https://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2023/07/2023093-thursbitch-alan-garner.html ( )

There are two stories in this 1001 novel, set in two widely separated time periods (the 18th century and the current time), but taking place at the same geographic location. I found the book very hard to get into, even incomprehensible at times, but I persevered, let it flow, and at some point I began to enjoy it, although I will say I remain puzzled by portions of it. I do feel that I would understand more if I were to engage in a second or even third reading. In the 18th century portions in particular it is written in a dialect that is full of unfamiliar words and phrases that even google could not define for me.

There was help from the author's note at the beginning which states:

"John Turner was a packman. With his train of horses he carried salt and silk, traveling distances incomprehensible to his ancient community. In this visionary tale, John brings ideas as well as gifts, which have come from market town to market town from places as distant as the campfires of the Silk Road. John Turner's death in the eighteenth century leaves an emotional charge which, in the twenty-first century Ian and Sal find affects their relationship, challenging the perceptions they have of themselves and of each other. Thursbitch is rooted in a verifiable place. It is an evocation of the lives and language of all people who are call to the valley of Thursbitch."

So in the actual text, John Turner ("Jack") is a "jagger" who "jags." (Google helpfully referred me to Mick Jagger). I got that he travelled with horses and his dog, but not what he traded (other than "puddle juice," which he. seems to have made with mushrooms). Along the way, Jack picks up mushrooms which he uses in some sort of pagan ritual he conducts when he returns home to his village.

In the current day, the story of Ian and Sal is a little less murky, but still had many puzzling elements. We gather that Sal, who seems to be some sort of academic in geology (or at least very familiar with geology), is suffering from a degenerative disease affecting both her muscular control and her cognitive abilities. Her disease worsens over the course of the book. But who is Ian, who accompanies her on her trips to the valley--Is he her caregiver? Her partner? A friend? Her doctor?

I think "evocation" is a good description of what this book creates. What comes through is that sometimes there are "leaks" between Jack's time and Sal's time, and on various occasions throughout Jack and Sal connect.

3 stars

First line: "He climbed from Sooker and the snow was drifting."

Last line: "And Crom asleep in the ground." ( )

I discovered the English author Alan Garner (b-1934) when my parents gave me his first novel, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, (1960) one Christmas. I loved its English folklore and was enchanted by the fantasy. Still, it came as a surprise to me when at teachers' college studying children's literature, I was introduced to Red Shift (1973). That book didn't strike me as one I might read to primary school children, and when I hunted them out, nor did Brisingamen's sequel, The Moon of Gomrath(1963), or Elidor(1965), or The Owl Service (1967). I liked them, but they were difficult books conceptually, and when I decoded the last lines of Red Shift (using the Lewis Carroll Alphabet Cipher) I would have hesitated to use the book even in a secondary school because I thought it was far too pessimistic for melancholy adolescents, even if their chances of decoding its devastating final words were slim.

Well, Thursbitch (2003) is difficult and pessimistic too. It's one of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2006 edition). It shares elements with Red Shift because it plays with time, the long ago past bleeding into the present and influencing the action of the characters in both eras. Although it's only 160 pages long, it took a long time to read because I had to keep re-reading parts of it to make any sense of it. It didn't help that due to its slim size, I chose it as a 'handbag' book

The landscape is ancient. Thursbitch is actually a valley, (also spelt Thursbatch) near Macclesfield in the Pennines on the borders of Cheshire and Derbyshire. When the story begins, in our present time, a mismatched couple are climbing in difficult terrain and getting lost, but as the story progresses, it becomes clear that Sal is suffering from some kind of neuro-degenerative disease (maybe Motor-Neurone Disease or Multiple Sclerosis) and Ian is her long-suffering carer. Sal is making a last-ditch effort to research standing stones, wayside markers from the past and is very knowledgeable about the geology of the landscape, though her recall of words is failing as her disease progresses. Ian is the butt of her scorn.

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2019/04/17/thursbitch-by-alan-garner/ ( )

When I was young, Alan Garner was one of my favorite authors. His books for children capture, possibly more than any others, the beauty and magic of British folklore. Naturally, I was excited when I found out, just recently, that he's also written some material for adults (and, received an OBE for his contributions to English literature - a well-deserved honor.)

'Thursbitch' is the first 'adult' work by Garner that I was able to acquire (thanks to ILL!)

More of a study than a novel, 'Thursbitch' explores two sets of events in the titular Pennine valley. In the 18th century, we meet John Turner, a traveling trader and practitioner of traditional folk magic. In the modern day, we meet Sal and Ian, walking the same hills and rocks. Their lives touch, at moments, through time, exploring love, loss, and the connections between people...

I doubt whether I have ever encountered a more accurate or well-researched depiction of the speech and behavior of (extremely) rural, isolated 18th-century Britons. Garner is a linguist, and this book concentrates heavily on language. It's fascinating, but also makes for a rather challenging read.

In the present, Sal is an accomplished geologist - who is also suffering from a debilitating brain disease. So she also speaks in an argot, which makes an interesting contrast.

(I did wonder whether it would be as challenging for speakers of UK English, and whether this factored into why it hasn't been published in the USA.)

As a work of literature, 'Thursbitch' is impressive and interesting. However, emotionally, I didn't love it as much as I've loved Garner's other works. ( )

Despite being a member of the English People who actually say "nowt" and "owt" a thousand times a day, this was extremely jarring and often unnecessary. It was confusing and, from the blurb and other reviews, seems to only get more confusing, but there is still a part of me that wants to read the rest. I may return, if only because it is a short story and won't take up too much of my time. The name is very misleading as it sounds more like a fantasy than the historical-contemporary mix it actually is. ( )