Starburst
Authors: Robin Pilcher
An Ocean Apart
Starting Over
A Risk Worth Taking
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS
.
An imprint of St. Martin’s Press.
STARBURST
. Copyright © 2007 by Robin Pilcher. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.thomasdunnebooks.com
www.stmartins.com
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Pilcher, Robin.
Starburst / Robin Pilcher.—1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN: 978-1-4299-1791-9
1. Edinburgh International Festival—Fiction. 2. Edinburgh (Scotland)—Fiction. 3. Women violinists—Fiction. 4. Women comediennes—Fiction.
5. Photographers—Fiction. 6. Pyrotechnists—Fiction. I. Title.
PR6066.I376 S73 2007
823'.914—dc22
2007020258
This book is dedicated to the memories of
JOANNA and HENRIETTA MACRAE
Who held the Big Umbrella
While Rowena played her fiddle
On the castle esplanade
T
here are many aspects of this book that had never been covered by my own experiences, so I had to rely on quite lengthy research to make it seem as authentic as possible. I am therefore indebted to the following people:
Wilf Scott, MVO, Master Pyrotechnic, of Pyrovision
Owen O’Leary of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Susie Burnet of the Edinburgh International Festival
Alistair Rae of Hartlepool Borough Council
Christine Beroff of Le Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris
Harry Bell of Tern Television
Sergeant Wilson Gove of Tayside Police, Traffic Division
Roddie Urquhart of A& WM Urquhart, WS
Amanda Bower of the Sheraton Grand Hotel, Edinburgh
Sarah Rymer, concert violinist
Graham Nicholson for his knowledge of Edinburgh
Anna Wemyss for her knowledge of the Underbelly
Jamie and Sarah Jauncey for brainstorming Dessuin with me.
Also my daughter, Alice, who helped me work on the younger characters in the book, and my daughter-in-law, Abi, who gave me valuable assistance with the Edinburgh vernacular.
W
alking around Edinburgh in late July, you’ll likely feel the first vibrations of the earthquake that is festival time, which shakes the city throughout August and into September. You may hear reference to an “Edinburgh Festival,” but this is really an umbrella term for six separate festivals all taking place around the same time.The best-known and oldest of these is the Edinburgh International Festival. The festival was founded in 1947, when Europe was recovering from World War II. Festival founders believed that some event was needed to draw the continent together and “provide a platform for the flowering of the human spirit.”
In recent years, the festival has drawn as many as 400,000 people to Edinburgh, with acts by world-renowned music, opera, theater, and dance performers, filling all the major venues in the city.
Edinburgh festival time can fill almost any artistic need…. Edinburgh in August is an experience you are unlikely to forget!
—
The New York Times