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Post by ripper on May 12, 2014 12:27:15 GMT
The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral by Robert Westall (Mammoth 2001)
I polished off The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral and its companion piece, Brangwyn Gardens last night.
The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral is told in 1st-person by Joe Clarke, a steeplejack given the contract to repair stonework on the south-west tower of the cathedral. He soon discovers that repairs need doing to this tower every 20 or so years and also that mysterious deaths occur during each repair. This, as I was expecting, is quite Jamesian, with its setting and secrets from the past being revealed by church records. Westall's hero, though, is rather different from those usually associated with James's stories: Clarke is definitely a working-class chap as opposed to the scholars preferred by MRJ. Westall's portrayal of the life of a steeplejack is very convincing. There were also times when the story reminded me of the works of LTC Rolte, which imo is not a bad thing.
Brangwyn Gardens is a melancholic ghost story set in the London of 1955. A student moves into a room and finds a photo of a girl, together with her diary. Gradually, he begins to hear sounds from the past, which his landlady, a fusty middle-aged woman, apparently can't hear. He begins to fall in love with the girl in the photo and believes she is trying to reach him from the past. This isn't bad at all, though certainly the bottom half of this double-bill of tales. There is a twist ending that I wasn't expecting, though, oddly, it left me feeling a little less satisfied than if it had finished how I thought it would.
I think this was originally published by Puffin, but seemed more "adult" than Ghost Abbey, which I read recently. There is the odd, fairly mild swear word in both stories, which surprised me, plus the sexual attraction the student feels towards the ghost girl is rather obvious. Both stories are quite short and don't outstay their welcome. If you like Westall or ghost stories then you will probably get along with this book just fine.
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Post by cauldronbrewer on May 13, 2014 18:58:23 GMT
I think this was originally published by Puffin, but seemed more "adult" than Ghost Abbey, which I read recently. There is the odd, fairly mild swear word in both stories, which surprised me, plus the sexual attraction the student feels towards the ghost girl is rather obvious. Both stories are quite short and don't outstay their welcome. If you like Westall or ghost stories then you will probably get along with this book just fine. Ripper, your reviews of these two books make them sound tempting, particularly given that I have a soft spot for "Young Adult" fiction. Would you recommend starting with Ghost Abbey or Muncaster Cathedral? |
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Post by ripper on May 13, 2014 21:10:20 GMT
Hi Cauldronbrewer. Both Ghost Abbey and Stones of Muncaster Cathedral are very good imo. Ghost Abbey, being longer than the 2 stories in Stones combined, has more room for character development and I felt more emotionally involved with what was happening to Maggie, her dad and Ms. Macfarlane. On the other hand, Stones, while only about 90 pages in length, really made me feel that what Westall presented was an accurate portrayal of the work of a steeplejack, and it felt more "adult." I was surprised that Puffin had published it. Brangwyn Gardens is about 50 or so pages long. It's certainly worth reading but very much the second feature to The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral. Both books impressed me greatly, but I would say that in the whole Ghost Abbey was a little better: it's a good ghost story, but can also be enjoyed as a character study, and I could have read more of Maggie et al quite happily. But if you get the chance give both books a go, as both really deserve a much wider audience than just the young adults to which they were marketed.
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Post by cauldronbrewer on May 14, 2014 18:17:17 GMT
But if you get the chance give both books a go, as both really deserve a much wider audience than just the young adults to which they were marketed. I've ordered copies of both. When I get the chance to read them, I'll try to share my thoughts. |
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Post by cauldronbrewer on May 27, 2014 22:51:37 GMT
The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral by Robert Westall (Mammoth 2001) I polished off The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral and its companion piece, Brangwyn Gardens last night. The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral is told in 1st-person by Joe Clarke, a steeplejack given the contract to repair stonework on the south-west tower of the cathedral. He soon discovers that repairs need doing to this tower every 20 or so years and also that mysterious deaths occur during each repair. This, as I was expecting, is quite Jamesian, with its setting and secrets from the past being revealed by church records. Westall's hero, though, is rather different from those usually associated with James's stories: Clarke is definitely a working-class chap as opposed to the scholars preferred by MRJ. Westall's portrayal of the life of a steeplejack is very convincing. There were also times when the story reminded me of the works of LTC Rolte, which imo is not a bad thing. Brangwyn Gardens is a melancholic ghost story set in the London of 1955. A student moves into a room and finds a photo of a girl, together with her diary. Gradually, he begins to hear sounds from the past, which his landlady, a fusty middle-aged woman, apparently can't hear. He begins to fall in love with the girl in the photo and believes she is trying to reach him from the past. This isn't bad at all, though certainly the bottom half of this double-bill of tales. There is a twist ending that I wasn't expecting, though, oddly, it left me feeling a little less satisfied than if it had finished how I thought it would. I've read both stories now, and I agree with everything you've written here. I hugely enjoyed how Stones blended Jamesian horror with a gritty depiction of life as a steeplejack. Thanks for recommending the book. I also finished Ghost Abbey today. I'll say more about that one soon. |
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Post by The Lurker In The Shadows on Feb 13, 2018 19:35:31 GMT
I've been going through a phase of reading Westall - or, in some cases, re-reading him. I bought the Valancourt edition of The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral, which also includes Brangwyn Gardens, as well as their reissue of Antique Dust - to replace my old, battered, second-hand copy - and I'm currently reading Spectral Shadows, which includes Blackham's Wimpey, The Wheatstone Pond, and Yaxley's Cat. I'd been meaning to buy Stones for ages, due to the very obvious M.R. James homage in even the title. It more than lived up to my hopes, and the nature of the horror in the heights of the tower is splendidly gruesome and frightening. There was a pretty decent radio adaptation by the BBC, which I listened to after reading the novella. It can be heard here; www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1FK7JcqLuw |
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