Customer Reviews

Gavin Maxwell a Life

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Botting's personal knowledge is extremely useful in this overview of Maxwell's life. However, for fear of muddying the waters, Botting stops short of discussing Maxwell's sexuality in detail. In my opinion this may well be a mistake and may in the future re-open debate about what role this played in the relationship with his employees. Maxwell himself, often alluded to his repressed homo sexuality but little of its role in his marriage breakdown is apparent. Not withstanding this slight criticism, this book is absolutely essential in filling in the autobigraphical gaps as charted by Maxwell's own books and the Richard Freye biography. Today, Camusfearna has gone and the Skye Road Bridge has been built across Kylerhea island (Eilean Ban). Maxwell passed away in 1969 and his long-time critic, TV presenter Johnny Morris in 1999. In the 30 years between, much has been lost forever yet the decendents of Maxwell's ottersmay still play in the shadow of the Cuillins and the Sound of Sleat. One can dream as I once did 8 years ago on the north coast of Skye whilst watching an otter fishing in the sea below.

...and Douglas Botting delivers. One gets to see the inside story of Camusfearna thru his eyes and thru the eyes of Maxwell's clipped prose. I know that I was curious enough to read this -- so what does THAT say?

I think that Gavin Maxwell was no doubt a tortured soul...and that he delivered what he wanted the world to read -- which is where Botting both delivers and fails.

Having been the fictional subject of my own self through someone else's eyes, I've had to come to terms with what Botting does to Maxwell, and what Maxwell did to the Marsh Arabs and to poor Kathleen Raine, who by Lustasia's eyes,
was only star-tagging herself to something that she could never really possess.

I don't really know. I wasn't there. And Botting, was, at least in part, a piece of Gavin Maxwell's complex world.

I enjoyed the inside look. Toward that end, both Botting AND
Maxwell are genius. :-)

I also enjoyed Gavin Maxwell's perfect honesty in all his failed successes.

Think on that one, and enjoy the ride!