As a great fan of Jane Duncan’s My Friend… series of novels, published between 1959 and 1976, I have long wanted to champion her writing in a blog.

I was born exactly 50 years later, in a very similar part of Scotland, to a very similar family, and somehow, our lives have followed a very similar path. This I think goes a long way to explaining my great fondness for her writing and it has in turn encouraged me to write my own stories.

The first novel in the series was called My Friends the Miss Boyds. It was set on the Black Isle in the year 1918. Appropriate therefore that I should start writing this blog in 2018, exactly a hundred years later.

Most of the posts will feature what I consider to be the most descriptive and insightful passages from the novels, but I will also be adding my own writing and pictures, all inspired by her books and the local area. I now live very near to the real life small-holding which was home to Jane’s extended Highland family. It was given the name Reachfar for the novels and it was the place where she spent many a holiday whilst growing up. The values and lessons learnt there stood her in good stead for the rest of her life, as can be seen within the various plotlines of her novels.

This blog will no doubt evolve through time, but I hope it will become a pleasant visiting place for both fans of Jane Duncan and for anyone interested in the culture and heritage of the North of Scotland.

Guest contributions from fans of Jane Duncan would be most welcome – Simply get in touch via the Contact form on the sidebar. Likewise, there is a section where you can leave comments at the bottom of each post. Don’t be shy, and I promise to always reply.

Welcome aboard.

Alyson