John Splendid: The Tale of a Poor Gentleman, and the Little Wars of Lorn
A Highland Historical Romance of Clan Rivalry, Civil War, and Vanishing LoyaltiesBy Neil Munro
Length13h
About this audiobook
Neil Munro's John Splendid: The Tale of a Poor Gentleman, and the Little Wars of Lorn is a historical romance set amid the political and military turbulence of seventeenth-century Argyll. Combining adventure, regional history, romance, and comic observation, it follows the fortunes of an impoverished gentleman whose experience of the "little wars" of Lorn places private loyalties against the larger conflicts of clan, crown, and conscience. Munro's prose is vigorous, richly idiomatic, and attentive to the speech, landscapes, customs, and social hierarchies of the Scottish west. The novel belongs to the late-Victorian tradition of romantic historical fiction, yet its local knowledge and wry narrative intelligence give it a distinctive Scottish character, resisting any reduction of the Highlands to picturesque scenery alone. Born in Inveraray, Argyll, Munro worked as a journalist and editor before becoming one of the most important literary chroniclers of the western Highlands. His intimate familiarity with Gaelic culture, oral storytelling, clan history, and the region's changing social order profoundly informs the novel. As both a Scottish nationalist-minded writer and a sophisticated man of letters, he sought to preserve local voices while examining the ambiguities of heroism, allegiance, and historical memory. John Splendid is especially recommended to readers interested in Scottish history, historical fiction, regional literature, and the development of modern Celtic writing. It offers spirited narrative entertainment, but also rewards close attention to language, cultural detail, and the uneasy relationship between legend and documented history.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 3.7 (21)
Includes Goodreads
GenreHistorical Fiction, Romance
Length13 hrs
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateNov 26, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The Luck of Roaring Camp, and Other Sketches (Annotated)
2William Blackwood And Sons Edinburgh And London MDCCCXCVIII
3DEDICATION.
4CHAPTER I.—FROM THE FOREIGN FIELD.
5CHAPTER II.—GILLESBEG GRUAMACH.
Show all chaptersShow less
6CHAPTER III.—THE LADY ON THE STAIR.
7CHAPTER IV.—A NIGHT ALARM.
8CHAPTER V.—KIRK LAW.
9CHAPTER VI.—MY LADY OF MOODS.
10CHAPTER VII.—CHILDREN OF THE MIST.
11CHAPTER VIII.—THE BALE-FIRES ON THE BENS.
12CHAPTER IX.—INVASION.
13CHAPTER X.—THE FLIGHT TO THE FOREST.
14CHAPTER XI.—ON BENS OF WAR.
15CHAPTER XIII.—WHERE TREADS THE DEER.
16CHAPTER XIV.—MY LADY AND THE CHILD.
17CHAPTER XV.—CONFESSIONS OF A MARQUIS.
18CHAPTER XVI.—OUR MARCH FOR LOCHABER.
19CHAPTER XVII.—IN THE LAND OF LORN.
20CHAPTER XVIII.—BARD OF KEPPOCH.
21CHAPTER XIX.—THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY.
22CHAPTER XX.—INVERLOCHY.
23CHAPTER XXI.—SEVEN BROKEN MEN.
24CHAPTER XXII.—DAME DUBH.
25CHAPTER XXIII.—THE WIDOW OF GLENCOE.
26CHAPTER XXIV.—A NIGHT’S SHELTER.
27CHAPTER XXV.—THE ANGRY EAVESDROPPER.
28I caught M’Iver by the coat-lapels, and took him off the gasping cleric.
29CHAPTER XXVII.—A TAVERN IN THE WILDS.
30CHAPTER XXVIII.—LOST ON THIS MOOR OF KANNOCH.
31CHAPTER XXIX.—THE RETURN.
32CHAPTER XXX.—ARGILE’S BEDROOM.
33CHAPTER XXXI.—MISTRESS BETTY.
34CHAPTER XXXII.—A SCANDAL AND A QUARREL.
35CHAPTER XXXIII.—THE BROKEN SWORD.
36CHAPTER XXXIV.—LOVE IN THE WOODS.
37CHAPTER XXXV.—FAREWELL.
More from Neil Munro
Para Handy Tales — The Vital Spark (Annotated)Neil Munro5h 33m4.4 (10)$2 · $0.00
The Daft DaysNeil Munro8h 53m$1 · $0.00
The New RoadNeil Munro13h 20m4.2 (36)$2 · $0.00
The New RoadNeil Munro14h 2m4.1 (71)$1 · $0.00
In Highland Harbours with Para Handy (Annotated)Neil Munro5h 12m4.6 (39)$0.99 · $0.00
Doom CastleNeil Munro11h 25m3.5 (34)$2 · $0.00
In Highland Harbours with Para Handy (Annotated)Neil Munro5h 22m4.6 (41)$2.99 · $0.00
Lieutenant Hornblower (Annotated)C. S. Forester11h 41m4.5 (2.9K)$2 · $0.00
Rilla of InglesideLucy Maud Montgomery11h 44m4.5 (48.2K)$2 · $0.00
The Viennese DressmakerKathryn Gauci11h 46m4.5 (2.1K)$23 · $0.00
The Man in the Brown Suit & They Came to BaghdadAgatha Christie15h 43m4.6 (495)$33 · $0.00
Under the Light of the Italian MoonJennifer Anton12h 28m4.5 (5.3K)$23 · $0.00
Jubilee, 50th Anniversary EditionMargaret Walker15h 43m4.5 (9.5K)$25 · $0.00
Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen14h 44m4.4 (4.7M)$2 · $0.00
Flying Colours (Annotated)Cecil Louis Troughton Smith9h 26m4.4 (10.1K)$2 · $0.00
With Love from HarlemReShonda Tate13h 48m4.5 (2K)$6 · $0.00
Sweet Home Highland ChristmasMay McGoldrick, Jan Coffey2h 54m4.5 (1.4K)$7 · $0.00
Rilla of InglesideL. M. Montgomery12h 25m4.4 (67.5K)$2 · $0.00
Death Comes for the Archbishop (Annotated)Willa Cather9h 13m4.4 (4.7K)$2 · $0.00
The Alice NetworkKate Quinn15h 7m4.4 (887.1K)$33 · $0.00
The Goddess of WarsawLisa Barr13h 4m4.4 (36.4K)$33 · $0.00
The Ohio River Trilogy: Betty Zane, The Spirit of the Border & The Last TrailZane Grey29h 8m4.4 (1.8K)$1 · $0.00
The Attic ChildLola Jaye14h 46m4.4 (21K)$33 · $0.00
Martyr of the CatacombsJames De Mille3h 41m4.5 (744)$1 · $0.00
Bring Up The BodiesHilary Mantel14h 35m4.4 (150K)$33 · $0.00
By the Shores of Silver LakeLaura Ingalls Wilder7h 38m4.4 (103.7K)$1 · $0.00
Sexy/DangerousBeverly Jenkins10h 19m4.4 (2.3K)$29 · $0.00
Wishes from the HeartSophie Mays4h 9m4.7 (344)$15 · $0.00
Blizzard ShowdownShirlee McCoy5h 16m4.6 (1.1K)$12 · $0.00
To Hold and ProtectSandra Owens7h 59m4.6 (1.1K)$8 · $0.00
Arctic WitnessHeather Woodhaven5h 46m4.6 (985)$12 · $0.00
Following the TrailLynette Eason6h 35m4.6 (2.3K)$12 · $0.00
Her Duty Bound DefenderSharee Stover6h 30m4.6 (558)$12 · $0.00
Defending from DangerJodie Bailey5h 46m4.6 (588)$24 · $0.00
White HotIlona Andrews13h 18m4.5 (136.9K)$5 · $0.00
Explosive RevengeMaggie K. Black6h 18m4.6 (545)$12 · $0.00
Her Brand of JusticeB.J. Daniels6h 48m4.6 (1.3K)$12 · $0.00
Search And DetectTerri Reed5h 51m4.6 (706)$24 · $0.00
Driving ForceElle James4h 58m4.6 (407)$20 · $0.00
Danger in the WildernessDarlene L. Turner6h 54m4.7 (299)$12 · $0.00
Yukon JusticeDana Mentink6h 15m4.6 (751)$12 · $0.00
The Rogue WarriorCindy Roland Anderson5h 44m4.6 (409)$17 · $0.00
Trail Of ThreatsJessica R. Patch5h 47m4.6 (425)$24 · $0.00
Ironwood, a Fae Universe SeriesAlessa Thorn26h 57m4.6 (835)$30 · $0.00
Ready to ProtectValerie Hansen5h 38m4.6 (981)$24 · $0.00
Searching For EvidenceCarol J. Post6h 21m4.6 (552)$24 · $0.00
New Beginnings at Lullbury BayGeorgia Hill6h 59m4.6 (422)$13 · $0.00
You may also like
Feast of SorrowCrystal King13h 29m4.1 (2.2K)$25
Sword SongBernard Cornwell12h 12m4.4 (62.9K)$29 · $0.00
RomolaGeorge Eliot24h 46m3.7 (9.2K)$1.20 · $0.00
Savage WildernessHarold Coyle15h 35m4.0 (436)$25 · $0.00
SavannahJames Reasoner9h 28m4.2 (353)$20
The Amber RoadHarry Sidebottom11h 54m4.2 (1.2K)$23
Conquered by a HighlanderPaula Quinn9h 57m4.1 (3.6K)$20
The Triumph of the LionsStefania Auci13h 7m4.2 (520)$33 · $0.00
A Most English PrincessClare McHugh17h 31m3.9 (4K)$40 · $0.00
Scottish Starter Box SetMay McGoldrick, Jan Coffey36h 51m4.4 (462)$10 · $0.00
The Conqueror’s WifeStephanie Marie Thornton15h 7m4.0 (1.9K)$23
Taras Bulba. A Tale of the CossacksNikolai Vasilievich Gogol7h 23m4.0 (31.2K)$2 · $0.00
Old Mortality (Unabridged)Walter Scott20h 48m4.0 (1.5K)$2 · $0.00
HarlequinBernard Cornwell14h 50m4.2 (40.2K)$33 · $0.00
Old Mortality (Annotated)Walter Scott20h 59m3.9 (5.7K)$2 · $0.00
The Captain of the JanizariesJames M. Ludlow11h 21m$1 · $0.00
Matilda Montgomerie; Or, The Prophecy FulfilledMajor Richardson12h 47m$1 · $0.00
The Days of BruceGrace Aguilar11h 51m$2 · $0.00
La Favorita Del MahdiEMILIO SALGARI14h 42m3.5 (82)$3.50 · $0.00
The Canadian Brothers; Or, The Prophecy Fulfilled: A Tale of the Late American War — CompleteMajor Richardson14h 36m3.8 (23)$2 · $0.00