SFF180 Classics 🦉 ‘The Owl Service’ (1967) by Alan Garner ★★★½

Three teenagers in 1960's Wales become embroiled in an ancient curse involving a woman magically created from flowers, and the fatal love affair she inspired.
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[@David_K_Booth]

What a good review! I loved his work when I was a pre-teen, but only appreciated the skill of his writing when I re-read a couple of the books twenty or thirty years later. "The Owl Service" was adapted as a TV series a couple of years later, and, because Alan Garner himself worked on the script, it's true to the original. (They actually got a stonemason to create the fictitious standing stone, complete with the hole made by the spear, and it's still there where they filmed.) At the time of writing, all the episodes can be found online.

[@SFF180]

That’s true, right here on KZbin. I know there was a Blu-ray released in the UK, but I don’t know if it’s still easy to find.

[@SunChaserXVII]

I read this back in the '90s and I've been wondering about revisiting it. Seeing your review has made me decide I definitely should, and I'm sure I'd get more out of it now. Always nice to see you cover the classics!

[@nickwillder]

My English teacher (shout out: John Vincent Wallis) gave me (aged 11) this book 55 years ago. I am still enchanted.

[@pabloruz9797]

I hadn't heard of Garner's work until now, so I'll keep an eye out for this one. Great thumbnail, by the way.

[@georgeheingartner6995]

Owl have to check this one out. (bows)

[@SannasBookshelf]

Ooh, cool! New author to me. I've heard the name, but never read anything by him. I'll give this a try!

[@ottohoulihan2743]

Great review. I'd like to recommend The Stone book Quartet by Alan Garner, an adult novel. A difficult read at times but one that will stay with me forever.

[@Jana-gz9ho]

Thank you for bringing him back on my radar, I actually first learnt of Alan Garner and his work when Treacle Walker was nominated for the Booker. As someone who mostly reads "literary fiction" (whatever that may be, not a fan of the term) but has a deep love for authors like Peter S. Beagle, I immidiatly picked up Treacle Walker. I know it wasn't a big hit with a lot of "classic" booker fans, but it was for me. I was so fascinated by his writing I looked into his backlist and this is the one I meant to read. This video made me put it on hold at the library, thank you for the thoughtfull review!

[@SFF180]

I appreciate this! Thank you as well.

[@martinstent5339]

I now feel a fool, because, even though I have read the book, I was still asking myself why the book was called “The Owl Service”. I was thinking that “Service” referred to a service like “the postal service” (maybe having the Potter stories in the back of my mind), and not realising that it refers to a collection of plates! Thank you for that!

[@Cale__1]

What age could a kid read it?

[@SFF180]

I’m honestly not sure I’d give it to a kid today, simply because YA now is written so differently and has changed tastes and expectations. I think young teens and under would find the style hard to get into. (And the characters’ relationships might aggravate them!) High school at least, if they’re showing an interest in reading a little more adventurously.