{"product_id":"blzas-9780993254093","title":"Blàs: Roots in the Soil","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is the second in the series of the fictional village of Blàs, set in the \u003cstrong\u003eNorth Highlands of Scotland\u003c\/strong\u003e. Life for Stroma (the narrator) and her \u003cstrong\u003eintergenerational group of female friends is full of whimsical events and local traditions.\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHowever, their \u003cstrong\u003efragile lifestyle is under threat.\u003c\/strong\u003e Lack of housing jeopardises both the school role and the delicate balance of their population as young families are forced to move away to find jobs and affordable accommodation. An invasion of television tourism and an archaeological find puts further pressure on their community's existence. Campervans, tour buses, and cars jam the narrow streets. The once clean air is thick with petrol fumes and noise. Strangers crowd their village as locals hide behind their doors. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe main characters are having challenges of their own.\u003cstrong\u003e Auntie Lottie (in her fifties) \u003c\/strong\u003ecan't seem to \u003cstrong\u003epick between a dog and a husband\u003c\/strong\u003e whilst her friend and local town crier \u003cstrong\u003eMaureen may have found a husband everyone else thought she had lost\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003cstrong\u003e Mary the oldest of the friends (in her eighties)\u003c\/strong\u003e, continues to quietly meddle in everyone's lives. Yet still, the role of bard and keeper of local folklore and history remains vacant since her husband's death. Could the position be split between two competing individuals? Ellen, also in her fifties and the first person anyone goes to with a problem to solve, has had to withdraw from her normal role of a fixer of all things. She disappears just when her good advice and work ethic is needed. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe local woods enshrined in stories and customs has suddenly come up for sale. What will happen to the villager's foraging, their access, and to future generation's right to play there? The new family, the Smiths, soon become heavily involved in its future and join in with the rest of the community to safeguard it forever. As the various situations develop and resolve, the more integrated the Smith family becomes within Blàs and its way of life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEveryday events continue with births, deaths, and marriages taking place as the community struggle together to preserve what they have.\u003cstrong\u003e Laughter, traditions, celebrations, and ceilidhs are sprinkled throughout the story as life goes on \u003c\/strong\u003ein the beauty that is the Scottish Highlands \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe story is about acceptance of who we are and the love of community. It is about the delicate balance between the need to make a living and the preserving of a way of life lived in the North Highlands of Scotland.\u003c\/strong\u003e It all hangs together around a women's friendship group. The age range is from Stroma in her thirties to Mary in her eighties and reflects real-life female friendships, particularly within rural communities. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0993254098\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780993254093\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Blaths\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/24\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 276\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.78lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.62d","brand":"WR Book House","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48483801956607,"sku":"9780993254093","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_4e86df48-43f4-4b0d-9397-e9816d38985d.jpg?v=1778040724","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/blzas-9780993254093","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}