Agnes, Belle, Jessie and Ruth speak to us straight off the page in their characteristic Midlothian in this, the second book in the Flashbacks series. Each woman has her individual tale to tell, but a common thread runs through. The life of a bondager was no rural idyll, but one of long hours and hard work born with patient dignity. Whether digging tatties, hoeing turnips, or snatching the farmer's chickens when he wasn't looking, these four daughters of the soil bestride their busy canvas, every facet of their lives brought vividly before us in their own words. Ian MacDougall is the author of two other Flashbacks titles, Hoggie's Angels and Mungo Mackay and the Green Table.