Reviews with content warning for War - O Caledonia

Reviews tagging 'War'

O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker

6 reviews

womangenius's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Extremely accurate depiction of what it's like to be an melancholy young girl who feels she doesn't fit in...but there's a lot of those books. It didn't give me much else to chew on. I would definitely have recommended this to a younger me. The moody Scottish Highlands setting was beautifully rendered, and adds to the whole Gothic affair. Definitely is a modern Gothic classic as advertised, if you are searching for such a vibe, you'll find it here (mid century modern, anyway).

I don't understand why Janet died except in a figurative sense - the curmudgeonly old groundskeeper, symbol of old patriarchal Scottish society, snuffing out the young rebellious girl the exact moment she seizes some semblance of freedom. I can appreciate it in that sense but I'm just someone who prefers the events of a novel to also be grounded in a reality whose machinations have a logic to them, and Jim's random act of violence made no sense to me. "that's the point, killing her is as inconsequential to him as the rabbits he butchers for dinner☝️" Okay I don't care for me it's a three star book. Because it makes sense to butcher rabbits for dinner. Theyre not having Janet for dinner except metaphorically, as fodder for their endless snarking gossip.

However, I can see why it's so adored and it has a chance to grow on me if I stop worrying so much about realism.

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blewballoon's review against another edition

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dark reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I found the experience of reading this to be generally unpleasant. Backwards as it may be, the more a book is considered a "literary darling," the more skeptical I become that I will enjoy it. The forward praising the book before it actually started made me appropriately apprehensive.

I imagine there must be readers who like the main character Janet, but I did not find her relatable or sympathetic. In some ways she strikes a "not like other girls" chord to the extreme. She's above frivolous things like learning how to clean and sew, she is too busy with poetry and flouncing around her family's estate. She has the drama of Anne of Green Gables but none of the charm. Her single redeeming quality is that she likes animals and doesn't want them to suffer, but this is oddly juxtaposed with a total lack of empathy or understanding of people.

She can't mercy kill a pigeon, but she did try to kill her baby sister and she nearly killed another baby sibling by handling her with the care of a bowling ball. She also didn't care about sending two boys to get seriously injured in a decaying building. These boys in particular were just children who hadn't done anything against her.

It's often hard to tell what age Janet or the other children are meant to be at a given point in the story, but even so, their behavior (specifically Janet's) and lack of understanding feels too strange to be explained by childhood. I mean, not to victim blame, but a lot of Janet's suffering is because of her own choices. She makes really bad ones. Janet isn't the only one, though. Every human character sucks, sometimes more and sometimes less, but none of them are a positive presence. The Jackdaw is the best character, but he's only there for a very small part of the book, and he's a bird.

There are many instances of animal cruelty and death that are hard to read, and they contribute to the overall somewhat gross and disturbing tone of the book. The

asylum scene

and the scenes with a variety of male characters after Janet has gone through some puberty also contribute to this vulgar tone, and there's a little fatphobia sprinkled in as well.

I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator was fine, but any parts where there were poetry or song recitations in the text felt grating to me. I felt myself clenching my teeth when they'd pop in.

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readsbymoonlight's review against another edition

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dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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thearchivist03's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This coming of age tale is really dark, but it's reflective. I wish the author hadn't spoiled that the main character is dead in the first few pages as I think it took away from the surprise at the end when you learn of the truth behind the murder mystery.
That being said, the prose was so beautiful. This was excellently written out, scenery and Janet' character and her inner monologues were spelled out perfectly in feeling and in words. I wish the plot had more to it, but it does follow a person's life, which doesn't give room to be creative. It was very linear storytelling, very static, and I think that's what threw me off personally. The ending and moral of this story is dark, but it does make me think and wonder of the existence and societal responsibilities placed on children, especially the eldest. Very tragic tale, not too enjoyable and lighthearted, but thought provoking.

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feelinwitchy's review against another edition

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emotional reflective relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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toffishay's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I really felt for Janet, felt connected to her. The book starts at the end and then moves backwards. You know how the story ends up for Janet. In a way, she knows this too. But watching her grow up and grow against a world that doesn't even try to understand her, that pushes her down and hurts her, is no less tactile because we know that she won't escape. Or she does, in her own way, but through the actions of others. The writing style is absolutely stunning. The descriptions of her home are so beautiful, even as the settings are tense and breaking down, and horrific. It felt like an honor to read about Janet's life.

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