an impressionistic tale of three teens reenacting a deadly eternal triangle in a welsh village. strange yearnings and mysterious motivations are anchored by enjoyably prosaic dialogue, the oddly off-kilter use of slang, and a sharp but subtle sense of warfare between the classes. a nicely clean and uncluttered narrative. one of the many endearing parts of this novel is the realization that the patterns of history and destiny that drive the characters forward are being reflected in the flowery patterns found on dinner plates and wallpaper. another charming thing: magical paper cut-outs of owls! but lest you think this is a cute story for tweens, know that the yarn being spun is one rooted in tragedy, violent possessiveness, and eternal regret. and it is a very mystical novel despite all of the expertly-done 'ordinariness'.i've read that this low-key novel of the past tormenting the present is considered a classic by many. it even boasts a BBC adaptation. if you like Owl Service, you should find the tv series on dvd - it is actually pretty good. some very interesting and rather radical things happening in what is essentially a miniseries for kids. and the program keeps the mysticism intact, hurrah!i am usually a little amused when i come across new agey 'anglo-saxon mysticism' in real life, in shops and in jewelry and in celtic tattos and whatnot. i can't help but roll my eyes a little at the cliche. is this mythology in some ways symbolic of the yearnings for mysticism and a rich warrior ancestry of the white middle class in general? is this the unfulfilled need that drove mel gibson to Braveheart? who knows. but when i actually read it, in places like this novel and in the Dark Is Rising series of susan cooper, it is a guilt-free pleasure. (view spoiler)[perhaps i secretly yearn to replace my own muddy, goulash-like ancestry with something mystical, with ancient secrets flowing through my veins and a terrrible destiny to be fulfilled! or perhaps not. i like goulash.my last name, "Molnar", is a hungarian last name, just like goulash, although i am not remotely hungarian. but in honor of my last name, here is a recipe: TRANSYLVANIAN GOULASH 4 tbsp. sunflower or canola oil2 yellow onions, chopped1 1⁄2 lbs. beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1⁄2" cubesKosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste1⁄4 cup sweet paprika2 tsp. dried marjoram2 tsp. caraway seeds2 cloves garlic, finely chopped2 medium carrots, cut into 1⁄2" cubes2 medium parsnips, cut into 1⁄2" cubes1 1⁄2 lbs. medium new potatoes, peeled and cut into 1⁄2" cubes1 tomato, cored and chopped1 priest or pastor or other religious official, cored and chopped *optional1 Italian frying pepper, chopped1 lb chubby Italian man, chopped *optionalthe blood of a young or at least young-ish virgin. no nun blood! *optional1. Heat oil in a 5-qt. dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Increase heat to high. Add beef, Italian chubber, the religious official of your choice or denomination, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, uncovered, stirring only once or twice, until the meat is lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in paprika, marjoram, caraway, and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add carrots, parsnips, blood of virgin, and 5 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Simmer, covered, until the beef is nearly tender, about 40 minutes.2. Add potatoes and cook, uncovered, until tender, about 25 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and peppers; cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with rye bread, if you like.SERVES 4 – 6, or 14 - 16 if including optional ingredients.yum, just look at the bloody goodness of this special goulash. delicioso! (hide spoiler)]
Four and a half stars.Alison is spending her holidays in a house she's inherited in a remote Welsh valley. Her mum has not long remarried and she's there too with new hubby Clive and his son Roger. They've engaged a cook, Nancy, from outside the valley. She brings her son Gwyn with her, a son she's reared on tales of the valley and its people. Alison hears scratching above her bedroom and Gwyn gamely gets into the roof - there discovering a set of plates with an abstract flower pattern on them. He takes one plate and gives it to Alison. She traces the pattern, cuts it out and rearranges it to make an owl design.So begins the reenactment of a mythic event that, from generation to generation, has played itself out in the valley. Wild power builds and goes a-hunting as Three are chosen to resolve a torment that has wracked the valley and its inhabitants for countless centuries. One by one, the children share their secrets, becoming vulnerable to each other. Then, through their inability to stand up to their parents' control or through misunderstanding, they come to betray each other. As they react in spite and cold-hearted anger, they start to slip into the roles darkly portrayed in the Mabinogion: Alison as the flower-maiden, Blodeuwedd; Gwyn as Lleu, the man cursed never to find a mortal bride; Roger as Gronw who, with Blodeuwedd, betrayed Lleu.This version has an introduction, as strange and mysterious as the book itself. Garner tells of working with a television crew to film the series, based on the book. An old man in the valley where it was filmed made eerie reference to an ancient but not-too-garbled variation on the story from the Mabinogion, hinting this was the place of its provenance.Garner's story is fast-paced and passionate. The anguish of each of the characters is palpable as they wrestle with their own pain - all the while trying to avoid more deaths, as has happened in every generation before them.
What do You think about The Owl Service (2006)?
The best thing about this book is the elliptical strangeness of it, the odd otherworldly language and broken narrative structure yet... the worst thing about this book is the elliptical strangeness of it, the odd otherwordly language and broken narrative structure. I don't see how this is a book for children. The children in the book do not talk like children, or adults for that matter. Everyone talks in circles and riddles. There are large chunks of the narrative missing which you are meant to string together for yourself. It is a difficult book to understand, but perhaps worth the slog for the atmosphere. The story and the characters are fractured, but the atmosphere is there, whole, and pulsing with power.
—Amber
'The Owl Service' is a young adult novel based on Welsh myths, where another generation seems destined to live out a tale of love, murder and revenge. More of a suspense/horror than fantasy; three teens struggle with class and ethnic tensions as well as the normal adolescent angst when the ancient power of the valley begins to take over their lives.Although very well written the story is hard to get into, as there is no initial build up, the reader is just dropped into the middle of the plot and expected to fend for himself. This also has the effect of not letting us see the characters in their normal lives before the stress of the situation turns them unsympathetic. The text is almost entirely dialogue, with very little description which hinders the creation of atmosphere. Still it is an impressive book packing a lot of punch in a fairly short story.
—D-day
The Owl Service is a very, very powerful book. It used to scare me silly, when I was younger -- under ten, probably -- and it still has a very tense feel to it, an edge of fright. It draws on the story of Blodeuwedd, from the Mabinogion: Gwydion makes her out of flowers, to be a wife for Lleu Llaw Gyffes, who has been cursed by his mother never to marry a mortal woman. However, she falls in love with Gronw Pebr, and they plot how to kill Lleu. He is only changed into an eagle, though, and he comes back and eventually kills Gronw, and Blodeuwedd is turned into an owl in punishment.The central idea of The Owl Service is this story replaying over and over again in a Welsh valley -- that the story has so much power that it can't help but keep replaying itself like a traumatic memory. And in the book it's mapped onto a fraught story of conflicting loyalties, class difference, the problems between the Welsh and the English... the power of it comes from how much of it is real. I can believe in the anger here, in the characters' feelings.Alan Garner did, as far as I can gather, an amazing amount of research for this book. I think he succeeds in putting his finger on Welsh feelings and retelling the myth in a respectful and even renewing way.
—Nikki
