⋙ Download No Great Mischief A Novel Alistair MacLeod 9780375726651 Books

No Great Mischief A Novel Alistair MacLeod 9780375726651 Books

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No Great Mischief A Novel Alistair MacLeod 9780375726651 Books

We first meet the narrator, Alexander MacDonald, an orthodontist, on his way to visit his older brother, Calum, in Toronto. As we ride with him in his car on this beautiful autumn Saturday, we learn the history of the Scottish MacDonalds. His great grandfather making his way from Scotland with his family on a boat bound for Cape Breton. His wife dies leaving him with many children, and from them we learn of their history. This proud clan who all speak Gaelic to each other, who are always singing, have such a difficult history. Working hard from dawn to dusk, bringing up theirs families, hoping for a good pay check so there will be no worries of bills and such. We meet the entire family, the family ties that bind all of these marvelous characters, to form their history.

We go back centuries to the Highlands of Scotland, where the MacDonald clan fought for their independence. This history is akin to the authorsq, Alistair MacLeod and his family. Farming, coal mining, marriage, children, college for the lucky, violence and blood for some. We meet them all. The grandparents keep the families together, and from them we learn the ways. Grandfather always said, 'Music was the lubricant for the poor', but in actuality music kept the entire heritage alive. And, grandmother said, 'Everyone is better if they are loved'. How very true.

Such a marvelous book, even if my maiden name was not MacLeod, I would hold this book true. The writing like poetry that sings in my heart.

Heartily Recommended. prisrob 08-05-17


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No Great Mischief A Novel Alistair MacLeod 9780375726651 Books Reviews

The Battle of Culloden (1746) was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. This conflict near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands was the last pitched battle fought on British soil.

Hence a vast migration of Scots to the new world, in the case of some of the clan Chalum Ruidah to Cape Breton, and the beginning of this wondrous, harsh, tender and inexorable tale, beautifully written, in fact, awesomely so.

A classic by any definition of the word, it belongs among the greatest works of world literature. Do I sniff a Nobel Prize in the future? I certainly hope so.

There are so many elements in this story that they are ungraspable. It is deeply sad, yet at times joyous. By the time the reader has finished reading it, it most likely has gotten into his blood. The beautiful Gaelic lilt in the voice of the author, half-poetry, half-prose, seems to shine through centuries. Even the animals take on a life of their own, horses, dogs, even whales. But always, always sadness at the heart of it all. And yet there is no trace of self-pity, though some of the characters have miserable fates. One even wonders about the lead character who, along with his sister, fares better than the rest, at least to outside appearances; yet there is a strange passivity, an odd reluctance, even in this supposed person of success.

An emigration story, a coming of age tale, the settings being Toronto, Ontario mineral mines, Calgary, and of course Cape Breton, this Clan is at heart very tender. One wishes they had been allowed to live easier lives. A cast of characters one can never forget.
What is family? At the end of this complex, but satisfying novel, you may understand it as all of humanity or maybe not. How big is our clan? As large as we want it to be.

I was traveling to Nova Scotia on vacation and wanted to read a work of fiction set in the place. I came across No Great Mischief set in Cape Breton. I made a point of finishing it the night before we started our journey to the island. I think my wife got a bit annoyed with me as I was reading the book because I couldn't help but talk about it (since she was alone in the car with me for hours on end, she got to be the lucky one). Wouldn't you know that the night we were in Inverness as we were headed back to our hotel room, we ran into a woman walking her dog. We talked for a while and then I mentioned that I had just finished reading the book. She says to me, "oh you must go see Anita MacLeod, the author's widow, who lives nearby. Just knock on her door." Well, we did and had a very nice chat with her and her son Alexander. I suppose the main character was named for him. Made the book even more special to visit with them and discuss the area and the book. Go to Cape Breton if you've never been, it's truly magnificent.
We first meet the narrator, Alexander MacDonald, an orthodontist, on his way to visit his older brother, Calum, in Toronto. As we ride with him in his car on this beautiful autumn Saturday, we learn the history of the Scottish MacDonalds. His great grandfather making his way from Scotland with his family on a boat bound for Cape Breton. His wife dies leaving him with many children, and from them we learn of their history. This proud clan who all speak Gaelic to each other, who are always singing, have such a difficult history. Working hard from dawn to dusk, bringing up theirs families, hoping for a good pay check so there will be no worries of bills and such. We meet the entire family, the family ties that bind all of these marvelous characters, to form their history.

We go back centuries to the Highlands of Scotland, where the MacDonald clan fought for their independence. This history is akin to the authorsq, Alistair MacLeod and his family. Farming, coal mining, marriage, children, college for the lucky, violence and blood for some. We meet them all. The grandparents keep the families together, and from them we learn the ways. Grandfather always said, 'Music was the lubricant for the poor', but in actuality music kept the entire heritage alive. And, grandmother said, 'Everyone is better if they are loved'. How very true.

Such a marvelous book, even if my maiden name was not MacLeod, I would hold this book true. The writing like poetry that sings in my heart.

Heartily Recommended. prisrob 08-05-17