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Lewis Grassic Gibbon (1901–1935)

Auteur van Sunset Song

27+ Werken 1,619 Leden 33 Besprekingen Favoriet van 4 leden

Over de Auteur

Lewis Grassic Gibbon (James Leslie Mitchell) is one of the finest writers of the twentieth century. Born in Aberdeenshire in 1901, he died at the age of thirty-four. He was a prolific writer of novels, short stories, essays, and science fiction and his writing reflected his wide interest in toon meer religion, archaeology, history, politics and science. The Mearns trilogy A Scots Quair is his most renowned work, and has become a landmark in Scottish literature. toon minder
Fotografie: Lewis Grassic Gibbon, author of "A Scot's Quair" and "Nine Against the Unknown"

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Werken van Lewis Grassic Gibbon

Gerelateerde werken

The Oxford Book of Scottish Short Stories (1995) — Medewerker — 102 exemplaren
The New Penguin Book of Scottish Short Stories (1983) — Medewerker — 70 exemplaren
The Penguin Book of Scottish Short Stories (1986) — Medewerker — 67 exemplaren
Sunset Song [2015 film] (2014) — Original book — 9 exemplaren

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I saw this book mentioned in a list of books set in Scotland which caught my eye because we are planning a trip to Scotland next year. This book was mentioned as the one that was consistently rated the best Scottish book. So, of course, I had to read it. Luckily my public library had one copy in its catalogue.

Grassic Gibbon does a wonderful job of setting the stage for this book by describing the small valley of Kinraddie (which is fictional) and all the people who live there at the beginning of the book. Kinraddie is a little south and west of Aberdeen and quite near the shore of the North Sea. Most of the people in the valley don't own the land they farm so they could be turned out at any time. Chris Guthrie is the central figure of this book. Her father had brought the family to Kinraddie in the early part of the 20th century. The family consisted of 6 children at the time: Will, the oldest, Chris, Dod, Alec and then two twins who were just infants at the time of the move. Chris's mother was worn out with the childbearing and when she became pregnant again she killed herself and the twins. Chris, who was a smart girl and was planning to continue her education, had to leave school. Her father was a strict man with a violent temper. He and Will were always fighting and finally Will couldn't take it any more. He left the farm and Scotland. Chris, who had been very close to Will, was thus left to do even more of the work. Her father had a stroke or a heart attack and was left bedridden. Chris held the farm together but couldn't look after the two small boys so they went to live with a childless aunt. After her father's death she fought to keep the land and she was able to do so with the help of her new husband, Ewan. For a few years they had a happy marriage and a happy life and then the conflict that we know as World War I started. That changed everything but Chris persevered. A son was born and maybe he will continue on farming.

I made liberal use of the glossary at the back of the book as much of the dialect is sprinkled with words that are peculiar to that time and place. I learned, for instance, that bigging is a building and glunch means to mutter half-threatenly. I saw some reviews that complained about the use of this Scots idiom but, for me, it added to the charm of the story-telling.
… (meer)
½
1 stem
Gemarkeerd
gypsysmom | 16 andere besprekingen | Oct 9, 2023 |
a woman's life as crofter's daughter, wife, rector's wife, widow and back to the farm
 
Gemarkeerd
ritaer | 9 andere besprekingen | Aug 4, 2021 |
Not as good as Sunset Song (maybe because quite a bit gloomier), but still very good.
½
 
Gemarkeerd
Stravaiger64 | 2 andere besprekingen | Dec 28, 2020 |
Funny and sad, caustic and compassionate; the first and best in the Scots Quair trilogy.
 
Gemarkeerd
Stravaiger64 | 16 andere besprekingen | Oct 9, 2019 |

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Statistieken

Werken
27
Ook door
4
Leden
1,619
Populariteit
#15,906
Waardering
3.9
Besprekingen
33
ISBNs
126
Talen
6
Favoriet
4

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