cheap_and_cheerful's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
anne1299's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
ashleyozery's review
emotional
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
nsebestova's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
cher_n_books's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars - It was really good.
Based loosely on actual events and people surrounding the Massacre of the MacDonald clan of Glencoe in 1692, this beautifully written book also explores faith, love, and those small moments in life that change us irrevocably. The Glencoe Massacre involved a government ordered killing of the MacDonald clan, including the women and children, and was sprung into action while they stayed with the MacDonalds, who were hosting them as friends.
The author uses two narrators, each based on a real person, with alternating point of view chapters. Mr. Charles Leslie, an Irish Jacobite, is traveling to interview Corrag on what she witnessed the night of the attack, in hopes of finding damning evidence against King William to build support for the return of the exiled King James VII. His story unfolds through letters written to his wife back in Ireland, and it is easy to see his character develop as his previously held conceptions are challenged by his interactions with Corrag. The other narrator, Corrag, is a feral woman with a very unusual upbringing who ended up in the Scottish Highlands after running from men that wanted to kill her for being a witch. Her story unfolds through beautiful, lyrical, poetic writing that reads like a monologue.
An example of the writing style used with Corrag's narration:
"You want the second sight? To be taught it? Half-mad thing....You have always had it."
And she was right. I had. I knew it, as I knelt there. I had always had it, for we all do - all people born with a heart have it, for it is the heart's voice. It is the soul's song. I have had it with every starry sky, with each bee that knocked against me as it rose up from a bloom. I've had it with kindness - mine, and others'. I've had it with the hairs on my arms standing up, at the sound of a clan singing a fireside song, or with my eyes filling with tears at a simple, lovely sight. For it is in these moments that the heart speaks up. It says "yes!" Or "him!" Or "left" or "right". Or "run".
We all have it. But I think it is people like us - lonesome, in love with the blustery world - who hear the heart most clearly. We have its breath, feel its turns. We see what it half-sees.
At times the writing was brilliant, but at other times it felt grandiloquent and as if you were reading filler while waiting for the "real stuff" to unfold. The last 50 pages of the book were spectacular, but as a whole, for me the book felt too long. Not a good sign considering it's average page length. I would recommend this to those interested in historical fiction, lyrical writing, Scotland, mankind's devilish ways or witch trials, BUT, know that it is slow for much of the book. You will, however, be rewarded with beautiful literature while you wait for the good part.
Tidbit from the afterward: The last execution of a so-called witch in Britain was in 1727. The Witchcraft Act of 1735 put an end to the generations of fear and persecution. Over the previous three hundred years it is estimated that over 100,000 women - mostly knowledgeable, independent, old or outspoken women - stood trial, accused of witch-craft.
Glencoe Valley
-------------------------------------
Favorite Quote: We are different, yes - but we both pray, or make wishes, and our prayers may drift in different ways, and roll out like cold breath, but I reckon they meet up in the same place, in the end.
First Sentence: When they come for me, I will think of the end of the northern ridge, for that's where I was happiest - with the skies and wind, and the mountains being dark with moss, or dark with the shadow of a cloud moving across them.
Based loosely on actual events and people surrounding the Massacre of the MacDonald clan of Glencoe in 1692, this beautifully written book also explores faith, love, and those small moments in life that change us irrevocably. The Glencoe Massacre involved a government ordered killing of the MacDonald clan, including the women and children, and was sprung into action while they stayed with the MacDonalds, who were hosting them as friends.
The author uses two narrators, each based on a real person, with alternating point of view chapters. Mr. Charles Leslie, an Irish Jacobite, is traveling to interview Corrag on what she witnessed the night of the attack, in hopes of finding damning evidence against King William to build support for the return of the exiled King James VII. His story unfolds through letters written to his wife back in Ireland, and it is easy to see his character develop as his previously held conceptions are challenged by his interactions with Corrag. The other narrator, Corrag, is a feral woman with a very unusual upbringing who ended up in the Scottish Highlands after running from men that wanted to kill her for being a witch. Her story unfolds through beautiful, lyrical, poetic writing that reads like a monologue.
An example of the writing style used with Corrag's narration:
"You want the second sight? To be taught it? Half-mad thing....You have always had it."
And she was right. I had. I knew it, as I knelt there. I had always had it, for we all do - all people born with a heart have it, for it is the heart's voice. It is the soul's song. I have had it with every starry sky, with each bee that knocked against me as it rose up from a bloom. I've had it with kindness - mine, and others'. I've had it with the hairs on my arms standing up, at the sound of a clan singing a fireside song, or with my eyes filling with tears at a simple, lovely sight. For it is in these moments that the heart speaks up. It says "yes!" Or "him!" Or "left" or "right". Or "run".
We all have it. But I think it is people like us - lonesome, in love with the blustery world - who hear the heart most clearly. We have its breath, feel its turns. We see what it half-sees.
At times the writing was brilliant, but at other times it felt grandiloquent and as if you were reading filler while waiting for the "real stuff" to unfold. The last 50 pages of the book were spectacular, but as a whole, for me the book felt too long. Not a good sign considering it's average page length. I would recommend this to those interested in historical fiction, lyrical writing, Scotland, mankind's devilish ways or witch trials, BUT, know that it is slow for much of the book. You will, however, be rewarded with beautiful literature while you wait for the good part.
Tidbit from the afterward: The last execution of a so-called witch in Britain was in 1727. The Witchcraft Act of 1735 put an end to the generations of fear and persecution. Over the previous three hundred years it is estimated that over 100,000 women - mostly knowledgeable, independent, old or outspoken women - stood trial, accused of witch-craft.
Glencoe Valley
-------------------------------------
Favorite Quote: We are different, yes - but we both pray, or make wishes, and our prayers may drift in different ways, and roll out like cold breath, but I reckon they meet up in the same place, in the end.
First Sentence: When they come for me, I will think of the end of the northern ridge, for that's where I was happiest - with the skies and wind, and the mountains being dark with moss, or dark with the shadow of a cloud moving across them.
sylviapatience's review against another edition
5.0
A little slow at the start, but a beautiful book when you get into it. I loved it.
elina_stokvis's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
patriciajoan's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
leasaurusrex's review against another edition
5.0
Très joli roman sur les sorcières et l'Ecosse, sur la Nature et la solitude. Et puis sur les gens, les lieux, la haine, l'amour, les religions et les guerres.
Bien écrit, le rythme est prenant et on ne s'ennuie pas, les descriptions sont magiques, et ma seule envie est de foncer en Ecosse tout de suite maintenant.
Une vraie bonne lecture qui remet la sorcière à sa place, et qui parle du courage et de la différence.
Bien écrit, le rythme est prenant et on ne s'ennuie pas, les descriptions sont magiques, et ma seule envie est de foncer en Ecosse tout de suite maintenant.
Une vraie bonne lecture qui remet la sorcière à sa place, et qui parle du courage et de la différence.