The Camerons: A Novel

At sixteen, Maggie Drum leaves her Scottish coalmining town seeking a husband of pride, independence, and spirit. She finds him in Gillon Cameron, a tall Highland fisherman who enters the mines but refuses to accept the poverty that defines a miner's life. In a world where coal miners are treated as little more than slaves, Maggie's determination and Gillon's pride drive them to build a better future for themselves and their seven children. Set in 19th century Scotland, this family epic captures the Camerons' moments of triumph and loss, bitterness and love against the region's landscapes and social conflicts. The novel begins as a straightforward family drama but reveals the complexity and depth of the Camerons' struggle to create a hopeful future. First published in 1972, it was a New York Times bestseller for more than five months.