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Jump to navigationJump to searchNo Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod (view source)
Revision as of 13:35, 7 October 2011
, 13:35, 7 October 2011no edit summary
What is almost impossible to convey here is the strength of the writing, of the simple language which weaves again and again through the motifs of family and place. Whether he is creating moments of heart-wrenching loss, or noble fortitude, of great humour and magnificent beauty, of friendship and camaraderie that can turn in an instant to hatred and violence, MacLeod is a great writer almost always in calm and gentle control of his art, and of us. We are led to a sense of both sorrow and celebration for the life he portrays, and for the nobility of human hope in the face of change.
[[The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney]] evokes a similar atmosphere and creates something of the physicality of a the isolated place. A much more detailed historical account of some elements of the background to this story are to be found in [[And The Great Famine: Ireland's Agony 1845-1852 by Ciaran O Murchadha]]. While this is set in Ireland, the context surrounding the Celtic diaspora emerge here very clearly.
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