Calum

Not entirely sure the time spent reading this was fully worth it.

I probably should have re-read The Secret Commonwealth but I really couldn't be bothered. Maybe this is why I couldn't work out why anyone was doing anything, or what the whole point was? Capitalism bad?

There were flashes of excitement and colour and I enjoyed some of the intrigue and characterisation, but overall this just made me feel a little sad. It's as if Tolkien had decided to make the Scouring of the Shire into a full blown sequel trilogy.

That being said, I loved La Belle Sauvage and I can't bring myself to 2 star this.

I liked the use of Gaelic and insights into Western Isles culture of the 1940s.

I'd recommend watching the Ealing comedy instead.

Really good, just really really good.

I can understand why this is well liked but it's a little too twee for my tastes.