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The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon
At last, a book about curling, the noble sport that every winter turns otherwise sane Canadian men and women into broom-waving fanatics. Given the chance, any one of them would actively consider selling their soul to the devil for a chance to win the national championship known as “the Brier.”
That’s the offer made to Willie MacCrimmon in this hilarious story by W.O. Mitchell. The time is the not-too-distant past, and the place is Shelby, Alberta, a small town in the foothills. Willie, a widower, is the town’s shoe-maker, but like a good Scot he lives to curl; curling in fact is “his only active religion.” He and his rink are so expert that he attracts the attention of the Devil himself, who comes to Shelby and makes him an offer hard to resist. The Devil (a keen curler–and how they keep good ice in hell is fully explained) promises Willie that he’ll win the Brier–if on his death Willie will undertake to come and curl in hell for him in the Celestial Brier.
Willie makes the Faustian deal – but with the proviso that he will save his soul if he and his Shelby rink can beat the Devil’s rink in a challenge match. And so Willie and his friends – with the help of the Reverend Pringle – take on the Devil’s crew of Judas, Macbeth and Guy Fawkes in the most crucial curling match of all time, a matter of after-life and death.
It's a fine, old-fashioned funny story, as you’d expect from W.O. Mitchell. You might even call it a sweeping saga.
That’s the offer made to Willie MacCrimmon in this hilarious story by W.O. Mitchell. The time is the not-too-distant past, and the place is Shelby, Alberta, a small town in the foothills. Willie, a widower, is the town’s shoe-maker, but like a good Scot he lives to curl; curling in fact is “his only active religion.” He and his rink are so expert that he attracts the attention of the Devil himself, who comes to Shelby and makes him an offer hard to resist. The Devil (a keen curler–and how they keep good ice in hell is fully explained) promises Willie that he’ll win the Brier–if on his death Willie will undertake to come and curl in hell for him in the Celestial Brier.
Willie makes the Faustian deal – but with the proviso that he will save his soul if he and his Shelby rink can beat the Devil’s rink in a challenge match. And so Willie and his friends – with the help of the Reverend Pringle – take on the Devil’s crew of Judas, Macbeth and Guy Fawkes in the most crucial curling match of all time, a matter of after-life and death.
It's a fine, old-fashioned funny story, as you’d expect from W.O. Mitchell. You might even call it a sweeping saga.
96 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1976
2 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
About the author
W.O. Mitchell
24 books48 followersWilliam Ormond Mitchell was an author of novels, short stories, and plays. He is best known for his 1947 novel Who Has Seen the Wind, which has sold close to a million copies in North America, and a collection of short stories, Jake and the Kid, which subsequently won the Stephen Leacock Award. Both of these portray life on the Canadian prairies where he grew up in the early part of the 20th century. He has often been called the Mark Twain of Canada for his vivid tales of young boys' adventures.
In 1973, Mitchell was made an officer of the Order of Canada.
In 1973, Mitchell was made an officer of the Order of Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 3, 2026
Sly, witty, and yes highly laugh-aloud funny at times, The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon is truly is one of my all time favourite novels (well actually, it is more akin to a longer novella) by Canadian literary icon W.O. Mitchell (and my review will also not focus all that much on the actual themes and contents to any extent, simply because as a satire The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon most definitely needs to be read and experienced without the risk of too many spoilers making a possible and perhaps even all too probable an appearance).
A Faustian type tale of Southern Albertan cobbler Willie MacCrimmon, who sells his soul to the Devil to win the "Brier" (the most prestigious honour in Canadian curling), and then challenges the Devil to a curling match to reclaim his soul (with the Devil's team consisting not only of the Devil, of course, but also featuring Judas Iscariot, Macbeth and Guy Fawkes), The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon always leaves me both laughing and smiling, not only at the humour, but also at Mitchell's sly and oh-so-true gentle social and religious criticisms (and one of my favourite scenes of The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon is when Willie talks to his Presbyterian pastor and says that he just had his competition, namely Satan, at his store and the former with much annoyance automatically at first believes that Willie is talking about the local Irish Catholic priest). And indeed, the many included MacBeth allusions W.O. Mitchell provides in The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon, well, I will just state that they are an absolute and utter delight, a real and much appreciated hoot (and like reading candy for anyone who enjoys both Shakespeare and clever Shakespeare parodies). Highly recommended to and for anyone who enjoys curling is The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon, but even if you are not a curler (and I certainly am not), this delightful gem is sure to tickle your fancy (but with the caveat that you do have to enjoy reading both satire and literary parodies to truly appreciate The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon and its hidden meanings). Now I had always (and now I realise most naively) assumed that the original version of The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon was the radio play. However, according to the information presented on the flaps of the dust jacket, Mitchell actually wrote the original as a short story for a magazine (and I am unfortunately not sure for which magazine) and only later was this story then adapted as a radio play, and finally turned into a stage play; and this particular prose version (adapted from the stage play as a short novel and also somewhat expanded) was published in 1993. And we actually read the radio play of The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon in high school English, and if you ever do manage to obtain a copy somehow (but sadly, this is seemingly impossible, as I have had absolutely no luck thus far), you are in for a real treat, as in my opinion, Mitchell's radio play of The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon is even funnier, considerably richer and with more presented action and immediacy than this here 1993 short but still oh so very wonderful and delightful novel.
A Faustian type tale of Southern Albertan cobbler Willie MacCrimmon, who sells his soul to the Devil to win the "Brier" (the most prestigious honour in Canadian curling), and then challenges the Devil to a curling match to reclaim his soul (with the Devil's team consisting not only of the Devil, of course, but also featuring Judas Iscariot, Macbeth and Guy Fawkes), The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon always leaves me both laughing and smiling, not only at the humour, but also at Mitchell's sly and oh-so-true gentle social and religious criticisms (and one of my favourite scenes of The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon is when Willie talks to his Presbyterian pastor and says that he just had his competition, namely Satan, at his store and the former with much annoyance automatically at first believes that Willie is talking about the local Irish Catholic priest). And indeed, the many included MacBeth allusions W.O. Mitchell provides in The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon, well, I will just state that they are an absolute and utter delight, a real and much appreciated hoot (and like reading candy for anyone who enjoys both Shakespeare and clever Shakespeare parodies). Highly recommended to and for anyone who enjoys curling is The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon, but even if you are not a curler (and I certainly am not), this delightful gem is sure to tickle your fancy (but with the caveat that you do have to enjoy reading both satire and literary parodies to truly appreciate The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon and its hidden meanings). Now I had always (and now I realise most naively) assumed that the original version of The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon was the radio play. However, according to the information presented on the flaps of the dust jacket, Mitchell actually wrote the original as a short story for a magazine (and I am unfortunately not sure for which magazine) and only later was this story then adapted as a radio play, and finally turned into a stage play; and this particular prose version (adapted from the stage play as a short novel and also somewhat expanded) was published in 1993. And we actually read the radio play of The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon in high school English, and if you ever do manage to obtain a copy somehow (but sadly, this is seemingly impossible, as I have had absolutely no luck thus far), you are in for a real treat, as in my opinion, Mitchell's radio play of The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon is even funnier, considerably richer and with more presented action and immediacy than this here 1993 short but still oh so very wonderful and delightful novel.
January 16, 2017
Happy to come across a curling story!
June 29, 2025
A cute, fun lil romp with a delightfully Scottish protagonist. As good a curling novel as you'll find anywhere.
February 11, 2026
What a romp. Although this is a story often told, I loved the Canadian take on it.
June 15, 2023
W.O. Mitchell (1914-1998) is a Canadian classic! My whole life I've meant to read Who Has Seen The Wind - as a kid who grew up on the prairies, I figured it was my duty to read it. I still haven't, but was super excited to discover and read his curling novel!
Set small town Alberta post WWII (I couldn't find an exact time period, but it's certainly 'historical'), Willie is the town's shoemaker, and lives to curl - he is Scottish afterall. One day the Devil shows up and asks Willie to fix his curling shoes (yes folks, they curl in Hell, on artificial ice of course). They make a deal, to be decided by a Sabbath-breaking Sunday curling game. If Willie wins, his team will win the Canadian Brier Championship. If the Devil's team wins, once Willie's time on earth is done he will have to go play third for the Devil down in Hell.
Ok, kind of a hokey plot. But guess who is on the Devil's team??
...Guy Fawkes, Judas Iscariot and MacBeth! No kidding.
It's a brilliant little story. It's chock full of historical Canadiana and Alberta references, plus of course all the curling lingo you've ever heard or wanted to hear in 135 pages, right down to the corn brooms and kilts!
The only weak part of the book: I felt the ending was a bit rushed. I was just getting into the game when it ended, but the epilogue does leave you with a satisfying sense of closure. And I was a bit disappointed the few female characters were stereotypical nagging grumps, but I suppose it's a product of the time period when it was written. As such, religion plays a big part, but that's to be expected when one aspires to play in the Celestial Brier.
This fantastic curling story was written as a radio play (1951), on TV in the 1960s, possibly first published in 1965 and has since been produced on stage numerous times over the years. I acquired a coffee-stained copy of the 1993 edition from Bookmooch a year or so ago and the illustrations in this edition (by Wesley W. Bates) are charming. I know they ran the play last January at a local theatre during the Continental Cup, but of course I was volunteering the whole time so never got a chance to see it, except the wee bit they performed during the opening ceremonies. It's on my list so I hope it comes around locally again soon!
I'd highly recommend Willie's curling story to all curling fans. There is a ton of curling vocabulary so newcomers to curling might need to keep a dictionary handy, but it's an interesting story so I think anyone would enjoy it!
Set small town Alberta post WWII (I couldn't find an exact time period, but it's certainly 'historical'), Willie is the town's shoemaker, and lives to curl - he is Scottish afterall. One day the Devil shows up and asks Willie to fix his curling shoes (yes folks, they curl in Hell, on artificial ice of course). They make a deal, to be decided by a Sabbath-breaking Sunday curling game. If Willie wins, his team will win the Canadian Brier Championship. If the Devil's team wins, once Willie's time on earth is done he will have to go play third for the Devil down in Hell.
Ok, kind of a hokey plot. But guess who is on the Devil's team??
...Guy Fawkes, Judas Iscariot and MacBeth! No kidding.
It's a brilliant little story. It's chock full of historical Canadiana and Alberta references, plus of course all the curling lingo you've ever heard or wanted to hear in 135 pages, right down to the corn brooms and kilts!
The only weak part of the book: I felt the ending was a bit rushed. I was just getting into the game when it ended, but the epilogue does leave you with a satisfying sense of closure. And I was a bit disappointed the few female characters were stereotypical nagging grumps, but I suppose it's a product of the time period when it was written. As such, religion plays a big part, but that's to be expected when one aspires to play in the Celestial Brier.
This fantastic curling story was written as a radio play (1951), on TV in the 1960s, possibly first published in 1965 and has since been produced on stage numerous times over the years. I acquired a coffee-stained copy of the 1993 edition from Bookmooch a year or so ago and the illustrations in this edition (by Wesley W. Bates) are charming. I know they ran the play last January at a local theatre during the Continental Cup, but of course I was volunteering the whole time so never got a chance to see it, except the wee bit they performed during the opening ceremonies. It's on my list so I hope it comes around locally again soon!
I'd highly recommend Willie's curling story to all curling fans. There is a ton of curling vocabulary so newcomers to curling might need to keep a dictionary handy, but it's an interesting story so I think anyone would enjoy it!
July 27, 2011
Derivative works have a bad rap, and it's one I'm not sure is entirely deserved. This is, quite definitely, a derivative work, and fully admits that it is so; Faust is name-checked multiple times throughout, and there are parallels to The Devil and Daniel Webster as well. In being so derivative, though, it's still an instructive tale, and you're left with the feeling that Mitchell is trying to say something here about the Canadian identify. The European Fausts desired knowledge and power, and Webster wanted prosperity - Willie MacCrimmon, on the other hand, is willing to put his soul in the hands of the devil just to get a shot at the Brier.
The end result is a gruff, short, frightfully funny novel that pits Willie and his compatriots against Satan's own curling rink, made up of Macbeth, Judas, and Guy Fawkes, as well as Old Nick himself. Mitchell was passionate about curling, and it shows through the text, but I think this would be an entertaining read even to those who are unfamiliar with the Canadian Gentleman's Game.
The end result is a gruff, short, frightfully funny novel that pits Willie and his compatriots against Satan's own curling rink, made up of Macbeth, Judas, and Guy Fawkes, as well as Old Nick himself. Mitchell was passionate about curling, and it shows through the text, but I think this would be an entertaining read even to those who are unfamiliar with the Canadian Gentleman's Game.
June 9, 2018
While the on-line citations have this as a radio play called Wullie McCrimmon, written in 1951, I read it as a book that Stan found in the EPL sale, and written as prose, not a play. The plot is inspired by Faust, set in Alberta in the twentieth century. The title character is a shoemaker and part-time recreational curler who is approached by the Devil with an offer: his soul (to eventually skip for the Devil’s team in hell) in exchange for winning the Canadian Brier. MacCrimmon negotiates a canny deal, the result of which is the title contest. His team, composed of himself and three close friends (one is subbed out by the local pastor), against the Devil's rink, including MacBeth, Judas Iscariot and Guy Fawkes. The quotes by the devils rink are fun: MacBeth is constantly quoting himself, Iscariot has change jingling in his pockets and Fawkes likes fires.
April 19, 2008
This was a cute and funny book! It was originally written as a short story, then adapted as a radio play and made into a stage play (which I'd kill to see). You'll giggle at this if you know the least bit about curling. I mean, seriously, how many curling stories are there? Aside, I still have no idea what a bonspiel is but I want to maintain the mystery by not looking it up.
May 4, 2018
This is an easy read, a short 130 page novella. I found it quite charming, with WO's wonderful portraits of rural small town characters. A very funny take on the original Faustian deal concept - and you don't have to know anything about curling! I recommend it as a thoroughly enjoyable book, and worth re-reading in the future!
September 1, 2018
I found this book lying forgotten in a thrift shop. Being Canadian and an avid curler, I had to pick it up.
This is the tale of a cobbler, a plumber, a blacksmith and a carpenter taking on the devil himself and his team of miscreants in the golden sport of curling. It’s got some choice Canadian humour that I loved.
It’s a short light read, give er a shot eh!
This is the tale of a cobbler, a plumber, a blacksmith and a carpenter taking on the devil himself and his team of miscreants in the golden sport of curling. It’s got some choice Canadian humour that I loved.
It’s a short light read, give er a shot eh!
March 3, 2016
Such a quirky tale, I wonder what sort of dream-life visited W.O. in the dark of night. Love the curling focus, the literary connections, and the drawings are great. Must see the stage play some day soon.
Read
May 27, 2012Great story--pretty much The Devil and Daniel Webster but much more fun!
August 13, 2016
Absolutely brilliant! A hilarious Faustian tale about curling; what's not to love? A super quick read, perfect for a train/bus/plane/car ride. Would love to see the play of this.
October 17, 2018
W. I. Mitchell has combined two of my favourite things, reading and curling, into a fun romp with plenty of interesting characters.
September 2, 2022
Fun little short novel! I read Who Has Seen the Wind when I was a teen and loved it. When I found this little hardcover, I flipped through and spotted the nice illustrations and picked it right up. W.O. Mitchell's humor gives us laugh out loud scenes in his curling bonspiel take on the age old story of good vs evil.
July 3, 2024
Thank goodness I know a thing or two about curling and Scottish culture. This book would be a mess for the reader without it.
It's very niche. I think so niche that the only perfect audience would probably be a young curler from Canada who has been cultured in Shakespeare, the Bible, and English history. ...maybe my future daughter or son someday
It's very niche. I think so niche that the only perfect audience would probably be a young curler from Canada who has been cultured in Shakespeare, the Bible, and English history. ...maybe my future daughter or son someday
April 17, 2022
A cute book, if you are a curling fan, and a quick read.
December 11, 2022
Glad I picked up this book from the shelf. I had forgotten how much I enjoy Mitchell's stories and writing. Will read more of his works.
June 12, 2024
I saw Goody Proctor throwin' rocks with the Devil. 👀
March 12, 2025
Just love it. Not feelin' the need to explain why.
April 7, 2011
I should have finished this wee book a lot faster, but haven't had much time to read lately. Mitchell is a real hoot. He manages to critique all the citizens of a town with as much humour (or more) than Stephen Leacock, but without Leacock's bitterness. It is also so Canadian that you want to stand up and cheer. Mostly, it's just fun.
could-not-finish
February 23, 2016I tried to read this book. I skimmed the reviews not wanting to spoil the book but maybe I should have read them more closely. A funny book about the sport of curling, what's not to like. Well, they throw in a Faustian situation and then it became boring. Maybe if I had kept reading I may have changed my mind but I have too many books to read so I gave up. Not for me.
April 4, 2016
-"A voice cried Sweep no more! Macbeth hath murdered sweep."
A stage play about curling, the devil, and Canada. Based loosely on Faust, this is a fairly funny, witty, and dry humor-filled story that has some great moments.
A stage play about curling, the devil, and Canada. Based loosely on Faust, this is a fairly funny, witty, and dry humor-filled story that has some great moments.
August 10, 2016
You can't help but feel that even Stuart McLean would be embarrassed by the calculated quaintness of this colonial Canadian curling tale.
March 31, 2013
"What the devil is this book all about? - It's a hell of a good curling story." - 'Nuff said.
June 24, 2017
A comedic read for a curling fan😊
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews