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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An addictive read. Good stuff., 31 Mar 2002
By A Customer
On Angel Mountain is a splendid book which is very difficult to put down. It is written in the form of the diary of Martha, the main character. This gives immediacy & is the key to Martha's complex & fascinating character.
Martha, at the age of 18, marries her lover & goes to live on his small estate on the slopes of Angel Mountain. Her involvement with the family, servants and with new friends give her confidence to play her part as mistress of the estate. It is not an east rite of passage, though. One drama follows another in quick succession. Against the love, loyalty and affection which are given & experienced by Martha come arson, a miscarriage, more than one villain, floods, attempted rape & a fatal disease. Although not a pastoral idyll, the narrative is shot through with Hardyesque scenes of bucolic enjoyment. Martha writes with humour & tenderness of servants, family & farming neighbours at celebrations such as Christmas, New Year & birthdays.Brian John weaves well-researched historical detail into his book. He describes the simple living of farmers & the abject poverty of farm labourers. The itinerant teacher is a forerunner of early socialism & is vehemently opposed by some of the small-minded local gentry. Here is a link with the rebellious rise of nonconformism in the area. There are small details such as rush-gathering & the subsequent transporting of the horse-drawn sledges. In contrast, there is an international event when the French invaded Wales in 1797. (Yes, really! The French were, of course, repulsed).
The supernatural plays a part in Martha's diary. She writes of her dreams & premonitions & of her complex friendship with the local wizard/doctor. Above all, Brian John gives his book an admirable sense on place. The beautiful landscape of North Pembrokeshire, where the story is set, is written in such a way that it becomes virtually another character with its own part to play. Here again, one thinks of Hardy & Egdon Heath. The rhythm of the seasons, the birds, the flowers, the crops & even the geology are part of a whole. It is Angel Mountain itself, however, with its magnetic power & beauty which dominates the entire countryside & its inhabitants. Brian John uses it deftly to fuse together all parts of his plots. This is an intelligent & interesting book as well as being a superb read.
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by Brian John
by Brian John
by Brian John
by Brian John
