The Holy City

(ANZ Publication: 3 November, 1997) An Angela’s Ashes of Scotland.

The first novel from the bestselling author of Finding Peggy tells the story of Clydebank through its destruction during the Blitz and postwar decline.

Life for the folk who lived in Clydebank’s great tenements, known fondly as the Holy City, could be hard. But it could also be full of fun, largely because everything was shared. Here were real families, pulling together and laughing at their troubles and fighting to be a community. And then in March 1941 a rain of fire descended on them as the Nazis tried to snuff the Bankies’ spirit out; but this was a spirit not so easily extinguished…

Grit, passion and authenticity: real passions, real lives.

Warm, witty and wise: a wonderful story of triumph over adversity.

The Holy City is a tale of the extraordinary heroism and humour of ordinary men and women who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances but just get on as best they can with making the most of life.

Its wonderful characters leap off the page at you; they will make you smile, make you sad and make your spirits soar, and, given the chance, they will take up permanent lodgings in your heart.

Recognizable settings: Singer’s, John Brown’s shipyards, the tenements.