13 h. ago The Two Roberts by Damian Barr review – lost story of a gay art duo

The lives of Scottish artists Bobby MacBryde and Robert Colquhoun, who found love and fame and lost it all, are vividly reimaginedWhat if the protagonist of a novel was not a single person but a couple? Damian Barr takes on this challenge, and he’s found a historic couple who make the ideal source material. Working-class Scottish artists Bobby MacBryde and Robert Colquhoun were rarely apart after they met in 1933. They lived and worked together, became famous together and then declined into desperate squalor together – even poorer than when they began.Barr knows what it’s like to conquer Glasgow from a small, working-class town on its outskirts; he knows what it’s like to find yourself feted for your portraits of the place you’ve left irrevocably behind. His memoir, Maggie and Me, was a hard-hitting yet rambunctious tale of growing up gay near Motherwell under Thatcher, uneasily aware that the woman who pushed his parents deeper into poverty also taught him that the ruthless ex...

Politics

4 d. ago UK’s longest urban zipline planned for historic Scottish port

James Watt Dock in Scotland will be undergoing a regeneration project with new leisure activities

Politics

4 d. ago The historic Scottish island castle at the centre of controversial sale by clan

The castle and its grounds are for sale as part of a £6.7 million Sleat Peninsula deal, sparking local protests

Politics

5 d. ago Hailstones Fell without Rain by Natalia Figueroa Barroso review – a funny and tender debut

This exuberant novel, set in western Sydney and Uruguay, celebrates matrilineal connection over three generations of one familyGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailGraciela María Ferreira – or “Grachu” to her loved ones – is late with the rent again, and she needs the money now. Unfortunately, she’s spent her last dollars on a plush couch and her landlord is waiting on her doorstep. Grachu isn’t always a believer but today “she needs God to find her a new job”.So begins Hailstones Fell Without Rain – Natalia Figueroa Barroso’s debut, and the second published novel by a Uruguayan-Australian writer.Sign up for our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morningHailstones Fell without Rain by Natalia Figueroa Barroso is out through UQP ($34.99) Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Gunk by Saba Sams audiobook review – messy nights and motherhood

The first novel from the Send Nudes author moves from a Brighton club to baby feedingGunk opens with new divorcee Jules sitting at home cradling a baby who is 24 hours and 17 minutes old, feeding him colostrum from a syringe. After being fed, the baby cries, which Jules interprets as a howl of rejection: “He has no language to tell me I’m not right for him.” We learn that Jules isn’t the child’s biological parent; the birth mother is Nim who, shortly after being stitched up, left the hospital ward and seemingly vanished. Concerned for her wellbeing, the hospital called the police who questioned Jules. “Nim has run away before,” she told them. “And she’s good at hiding.”Set in Brighton, this is Saba Sams’s first novel, the follow-up to her much-admired short story collection Send Nudes. Where that book examined the lives of girls coming of age, Gunk has an older heroine in Jules, who is desperate to have a child. Her alcoholic ex-husband, Leon, who ran a student nightclub and with wh...

Politics

5 d. ago Two Scottish restaurants added to Michelin Guide including 'chic' and historic seaside inn

Two Scottish coastal restaurants have been added to the UK and Ireland Michelin Guide this month.

Politics

6 d. ago Historic castle put up for sale for £750,000 after Scottish islands back redevelopment plan

Scottish Government nature agency NatureScot owns Kinloch Castle on Rum but it said high maintenance costs mean selling it is necessary

Economics

8 d. ago Historic castle to host Best of Scotland music show celebrating iconic Scottish artists

The castle will host EanJ’s Best of Scotland show on Friday, August 29

Culture

8 d. ago Scottish electrician lands 'by far the biggest win of career' in historic amateur event

Jamie Donaldson holds off last-day charge from local man James White to win, Leven Gold Medal

Politics

8 d. ago Scots mum says she will 'make history' to become Britain’s first female bare knuckle champion

Sandra Rees, from Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, says she wants to 'build a legacy' after starting to box just four years ago.

Politics

9 d. ago Scottish city with historic spots and beautiful parks named top spot for 'charming' autumn escape

Pinterest reports rising travel searches for the city, up 85 percent for the city and 103 percent for autumn trips

Politics

1 week ago 'Superb' Scottish pub with 150 years of history crowned as country's best place for a pint

Scots pub will compete to be crowned as the UK’s best

Politics

1 week ago Pierce Brosnan, 71, is supported by his stunning granddaughter Isabella Smith, 26, and dapper son Dylan, 28, at The Thursday Murder Club afterparty

The actor, 71, is starring alongside Helen Mirren , Sir Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie in the film adaptation of Richard Osman 's best-selling novel, which is set to be released on Netflix on Friday.

Society

1 week ago Not just Braveheart: black Scots become TikTok hit among African Americans

Glaswegian teacher’s moan about the weather has racked up 4m views – and opened conversations about race on both sides of AtlanticIt began with a good-natured rant about the Scottish summer weather and has developed into a global conversation about history, diaspora and diversity on both sides of the Atlantic.Last week, Torgi Squire uploaded a TikTok post that any Scottish parent could relate to: why is it, he asked, that without fail the washout summer weather always improves the week that the kids go back to school? Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Historic Scottish town with 'charming' streets with some of UK's cheapest houses

Homes in town sold for an average of £154,688 last year, with prices rising from the previous year.

Politics

2 w. ago Jimmy Thelin condemns Aberdeen Scottish Cup glory to the history books as Swede lays down the gauntlet

The Swede knows last season's triumph at Hampden is now a thing of the past

Culture

2 w. ago £3m rescue deal saves historic George Hotel in Inveraray following administration

Administrators overseeing the sale of the historic 24-room Scottish boutique hotel have sold the hotel business, its contents and a residential dwelling to a duo of experienced hotel operators, Charlie Maclachlan and Sam Wignell of Fyne Hospitality, for £3.05m in a deal that will save up to 43 jobs in Inveraray.

Economics

2 w. ago Michelle Keegan makes explosive ITV return after decade with role alongside Hollywood star

Actress Michelle Keegan returns to ITV for the first time in eight years, starring as a detective in The Blame, a dark new psychological thriller

Events

3 w. ago Historic Scottish lighthouse built by family of Robert Louis Stevenson goes on sale for £350,000

A local heritage charity said it was no longer able to care for the historic building due to financial pressures

Economics

3 w. ago Inside quaint historic town dubbed Scotland’s version of Stars Hollow where books outnumber people 250 to one

Watch footage of the historic Scottish town, which is preparing to host its annual book festival next month - with speakers including Nicola Surgeon and Sir John Kay.

Culture