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katarina66 · 01-26-2012, 01:08 PM

My first novel has been out in paperback form since 1st dec. 2011, and the feedback I have recieved has surpassed all my expectations. Now you can download a copy here http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/foll...ign-mpt=uo%3D4
or on kindle here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Follow-Dove-...6019012&sr=1-1

You can read a sample here http://www.catherinebyrne-author.com

Sorry it's not free, but after all my hard work, I feel the downloads are very reasonably priced.

Below is some of the reviews I have recieved.

A NEW BOOK BY LOCAL WRITER (Caithness)

"Follow the Dove" by Catherine M. Byrne - published December 2011.

I started to read "Follow the Dove" and found myself immersed at once in this compelling story so vividly written by newcomer Catherine M. Byrne from Wick.

After the first few pages I knew I had to keep going. I was desperate to know the characters better, to understand them and to get involved in the way they lived their working and private lives in very remote and sparsely populated areas.

"Follow the Dove" is a strong story and very relative to the period and the setting. The
characters involved become very real. You feel their pain, frustation and anger at what life throws at them.

Many older readers, especially those from the North of Scotland and the Northern Isles, will be able to relate to this harsh way of life which existed before and for some time after the turn of the 20th century.

Catherine Byrne leads you into the islanders way of thinking, working and socialising until you believe they really existed.

Thank you Catherine for filling a space on my bookshelf with a wonderful, wonderful read; you most certainly have a winner on your hands!

Folks, do treat yourselves to this book and like me, you will be reluctant to put it down until it is finished!

By
nevebremner - See all my reviews
This review is from: Follow the Dove (Paperback)
This book paints a picture of the islands of the pentland firth in vivid detail and a way of life gone forever. The characters are vivid and well rounded. The story is gripping - a real page turner. I could feel the salt wind on my face and hear the seagulls screaming. I was swept along by Isa and Davie's life, feeling the emotion, sharing their sorrows and joys. We get a sense that the writer has actualy lived and experienced the life of these times.
This is a must read for all lovers of women's fiction, or anyone interested in the Northern Islands of Scotland.

By
Tracy Sinclair (scotland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Follow the Dove (Paperback)
follow the dove is a wonderful gripping story with vivid characters, i could picture the characters and feel there emotion, couldn't put this book down, once i read the first chapter i had to keep turning the pages. highly Recommend this book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Follow the Dove, 7 Jan 2012
By
A. Calder "Helmeboy" (Yorkshire England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Follow the Dove (Paperback)
Catherine Byrne's Follow the Dove depicts nineteenth century small Orkney island life through the lives of three brothers and particularly their womenfolk.
Catherine tames the optimism of their youth with the harsh reality of a claustrophobic closed island community where tuberculosis and the perils of the sea in open boats, add to the innate poverty of their subsistence living.
She skilfully adds timeless human emotions; love, lust, hate, jealousy and a tyrannical mother-in-law on top of nature's brew to drive her characters to the limit. You really do end up feeling the pain of the women as they struggle to make happy lives for themselves and their families against the forces of abject poverty, bereavement, drunkenness and domestic violence, all too recognisable today.
At times the book reminded me of Neil Gunn's Silver Darlings except that Catherine's island did not benefit as much from the herring fishing which brought such optimism and prosperity to many towns on the north east coast. At that level Follow the Dove explains very well why depopulation gathered pace in the early twentieth century, leaving many islands completely uninhabited.
The book is well written and evocative. I could hear the gulls and the seals and smell the seaweed and the peat fire. I particularly liked the ending, but surely it can't be the end? I look forward to the sequel.

Follow the Dove is a wonderful book. And Catherine Byrne a wonderful writer. She draws on the richness of her island childhood to evoke a place and a past sadly no longer with us. Her characters are believable, dramatically portrayed and they stay with you long after you have finished reading. Catherine is able to write with an emotional intensity that I love.

by Janis Mackay (author of Mangus Finn novels)

01-26-2012, 01:08 PM	#1872
katarina66 lovetoread Posts: 2 Karma: 10000 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Wick Scotland Device: kindle	a shameless self promotion. My first novel has been out in paperback form since 1st dec. 2011, and the feedback I have recieved has surpassed all my expectations. Now you can download a copy here http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/foll...ign-mpt=uo%3D4 or on kindle here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Follow-Dove-...6019012&sr=1-1 You can read a sample here http://www.catherinebyrne-author.com Sorry it's not free, but after all my hard work, I feel the downloads are very reasonably priced. Below is some of the reviews I have recieved. A NEW BOOK BY LOCAL WRITER (Caithness) "Follow the Dove" by Catherine M. Byrne - published December 2011. I started to read "Follow the Dove" and found myself immersed at once in this compelling story so vividly written by newcomer Catherine M. Byrne from Wick. After the first few pages I knew I had to keep going. I was desperate to know the characters better, to understand them and to get involved in the way they lived their working and private lives in very remote and sparsely populated areas. "Follow the Dove" is a strong story and very relative to the period and the setting. The characters involved become very real. You feel their pain, frustation and anger at what life throws at them. Many older readers, especially those from the North of Scotland and the Northern Isles, will be able to relate to this harsh way of life which existed before and for some time after the turn of the 20th century. Catherine Byrne leads you into the islanders way of thinking, working and socialising until you believe they really existed. Thank you Catherine for filling a space on my bookshelf with a wonderful, wonderful read; you most certainly have a winner on your hands! Folks, do treat yourselves to this book and like me, you will be reluctant to put it down until it is finished! By nevebremner - See all my reviews This review is from: Follow the Dove (Paperback) This book paints a picture of the islands of the pentland firth in vivid detail and a way of life gone forever. The characters are vivid and well rounded. The story is gripping - a real page turner. I could feel the salt wind on my face and hear the seagulls screaming. I was swept along by Isa and Davie's life, feeling the emotion, sharing their sorrows and joys. We get a sense that the writer has actualy lived and experienced the life of these times. This is a must read for all lovers of women's fiction, or anyone interested in the Northern Islands of Scotland. By Tracy Sinclair (scotland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME) This review is from: Follow the Dove (Paperback) follow the dove is a wonderful gripping story with vivid characters, i could picture the characters and feel there emotion, couldn't put this book down, once i read the first chapter i had to keep turning the pages. highly Recommend this book. 4.0 out of 5 stars Follow the Dove, 7 Jan 2012 By A. Calder "Helmeboy" (Yorkshire England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME) This review is from: Follow the Dove (Paperback) Catherine Byrne's Follow the Dove depicts nineteenth century small Orkney island life through the lives of three brothers and particularly their womenfolk. Catherine tames the optimism of their youth with the harsh reality of a claustrophobic closed island community where tuberculosis and the perils of the sea in open boats, add to the innate poverty of their subsistence living. She skilfully adds timeless human emotions; love, lust, hate, jealousy and a tyrannical mother-in-law on top of nature's brew to drive her characters to the limit. You really do end up feeling the pain of the women as they struggle to make happy lives for themselves and their families against the forces of abject poverty, bereavement, drunkenness and domestic violence, all too recognisable today. At times the book reminded me of Neil Gunn's Silver Darlings except that Catherine's island did not benefit as much from the herring fishing which brought such optimism and prosperity to many towns on the north east coast. At that level Follow the Dove explains very well why depopulation gathered pace in the early twentieth century, leaving many islands completely uninhabited. The book is well written and evocative. I could hear the gulls and the seals and smell the seaweed and the peat fire. I particularly liked the ending, but surely it can't be the end? I look forward to the sequel. Follow the Dove is a wonderful book. And Catherine Byrne a wonderful writer. She draws on the richness of her island childhood to evoke a place and a past sadly no longer with us. Her characters are believable, dramatically portrayed and they stay with you long after you have finished reading. Catherine is able to write with an emotional intensity that I love. by Janis Mackay (author of Mangus Finn novels)