Key of the Chest (Portway Reprints) [Hardcover]

Neil M. Gunn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1966 | Series: Portway Reprints

Gunn, one of the great writers of the Scottish Renaissance, returns in this novel to the world of the Highlands, but now a darker mood has crept in. Charlie, a divinity student who has lost his faith, is accused of having murdered a ship wrecked seaman and stolen from his chest. Charlie is a man at odds with the world, and his forbidden love affair with the minister's daughter threatens to bring tragedy down upon a whole community.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 262 pages
• Publisher: C.Chivers; New edition edition (May 1966)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0855942002
• ISBN-13: 978-0855942007
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Wordy, but good, August 10, 2002

By 

Novathinker (Northern Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Key of the Chest (Canongate Classics) (Paperback)

This is a good story set on the West Highland coast. Gunn's knowledge of crofting, fishing and coastal life combine with his social commentary to create an engaging book. One word of caution for fans of Hemingway-style economy of word: the plot moves along, but is frequently peppered with long explanations of ordinary things.

The Key of the Book is Gunn's commentary on intellectualism. Community insiders, the local folk, seem to have a sixth sense about them. They are very comfortable with circumstances, even in the face of significant disruption in the community. The intellectuals among them -- mostly outsiders -- are constantly trying to think things through since they lack this local intuition. Two outsiders in particular blather on incessantly about the details of everything. Not surprising for a Highland writer, these two outsiders are English.