Edinburgh - city of art, city of literature. How excited do you get when reading a book set in this magic city? We love following the adventurous paths of historic and fictional characters through the cobblestones of the Old Town, the streets of Leith or the sandy coasts in Portobello. Here are four of the best modern literary heroines who have walked these streets.
Emma Morley from 'One Day' (David Nicholls)
The main female character in David Nicholls's novel is probably the best friend we all want to have around. Emma is ambitious, refreshing, kind and independent. She is a dreamer and ordinary in her own extraordinary way. That is why we like her. Edinburgh is the lovely setting of the beginning of her friendship/romance with fun-loving yet troubled Dexter. It's a relationship that will widen its boundaries in London and Paris before eventually going back to Edinburgh for scenes centred around the city's iconic landmark Arthur's Seat.
Cat Morland from 'Northanger Abbey' (Val McDermid)
Yes, part of this book is set in the enchanting surroundings of a Gothic castle, lost somewhere in the Scottish Borders. However, a lively and summery Edinburgh during the electric buzz of the Fringe is where our heroine Cat and the mysterious Henry Tilney meet. In this re-working of one of Jane Austen's sadly lesser-known novels, crime author Val McDermid celebrates the beauty of our city through the amazed eyes of a curious young girl. As a culture vulture with a thirst for adventure, Cat Morland dreams of an exciting life that resembles her books. You will be delighted with the power of her imagination.
Judy Taylor from 'The Emergence of Judy Taylor' (Angela Jackson)
This is a book about second chances and the need to change. Judy knows that leaving her husband, family and her comfortable life in Manchester will not be easy but she has to try. Edinburgh will be her chance of rebirth and hopefully happiness. This brave and audacious woman does not have a plan on what to do next. But she will learn a lot about herself and what it means to truly belong to a place.
Isabel Dalhousie from 'The Sunday Philosophy Club' (Alexander McCall Smith)
This first book of The Sunday Philosophy Club series follows the vicissitudes of the inquisitive philosopher Isabel, a woman with a passion for Italian men... and mysterious deaths. When not busy hosting a Sunday Philosophy Club in her house in the south of Edinburgh, she writes and edits the Review of Applied Ethics and, in her spare time, enjoys trying to solve some unusual murders. Her first mystery involves the death of a man at a concert in the grandiose walls of the Usher Hall. The accident happens in front of her eyes - and she knows he did not fall.
See more things to do in Edinburgh from Time Out.