The Spuddy

by Lillian Beckwith

A fisherman christened the abandoned dog the Spuddy. The grey-black mongrel is hardy, shrewd and loyal, but the only person to care for him in the village of Gaymal is a young boy, Andy. Andy is also an outsider, as much in need of companionship as the dog. The two of them enjoy each other's friendship, and when kindly skipper Jake arrives on the scene it seems as if their loneliness is over. But then events take an unexpected turn...

Genres: Fiction, Scotland, Animals, 20th Century

108 pages, Paperback

First published November 11, 1974

About the author

Lilian Comber wrote fiction and non-fiction for both adults and children under the pseudonym Lillian Beckwith. She is best known for her series of comic novels based on her time living on a croft in the Scottish Hebrides.

Beckwith was born in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, in 1916, where her father ran a grocery shop. The shop provided the background for her memoir About My Father's Business, a child’s eye view of a 1920s family. She moved to the Isle of Skye with her husband in 1942, and began writing fiction after moving to the Isle of Man with her family twenty years later. She also completed a cookery book, Secrets from a Crofter’s Kitchen (Arrow, 1976).

Since her death, Beckwith’s novel A Shine of Rainbows has been made into a film starring Aidan Quinn and Connie Nielsen, which in 2009 won ‘Best Feature’ awards at the Heartland and Chicago Children’s Film Festivals.

Reviews

[Bionic Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of Lillian Beckwith's novels, about a small boy and a dog. But it is in her autobiographical books that she really shines.

[Fictionophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional depiction of life in the Hebrides. Warm, humorous and true.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The ending was touching, and this one had its moments, but, it's still no favorite of mine.

[Barbra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely read which had me in tears a couple of times. I do miss this author's books.

Back Cover Blurb:
The moment Andy saw the Spuddy again his dejection became resolution. The Spuddy and he were going to be friends, and friends must look after each other. It wouldn't be easy - that much he knew - but if only he could keep the Spuddy fed and unharmed until his father came home on leave he was certain his father would find some way of ensuring that he could keep the dog.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

"He was a grey-black mongrel: tough, canny, loyal -- and abandoned. The fishermen called him the Spuddy.

"The only person ito care for the Spuddy in the busy Hebridean village of Gaymal is Andy, a young dumb boy staying in the town with relatives. For both of them, their meeting brings friendship after loneliness; but when the new companions are taken up by Jake, skipper of the Silver Crest, events take a swift and unexpected turn.

"This moving, surprising story will warm the hearts of the many admirers of Lillian Beckwoth's Hebridean stories and win her new friends.
~~back cover

Warm your heart? That's not how I'd describe it. This story is a real heartbreaker: I was reading the last of it waiting in the doctor's office and couldn't help crying at the end. Yes, there's a wee bit of HEA, and a good many of the problems are resolved, but still a real tearjerker. I don't want to say more than that, so as to not give away the story, but if you have a soft heart for dogs and kids and people struggling through bad times, be sure to have the tissue box handy as you read.

[Mrsgaskell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a sad little book about a dog, the Spuddy, left behind when his owner’s widow moves away. He is befriended by a mute boy who comes to live with his aunt and uncle in the small Scottish fishing village. Andy has been abandoned by his mother and his father is in the Merchant Navy, away at sea. There is also a fisherman, Jake, whose young wife doesn’t care for him, and leaves him for long periods of time to go visit her family. The lyrics of Eleanor Rigby kept coming to mind as I read this, “All the lonely people, where do they all come from?”

[Katy Galligan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice wee easy read.

[Marianne Burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read....saw the Christmas special of ‘Call the Midwife’ and wanted to read something taking place in the Hebrides....enjoyed it!!

[Crystal Angers · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful short read. A delightful story about a dog, a boy and a man. An insightful, thought provoking character study. Highly recommended.

[Bike · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an amazing little book! What a great little story about a boy and a dog set in the Hebrides. I came across it strictly by accident, but I was fascinated by the fact that I had never seen this book any place anywhere ever it had a cute old vintage cover paperback and I was instantly intrigued. It doesn’t take very long to read. The writing is absolutely amazing. The boy, Andy is mute and then, in 1977 people who didn’t talk were called “dumb” so that requires a bit of background. Overall it was very well written with lots of details that make you feel transported. I’m curious about Lillian Beckwith’s other books.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short heart warming, poignant read about a boy, a dog and and a fisherman, which both gets you smiling, but also a has you in tears.

For a short book the characters and setting are well developed, though they are written as people were back in the 1970's, so there is a lack of strong female characters. Even so it is well written, and takes you back in time to the Hebrides of the 1970's.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely short novel with no pretenses: a boy and his dog. Early in the story there are broken families with slight back stories that need to be fleshed out. Perhaps this is the result of Reader's Digest condensation? I might just find the entire novel. I loved the illustrations by Nita Engle!

[Johann Rossouw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spuddy is a dog we all know too well.

[Ram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful heart warming story of a dog Spuddy, a dumb young boy Andy, a skipper of a boat Jake.

More in
https://medium.com/@vram45/the-spuddy...

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mother, who was Irish, collected and read this entire series and loved it and passed it on to me. I, in turn, absolutely loved it. I could feel the damp, the chill, the smell of the sea, the hard work, the laughter, the peace, the strength and the wit of the main character and I revised the series again and again.

[Diane Wachter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lillian Beckwith, RDC-M #1, 1977, 1/82. An abandoned dog named Spuddy and a boy who is an outsider form a friendship. Okay.

[Rita Duarte Pereira · Rating 4 out of 5]

É uma bonita história que fala sobre relações e os seus traumas. Poderia facilmente ser adaptado para o grande ecrã 👉 fica a sugestão.

[Craig Schlossin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short read but a good book. Worth reading.