A compelling imagining of how our Mesolithic ancestors might have lived, with a lyrical sense of place and evocation of a world where animals, people, mountains and spirits are all part of the same existence and must all be treated with respect. ( )

A Good read but unlike her others does not really hang together in terrms of plot or characterisation. Worth having and reading but dont pay too much

This book was a disappointment. A group of hunter-gatherers tell the story of recent events including how various individuals became members of the tribe. Unfortunately none of the characters are real enough or sympathetic enough to keep the reader’s attention or to build up any tension. I would not recommend this book to anyone. ( )

I'm disappointed that I didn't ever really engage with this book. The writing is beautiful, very measured and considered, staying with concepts that are appropriate to its characters, and the storytelling is divided up between the main characters in a way that keeps the story moving forward. I loved the concept behind it, and the Afterword is helpful and informative (I read it when I was 50 or so pages in, and I don't really see why it can't have been a foreword).

I wanted to love it. Margaret Elphinstone wrote one of my favourite books, Hy Brasil, and I thought both The Sea Road and Voyageurs were excellent (I gave copies of Voyageurs to several people). Perhaps it just wasn't for me, or I was reading it at the wrong time. I'm not unwilling to give it another go, and maybe then I'll fall in love with it. If you are looking for a slow, thoughtful book, one you can get dreamily lost in, and that offers a very plausible account of early Mesolithic peoples, then give it a try. ( )

The Gathering Night – A Review

When I first saw the synopsis for this book, I thought that it sounded similar to the Earth’s Children Books, which I had enjoyed. I ordered it, and when it arrived, I looked at the cover, and it reminded me of various unimpressive teen books, which was a dissappointment.

I started reading and I was originally going to make some mention of the lyrical style, until I noticed that it was on the front cover (and I thought I was being clever, doh!)

The story is told as if it is an oral story telling around the campfire, which is fitting considering the context of the story, the point of view changes as different people are telling their part of the story.

The Gathering Night does not go into great detail about the society and the way that life is, what it does is mention details that flesh out the world, almost assuming that you know this information already. This allows the discovery of the world background without weighting you down with loads of trivia.