Hatter's Castle
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Description
When her father forced her to leave school, and cut off all her contact with the past and future, Mary Brodie's whole life became the narrow compass of her family's cold, comfortless house in a small Scottish town.
Her mean and ambitious father tyrannized over his timid, obliging wife, his cowed, overworked younger daughter and his spineless son. Four people were held in Brodie's merciless grip until, like a breath of the outside world Brodie so much despised, came the young Irishman in whom Mary found a forbidden freedom, and who brought to her mother and sister much needed release . . .
In the magnificent narrative tradition of The Citadel, The Stars Look Down and A. J. Cronin's other classic novels, Hatter's Castle is an impressive debut novel by a much-loved author and was adapted for the screen in 1942, starring Deborah Kerr (Black Narcissus).
Book Information
Posts
A very tough, hard, devastating story. The central figure of the book is James Brodie, the father, the tyrant. It was probably the first time for me to hate a book character so desperately. This person destroys all the people around him and poisons their lives. The whole family of Brodie was petrified by the father, they had no other emotions but a constant fear. In some chapters, like the one, where James forces Mary to leave, I could not continue reading, it was too much for me. Extrem emotions and fear for a very few good people described in the story capture a reader completely. When everything seems to be terrible, it only gets worse. 4 stars because during the whole book the character of James Brodie is described too many times in the very same way. It is clear from the beginning that he is a typical tyrant, and, like all tyrants, weak, vicious, stupid, ignorant and limited. Tyranny, as the only way to survive, is a kind of disease, slowly proceeding, incurable and inevitably ruining. That's it. I was rather annoyed to read about it in every chapter. At least in the end James got what he deserved, however it breaks my heart that so many people had to sacrifice themselves for it. A tragic, horrible, violent story that cannot leave anyone emotionless. I would not recommend this book to very impressionable people.
Description
When her father forced her to leave school, and cut off all her contact with the past and future, Mary Brodie's whole life became the narrow compass of her family's cold, comfortless house in a small Scottish town.
Her mean and ambitious father tyrannized over his timid, obliging wife, his cowed, overworked younger daughter and his spineless son. Four people were held in Brodie's merciless grip until, like a breath of the outside world Brodie so much despised, came the young Irishman in whom Mary found a forbidden freedom, and who brought to her mother and sister much needed release . . .
In the magnificent narrative tradition of The Citadel, The Stars Look Down and A. J. Cronin's other classic novels, Hatter's Castle is an impressive debut novel by a much-loved author and was adapted for the screen in 1942, starring Deborah Kerr (Black Narcissus).
Book Information
Posts
A very tough, hard, devastating story. The central figure of the book is James Brodie, the father, the tyrant. It was probably the first time for me to hate a book character so desperately. This person destroys all the people around him and poisons their lives. The whole family of Brodie was petrified by the father, they had no other emotions but a constant fear. In some chapters, like the one, where James forces Mary to leave, I could not continue reading, it was too much for me. Extrem emotions and fear for a very few good people described in the story capture a reader completely. When everything seems to be terrible, it only gets worse. 4 stars because during the whole book the character of James Brodie is described too many times in the very same way. It is clear from the beginning that he is a typical tyrant, and, like all tyrants, weak, vicious, stupid, ignorant and limited. Tyranny, as the only way to survive, is a kind of disease, slowly proceeding, incurable and inevitably ruining. That's it. I was rather annoyed to read about it in every chapter. At least in the end James got what he deserved, however it breaks my heart that so many people had to sacrifice themselves for it. A tragic, horrible, violent story that cannot leave anyone emotionless. I would not recommend this book to very impressionable people.