The second volume of McAuslan stories unfolds further astonishing episodes in the careers of "Old Private piltdown" and his sorely tried commander, persecutor and protector, Lt Dand MacNeill.
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Editorial Reviews
From the Publisher
"Twenty-five years have not dimmed Mr Fraser's recollections of those hectic days of soldiering after the war. Merged with his sense of the ludicrous is a real affection for those with whom he found his lot was cast. One takes leave of his characters with real and grateful regret" - Sir Bernard Fergusson, Sunday Times
About the Author
George MacDonald Fraser served in a Highland regiment in India and the Middle East, and worked on newspapers in Britain and Canada. He is the author of numerous novels, including Flashman and the series, The Flashman Papers, and films, most notably The Three Musketeers, The Four Musketeers, and the James Bond film, Octopussy.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chaos in a grungy kilt,
By Reader "piratebean" (Newport, RI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: McAuslan in the Rough (Paperback)
It is time that you hear "the sub-muckin', the whole cheese, the hail clanjamfry, the lot' about the Scottish Highland Regiment that served in Africa after World War II.George MacDonald Fraser has written the stories of this regiment and its most infamous soldier, Private McAuslan, in three collections: The General Danced at Dawn, McAuslan in the Rough, and The Sheikh and the Dustbin. Through the narration by platoon commander Dand McNeil, McAuslan comes alive as the dirtiest soldier in the world, "wan o' nature's blunders; he cannae help bein' horrible. It's a gift." Yet McAuslan is one of the most loveable creatures in all of literature. He may be grungy, filthy, clumsy, and disreputable, but he tries to do his best. Through his many misadventures, McAuslan marches into the heart of the reader, right leg and right arm swinging in unison, of course. McAuslan, outcast that he is, experiences some infamous moments in his career: court martial defendant, ghost-catcher, star-crossed lover, golf caddie, expert map reader, and champion of the regimental quiz game (!). His tales, and the tales of his comrades-in-arms, are poignant at times, hilarious at others. These tales are so memorable because they are based on true stories. The reader basks in all things Scottish in the stories. The language of the soldiers is written in Scottish brogue, although Fraser says in his introduction, "Incidentally, most of this volume is, I hope, written in English." Don't fret - a glossary is provided. (Reading the glossary alone causes some serious belly laughs. If you read only one book this year, read this one. And if you know any veterans, give them a copy. It's a volume that the reader will not soon forget.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"There's the wee boys!",
By
This review is from: McAuslan in the Rough (Paperback)
MCAUSLAN IN THE ROUGH is George MacDonald Fraser's 1974 sequel to THE GENERAL DANCED AT DAWN. In the former, Dand MacNeill continues to reminisce about his time spent as a subaltern commanding a platoon of tartan-kilted Scottish Highlanders during the period 1945-1947 while the battalion is posted to both Libya and Edinburgh. One of MacNeill's Jocks is Pvt. John McAuslan, by consensus the filthiest, most unkempt soldier in the British Army. As Dand records:"... (his) grey-white shirt was open to the waist, revealing what was either his skin or an old vest, you couldn't tell which. His hair was tangled and his mouth hung open; altogether he looked as though he'd just completed a bell-ringing stint at Notre Dame." Each of Fraser's books is a collection of short stories relating to events experienced by Dand and his battalion, and particularly his platoon, and which are based on Fraser's own service in the Gordon Highlanders during the same time period. So, in this volume, the lieutenant and his comrades-in-arms garrison an isolated desert outpost for a month, face the controversial inclusion of a black piper in the regimental band (it is, after all, 1946), compete in a general knowledge quiz contest with the Fusiliers regiment, contemplate McAuslan's dubious success with the ladies, mount a nighttime raid on the local Souk to apprehend two deserters, and engage the Royals regiment in a golf tournament. And, lastly, what happens when Dand and McAuslan are released from active duty ("demobbed") on the same day. Whereas in GENERAL McAuslan's contribution to events was erratic and usually of brief duration, in ROUGH his role is expanded to the point where he's a key player in four of the seven chapters. As always, MacNeill's first person narration, both witty and good-natured, ties it all together. Note: MCAUSLAN IN THE ROUGH is currently out of print in the US. However, it and Fraser's two other books in the McAuslan series, THE GENERAL DANCED AT DAWN and THE SHEIKH AND THE DUSTBIN, are all contained in THE COMPLETE MCAUSLAN. I found this to be a captivating and entertaining volume, which I heartily recommend to anyone who is a student of the British military's former role in establishing and policing the Empire. One notable characteristic of Fraser's writing is his ability to quote Dand's Jocks, and put their heavily accented Scottish dialect on paper. By the end of the book, I could actually understand what was being "said".
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lt. McNeil remains cool under fire...,
By A Customer
This review is from: McAuslan in the Rough (Paperback)
In this book and the previous The General Danced at Dawn, the gallant Lieutenant McNeil remains cool under fire.... Even when it's his spooren that's on fire. He cooly changes diapers on a terrorist threatened train through Palestine (where that arab soldier is still trapped in the toilet with his rifle). He guards the hottest soccer team in the army from a modern Blackbeard. He even survives being caddied by that noted golf expert, McAuslan, not only the dirtiest soldier in the world, but the only one who marches swinging his left arm and leg together.Very, very funny and sometimes touching.
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