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Seven years after her mother's death, Leonie Charlton is still gripped by memories of their fraught relationship. In May 2017, Leonie trekked through the Outer Hebrides in the company of a friend and their Highland Ponies in search of closure. When Leonie's pony has a serious accident, she begins to realise that finding peace with her mother is less important than letting go.
Leonie Charlton blends travel and nature writing with intimate memoir in this beautifully written account of grief and acceptance.
Leonie Charlton travelled extensively as a child, living in England, Africa, Wales and Scotland. She has worked as a cowgirl in Australia, an English teacher in Japan, and her degree in Hispanic Studies took her to Catalonia for two years. In 1998 she settled in Glen Lonan, Argyll, where she runs a pony trekking centre. Marram is her first full length book although her fiction and poetry have appeared widely in magazines.
"What a joy Marram is! Images of place and people flood the senses in a truly unputdownable account of two journeys intertwined."
– Karen Matheson, singer with Capercaillie
"Tried by nature's elemental rawness, washed with fear and despair, Marram is Leonie Charlton's telling of a gruelling journey as she wrestles with the ragged memories left by her mother's untimely passing."
– Alastair McIntosh, author of Poacher's Pilgrimage
"Leonie has conjured a memorably magical world of nature and wildlife, places and people, that lingers in the imagination long after finishing the book. You don't have to like ponies or wild islands to enjoy reading Marram, but for those who do, this book will become a special treasure."
– Juliet Blaxland, author of The Easternmost House
"Marram is a story about love – love for a string of windswept islands, for their people and wildlife, for a couple of shaggy ponies and for a lost and parent. With an affectionate eye for the smallest detail and an indulgent ear for the softest lament, Leonie Charlton does them all proud."
– John Keay, author and presenter
"A quiet, attentive book which brings the remote country alive."
– Tamsin Writing
