Fisher has recommended that I read No Great Mischief: "Narrated by Alexander MacDonald, a contemporary member of an extensive, close-knit clan, the story stretches back over 200 years, tracing the journey of family patriarch Callum MacDonald and his 12 children from their native Scotland to an uncertain future in the New World."

Sounds good. I'm going to buy it at lunch and I'll report back once I've read it.