When Martha accepts a place at university, her decision is met with a mixture of hostility and pride by her uncomprehending family. This is the story of a young woman’s journey to maturity and independence, struggling to cope with the intellectual and emotional challenges that surround her, at a time when such space was rarely given freely to women. In The Quarry Wood, Nan Shepherd’s subtle prose is matched with intense and memorable descriptions of the natural world, and a dry sense of humour.

Ninety years after the first publication, it remains as fresh and original today.