Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Powerful, but a bit silly under the microscope., 23 Jan 2001
By A Customer
Coming from a town remarkably similar to 'The Port' I have to say that Alan Warner has in so many ways captured the essence of the west highland sea town perfectly. For one thing, all these places have a huge proportion of loons(e.g. Petrol pete of Portree who blew himself up while checking his petrol tank with a match) and drunks. The young are bored and usually on something or other. It rains a lot, its peaceful, beuatiful, boring and its much closer to its past than any urban place. In all of this Warner convinces me that he know's what he's on about. And Morvern herslef is a wonderful creation. She makes decisions freely according to what she wants to do, inspite of belonging to a culture that demands compliance. And this is where it all becomes a bit daft. I've met plenty of lassies who come from schemes in wee Scottish Towns, and I happen to know as a matter of fact that Morvern could not possibly exist. Because if she did she would have spent all that money on clothes and eccies. I love the fact that the book and the character are so fundamentlly optimistic, but I suspect that Warner himself knew it was all pure fantasy. Why else does he imply that Morvern, who was fostered, comes from some romantic Spanish background? I strongly recommend that you read this book, in places it is truly beautiful, far better than his subsequent qorks, but please don't romanticise the place as a result of one extaordinary girl. She's pure fiction.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
ethereal and brilliant, 11 Jun 2007
I have never felt the need to write anything here also
A lot of people reading this book seem to be missing the point, this book is not about event (as someone has rightly pointed out.) How on earth did this character not reach you on any level?
Read this book once and hate it - because while the character and writing seems so real, events seem ridiculous, bizarre and in many places obscene.
Read it again and you'll look past that - your anger seems to turn to this character and her choices leading to event.
This book can be read over and each time understood in a different way, but always the central character remains vibrant and haunting.
Warner writes from a womans perspective flawlessly, his sense of place and description beautiful and whilst dark, the novel contrasts this with subtle humour.
This is the kind of novel you will read many times in your lifetime, you will not be disapointed.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
Subliminal Anti-hero, 4 Dec 2005
I first read this book the year of publication. From the start, it pertains to what Morvern does, not what her emotions are telling her. The opening scene is dramatic, but simply opens up a chapter of the character's life that would not otherwise be possible (having the money from the book). This book is not about the evocation of feeling, or lacks majesty through its repeatedly descriptive lines in the book; the descriptive of the world around Morvern is unerringly accurate. Anyone who has grown up in a small town like this, can sense the dead-end prospects she coldly, coolly leaves behind, only to come back to eventually. To really understand more about this character and appreciate the depth of Warner's writing, try These Demented Lands (also starring Morvern Callar) and his fantastic novel, The Man Who Walks. Definitely not a book for the tube, try it on a train journey, or at home. Many people have missed the point of what Warner is trying to evoke, its not about trying to establish elements of the character you can relate to, its simply someone you can look at from afar and marvel at the events unfolding in their life and the decisions they make.
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