The Summer Skies

A Novel

By: Jenny Colgan

Narrated by: Eilidh Beaton

Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times bestselling author Jenny Colgan takes us to the gloriously windswept islands of northern Scotland, where we meet young Morag McGinty, who runs the puddle-jumper flights that serve the islands’ tiny but proudly feisty population.

Morag MacIntyre is a Scottish lass from the remote islands that make up the northernmost reaches of the UK. She’s also a third-generation pilot, the heir apparent to an island plane service she runs with her grandfather. The islands—over 500 dots of windswept land that reach almost to Norway—rely on their one hardworking prop plane to deliver mail, packages, tourists, medicine, and the occasional sheep. As the keeper of this vital lifeline, Morag is used to landing on pale golden beaches and tiny grass airstrips, whether during great storms or on bright endless summer nights. Up in the blue sky, Morag feels at one with the elements.

Down on the ground is a different matter, though. Her grandfather is considering and Morag wonders if she truly wants to spend the rest of her life in the islands. Her boyfriend Hayden, from flight school, wants Morag to move to Dubai with him, where they’ll fly A380s and say goodbye to Scotland’s dark winters.

Morag is on the verge of making a huge life change when an unusually bumpy landing during a storm finds her marooned on Inchborn island. Inchborn is gloriously off-grid, home only to an ancient ruined abbey, a bird-watching station, and a population of one: Gregor, a visiting ornithologist from Glasgow who might have just the right perspective to help Morag pilot her course.

©2023 Jenny Colgan (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Flies Away With Our Hesrts

A sweet and gently funny book. Two unlikely acquaintances find their ways to healing and freedom. Poetic beauty of nature and truth set in the stunning Scottish Western Isles. savor!

Best Yet!

I have been reading Jenny Colgan books for the last couple of years. I was drawn by the destinations first, having a thing for Scotland and the northern British Isles. I have really enjoyed every single book I've read. BUT, there is always one you love the best... and this one is it. Great characters, great story. I really loved all the stuff about flying and the old Otter. Best Colgan book yet!!! Waiting for Colgan's next book.

Loved it!

I really enjoyed this story and the characters - always the feisty, smart, kind female characters.

The Right Fit 

In the beginning the amount the main character was in her head and commenting on things, got a little long, and in the middle of the story when she was stranded, their relationship, or the way they acted to toward each other just seemed out of sorts, and it put me off a bit. I didn’t like either character for a bit, but eventually I realized they were so much alike that they actually worked really well together, and I totally enjoyed the last half of the book 

Another charming getaway

It's always a pleasure to escape to remote islands for a bit of romance and spend some enjoyable time with Colgan's charming characters including in this case, a chicken and a goat.

The best

One of my favorites from Jenny and the best narrator. I’ve come to love northern Scotland. This book made me laugh and want to share the story with anyone that’d listen.

Wonderful summer book!

Loved the narrators accent! The story is a lovely summer tale. Hoping for a book 2 in their story!

As brilliant as summer skies!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read my next Jenny Colgan story. Ellidh Beaton's narration is the best I've heard of the few hundred audio books I've listened to! An audio book I can't wait to recommend to others.

Lovely Story, Landscape, Narration

I really enjoyed listening to this story, even if the plot got a little goofy at times.. Colgan gives us a vivid depiction of two things I had very little idea of to start with: the world of commercial pilots (more specifically, being a female pilot in a male-dominated profession), and the magical landscape and culture of the outer islands of northern Scotland. Beaton is, I'm guessing, a native Scot, and so of course her Scottish accents are spot-on, but she does just as good a job with regional British accents for the other characters. (She's a little heavy-handed with male voices -- she didn't have to pitch them so low nor try to distinguish them so strongly, but it wasn't annoying.) The romance plot and setting are equally compelling, and with Beaton's performance carries it beautifully.

I still love Colgan, but…

You can always rely on this author to deliver entertaining stories with interesting characters! it’s a good respite from the stress and anxiety elsewhere. This story is equally up to the task of keeping you turning the pages and being comforting, all at once. Colgan seems to have lost the plot a bit (pun intended). In previous books, she did a good job of “show, don’t tell” to keep the plot moving. This book had some lengthy inner monologues that threatened to bring things to a halt. I hope she finds her footing again.

On the narrator, she does a good job with different character voices. However, I’m always surprised how many Scottish characters have an English accent.