throughout the book, but the main incident of the story happens about half way. Without giving too much away, I found this part of the book difficult to read in terms of the magnitude of what happened. For me, it was challenging to digest the pain and impact this had on the entire family. Their grieving made for uncomfortable, grim reading at times.

There are other interesting subplots sprinkled throughout, such as the story of the alcoholic Jean, her husband Walter, the agoraphobic Edith, the lesbian twin, etc; however, I found the book wandered somewhat after the main tragic event, half way through. In the second half, there was a lot of time spent delving into the past and coming to terms with what had happened and why. This wasn’t as interesting as the beginning part of book.

The descriptive writing is very good, but the story line didn’t hold my interest.

This is a multigenerational story set in Galloway. It is very well written, and the characters very likeable and true to life. The author’s description of some of the situations the family find themselves in is heart-rending, and really brought home the feelings of the characters, and brought tears to my eyes.

It is well worth reading - I think you will enjoy it.

A family saga spanning several generations, this book is beautifully written. The wonderful descriptions of the Scottish landscape are both enthralling and evocative. With a strong cast of characters, this book was a pleasure to read.