The Isle of Good Karma

Mary Macdonald is a logical soul; a much-loved teacher and crofter whose busy Hebridean life leaves little room for flights of fancy. But when a windfall comes her way, she decides it’s time for a change. This novel is a celebration of travel, karma and broadening the mind, all while staying true to your principles.

As heard on BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime. From one of the world’s favourite authors comes a beautifully atmospheric novel set in the Hebrides and Nepal about having the courage to make a change late in life and about doing the unexpected. Single and approaching middle age, Maeve Macdonald feels she has reached a point at which, if she doesn’t do something drastic soon, things will stay the same. And so, after twenty years of teaching, she gives up her career and leaves the only home she’s ever known in search of adventure. As she prepares for this exciting new chapter in her life, travelling through South Asia, she finds that everything is going remarkably well: she has a brief stint as a model, gets free hiking equipment and first-class upgrades – karma, it appears, is on her side – quite possibly things really are changing for the better. But not long after arriving in Nepal, her good luck seems to have run out: an injury puts a pause on her plans, and an unexpected fall nearly ends her new-found friendship with a handsome American called Charles. Will Maeve have to abandon her trip and go back home alone? And will Charles be able to pluck up the courage to tell Maeve how he really feels before they go their separate ways?