Today’s team review is from Alex.
Alex has been reading Writedown: Lockdown in the Galloway Glens at the Time of Covid by Margaret Elphinstone et al
This is a remarkable venture. Twenty-two writers in the Galloway region of Scotland wrote first hand of their feelings and experiences of the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
These personal accounts cover the twelve weeks of the first national lockdown in the UK: March 23rd until June 15th – with many referencing the weeks beforehand where the situation rapidly morphed from a vague interest to shock.
Most of the authors are, like me, retired and perhaps that is why I identify so readily with the sentiments expressed here through quite remarkable prose and poetry. Many of the contributors speak of the contradictions they feel initially during lockdown as they appreciate the rural landscape and wildlife whilst so much suffering is evident elsewhere.
There’s anger, resentment, love, friendship and a desperate boredom.
Reading this book kindled memories that had already begin to tarnish with time. It’s a remarkable account of the day-to-day lives of people at the start of the pandemic and it’s such a comfort to know that others had felt exactly as I had. It’s a book I’ll reference in the future to recall the way things really were for us. It’s a keepsake.
The individual voices come through clearly and the writing is varied but always powerful, moving, reflective and (frequently) laced with humour.
Above all, it’s a very good read.
Rosie Amber 
Thank you Alex and Rosie 🙂
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It was a pleasure, Mary. I was genuinely moved and enthralled by it and I know I’ll come back to it repeatedly during the years to come – it’s not often that an historical account is this readable!
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