No Great Mischief

Alexander MacDonald, the narrator of this warm and ennobling family saga, comments to his brother that "Talking about history is not like living it...Some people have more choices than others." And there, in a nutshell, is the essence of this tender generational novel. The MacDonalds are, in many ways, an "ordinary" family on Cape Breton, but MacLeod creates a history for them so alive that the reader experiences it, too, feeling their sorrow and joy, admiring their pluck and independence, and celebrating their loyalty and bravery as they make the hard choices their lives require. They become heroes to us not because they have performed unusual feats but because they have achieved nobility within the collective memory of their own family. Alexander MacDonald, the speaker, no longer lives on Cape Breton. An orthodontist, he travels weekly to Toronto to visit his alcoholic brother Calum, named for the family patriarch who came to the island in 1779 from Scotland. As he travels back and forth and reminisces, sometimes in Gaelic, with his much less fortunate brother, many generations of MacDonalds come to life, and we see how these forbears have shaped the two brothers and influenced their different, but shared, destinies. MacLeod is very lyrical. Like a musician, he repeats certain themes. Gaelic phrases echo throughout, almost like a refrain. First names continue in different generations to remind the reader of historical resemblances and differences. And always, in every generation, he celebrates the dominance of the original Calum MacDonald and of Cape Breton in shaping their lives. MacLeod never stoops to sentimentality, however. His main characters are all macho males living macho lives, and he includes no romantic love story to soften the harshness of life. Still, he has created one of the warmest, most loving, and enduring family stories anyone will ever find. The book pulses with heart, an unforgettable novel by a writer who is so precise in his structure and word choice that in his entire career he has produced only this one novel and fourteen short stories published in two extraordinary collections. Reading MacLeod is a great, rewarding pleasure for anyone interested in beautiful prose and careful execution. Mary Whipple

When backpacking in New Zealand, I bumped into a Scot who had just read this book. She commented that it was an amazing book by a Scottish author. I mentioned that the author was Canadian, but from Cape Breton which explained why she thought he was from Scotland. Two days later, I passed my copy of the book on to a Scot during a bus ride. Twenty minutes later, I glanced back to see him engrossed in the book. An hour later, when we were getting off the bus, he said he wanted to stay in his room that night to continue reading it. In other words, it captivates quickly and keeps you wanted to stay with the MacDonald family.

When more familiar sounds are heard, the above becomes, "Look, the lamp of the poor." The lamp is the moon and the reference encompasses what those may do when the moon is bright that otherwise would require the means they do not have.This is a beautifully written story of the MacDonald Clan that spans nearly three centuries in length. How Mr. Alistair Macleod conveys this epoch of this Family in such a relatively short work (283 pages) is enigmatic. The Author accomplishes this in part I believe by using not only the words he needs, but the most appropriate as well. The reading is so rewarding because the Author gives you so much to absorb, to ponder, and at times to puzzle over.Prior to this work Mr. Macleod published two books of short stories that I have not read. Another Author stated, "He is one of the great undiscovered writers of our time." A heady endorsement, but one I cannot argue with. Other reviewers have made reference to some literary talents whose work has become timeless and by extension classic. I agree without reservation.This book joins some others that never seem to receive the public acclaim they are due. I thought of "The Banyan Tree", and "Life Is So Good", and also "No News At Throat Lake". It may be that these books don't have a publicity machine behind them, and if that is the case it truly is a loss to readers.One of the wise Elders in the story says." Music is the lubricant of the poor. All over the world. In all the different languages." Books like these and the people who write them provide the same comfort, encouragement, and incentive for readers to go on reading when there seems to be less books of this caliber offered.False muses, the French Ships that never came, and the body that moves inland while the heart was left at the sea. This is a book that will move and satisfy, and keep looking for the next great Author you have yet to find.Absolutely outstanding! Read it!

Stellar writing by one of North America's greatest living writers, this novel is loaded with the same kind of emotional authenticity, lush language and courage as ANGELA'S ASHES. MacLeod brings the mythic, the historical and contemporary experience together in a way that is magical, poetic and yet unpretentious. MacLeod is also a wonderful antidote to the American writers who, I'm told, describe my experience. MacLeod is not Joyce Carrol Oates or E.L. Doctorow, thank God.