And so it happens I picked this one out of a box of donated books I was sorting for my local library and took it home to 'take a look'. For the life of me I can't explain why I read it end to end, except that it was well-written and had a certain serious-minded tone that kept me slogging onward. Sutherland examines the history of second sight in Scotland, placing it in context, describing the different ways it manifests, giving the history of some major seers and the like. From time to time her eagerness causes her to struggle to stay with her purpose, to tell the story of second sight in Scotland, and for the most part she succeeds. I can't say I learned anything I didn't know on the subject--although, of course, I read about a number of people I knew nothing about, I mean about the larger topic of psychic occurrences. As someone who has had a couple of unaccountable experiences, the book was affirming, even comforting, in a way. Sutherland's main point, with which I agree, is that the 'gift' if you can call it that, is spontaneous unpredictable and often uncomfortable, happening when it happens, and who can say why. If you are into reading about this sort of phenomenon, it's a serious enough attempt. ***1/2 (which may be a bit on the kindly side, maybe 3 1/4 is more accurate. ( )