Whether you’re a dog lover, a fan of historical fiction - or
none of those – The Drover’s Dogs is a thoroughly good read from start to
finish. Ten year old Sandy’s life is pretty tough, but it gets worse when his mother
is forced to sell him in order to make ends meet. When he runs away from his
abusive master, she makes him go back, and the outlook is pretty bleak. He
decides to run away again, but there won’t be any welcome for him at his old
home, so there is no point in going there … He sets off with no real purpose
other than to put some distance between him and the cruel farmer, and ends up
joining two dogs on their way home after helping to take cattle to market. Who
is looking after who? And what will Sandy find at journey’s end?
I wasn’t sure whether this book was really going to be my
cup of tea, but I really shouldn’t have doubted that Susan Price would once
again produce a terrific story. If a long walk across Scotland doesn’t sound
very exciting, read this book and be prepared to revise your opinion: as always,
Price brilliantly brings her characters to life, has a keen eye for detail which
adeptly conveys the harsh realities of the period – and there is real excitement
and moments of high drama too. It gripped me from the very first page and was
very difficult to put down: so difficult in fact that I sat up very late at
night so I could finish it in one glorious helping.
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