John of JOhn
Douglas Stuart
Paper Thistle Book Reviews
At Paper Thistle, we write a review for every book we sell, specialising in Scottish fiction. Each review considers character, writing style, tone, and overall reading experience, offering a thoughtful introduction to what awaits on the page.
Book Review: Be Near Me
We follow Father David Anderton as he struggles to find connection in a Scottish town[...]
Book Review: The Delusions
We enter an afterlife run like an enormous bureaucracy where the newly dead must confront[...]
Book Review: The Voids
We follow a young man through the empty spaces of a condemned Glasgow tower block[...]
Book Review: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
We follow Iris as she uncovers the story of a great-aunt her family tried to[...]
Book Review: Tony Hogan Bought Me An Ice Cream Float Before He Stole My Ma
We follow Janie Ryan through a childhood marked by poverty, neglect and constant upheaval in[...]
Book Review: Tombstoning
We follow David Lindsay back to Arbroath fifteen years after his best friend's death on[...]
Book Review: This is Home
We follow migrants arriving in Glasgow and London, each carrying hopes, regrets and dreams for[...]
Book Review: Summer Hours
We follow Roisin through a hot Edinburgh summer where friendship, desire and money become impossible[...]
Book Review: The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus
We follow Pen Winters from Canada to Edinburgh as she searches for the truth about[...]
Book Review: Hamnet
We spend time with the Shakespeare family long before Hamnet's death becomes history. The novel[...]