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The Monarch of the Glen
The Monarch of the Glen
Jan 18, 2026 8:47 AM

Author:Compton Mackenzie

The Monarch of the Glen

Chester Royde, an American millionaire, travels to Scotland with his new bride Carrie and sister Myrtle, to find out more about Carrie's Scottish ancestry. Their new 'relatives' turn out to be a little more authentically Scottish than they bargained for. Ben Nevis, Laird of Glenbogle Castle, is fiercely protective of his lands and the Macdonald clan spirit, but being cash-strapped he's not above attempts to marry heiress Myrtle to one of his many brawny sons. But then a group of hikers stumble onto his moor and spoil a day's hunting, sparking all-out war between gentry and commoners.

Reviews

Rollicking comedy

—— Observer

A riotous piece of virtuosity...divinely funny

—— Elizabeth Bowen , Tatler

'Touching and funny'

—— B

This is a thoughtful, humorous and often moving story about adoption and identity

—— Kate Saunders , The Times

The novel contains some fine playful moments, but it's when observing the real discomfort of not being loved, and not being known, that Yardley's writing shines.

—— The Glasgow Herald

Harris is brilliant at the political then-as-now, giving Caesar with a hint of Blair – and also of Thatcher

—— Peter Stothard , Spectator

Staying close to the sources, Harris picks his way masterfully through Cicero’s personal and political dilemmas…superb…does full justice to one of Rome’s most interesting complex and humane statesmen, whose pragmatic political treatises proved so influential during the renaissance and enlightenment

—— Evening Standard

Harris skilfully navigates these fraught years in Cicero’s life … Dictator triumphs

—— The New Stateman

A superior historical thriller

—— Fiona Wilson , The Times, Books of the Year

Harris’ version of Cicero is a tremendous creation

—— Independent

[Dictator's] gripping dramas and powerful themes - the fragility of democracy and the fallibility of human beings among them - richly illuminate the conflicts of its era and our own

—— Publishers Weekly

Superb…confirms Harris’s undisputed place as our leading master of both the historical and contemporary thriller

—— Daily Mail

Harris is a masterful storyteller. I’m currently experiencing that terrible phase of cold turkey after finishing something superb

—— Alastair Moffat , Herald

Contemporary echoes abound in this endlessly fascinating exploration of power struggles

—— Craig Brown , Mail on Sunday, Books of the Year

Triumphant

—— Sunday Times

A masterful story of political intrigue…a fascinating and absorbing novel

—— Financial Times

Robert Harris is an incomparable storyteller... It's a brutal tale of murder and mayhem and a tour de force of research and imagination...

—— The Express

I’m a big fan of Robert Harris so I’d like to read his latest, Dictator… Robert is very good at politics and evoking a period

—— Melvyn Bragg , Good Housekeeping, Books of the Year

Sinuous, clever and compelling…A fitting end to a magnificent trilogy

—— Metro

A riveting read

—— Sunday Express

Robert Harris brings his Cicero trilogy to a triumphant, compelling and deeply moving conclusion…The three novels are surely the finest fictional treatment of Ancient Rome in the English language…distinguished by a mastery of the sources, sympathetic imagination, political intelligence and narrative skill

—— Yorkshire Post

Harris’ Cicero is a bit special – a mix of genius and craft, kindness and pomposity, ambition and principle

—— Daily Mail (Scotland)

Penetrating and utterly compelling

—— Claire Allfree , Metro, Books of the Year

In Dictator, Robert Harris brings his trilogy on Cicero to a triumphant end. As one who has himself written novels set in the last years of the Roman republic and the first century of empire, I am happy to say that Harris reigns supreme. His Cicero is magnificent; couldn’t conceivably be done better

—— Alan Massie , Spectator, Books of the Year
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