O Caledonia: A Novel
- Downloads：9589
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-05-21 07:19:38
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Elspeth Barker
- ISBN：1668004615
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Brian Doak Carlin
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An almost perfect balance of content and style， with nary a page passing without a sentence worth dwelling upon。 For the misfit in all of us， replete with a Scottish castle home and an uncomprehending family， and some beautiful descriptions of the Scottish countryside。
Alice
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3。5
Jill Bowman
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Of course I love a book about a gloomy book and animal loving girl living in a cold， stone mansion in Scotland with a family who doesn’t understand her。 It’s right up my alley。 Yet something failed to move me to 5 ⭐️s。 There aren’t many I’d recommend it two - but I know one friend who will love it。 I’m mailing it Monday as a surprise。 ☺️
Lucy Reynolds
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Beautifully written and I was drawn to it because of its fans in Maggie O'Farrell and Ali Smith。 However， I can't say I really enjoyed it and only really starting appreciating Janet towards the end of the book。 I'm also at a bit of a loss as to the 'why' of the murder - there seems like so much more could've been fleshed out。 Beautifully written and I was drawn to it because of its fans in Maggie O'Farrell and Ali Smith。 However， I can't say I really enjoyed it and only really starting appreciating Janet towards the end of the book。 I'm also at a bit of a loss as to the 'why' of the murder - there seems like so much more could've been fleshed out。 。。。more
JacquiWine
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（4。5 Stars） I have to start by thanking Andy Miller for recommending O Caledonia during a previous episode of Backlisted， back in January， I think。 It was introduced as Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle meets Dodie Smith’s I Capture the Castle， a description that proved impossible for me to resist。 Now that I’ve read the book myself， I can confirm that it definitely lives up to this billing， possibly with a dash of Barbara Comyns in the mix for good measure – The Skins Chairs （4。5 Stars） I have to start by thanking Andy Miller for recommending O Caledonia during a previous episode of Backlisted， back in January， I think。 It was introduced as Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle meets Dodie Smith’s I Capture the Castle， a description that proved impossible for me to resist。 Now that I’ve read the book myself， I can confirm that it definitely lives up to this billing， possibly with a dash of Barbara Comyns in the mix for good measure – The Skins Chairs and The Vet’s Daughter are the two that spring to mind。 First published in 1991 and more recently reissued by Weidenfeld & Nicholson as part of their W&N Essentials series， O Caledonia is Barker’s only novel to date。 it’s a dazzling gem of a book， rich in a wealth of vivid imagery – clearly the product of a highly imaginative writer with a sharp eye for detail and an affinity for outsiders。 Ostensibly a coming-of-age narrative， the novel blends elements from a range of literary traditions from the Gothic novel to Classical Myths， skilfully weaving them into the fabric of the text。Central to the novel is Janet， the eldest of five siblings – four girls and one boy – born in relatively quick succession at the end of the Second World War。 We know from the opening page that Janet dies at the age of sixteen， found ‘twisted and slumped in bloody murderous death’ at the family’s rather forbidding home。 However， the novel is not a murder mystery; instead， we are presented with an overview of Janet’s life， following a broadly linear arc from birth to death。Barker wastes little time establishing the novel’s Gothic tone through a multitude of vivid descriptions， complete with touches of the macabre。 It’s a world of glittering stained-glass windows， fox-fur tippets， jackdaws with crossed beaks， and animals nestling in prams。As the story unfolds， it becomes clear that Janet is something of a misfit， an outsider in her family， viewing the world differently from those who surround her。 A fiercely intelligent girl with an active imagination， Janet is rather unconventional in her ways， unwilling to conform to her parents’ traditional Calvinist expectations。 Other family members are frequently exasperated by her idiosyncratic behaviour， typically resulting in punishment for the girl。 However， she often acts out of a lack of understanding， especially when young – something a more nurturing approach from her parents would sorely help to address。To read the rest of my review， please visit:https://jacquiwine。wordpress。com/2022。。。 。。。more
Angel
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I unexpectedly loved this！
T
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I saw an article about Elspeth Barker who died recently， and was interested in this book。Excellent。 Janet is intelligent and bookish with a unique sense of humor。 She is constantly harangued by family members and students at boarding school。 This book was entrancing especially the descriptions of Janet's childhood feelings and that of their large house in Scotland。She compares a beauty salon to an insane asylum "where normal people enter and later exit looking nothing like themselves。" She has a I saw an article about Elspeth Barker who died recently， and was interested in this book。Excellent。 Janet is intelligent and bookish with a unique sense of humor。 She is constantly harangued by family members and students at boarding school。 This book was entrancing especially the descriptions of Janet's childhood feelings and that of their large house in Scotland。She compares a beauty salon to an insane asylum "where normal people enter and later exit looking nothing like themselves。" She has an almost crippling sensitivity to all the lives of animals in her life， and even adopts a jackdaw that lives in her room。4。5Internet Archive 。。。more
Julie
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4。5 I can't begin to describe how odd， and yet charming this book is。 Beginning with the main character， Janet， age 16- murdered within the first few pages。 The book then traces her life up to that point， in a large castle in Scotland with parents who love their younger children much more。 Janet is a rare personality; Barker has a magnificent imagination。 I heard about this book on some podcast where both podcasters said this was one of their favorite books。 It was hard to track down， and I luck 4。5 I can't begin to describe how odd， and yet charming this book is。 Beginning with the main character， Janet， age 16- murdered within the first few pages。 The book then traces her life up to that point， in a large castle in Scotland with parents who love their younger children much more。 Janet is a rare personality; Barker has a magnificent imagination。 I heard about this book on some podcast where both podcasters said this was one of their favorite books。 It was hard to track down， and I luckily could get it from an academic library with whom I have access from my school。 Worth the work！ 。。。more
Catriona
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I think Janet is my sole mate。 Luckily I wasn’t murdered at 16。
Peggy
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I so wanted to like this after all the wonderful reviews。 Barker’s writing is nice。 But this story is so dark and said and full of unlovely cruel people。 I couldn’t like it。
Johanna Reilly
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About the life of Janet a girl growing up in Scotland。 She reminds me a little of myself。 She tragically dies after strange events happen。 Her mother is horrible。
Hannah Bruce Macdonald
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Rounding up for a fellow Elspeth
Josh Ang
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Hailed as a minor modern classic by acclaimed authors like Maggie O’Farrell （who wrote the introduction to this new edition） and Ali Smith， and having won several awards， this slim novella piqued my curiosity。The story begins at the end， with the murder of a teenaged Janet， and whose passing goes unmourned by her parents and siblings， but instead comes as a slight inconvenience to her disinterested family。 That Janet was something of a misfit would be an understatement and the rest of the novell Hailed as a minor modern classic by acclaimed authors like Maggie O’Farrell （who wrote the introduction to this new edition） and Ali Smith， and having won several awards， this slim novella piqued my curiosity。The story begins at the end， with the murder of a teenaged Janet， and whose passing goes unmourned by her parents and siblings， but instead comes as a slight inconvenience to her disinterested family。 That Janet was something of a misfit would be an understatement and the rest of the novella examines her life up to her untimely death。The writing is sharp and there are many passages of beautiful prose in Barker’s description of how Janet becomes estranged from her family as the arrival of each younger sibling displaces her from her parents’ affections by degrees。 Barker tries to make Janet an empathetic character， showing how she struggles to find a middle ground between embracing her position as an outcast in her family and craving for affection and attention from them。 There are both poignant and comedic episodes in her brief life to capture the readers’ attention。However， as a story， I felt that the brevity of the work may have worked against it。 It simply did not have room to go deeply into the characters’ psyche for the reader to develop any strong sense of empathy for Janet， and like the mysterious otherworldly aunt Lila that Janet almost finds a kindred spirit in， she flits in and out of the story too quickly for the reader feel for their connection。 Rather， Janet and her family resemble caricatures， and the larger-than-life Gothic surroundings of their Scottish castle home only accentuates this impression。 。。。more
Anne
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This one is going to stick with me for a while -- I can't quite figure out what the author meant by the rather shocking ending （which is revealed to one in the novel's opening lines）。 Is it an allegory？ A morality tale？ Wishful thinking （for I imagine Barker feels a kinship with her misunderstood， but deeply feeling heroine）？ Who knows！ This one is going to stick with me for a while -- I can't quite figure out what the author meant by the rather shocking ending （which is revealed to one in the novel's opening lines）。 Is it an allegory？ A morality tale？ Wishful thinking （for I imagine Barker feels a kinship with her misunderstood， but deeply feeling heroine）？ Who knows！ 。。。more
Deborah Culmer
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I am extremely conflicted about this book， and about recommending it。 [The plot point revealed below isn't really a spoiler because the end of the book is revealed in the first paragraph。]There is no question: the writing is extraordinary。 The detail and character development is the work of a master。But。 It's such a hard read。 I like Gothic literature， to an extent， but there is a cruelty at the heart of this book that really， really bummed me out。The only character that truly deserves to live a I am extremely conflicted about this book， and about recommending it。 [The plot point revealed below isn't really a spoiler because the end of the book is revealed in the first paragraph。]There is no question: the writing is extraordinary。 The detail and character development is the work of a master。But。 It's such a hard read。 I like Gothic literature， to an extent， but there is a cruelty at the heart of this book that really， really bummed me out。The only character that truly deserves to live and have a good life is killed off in the first paragraph of the book。 Then you have the torturous journey to that ignoble death。I don't need a "feel good" read -- not at all -- but the darkness in this one， with barely a hint of humor to balance it， makes it hard to recommend。 Janet is a fantastic character， unloveable and brilliant， and perhaps （considering the era depicted） she came to the only end that made sense to Barker。 There is much to be said of shining the light on the lack of choices available to young women。 Still。 It's just a very hard read。 。。。more
Emily
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Ugh， this was just delightful。 Dark， funny， strange and tragic， this reminded me of so many other books， but at the same time was completely unlike anything else I've ever read。 Really enjoyed this one。 Ugh， this was just delightful。 Dark， funny， strange and tragic， this reminded me of so many other books， but at the same time was completely unlike anything else I've ever read。 Really enjoyed this one。 。。。more
Carmen
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A combination of astoundingly good prose and a wild and wicked tale of wild and weird girlhood， this novel is masterful and I can't believe I hadn't heard of it until a few weeks ago A combination of astoundingly good prose and a wild and wicked tale of wild and weird girlhood， this novel is masterful and I can't believe I hadn't heard of it until a few weeks ago 。。。more
Rosalie Warren
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Staggeringly goodPoetic， magical， disturbing。 Also familiar， to anyone who has ever been a lonely， misunderstood child - and comforting。 Strongly recommended。 I'll be reading it again。 Staggeringly goodPoetic， magical， disturbing。 Also familiar， to anyone who has ever been a lonely， misunderstood child - and comforting。 Strongly recommended。 I'll be reading it again。 。。。more
beyond_blue_reads
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I really wanted to like this book more！ On paper， it sounded perfect， and I loved the main character， Janet: melancholic teenage recluse and awkward bookish misfit with a pet jackdaw called Claws， who prefers poetry to parties， and has difficulties fitting in。 Real Wednesday Addams vibes。 The story starts and ends with her murder， but it’s not really about that。 Instead it's a dark lyrical portrait of character， and of place （it is set in a grim Scottish castle called Auchnasaugh in the 40s / 50 I really wanted to like this book more！ On paper， it sounded perfect， and I loved the main character， Janet: melancholic teenage recluse and awkward bookish misfit with a pet jackdaw called Claws， who prefers poetry to parties， and has difficulties fitting in。 Real Wednesday Addams vibes。 The story starts and ends with her murder， but it’s not really about that。 Instead it's a dark lyrical portrait of character， and of place （it is set in a grim Scottish castle called Auchnasaugh in the 40s / 50s）。 What's there not to like？But it was the prose， for me。 I found it dense， too lyricial， and at times turgid。 It didn't help that the font in the edition I read was quite dense too， and I'd be interested to read it again or listen to it as audio to see if that changes how I feel - I'm so invested in the premise that I'm not ready to give up on it yet！ But sadly it's two stars for the first read。 。。。more
Gillian
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I feel bad rating a book this low but I truly did not enjoy it。 Her writing style is not for me， very flowery and full of metaphors。 I prefer a more straightforward writing style。 This is just a personal preference though。 As far as the story goes I just didn't find it very interesting。 There might have been some surprise in that the main character dies at the end but we're told that at the beginning of the book。 The author tells us not to expect a 'who done it' so we don't but I found the concl I feel bad rating a book this low but I truly did not enjoy it。 Her writing style is not for me， very flowery and full of metaphors。 I prefer a more straightforward writing style。 This is just a personal preference though。 As far as the story goes I just didn't find it very interesting。 There might have been some surprise in that the main character dies at the end but we're told that at the beginning of the book。 The author tells us not to expect a 'who done it' so we don't but I found the conclusion to be more confusing and out of nowhere than shocking or exciting。 The only saving grace was that the book was short and didn't take me very long to read。 。。。more
Sarah
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The bit with the pigeon。 That is all。
Christobel
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If I could give it six stars I would。
Patrick Carroll
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Perfection， I think I highlighted half the book！
Blair
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Excellent。
Gill
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This is described as follows:-"At the bottom of a great stone staircase， dressed in her mother's black lace evening dress， twisted in murderous death， lies Janet。 So end the sixteen years of Janet's short life。A life spent in a draughty Scottish castle， where roses will not grow， and a jackdaw decides to live in the doll's house。A life peopled by prettier， smoother-haired siblings， a Nanny with a face like the North Sea and the peculiar， whisky-swigging Cousin Lila。A life where Janet is perpetua This is described as follows:-"At the bottom of a great stone staircase， dressed in her mother's black lace evening dress， twisted in murderous death， lies Janet。 So end the sixteen years of Janet's short life。A life spent in a draughty Scottish castle， where roses will not grow， and a jackdaw decides to live in the doll's house。A life peopled by prettier， smoother-haired siblings， a Nanny with a face like the North Sea and the peculiar， whisky-swigging Cousin Lila。A life where Janet is perpetually misunderstood - and must turn from people， to animals， to books， to her own wild and wonderful imagination。"Right from the onset it's made clear via the 'blue’ cradle that Janet's not a wanted child， unlike her more fortunate siblings。 It's hardly unsurprising that following the death of grandparents who are the only adults who do appreciate her， she finds solace in reading and languages and a profound love of nature and animal life in particular。 Although sometimes described as gothic this has to be the saddest and most haunting outsider coming of age novel with Janet's tale told with sympathy and really beautiful prose。 It is unsurprising that it was short-listed for the Whitbread Book Prize twenty years ago and deserves the revived interest in it。 。。。more
Danni
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Truly beautifully written baroque gothicism， skewering the Scottish impulse to quash any and all self esteem when we encounter it like a frog with a garden fork。 Shades of Shirley Jackson and the Brontë sisters， yes， but also a topographical eye like Edmund Burke or George Mackay Brown that I loved。 Underrated classic of Scottish literature。
Candia L
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I loved the main character， an animal-loving bookworm from a Scottish family with a hint of the Mitfords。 She loves the classics， despises everyday girlishness and conventionality and her favourite individual is her pet jackdaw， Claws。 Beautiful。
Jessica
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O Caledonia is beautifully written。 This book is one of the lesser known by the author but I think it is the best。 Instead of writing solely about the death of the girl we read about her entire curious life and about her family until the point of her death。 The book is exciting and the sentences are delicious。 Everything is unexpected which is unfortunately the reason why I did not love the ending。 Although it was intriguing and surprising I thought it was unexplained and random。
Allan McDougall
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Weirdly good。
Andy
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