Customer Reviews

Monarch of the Glen

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For anyone familiar with the very popular BBC series Monarch of the Glen, much in this audio book will ring familiar. And, for those unfortunate not to be familiar with the series, the book will be an entree into the world of a Scottish Highland Chieftan of the 20th Century.

The tale takes place in Scotland in the early 1940's at the castle Glenbogle, the ancestral estate of the Clan MacDonald. The patriarch is a stodgy old Highlander trying to make the best of the 20th century, but with his values firmly planted 400 years earlier. There's a bit of everything in here, a love story, a battle, some history as to kilts and clans and highland lore. Quite of lot of Gaelic is spoken and by the end of the story some of it actually starts to sound familiar.

The narrator does an excellent job with the wide cast of characters ranging from Americans, to Brits and Scots. I found myself laughing out loud many times. It was a great "read" on my way to and from work.

A note of caution though for those who have seen the series: There is only a hint of similarity to the series, but don't let the name changes etc turn you off, the story in total could easily have taken place in the Glenbogle we've seen on film.

If you're expecting to "see" Archie, Golly, Duncan, et al, they're not around...yet...in this audio version of MacKenzie's novel, which takes place between the two world wars.

Despite a bit of a slow start, the book is a hoot and will definitely get you through a long car trip, or many long commutes! David Rintoul's reading is excellent and never monotonous. You'll get a good flavour of Highland life and traditions and have more than a few laughs.

I had never heard of Compton Mackenzie until a few years ago when I rescued a copy of "Hunting the Fairies" from a newspaper recycling bin (a guy in our town died and his idiot family dumped his book collection---I rescued hundreds for our library book sale.) "Hunting the Fairies" was that rare book which made me laugh out loud and also feel warm and uplifted. The Monarch of the Glen continues with some of the same characters and has the same humanity and wit. The humor is gentle but not sappy, satirical but not mean, and the characters are keenly observed from real life. This book is a very entertaining read, plus you'll learn a thing or two about Scottish history and culture.

I started with the TV version (BBC America) and found the book different -- and funnier.

This book is entertaining and well written. You can see how the TV Series picked an individual thought out of the book to make an episode but don't look for chapters that co-inside with the series. Actually, the theme of the book is based around hikers who Ben Nevis absolutely despises and proceeds to capture them on his land and immediately locks them up in his dungeon. After releasing them, the hikers union plan and execute capturing Ben Nevis and locking him up until he signs an agreement to allow the union to camp and hike on his land. The story is funny and in its self would have made an excellent episode. I still prefer the TV series.

It's a great book. While it's a very different Glenbogle from the TV shows, it captures a lot of the spirit of the same place. It's not too hard to fill in the intervening years and feel a continuity of life at the Castle. I also enjoyed the fact that the whiny angst of some of the TV characters is pretty much absent, while the power of the laird hellbent on following his idiosyncratic notion of life as a laird with his sidekicks (including a Killwillie) is all there. It's easy to imagine the Ben Nevis as the father of Hector, who seems to be a chip off the old block. If you have a fetish for the TV characters, you might be disappointed, but if you let yourself get involved, you'll get a sense of Glenbogle of ages past, before the internet, cellphones, globalization and rock and roll.
I can't wait to read the next one!

Highly recommended!

I haven't gotten into the book as yet, but I have seen all the series of the BBC production and really enjoyed the story, characters and the beauty of the land. I know the book will give me more of the story then the series and I'm really looking forward to the read.

Boring, boring, boring!! After watching the television series I'm spoiled. This tedious, wordy tome was actually distasteful. I couldn't even get through 1/2 of the first chapter.