The Little Minister [Hardcover]

J. M. Barrie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2005

1891. Sir James Matthew, Baronet Barrie a Scottish journalist, playwright, and children's book writer who became world famous with his play and story about Peter Pan, the boy who lived in Never Land, had a war with Captain Hook, and would not grow up. The Little Minister begins: Long ago, in the days when our caged blackbirds never saw a king's soldier without whistling impudently, Come over the water to Charlie, a minister of Thrums was to be married, but something happened, and he remained a bachelor. Then, when he was old, he passed in our square the lady who was to have been his wife, and her hair was white, but she, too, was still unmarried. The meeting had only one witness, a weaver, and he said solemnly afterwards, They didna spaek, but they just gave one another a look, and I saw the love-light in their een. No more is remembered of these two, no being now living ever saw them, but the poetry that was in the soul of a battered weaver makes them human to us for ever. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.

Editorial Reviews

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--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

About the Author

Barrie was a Scottish playwright and novelist. He is best remembered for his play "Peter Pan," a supernatural fantasy about a boy who refused to grow up. The son of a weaver, Barrie studied at the University of Edinburgh. He took up journalism, worked for a Nottingham newspaper, and contributed to various London journals before moving to London in 1885. His early works, "Auld Licht Idylls" (1889) and "A Window in Thrums" (1889), contain fictional sketches of Scottish life. The publication of "The Little Minister" (1891) established his reputation as a novelist. During the next 10 years Barrie continued writing novels, but gradually his interest turned toward the theater. From 1930 until his death he was chancellor of the University of Edinburgh. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 476 pages
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing, LLC (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1432622129
• ISBN-13: 978-1432622121
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book, October 24, 2001

By 

Sally Stenger (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little Minister (Hardcover)

I recently picked up a copy of this book at the Lenox used book sale. My copy was inscribed by someone who gave it as a present in 1941. The book jacket says that it is a "children's book" but that's along the lines of saying that Gulliver's Travels is a children's book. The author is the same one who wrote Peter Pan.

It was written around the turn of the century and its style is a little bit more Victorian. However, it is a very interesting book, and I was fascinated by it. (Not quite fascinated enough to read it in one sitting, but fascinated enough that it was hard to tear myself away.)

The narrator is a man who was in love with a woman and circumstances separted them. Now, about 20 years later, she moves not far away from him with her son. The focus is on the circumstances involving the son, which is basically a simple love story.

Nothing original here, but some of the language is very poetic, and he tells a gripping story. Those who are interested in such things will enjoy the Scottish dialect and description of the lifestyle of a small Scottish weaving town.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Little Diamond, August 16, 2006

By 

Lee Armstrong (Winterville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Little Minister (Paperback)

While I couldn't find the World Syndicate 1933 hardback edition that I read of J.M. Barrie's tale first copyrighted in 1891, I did get caught up in the events of the story. The protagonist is a minor character in terms of involvement that recounts the events of the little minister Gavin Dishart. At age 21, Dishart has graduated from university and assumes his first church of the Auld Licht, moving to Thrums with his mother Martha. There with housekeeper Jean they move into the parsonage. The story is told through the eyes of the schoolmaster, who we learn is a biological relative unbeknownst to Gavin. The people of the district are primarily weavers. Their thick brogues are written into the dialogue with unusual words (ken, syne, dominie) that take a bit of time to get used to for the modern reader. For instance Rob Dow talks about the upcoming rain with this response: "Ay," said Tosh eagerly, "but will it be a saft, cowdie sweet ding-on?" You get the sense that they're considering whether it'll be a hard or soft rain, but the specifics zoom past the modern reader not used to the brogue. (I found it interesting that one townsman is named Peter Tosh whose name would be today better known to me as a reggae singer from Jamaica!)

A strike squelching by the military and police is outmaneuvered by the information spread by a gypsy referred to as "the Egyptian." After the opening salvo, the events of the story become less political and more personal as Gavin slowly falls in love with the Egyptian, Babbie, who hides a false identity. With complications made by Lord Rintoul who also wants to marry Babbie for her beauty, the story becomes a romance between money and love. Barrie throws in a bit of adventure with a major flood that rearranges the landscape before bringing the story to conclusion. I found the story to be charming with themes and characters that still speak to us today. This story is a little diamond, well worth dusting off by the modern reader. Enjoy!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Lousy Editing Job, December 10, 2007

By 

David Danko "A Careful Reader" (Arizona, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Little Minister (Paperback)

I have read "The Little Minister" by J. M. Barrie in the past, and the story itself is wonderful.

However, I do have a complaint with the company (The Book Jungle) that published this edition.

Apparently this edition was not proof read, because there were countless errors.

1. Many spots where whole blocks of paragraphs were missing from a chapter, or interspersed in another chapter altogether.

2. Several spots where there were duplicated blocks of paragraphs in the same chapter.

3. Many inappropropriate spelling errors.

4. Punctuation errors, for example periods in inappropriate places, breaking up the sentence structure in the wrong spots.

Overall, I was very disappointed in this particular edition. I have to say it was the worst publication of a book that I have ever read.

And the sad thing was, it cost almost $20.00

Buyers beware!