I did not find the first few pages engaging. Too much description e.g. 'A dog barks a greeting. Mary Gillies sits in front of a cottage spinning, the squeak of the turning wood as she lets the thread in and out, singing something in Gaelic as she works, but she does not raise her head as I pass by''. I don't think this adds anything to the story. If the first few pages are full of lines I could cut, I don't have high hopes for the rest of the book. I like the concept, but poor execution.