andrew61's review against another edition
4.0
This is the story of identical twins Lewis and Benjamin and their curious life on an isolated farm in the shadow of The Black Hills on the border between England and Wales. It opens in 1979 as they live their isolated life in the farmhouse they have lived in since their birth at the turn of the 20th century.
The book then details their life through the century and the events and people that shape their story. This includes the strange romance of their parents and the life of a mother who despite intelligence and prospects marries beneath her the husband who becomes increasingly frustrated by his life and takes it out on his wife. As children the twins are inseparable but their characters emerge and perhaps the interesting part of the story is how one twin Benjamin frustrates his brothers opportunities for an independent life particularly as they become aware of girls. Their part in world war one is sad as the choice Benjamin makes after forced conscription has greater impact on their isolation. As theygrow older a nephew emerges and both old and new characters develop and the stories intertwine with poignancy and comedy .
Overall it is a very readable book which I rattled through and there were scenes and characters that stood out. The writer created a vivid sense of place and it was definitely a book that I enjoyed. Perhaps at times however I felt a little distant from the story and the tale lacked an emotional attachment which meant at the conclusion I had enjoyed the read but didn't feel lost without the characters when I put the book down. It did however make me want to explore more by Chatwin a travel writer who I read in the 1980's 'How did I get here' and whose life sory would make interesting reading.
The book then details their life through the century and the events and people that shape their story. This includes the strange romance of their parents and the life of a mother who despite intelligence and prospects marries beneath her the husband who becomes increasingly frustrated by his life and takes it out on his wife. As children the twins are inseparable but their characters emerge and perhaps the interesting part of the story is how one twin Benjamin frustrates his brothers opportunities for an independent life particularly as they become aware of girls. Their part in world war one is sad as the choice Benjamin makes after forced conscription has greater impact on their isolation. As theygrow older a nephew emerges and both old and new characters develop and the stories intertwine with poignancy and comedy .
Overall it is a very readable book which I rattled through and there were scenes and characters that stood out. The writer created a vivid sense of place and it was definitely a book that I enjoyed. Perhaps at times however I felt a little distant from the story and the tale lacked an emotional attachment which meant at the conclusion I had enjoyed the read but didn't feel lost without the characters when I put the book down. It did however make me want to explore more by Chatwin a travel writer who I read in the 1980's 'How did I get here' and whose life sory would make interesting reading.
kirsty147's review against another edition
5.0
Loved it. Probably in my top 5 novels of all time. It's so readable, so simple, yet complex and bleak.
metaphorosis's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars - Metaphorosis Reviews
Brothers, twins in body and spirit, spend much of their lives together on a farm at the Welsh-English border.
I've not read Bruce Chatwin before, but have heard of him mainly as a travel writer. Certainly, in On the Black Hill, his prose is simple and unembroidered. However, he demonstrates that it is also possible to be too plain. The events of the book, tangled and of great potential interest, pass by like notes in an almanac. On this day, this happened; on the next, that happened. While the book follows the lives of the two brothers in great detail, it never roused my interest in either of them. While a few other colorful characters come in and out, others are summarily dealt with in a few paragraphs.
The novel has a fairly clumsy start - after a chapter on the twins late life, the book suddenly and without warning drops back to a time before their birth, to give the history of the farm itself. In fact, while seeming to be about the men, the book could just as easily be seen as about the farmhouse itself - a view probably better fitting its cool, dry voice.
If the book engendered any real feeling in me, it was one of frustration - the twins are curiously passionless, despite a family and neighbours steeped in passion. They drift, and seldom do much. In part, Chatwin's intent is to explain just that, but the story comes across less as a novel than as an almost clinical look at what one might take for a true story. Chatwin is known as a travel writer, and perhaps that was his true calling. The descriptions in the book are colorful and interesting. I wish the characters had been as well.
Brothers, twins in body and spirit, spend much of their lives together on a farm at the Welsh-English border.
I've not read Bruce Chatwin before, but have heard of him mainly as a travel writer. Certainly, in On the Black Hill, his prose is simple and unembroidered. However, he demonstrates that it is also possible to be too plain. The events of the book, tangled and of great potential interest, pass by like notes in an almanac. On this day, this happened; on the next, that happened. While the book follows the lives of the two brothers in great detail, it never roused my interest in either of them. While a few other colorful characters come in and out, others are summarily dealt with in a few paragraphs.
The novel has a fairly clumsy start - after a chapter on the twins late life, the book suddenly and without warning drops back to a time before their birth, to give the history of the farm itself. In fact, while seeming to be about the men, the book could just as easily be seen as about the farmhouse itself - a view probably better fitting its cool, dry voice.
If the book engendered any real feeling in me, it was one of frustration - the twins are curiously passionless, despite a family and neighbours steeped in passion. They drift, and seldom do much. In part, Chatwin's intent is to explain just that, but the story comes across less as a novel than as an almost clinical look at what one might take for a true story. Chatwin is known as a travel writer, and perhaps that was his true calling. The descriptions in the book are colorful and interesting. I wish the characters had been as well.
andresreading's review against another edition
2.0
Unfortunately I found he characters rather stale and hard to relate to, apart from not being explored enough. Besides, the narrative seems to go on without presenting any real obstacles or ups-and-downs. I think the story moved too fast and without enough details for the number of characters and the size of the book.
alex_adey's review against another edition
5.0
Flew through this in a day on a holiday at the foot of the Black Hill referenced in the title. An absolutely beautiful book, the best thing I’ve read in quite some time.
madding78's review
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
exogenesis's review
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
taisie22's review against another edition
5.0
Lewis and Benjamin are identical twins born to a farming family on the Black Hill in the southeastern part of Wales near the Wye River. This book is their story along with neighbors and friends who lived there in the late 19th century up until about 1980-ish. It's a hard life but rewarding in the connection to nature and God. The twins are joined in a manner that many identical twins have - they can feel each other's pain and are connected very tightly. This is both a blessing and a hindrance because it's hard to have a life outside the other.
I was just hiking in this area and I can envision their farm, in fact, I probably stayed in a similar place turned into a B&B but still having sheep and other animals. This is beautiful writing, evoking exactly what that section of Wales looks like with the different colored fields, flowers, and animals. The stone houses and barns dotted along my walk probably looked much the same as when Lewis and Benjamin were born, and Mr. Chatwin does a lovely job with it.
The characters are all interesting; they make me think of Thomas Hardy's works in the way they go about their daily lives. This is a lovely book, one I enjoyed very much and would heartily recommend.
I was just hiking in this area and I can envision their farm, in fact, I probably stayed in a similar place turned into a B&B but still having sheep and other animals. This is beautiful writing, evoking exactly what that section of Wales looks like with the different colored fields, flowers, and animals. The stone houses and barns dotted along my walk probably looked much the same as when Lewis and Benjamin were born, and Mr. Chatwin does a lovely job with it.
The characters are all interesting; they make me think of Thomas Hardy's works in the way they go about their daily lives. This is a lovely book, one I enjoyed very much and would heartily recommend.
exurbanis's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful vintage writing, set in mid 20th century Wales.