Customer Reviews

Greenvoe

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I read this an undergraduate Scottish lit. seminar. And for years, it has been out of print. That was a terrible shame, not least of which because I now want my own students to read it! It's a gem of a novel, portraying the people of a small community, and their intertwined lives. It's also about the clash between tradition and modernity. George Mackay Brown had an amazing ear for dialogue, and an ability to weave complex tales. The people of Greenvoe are wonderful character studies. One of the greatest Scottish novels...

This was George's first novel, following magical, glimmering collections of poetry and short stories. Happily, despite the occasional awkward tone and structural problem, it manages to capture that unique vision he has of being able to portray the past, breathing over the shoulder of the present. He depicts the small community of Greenvoe trying to unite against the dark forces of the Black Star development, and paints the effects on individual lives, for whom the natural elements of wind, rain and cold had been their adverseries down the generations.

Interestingly, at the time George was writing this, Orkney was convulsed by opposition to proposed radium mining across her 'green glens and sleeping hills', and the parallels are clear for all to see. If you already know George's shorter work this would make the ideal start point to explore his novels; however, if you're unfamiliar with this 'master wordsmith of isolated places', I'd recommend the superb 'Calendar of Love'Calendar of Love or 'A Time to Keep'A Time to Keep: And Other Stories collections of short stories, or 'An Orkney Tapestry'An Orkney Tapestry (if available), which is a magical evocation of the spirit of Orkney, with beautiful line drawings by Sylvia Wishart.