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Amazon.co.uk Review
Bruce Chatwin's fascination with nomads and wanderlust represents itself in reverse in On the Black Hill, a tale of two brothers (identical twins) who never go anywhere. They stay in the farmhouse on the English-Welsh border where they were born, tilling the rough soil and sleeping in the same bed, touched only occasionally by the advance of the 20th century. Smacking of a Welsh Ethan Frome, Chatwin evokes the lonely tragedies of farm life, and above all the vibrant land of Wales.
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WINNER OF THE WHITBREAD BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An eloquent celebration of the quiet life.,
By
This review is from: On The Black Hill (Vintage classics) (Paperback)
On the Black Hill is an elegantly written homage to the inelegant life of rural Wales, a life in which no one ever strays far from the farm--there are few opportunities and little motivation to do so. Spartan lives are enriched by stories and gossip, slights are never forgotten, feuds reach epic intensity, and bottled-up frustrations simmer till they explode. Through rich and vivid descriptions of the minutiae of daily existence, we come to know twin brothers Lewis and Ben Jones as they grow up and are shaped by their family and their small community. The townspeople become our own friends or enemies, depending on their behavior towards the twins, and we empathize with them as they use their limited resources to struggle with the big questions which concern us all--questions of love, spirituality, death, cruelty, justice, and ultimately, happiness. By paring life to the bone here, Chatwin gives us a classic example of the adage, "Less is more."
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beauty out of Banality,
By Bob Salter "Captain Spindrift" (Wiltshire, England) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 50 REVIEWER)
This review is from: On The Black Hill (Vintage classics) (Paperback)
This wonderful little book shows us what a great talent Bruce Chatwin was. The world of literature is so much the poorer for his tragic early death. His only other work I have read is "In Patagonia", an enthralling account of his travels in that area. "On the Black Hill" is a very different work showing his great versatility and his great knowledge of country lives.
The book covers the lives of two brothers who are identical twins. They are born on a farm where they continue to live out their hardworking lives. Their lives inextricably woven together. Chatwins skill lies in his ability to make this unpromising material so immensely readable. He is so believable. I have lived and worked among such people all my life. My own Grandfather whose trousers were held up by a binder twine belt would have recognised the twins. They are rural characters seen across the length and breadth of our Country and no doubt in other country's also. At last they have an author who has captured them. The minutiae and detritus of their lives encapsulated in this brief book. No words are wasted here. Many will say "but what about Hardy". My own experience is that he left me cold. Too morbid and too distant for my personal tastes. But the brothers I warmed to. They are truly painted and it is as honest a work as I have come across. It has been a revelation to me and a breath of fresh air. If I could write I would love to write like this. If you truly wish to know how many rural people lived in isolated farms across the Country in the last century, then reading this book will enlighten you. If I seem a little over the top in my adulation I make no apologies. This little book deserves all the plaudits and more. My efforts here will not have been wasted if I convince only one person to read it. That thought would make me extremely happy.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great read,
By A Customer
This review is from: On The Black Hill (Vintage classics) (Paperback)
Chatwin is unusual in that he is often very accessible and easy to read but also an intelligent writer. This book is not as intellectually stimulating as, say, "Utz", but it feels like a book written with love. If you have any feeling for the countryside and British history you will be entranced by this book. There is a feeling of D H Lawrence, without his sexual obsessions plus a sense of humour ! There is also a wonderful lyricism here and a sense of continuity with the past which is perhaps unrealistic - but who cares !
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