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31st out of 99 books
—
27 voters
Whisky Galore
Wartime food rationing is bad enough, but when the whisky supplies run out on the Hebridean islands of Great and Little Todday, nothing seems to go right. Then the fifty-thousand-bottle cargo of the shipwrecked S. S. Cabinet Minister brings salvation - in its most giddily intoxicating form.
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
November 4th 2004
by Vintage Classics
(first published 1947)
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Mar 17, 2013
Lance Greenfield Mitchell
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
scotland,
comfort-reads
This book is very amusing, and it is based upon a true story. It gives a great insight into why the simple lives of Highlanders and Islanders are to be so admired and envied.
The SS Cabinet Minister runs aground on the rocks of one of the Hebridean islands. The locals, naturally, take advantage of the availability of the ship's cargo: whiskey. The authorities have other ideas about what should happen to this precious cargo.
The conflict which ensues, and some of the cunning methods that the locals...more
The SS Cabinet Minister runs aground on the rocks of one of the Hebridean islands. The locals, naturally, take advantage of the availability of the ship's cargo: whiskey. The authorities have other ideas about what should happen to this precious cargo.
The conflict which ensues, and some of the cunning methods that the locals...more
A feelgood, rather quaint book, very much of its period [late 1940s]. Based on the true shipwreck of the SS Politician off the coast of the Hebridean island of Eriskay, and the remarkable disappearance of its cargo of prime whisky. I suspect there is a good deal of truth in the story, whatever the author's disclaimer! Mackenzie knew the Outer Hebrides well, so I guess the book is likely to have a degree of truth in the social history it represents; it is certainly accurate in its depiction of th...more
I have start off by saying that I'm a singer in a Celtic band and I don't just sing about whiskey, but I love the stuff. Reading this book for me was like finding myself surrounded by a room full of kindred spirits. There were so many things to love about this book, but really at its heart was the culture of Gaelic speaking Scotland. It is culture where nothing is ever too serious, yet the passion for life is the poetry of the air they breathe. Music, dancing, and just good Craic with friends is...more
The picture on the cover and my vague memories of the film are of people desperately trying to hide whisky from the excise men, but that is merely one day's events in a very good book. Much of it explores the relationships between islanders when they are in the trying times of an alcohol drought and the effect of a sudden, unexpected, but not entirely legal solution.
I've been told many times that one way to make a novel is to get a set of characters, put them in a challenging situation and see...more
I've been told many times that one way to make a novel is to get a set of characters, put them in a challenging situation and see...more
A delightful book! A charming, humorous view of a pair of remote islands in the Scottish Hebrides and the clash of cultures when the English Home Guard tries to manage the locals during WWII. And the whiskey....
The edition I read had a neat little Gaelic index in the back, arranged by chapter, like footnotes. I didn't discover this until I was more than halfway through the book. It's a nice feature. I find that unknown foreign words in a text really break the rhythm of my reading, especially if...more
The edition I read had a neat little Gaelic index in the back, arranged by chapter, like footnotes. I didn't discover this until I was more than halfway through the book. It's a nice feature. I find that unknown foreign words in a text really break the rhythm of my reading, especially if...more
Though this started out quite slowly, the more I read the more I enjoyed it. Whisky Galore belongs to that genre of writing about the country wherein officious city-types are constantly being wrong-footed by the wily locals, so there are plenty of laughs at the expense of the uptight authority figures. There are also some funny satirical jabs at military incompetence, puritan hypocrisy, and overbearing parents. I hear the 1949 movie version is great, so I'm looking forward to checking that out t...more
You can tell this is an old tale! The narrating is quite innocent in the telling. Not much in the way of sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll, just whisky. The tale does rotate around the wedding arrangements (or not as mother would like) of 2 residents of the village. Of course the grounding of the ship containing many cases of whisky bound for America makes for a better reason for a celebration - it still must be kept a secret!
The cover of this book was interesting, I was not sure if I needed to put on some 3D glasses or if I needed a drink of Whisky to see it properly!
There were a lot of characters on this story which made it difficult to follow at times. Also it was written in the dialect of the area which took a bit of getting used too. The story on the whole was quite entertaining and I was pleased when George eventually stood up to his mum.
There were a lot of characters on this story which made it difficult to follow at times. Also it was written in the dialect of the area which took a bit of getting used too. The story on the whole was quite entertaining and I was pleased when George eventually stood up to his mum.
It took me awhile to finish this book; I started it then neglected it for some months. I guess I just had to be in the right mood. But I loved it, feeding into my Scottish Island fantasies as it did. I love the dialogue and the sense of the islands. Did Compton Mackenzie write other Scottish novels, does anyone know?
Dull. It perhaps got more entertaining when the whisky arrived but I was nearly halfway through and it hadn't made an appearance, so I decided life was too short and my bookshelf too packed to waste any more time.
A bit outdated but gives a pictoresque description of life on a scottish island in the 40's. The outdatedness adds to the story in my opinion. Fun to read when you are actually in the region.
I give up! Far too slow-paced (but then this book was written way back when) and such a slow read, with too 'heavy' words, that I missed the humour when it came.
A whisky-laden ship runs aground off the coast of the Outer Hebrides during the Second World War. Can the islanders keep it a secret from Customs?
Enjoyable little comedy about Scotland and Whisky. It's a bit slow to get going and some of the characters stories aren't revisited which I think was a shame but a good story none the less. Grab yourself a dram of 'minnie' while you read this, it'll make it that much more enjoyable as you drink alongside the characters.
4.5 stars actually...
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http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/i...
Having read the book I'd love to see the old black and white film. Slow start but it picked up once Minnie appeared.
The perfect companion for a visit to the Western Isles. Charming.
Hilarious bootlegging comedy. Very entertaining.
One of my favourite books EVER! :o)
Slow, slower, slowest......
This was a fun read and left me wanting to get back to Monarch of the Glen.
The perfect antidote to Christos Tsiolkas.
From the author of Monarch of the Glen, this is a cracking tale of what happened during the bleak days of the war when the Outer Hebridies had nearly no whisky and a tanker full of the stuff was wrecked within distance to "salvage" it.
It paints a great picture of the spartan life they had up there back then - I found some of the dialogue a little difficult due to being written in dialect. But it was fab.
All the better for being based on a true story.
It paints a great picture of the spartan life they had up there back then - I found some of the dialogue a little difficult due to being written in dialect. But it was fab.
All the better for being based on a true story.
Ahhhh, you can't argue with the comic genius of Compton MacKenzie!! Although loosely based a true story, MacKenzie takes the story and expands it into classic comedy with instantly recognisable style. A thoroughly enjoyable read by a man passionate about the land he writes of, perfect to while away a spare few hours. No wonder it was picked up by Eeling films!
Written just after the Second World War, this is the tale of two Scottish islands and the characters who live upon them. It wasn't as amusing as I expected but did amble along pleasantly enough.
Another DNF, I found the book very boring. Actually I picked it up for my sister because the movie made from this book, "Tight Little Island", is one of he favorite movies.
My copy is a book, not a cassette, but I can't find the book on Good Reads.
This, on the other hand, was very entertaining.
Now for the film
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Compton Mackenzie was born into a theatrical family. His father, Edward Compton, was an actor and theatre company manager; his sister, Fay Compton, starred in many of James M. Barrie's plays, including Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. He was educated at St Paul's School and Magdalen College, Oxford where he obtained a degree in Modern History.
Mackenzie was married three times and aside...more
More about Compton Mackenzie...
Mackenzie was married three times and aside...more
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