Life is like looking out of a lot of different windows.

So says Malcolm, shepherd and boyhood friend of David Kirk, and the words linger in David’s mind as he reflects on his life so far. He recalls the window of his parents’ home in rural Scotland, where he acquires the moral code which will guide him and begins to realise his flair for writing. There’s the window of his uncle’s house in Edinburgh, where he attends school, and the rather dingy window of a boarding-house in London where he learns the darker side of life while beginning his work life. A much brighter fourth window, over a London bookshop, dramatically shifts David’s direction, and a fifth window … well, you’ll need to read the book to find out about that one!

In Five Windows, first published in 1953, we have one of D.E. Stevenson’s warmest and wisest tales, infused with her acute knowledge of human nature, her flair for characters both likable and not, and an irresistible blend of nostalgia, wit, occasional melancholy, romance, and ultimate happiness. It also features a cameo from two characters we’ll meet again in The Tall Stranger. This new edition includes an autobiographical sketch by the author.

Miss Stevenson has her own individual and charming way of seeing things. Western Mail