Reviews

• まずタイトルの意味から・・・

  アラン・ガーナ―の代表作、邦題は「ふくろう模様の皿」。20世紀後半のイギリス・ウェールズ地方を舞台に、神代から続く三角関係の呪いに巻き込まれる少年少女を描くファンタジーです。名作児童文学との評判と、マビノギオン第四話「マソヌイの息子マース」に題を取った小説という予備知識のみで読みだしたのですが、・・・数ページでとんでもないものに手を出したかも、と後悔。 語彙力が足りない、というのが読みにくいと感じる最大の理由だと思います。お恥ずかしながら、本書のタイトルで初めてservice=ディナーセットなどの皿の一揃い、と知りました。邦題を知らなかったら、もっと時間がかかったかもしれません。他にも地層などの自然描写に聞きなれない単語が多数含まれており、辞書を引き引き進みました。たぶんkindle版でなかったら投げていたと思います。 お話や人物描写もあいまいで一定していないので、余計に何が起こっているのか分かりにくいですね。 全体として、怪しく思わせぶりな雰囲気があって面白くはあるのですが、英語版で読んだ労力に見合うくらい面白いかというと、なんとも言えない・・・。 語彙力に自信のある方以外は翻訳を先に読むことをおすすめします。

• Really good good book

• A small jewel of a book. Times never gone by.

• Alison is holidaying for the summer in the old family house in a valley in Wales with her mother, her step-father and her step-brother, Roger. Also staying in the house is the housekeeper, who is a local woman and a very superstitious person, and her son, Gwyn, who befriends Alison - much to the displeasure of Alison’s mother who doesn’t want her daughter becoming too friendly with someone of a lower class. When Alison hears some strange sounds coming from the attic above her bedroom, she persuades Gwyn to investigate and he discovers an old, heavily-decorated dinner service patterned in green and gold flowers. Once Alison has cleaned the dust off one of the plates and made a tracing of the pattern, she notices that when she fits the two parts of the design together they make an owl. Strangely, Alison finds herself obsessed with making paper owl after paper owl, and stranger still, the pattern begins to disappear from the china. And then later the plates appear to shatter of their own accord and the plaster begins to fall off one of the walls in the house, revealing an old painting of a beautiful, golden-haired woman covered in flowers. Gwyn’s mother is terrified and warns her son not to dabble with what he doesn’t understand, but when Gwyn talks to Huw Halfbacon, a fey, otherworldly man who has lived in the valley for decades, he learns of an ancient Welsh legend of jealousy and vengeance and of a tragedy that seems to be about to revisit them. Alan Garner's 'The Owl Service' is a dark and complex story which is rich in atmosphere of landscape and legend and of how events from the past return to affect those in the present day. As Alison, Gwyn and Roger find themselves re-enacting an old tragedy, they also find tensions of a more personal nature arising between them. With themes of social class, prejudice and cultural identities, Alan Garner’s tale of adolescence and mythology relies heavily on dialogue, which gives the story an energy and a sense of immediacy and which also keeps the reader on their toes as we sometimes have to read between the lines. I first read this as a child and although I was intrigued by it, I’m not sure I really understood it; however I feel I’ve derived more from it by reading it as an adult and was involved and entertained from beginning to end. I'm now looking forward to rereading other titles by Mr Garner, such as: 'The Weird Stone of Brisingamen'; 'The Moon of Gomrath'; and 'Elidor'. 5 Stars.

• ISBN: 978-0-00-712789-4 This review is for the product, not the book. The paperback is thick with a beautiful mixture of glossy and matte finish. The font is clear and large and easily readable without any eye strain. The letter spacing is sufficient with enough space for margins. The paper “feels” old, but it is just like any other HarperCollins book, actually. This thick, sandy finish is their signature style. The same goes for any Simon & Schuster book, too. The retail price is ₹450, and I had to pay ₹390. A good deal. Book was delivered a day before the date specified. Seller was u-store. Overall, excellent service. Extremely satisfied.

• The package arrived without damage and on poin within the established time. The edition of the book is really beautiful!

Purchase links