Meet Joan Rowe this week at Linlithgow’s own independent bookshop

This evening Edinburgh-based author Joan Rowe will be at Far From The Madding Crowd bookshop in Linlithgow to talk about her book, Duty.

Duty is a work of fiction based on the diary kept by Albert Anderson, who enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1912. Although Albert was lost at sea on the eve of his 21st birthday, the diary survived: Joan unearthed it when she was helping to clear out her former husband’s aunt’s house – for Albert’s best friend was Joan’s daughter’s great uncle, Alfred Rowe .  Fascinated, Joan has been researching Albert’s life ever since; she wrote Duty to tell the story of the ‘lost boys’ – some of them as young as 14 – who perished in the First World War. In April, Joan talked about the book at Morningside Library; you can read about that afternoon in The Edinburgh Reporter’s article here. Now Joan has made new discoveries about Albert and Alfred, and may even have found some of Albert’s surviving relatives – so she will have lots to talk about on Friday.

Far From The Madding Crowd bookshop is at 20 High Street, Linlithgow, opposite Linlithgow railway station and only 15 minutes ride from Edinburgh: support a local author and a local bookshop! The event will begin at 6pm: for more information contact the shop on 01506 845509.