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The Little Minster - by J.M. Barrie
Perhaps better known for a little story he wrote called Peter Pan, JM Barrie also penned this humorous
tale about a young man who aimed to take his corner of the world by storm, but then fell in love.
Gavin Dishart is only 1 and twenty, and already is the minister of a 'kirk' in a small town, where
he is idolized by nearly one and all. Kirk - you ask? Turns out that's "church" in Scottish brogue, which
is simultaneously one of the most hilarious and also the most frustrating parts of this read. Barrie, himself
a Scot, was in many ways sending up the incomprehensibility of that thick tongue, even nodding towards
such truth several times in the text. When several of the 'townsfolk' have a page or two of dialog, you
just have to go along for the ride and assume you're not missing too many plot points! Thankfully the
narrator and the main characters speak in a more 'highbrow' way, and leave little to be pondered for the reader.
We trace Gavin's determined rise to his ministry and his subsequent discovery about the important
things in life via a narrator who himself becomes involved in the story, in an interesting literary
display. The object of Gavin's affection, Babbie, is a compellingly realized free spirit (alternately
called a 'Gypsy' and 'the Egyptian') and we are definitely led to understand Gavin's feelings with
little effort. As her full background comes to light, things get complicated for poor Gavin, and
even for our humble Narrator!
While the first 3/4 of the book is very much an drama with plenty of humor, the last portion kicks
into full adventure mode, and was so vivid that I flew through the final 100 pages and through my
bedtime to reach the exciting conclusion! I think I had better go read Peter Pan, having seen Barrie's amazing
gift for fast paced action in print!
I was tremendously pleased with this book, and found plenty to enjoy. The coherency of the story, the
richness of the characters, the insightful turns of phrase, and the muddy and hilarious Scotch dialogue
all combined to make for a fun, and more meaningful than just popcorn, read. Recommended!
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