Recent reading

[luzula]

The Dark Mile by D K Broster (1929, third in the Jacobite trilogy)
I was not predisposed to like this book (no Keith, not that much Ewen), but in fact I ended up enjoying it a lot in the moment. In fact the book was not much like I had expected it to be? I'd expected the main focus to be on the Ian Stewart/Olivia Campbell romance, but I felt like the fallout of GitN took up more space, with a lot of action/adventure/plotting which I enjoyed, and also a quite moving resolution to that fallout. As regshoe said, Finlay MacPhair of Glenshian is a moustache-twirling villain, but I found David Maitland to be an interesting character, and Ewen's confrontation with that motive for the betrayal of Archie Cameron must have been thought-provoking for him. Definitely a lot more nuance in her portrayal of political motivations and loyalties than in Broster's earlier books set in France...

It isn't actually slashy, but I feel like the relationship between Ian Stewart and Hector Grant is given as much space as Ian Stewart/Olivia Campbell. An A+ duel, as usual with Broster! She writes those so well. And poor Ian--I think it was hyarrowen who said that Alan and Ian are kind of like Boromir and Faramir with respect to their father issues.

I did not mind the Ian Stewart/Olivia Campbell romance, but neither was I very invested in it, and I thought the resolution of the obstacles between them was far too pat. I would have much preferred if they'd had to struggle with and resolve those issues as they were--if they were actually resolved by that revelation, which I don't think they were (sorry, I'm trying to be vague to avoid spoilers). Also, after all my historical reading, I think the portrayal of the clan enmity is not very nuanced: in the book, it is as if all Campbells are anathema to an Appin Stewart, because of the '45. But there were Jacobite Campbells! Lochiel was married to one of them, and three of his twelve(!) sisters were also married to Campbells (don't know their political opinions though). There were Campbells who fought for the Jacobites in both the '45 and the '15, though of course most of them were on the other side. In general the Campbells acted pretty well in the aftermath of Culloden, and it wasn't unusual for Jacobite clansmen to say that they would surrender, but only to a Campbell. Another thing is the Campbell expansionism which must have threatened Appin, but that's not mentioned. I've also read that much of the upper classes in Scotland refused to let the Whig/Jacobite divide affect social relations--like, there were many Whigs who testified on behalf of their Jacobite neighbors, and so on. Of course, Ian in the book is given a more concrete reason to object to Olivia: that her father led the militia who killed his brother at Culloden. So I guess that in itself is fine, but I would've liked more nuance.

I did feel that Alison and Aunt Margaret were pretty side-lined. : ( Alison is very much the Wife and Mother, and Aunt Margaret gets one lovely scene confronting Glenshian ("by nature she relished a fight"), but then not much more. Sigh. I mean, I am sad that Keith is not in the book, but if I can't get Ewen/Keith, then I do want Alison to be more of an actual character. I thought Broster did better by her in GitN.

I don't really agree with regshoe that the story is told from Ian's POV--I read it as omniscient POV that shows us several different characters (quite many, in fact). Also: regshoe, what is the line about Ewen that's obliquely about Keith? You mentioned there would be one, but I totally missed it...

Also, I was surprised when Ewen and Ian arrive in a carriage from Invernacree to Ardroy, really? I would not have thought there was a good enough road up to Ardroy for that.

Comments

[hyarrowen]

I enjoy it as one of her Other Novels, as long as I stick my fingers in my ears and go "la la la, not seeing a problem here." There's quite a lot wrong with it, and when I last read it I could see the mechanics of the denouements all too clearly; far too pat, as you say. But it's an enjoyable read for all that, and I liked Ian and his sister, and Hector was as annoying as usual. I had a lot of sympathy for David, and it was interesting to see the point of view of someone who's had to think about things a great deal more deeply than Ewen has.

As for Boromir and Faramir, it probably was me who made the comparison, since it's a Tolkien reference! :/

I've also read that much of the upper classes in Scotland refused to let the Whig/Jacobite divide affect social relations--like, there were many Whigs who testified on behalf of their Jacobite neighbors, and so on.

As so often in Britain, class trumps everything. :(

[luzula]

I was annoyed by the adoption thing, because why would it suddenly not be a problem at all? Olivia still grew up as a Campbell, and still has a close relationship to Campbell of Cairns.

Actually Hector's behaviour is quite reasonable, compared to Ian's! Well, except for Hector haring off alone to Glenshian. *g*

Yes, I thought it was interesting to have Ewen confronted with David's POV--but then, David was naive in his own way, since he trusted in the government not to kill off Archie...

[regshoe]

David Maitland is certainly interesting! I do like how Broster took the opportunity for a bit of historical speculation there, and what she did with it. I found him difficult to like at first, because could he really think that there wasn't a risk to Archie, he ought to have had enough experience of the Government not behaving honourably. But I enjoyed seeing the complexity of his perspective and motives, and the anguish he goes through blaming himself for what happened, and although the ending is a bit of a convenient cliche, I had really come to like him by then. And, of course, the whole thing is a good resolution for Ewen.

Ian as Faramir, lol, I like that :)

Yes, I would also have liked to see a more nuanced portrayal of clan relationships—Broster's always excellent historical detail seems to fall down a little when it comes to over-dramatising and romanticising the Highlands.

I've also read that much of the upper classes in Scotland refused to let the Whig/Jacobite divide affect social relations--like, there were many Whigs who testified on behalf of their Jacobite neighbors, and so on.

Huh, that is really fascinating (and would itself make a good subject for a historical novel!) It must have been a bit strange trying to keep up normal upper-class social relations with everything that was going on—they lived in interesting times, indeed.

what is the line about Ewen that's obliquely about Keith?

It was this one—I felt some emotion thinking about him regarding Keith in this way :(

Ewen had a downright belief in the next world and a rather disconcerting habit of speaking of his dead friends—and since the Rising he had lost two by violent deaths—as if they were in an adjoining room.

I also thought this one, a little earlier on...

'...that if ever he came here again he would be received as what he was, the man to whom I owe my son’s life—God knows why one makes these pretences of a future for the dying, but one does...'

...might have been a bit of a call-back to his 'Yes, yes, always,' at the end of FotH. (Oh, I'm sad now...)

[luzula]

Ah, of course! I guess I was caught up in the present plot and didn't catch it. But yes, you're very right.

I suppose with Ewen having such a vivid belief in the afterlife, at some point someone might write a story with Keith as a ghost--but not me, I think, it would be too sad. Or I guess I sort of already wrote that, with Ewen at Morar on the anniversary of Keith's death! Except it didn't actually have ghost Keith...

[regshoe]

Oh, no, don't give me more sad story ideas! :( But yes, I really like the couple of ghost-ish fics we already have in the fandom, actual ghost fic could be pretty interesting...

[luzula]

Ha ha, I say it would be too sad for me, when I have just written Ewen dying and wringing all the angst from it that I could... : )

[regshoe]

Lol, true—but then, having also just written a highly angsty story, I think that's a very good reason for wanting more happiness and fluff next instead :D

[hyarrowen]

I couldn't work out where Invernacree is, though I haven't done a close reading lately. Do you happen to know?

[luzula]

Well, she made it up, probably based on Invernahyle which is an Appin Stewart name. But here seems reasonable--according to TDM it's supposed to be south of Duror, and by the shore of Loch Linnhe. By the 'Inver-' in the name, it must be by the mouth of a stream, and there's a stream lying conveniently opposite that little island, which could then be the one they rowed out to (though it has a different name).

[sanguinity]

I finished it!

I wouldn't go so far as to say it's from Ian's POV, but I would say that Ian definitely supplanted Ewen as the protagonist. It took me a long time to get into the book because I didn't much care about Ian's romance. (I very much wanted more time with Ewen and the cattle, because I had this whole parallel story going in my head where Keith is living at Ardroy as Ewen's factor.) But once we got to... oh, Hector's imprisonment, my interest picked up a lot. The duel, although technically still in the section I Did Not Care About, was as you say, very good. And I adored the page of Roger-the-spaniel's point-of-view.

I have to say, I'm impressed with how many moving parts Broster is willing to have in a plot. Narration bips around like the ball in a pinball machine, ricocheting off all these seemingly disconnected elements, then all of a sudden there's a coherent whole in which all those elements were necessary. It's impressive to watch.

Re the resolution to Ian's romantic problems... Eh, as far as I'm concerned, sometimes Old Timey Stories randomly declare that a plot is resolved by some grossly insufficient handwave, and I've just gotten to the point where I shrug and say sure, whatever. (In my head, I class it with Pirates of Penzance plot devices of being born on a leap day or everyone being gentlemen. I know PofP is supposed to be satire, but it's only slightly more eyebrow-raising than various devices/resolutions in other stories that I was asked to take seriously.) Anyway, I very much viewed those last pages as a "it's resolved because I said so" handwave. Which is a disappointing note to exit the series on, but there it is.

Another disappointment: nobody kills Guthrie!!! Cue me as the little boy in the Princess Bride, "What do you MEAN, he lives???"

[luzula]

I agree, I didn't care much about Ian's romance, either--although I guess I cared enough to be annoyed at the insufficient resolution. Have not read Pirates of Penzance, but a quick Wikipedia read explained the reference... But I'm glad there were enough things you enjoyed, anyway, and that you could insert Keith into the story in your head!

Another disappointment: nobody kills Guthrie!!! Cue me as the little boy in the Princess Bride, "What do you MEAN, he lives???"

Well, Guthrie is the instrument of Ewen's redemption from being vengeful and un-Christian in GitN, so of course he can't die. : )

*also, looks mysterious as to Guthrie's fate in the story I just started writing*

[sanguinity]

I must say, I find Broster's rules for who must and mustn't die very unsatisfactory. Make people live with their redemption arcs, damnit, and let us have Major War Crimes come to a Very Bad End, just as a treat. Don't we deserve nice things?

*is very happy there is an active Give Us Nice Things brigade on AO3*

[luzula]

Hee. Nothing prevents you from writing it! *g*

I did already give Captain Greening his comeuppance in another fic (though I didn't kill him off).

[sanguinity]

Only my extreme ignorance of the century, country, and military institution! Although goodness knows, I have climbed that hill for other fandoms...

Hooray for giving Captain Greening what's coming to him!

[luzula]

Well, if you decide to try, I'm happy to beta-read. : )

[sanguinity]

Thank you so much for the offer!