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O Caledonia (1991)

von Elspeth Barker

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3971863,302 (4.16)34
"A darkly humorous modern classic about a doomed adolescent girl, featuring a new introduction by Maggie O'Farrell, award-winning author of Hamnet. Janet lies murdered beneath the castle stairs, attired in her mother's black lace wedding dress, lamented only by her pet jackdaw... So begins O Caledonia, with the body of sixteen-year-old Janet sprawled beneath the stained-glass window of her Scottish Highlands home. The only mourner is her pet bird, and there is no shortage of suspects in the murder of the unlovely and unloved Janet. Despite this opening scene, O Caledonia is not a whodunit but an account of our ill-fated young heroine's life, from birth to early death, about sibling bonds and betrayals, isolation and loneliness, the miseries of adolescence, and the saving grace of books. Author Elspeth Barker masterfully evokes the harsh climate of Scotland in this gothic tale that has been compared to the works of the Brontes, Edgar Allan Poe, and Edward Gorey. People, birds, and beasts move through the background in a tale that is as rich and atmospheric as it is witty and mordant. The family's motto-Moriens sed Invictus ("Dying but Unconquered")-is a well-suited epitaph for wild and courageous Janet, whose fierce determination to remain steadfastly herself makes her one of the most unforgettable protagonists in contemporary literature"--… (mehr)
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This book is short, easy to read, and full of unlikable characters who are incapable of of giving each other what they need - which sucks for the weird daughter, the oldest child who just wants to fit in, but as herself. As she grows up, her Mom and Dad ignore her for her more perfect siblings, which just makes her even more weird.

This book actually reminds of the anti-Addams Family, instead of an eccentric family full of acceptance, you get an eccentric family trying to be as normal as possible. The book is billed as a dark story, hilarious, and a funny work of genius. And its all of that, the writing is spot on, descriptions of the house, of Janet, even of the dogs and cats. This is not a happy family and it takes a very skilled writer to capture that unhappiness while managing to point out the absurdities.

Its recommended, but at times I found it emotionally difficult to read. ( )
  TheDivineOomba | Feb 4, 2024 |
Ali Smith calls this book “One of the best least-known novels of the twentieth century.” I have to agree. I kept checking the publish date because it reads like an old classic from a much earlier time. Darkly comic with almost poetic descriptions of the Scottish countryside, the writing is stunning and Janet’s short life depicts many reminders of the horrors of coming of age. The one word that springs to mind for this book is: unforgettable. ( )
  Andy5185 | Jul 9, 2023 |
I adored this, despite and fell in love with the heroine, despite her dark nature. It's a slim novel, a coming-of-age-noir set in mid-20th-century Scotland, black and very dryly funny and really beautifully written. There's a manor house, a pet raven, and a protagonist who just doesn't fit into the mold she's supposed to... I think just about anyone who's been a teenager will relate. This is not quite like anything else you might think of that would slot into those categories, and made me happy to read despite its sad ending (not a spoiler). Absolutely recommended, especially if you like that kind of arch but kindly UK voice along the lines of Muriel Spark, Sylvia Townsend Warner, et. al (though this was originally published in 1991, so a bit later in that milieu). ( )
  lisapeet | Jun 19, 2023 |
i don't quite see what maggie o'farrell does in her introduction to this book, but i did enjoy it. this story of this misunderstood, outcast girl, who is disliked even by her parents, but who finds community with her books and with birds and creatures is one that you know from the outset will end in tragedy. the rest of the book just tells how we get there. and it is tragic - for literally no one to care to get to know her, to try to understand her, to see what the birds see in her. her depth of feeling for the animals is what most moved me, but her unlikeableness seemed more rooted in her differences and in her unwillingness to conform. something we often praise these days. anyway, it's interesting to think about and sad to read about, and even as i was waiting for the end to come, it was still surprising that it did.

janet's inability to mercy kill a bird in the moment when it was fatally injured, to put it out of its misery was written perfectly. that is, i'm quite sure, exactly how i'd respond, blubbering and all, and i fear for ever finding this out in life for certain. ( )
  overlycriticalelisa | Apr 18, 2023 |
At the beginning of the book, Janet, an obstreperous teen, is found murdered at the foot of the stairs in the cold and bleak family castle in Scotland. Thus I went into the story expecting it to be a Scottish mystery. Instead it is the beautifully written portrayal of a teenage girl who doesn't feel like she belongs anywhere and her struggle to find her niche.
And yet...there is no mystery at the end. We are given a pretty good clue as to who dunnit in earlier the book, and the ending just ties that up. ( )
  tangledthread | Feb 1, 2023 |
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O Caledonia! stern and wild
Meet nurse for a poetic child - Sir Walter Scott.
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Half way up the great stone staircase which arises from the grim and vaulting hall of Auchnasaugh Castle, there is a tall stained glass window
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So they blamed the mother for giving her all those books to read:”It's not natural for a bairn”; they blamed the father for his ideas of education; they blamed everyone and everything they could think of, but in the end there was grim assent: “The lass had only herself to blame”.
Janet and Francis had been spanked. They were in deep disgrace. Janet did not care. A splinter, a tiny shard of ice crystal, had entered her heart and lodged there.
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Wikipedia auf Englisch (3)

"A darkly humorous modern classic about a doomed adolescent girl, featuring a new introduction by Maggie O'Farrell, award-winning author of Hamnet. Janet lies murdered beneath the castle stairs, attired in her mother's black lace wedding dress, lamented only by her pet jackdaw... So begins O Caledonia, with the body of sixteen-year-old Janet sprawled beneath the stained-glass window of her Scottish Highlands home. The only mourner is her pet bird, and there is no shortage of suspects in the murder of the unlovely and unloved Janet. Despite this opening scene, O Caledonia is not a whodunit but an account of our ill-fated young heroine's life, from birth to early death, about sibling bonds and betrayals, isolation and loneliness, the miseries of adolescence, and the saving grace of books. Author Elspeth Barker masterfully evokes the harsh climate of Scotland in this gothic tale that has been compared to the works of the Brontes, Edgar Allan Poe, and Edward Gorey. People, birds, and beasts move through the background in a tale that is as rich and atmospheric as it is witty and mordant. The family's motto-Moriens sed Invictus ("Dying but Unconquered")-is a well-suited epitaph for wild and courageous Janet, whose fierce determination to remain steadfastly herself makes her one of the most unforgettable protagonists in contemporary literature"--

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