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That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz
1957. Sonny is working on a whaling ship in the South Atlantic, reckoning with the most vicious storms he has ever seen. It's a brutal way to make a living. When he finally returns to his Shetland home to build a life with his wife and young son, the legacy of his time at sea is felt by all of them.
In present day Shetland, Jack is an old man, living alone in the cottage where he grew up, in the shadow of a hill. And it is here, one evening, that something appears on his doorstep. Something that throws off the rhythm of his solitary existence in the most profound way.
This is a story of unlikely friendship, longing, the power of music and the pull of home. It is about a life revisited - and reimagined.
In present day Shetland, Jack is an old man, living alone in the cottage where he grew up, in the shadow of a hill. And it is here, one evening, that something appears on his doorstep. Something that throws off the rhythm of his solitary existence in the most profound way.
This is a story of unlikely friendship, longing, the power of music and the pull of home. It is about a life revisited - and reimagined.
240 pages, Paperback
First published October 24, 2024
27 people are currently reading
767 people want to read
About the author
Malachy Tallack
12 books125 followersMalachy Tallack has written three works of non-fiction – Sixty Degrees North, The Un-Discovered Islands and Illuminated by Water – and two novels, The Valley at the Centre of the World and That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz. He won a New Writers Award from the Scottish Book Trust in 2014, and the Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship in 2015. As a singer-songwriter he has released five albums and an EP, and performed in venues across the UK. He is from Shetland, and currently lives in Fife.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
January 17, 2026
The story begins in 1957, on a whaling ship in Antarctica as Sonny and the rest of the crew are weathering a fearful, violent storm. Sonny promised himself that, if he lived to see land, he’d marry Kathleen, settle down, and raise a family with her in their home on Shetland.
Eventually, their son, Jack, is born. He’s a quiet, shy boy who doesn’t seem to be interested in much, except the country music his father loves to play. His parents buy him his first guitar and he’s a very quick study, able to play along with any of his father’s LPs. At the age of 20, and with no interest in furthering his education, they agree to let him leave home for Glasgow, where he hopes to make his way in the music world.
Sadly, within just a few weeks, the police locate him and inform him that his parents are lost at sea and presumed dead. Apparently, the two had been out on Sonny’s boat, but they did not return home. Days later, the boat drifted back to shore, but there was no sign of Sonny or Kathleen and, forevermore, it would remain a mystery. The family was loved and respected so, thanks to the locals, Jack was helped through this tragedy and the funeral. But once things were settled, he made the decision to sell the majority of his father’s land to one of the neighbouring farmers. This would leave him with the family home, a stone shed and a small piece of property he could manage once he found work, which he did—a menial position, good enough to suit his needs which were few.
From here, the story alternates between short chapters about Sonny and Kathleen’s life, followed by chapters about Jack in his adult years—back and forth, but easy to follow.
As an adult, Jack continues to be quiet and shy, and he lives a very simple life. He goes to work each day, comes home for supper, plays his music and writes songs, goes to bed, and then repeats it the next day, on and on. When we meet Jack next, he’s 62, still living a simple life, still writing and playing music, and still living alone. He’ll never admit to being lonely, but some might disagree. One day he arrived home to find someone had left a box on his doorstep. And inside that box? A tiny kitten that would completely change his life.🐈⬛
This is such a beautiful story. And I’ll just say this… I did a lot of thinking about how Sonny and Kathleen might have met their end. It wasn’t a prediction really. It was just a story I wrote in my head—a kind of “wishful thinking”. And, as luck would have it, the final chapter was about that final, fateful day! So, was I right? 🤫🤐🤭🙂↕️
4 A–cat’s–purr–is–the–sound–of–love stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Interestingly, as well as Jack, the author is also a musician, and he wrote 11 songs to accompany the book. It’s available wherever you find music, but here’s a link to the playlist on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/5sAiiF...
Eventually, their son, Jack, is born. He’s a quiet, shy boy who doesn’t seem to be interested in much, except the country music his father loves to play. His parents buy him his first guitar and he’s a very quick study, able to play along with any of his father’s LPs. At the age of 20, and with no interest in furthering his education, they agree to let him leave home for Glasgow, where he hopes to make his way in the music world.
Sadly, within just a few weeks, the police locate him and inform him that his parents are lost at sea and presumed dead. Apparently, the two had been out on Sonny’s boat, but they did not return home. Days later, the boat drifted back to shore, but there was no sign of Sonny or Kathleen and, forevermore, it would remain a mystery. The family was loved and respected so, thanks to the locals, Jack was helped through this tragedy and the funeral. But once things were settled, he made the decision to sell the majority of his father’s land to one of the neighbouring farmers. This would leave him with the family home, a stone shed and a small piece of property he could manage once he found work, which he did—a menial position, good enough to suit his needs which were few.
From here, the story alternates between short chapters about Sonny and Kathleen’s life, followed by chapters about Jack in his adult years—back and forth, but easy to follow.
As an adult, Jack continues to be quiet and shy, and he lives a very simple life. He goes to work each day, comes home for supper, plays his music and writes songs, goes to bed, and then repeats it the next day, on and on. When we meet Jack next, he’s 62, still living a simple life, still writing and playing music, and still living alone. He’ll never admit to being lonely, but some might disagree. One day he arrived home to find someone had left a box on his doorstep. And inside that box? A tiny kitten that would completely change his life.🐈⬛
This is such a beautiful story. And I’ll just say this… I did a lot of thinking about how Sonny and Kathleen might have met their end. It wasn’t a prediction really. It was just a story I wrote in my head—a kind of “wishful thinking”. And, as luck would have it, the final chapter was about that final, fateful day! So, was I right? 🤫🤐🤭🙂↕️
4 A–cat’s–purr–is–the–sound–of–love stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Interestingly, as well as Jack, the author is also a musician, and he wrote 11 songs to accompany the book. It’s available wherever you find music, but here’s a link to the playlist on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/5sAiiF...
October 15, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It is gentle tale, beautifully told by an author new to me and I do love to discover a new voice.
The story is about Jack Paton, his friendship with a kitten and a little girl along with the story of his parents, Sonny and Kathleen. Jack is a solitary soul but his world is upended one day when a box is left on his doorstep containing a kitten. The kitten brings him into contact with Sarah and her daughter Vaila who live next door and a friendship he didn't expect.
The story also tells the history of Jack's father, Sonny, who worked as a whaler in the South Atlantic before returning to Shetland to marry Kathleen. The couple went missing one day while Jack is away from home and haven't been seen since. All that washed up was their boat. Jack has lived a solitary life ever since.
I can't really say what drew me to this book because the story is such a simple one but often, a simple story is all you need. The writing is wonderful and, as Jack's story unfolds, we get glimpses of his passion for country music. I'm not a fan of this genre but I listened to a lot of the artists as I read and the voices are hauntingly beautiful - much like the book.
Excellent. Highly recommended for anyone wanting an uplifting tale with some highly emotional scenes. Loved it.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Canongate Books for the advance review copy.
The story is about Jack Paton, his friendship with a kitten and a little girl along with the story of his parents, Sonny and Kathleen. Jack is a solitary soul but his world is upended one day when a box is left on his doorstep containing a kitten. The kitten brings him into contact with Sarah and her daughter Vaila who live next door and a friendship he didn't expect.
The story also tells the history of Jack's father, Sonny, who worked as a whaler in the South Atlantic before returning to Shetland to marry Kathleen. The couple went missing one day while Jack is away from home and haven't been seen since. All that washed up was their boat. Jack has lived a solitary life ever since.
I can't really say what drew me to this book because the story is such a simple one but often, a simple story is all you need. The writing is wonderful and, as Jack's story unfolds, we get glimpses of his passion for country music. I'm not a fan of this genre but I listened to a lot of the artists as I read and the voices are hauntingly beautiful - much like the book.
Excellent. Highly recommended for anyone wanting an uplifting tale with some highly emotional scenes. Loved it.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Canongate Books for the advance review copy.
November 7, 2024
A gentle book; "little"stories which actually aren´t little. The writing reminded me of Niall Williams, but it lacks,except in certain parts,Williams´emotional force. New author for me, and I´ll be reading more of his, but I felt it lacked something.
November 29, 2024
4.5 stars but let's make it 5. This was very slow and very beautiful, from Jack's life on Shetland to the story of his parents. It made me cry. And the music in the audiobook fit the story very well, even though I don't really like country.
December 26, 2024
Ik had niet gedacht dat country muziek en Schotse eilanden goed bij elkaar zouden passen, maar ik had ook niet gedacht dat het zoveelste boek over een sociaal ongemakkelijke man in een ruig landschap me aan het huilen ging maken
May 27, 2025
"And all at once, as though commanded into being, a great wave rose. It rose at first like the broad back of a whale, and then, like something monstrous, something mountainous, it rose higher still."
Als je hier een boek mee begint, het vervolgens hebt over de essentie van geluk in een tragisch leven én een grote rol aan een kat toedicht, ja dan heb je mij! Fijn boek, ook erg genoten van de handgeschreven songteksten.
Als je hier een boek mee begint, het vervolgens hebt over de essentie van geluk in een tragisch leven én een grote rol aan een kat toedicht, ja dan heb je mij! Fijn boek, ook erg genoten van de handgeschreven songteksten.
February 24, 2026
I loved the feeling of space and time this book gave. When we hurry through life so fast, it was nice to slow right down and imagine what an unhurried life would be like. This was a very gentle story, but with some hard underlying themes of loneliness and social anxiety. Similarly to ‘When the Cranes Fly South’, it also helps to show how fundamental people’s pets can be to them when they live in a more isolated way.
February 21, 2026
This was a lovely story and so well written. I enjoyed every second of escaping into Shetland and an exploration of loneliness, friendships and fresh starts.
July 21, 2024
The novel opens in the 1950s, with Sonny at sea on a whaling ship. When he just about survives a freak wave that could have easily taken his life, he vows to return to his homeland of Shetland and marry Kathleen, a woman he fell for before he left.
Then we move to present day Shetland, where Jack lives alone in an isolated house. Now in his 60s, he's hardly ever left Shetland, and is clearly something of a recluse. But when a kitten is left on his doorstep one day, his own small world opens up and he realises the value of companionship and love.
You soon work out that Jack is the son of Sonny, and yet the two could not be more different. Sonny was a hard worker and a hard parent, whilst still holding a deep love for his family. Jack is unambitious, quiet, and his only passion in life is country music, for which he has neither the confidence or encouragement to take further.
The novel is interpsersed with song lyrics written by Jack, and Malachy is bringing out an album of these songs to coincide with the release (do have a listen - they're very beautiful and add another dimension to the book).
I came to love Jack as a character, and watching him slowly develop relationships with Loretta the kitten, and Vaila, the daughter of a neighbour who begins to visit Jack and Loretta every day.
Although this is about the fifth novel about a musician that I seem to have read this year (Willy Vlautin's The Horse, Ben Myers' Rare Singles to name a few), I really liked this idea of someone having a passion and a drive for creativity, but who had a total lack of self confidence to share any of it with the world.
It was at times teetering on the edge of being a little too sweet for me, but I think Malachy just about pulls it in and delivers a geuinely lovely book. I could see a lot of readers really loving this.
Then we move to present day Shetland, where Jack lives alone in an isolated house. Now in his 60s, he's hardly ever left Shetland, and is clearly something of a recluse. But when a kitten is left on his doorstep one day, his own small world opens up and he realises the value of companionship and love.
You soon work out that Jack is the son of Sonny, and yet the two could not be more different. Sonny was a hard worker and a hard parent, whilst still holding a deep love for his family. Jack is unambitious, quiet, and his only passion in life is country music, for which he has neither the confidence or encouragement to take further.
The novel is interpsersed with song lyrics written by Jack, and Malachy is bringing out an album of these songs to coincide with the release (do have a listen - they're very beautiful and add another dimension to the book).
I came to love Jack as a character, and watching him slowly develop relationships with Loretta the kitten, and Vaila, the daughter of a neighbour who begins to visit Jack and Loretta every day.
Although this is about the fifth novel about a musician that I seem to have read this year (Willy Vlautin's The Horse, Ben Myers' Rare Singles to name a few), I really liked this idea of someone having a passion and a drive for creativity, but who had a total lack of self confidence to share any of it with the world.
It was at times teetering on the edge of being a little too sweet for me, but I think Malachy just about pulls it in and delivers a geuinely lovely book. I could see a lot of readers really loving this.
October 24, 2024
Beautiful, heartwarming and lyrical, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel! Set in Shetland the tale interweaves the lives of several generations of islanders from the course of 1957 to the present day. We meet Sonny, who prides himself on hard work and yet is caught up in the whaling business which he finds harsh and brutal. His son Jack, a deep thinker with a passion for music who finds himself living an almost entirely solitary existence until an unexpected box turns up on his doorstep. Plus a plethora of other characters who have hints of plenty of stories of their own. There were so many things I loved about this book. The writing was sublime and the scenes were painted so well that I found I could picture the island and events incredibly clearly in my imagination. The characters, even the background ones, were believable and real with full lives and I finished the book feeling like each person could easily have warranted their own books too. Most of all though what stood out to me was the novels themes of belonging, purpose, how our time on earth is spent, the land and tradition. How these themes return like a tide, appearing for each generation for them to decide what to do with them, whether they are a weight or an anchor, something to be passed over or lived by, how much they are imposed or we take them on and the consequences of these decisions. A book I know I will be reflecting on for some time to come.
November 13, 2024
'But regret, he felt. And nostalgia, too. And he felt, as well, a kind of backward yearning for which he did not have an adequate word. He wished sometimes, with an intensity that could knock him almost off his feet, that he had lived a different life.'
A simply stunning novel, a rare kind of book that will make you stop and question your own life. Have I lived it well? Am I happy with who and where I am? Malachy Tallack has written a novel of quiet intensity, the story of Jack Paton, his parents and his life in Shetland, seeing through the last years of his life in the old family home. He keeps himself to himself, a man of routine, grunting responses to the people he happens to meet if he's popped out for some shopping. His passion is country music, in which he loses himself to escape his own life. And then, one day, a box is left om his doorstep and everything changes.
The box contains a kitten, and as Jack slowly adapts his life to accommodate this little ball of fluff his neighbour's daughter starts to come over to play with the kitten as well. And so starts an unlikely friendship, as Jack starts to enjoy life again. Interspersed with this modern-day story we get the story of Jack's parents, Sonny and Kathleen, and their life together on Shetland. It is a story of a way of life, of a culture and history of a proud and distinct Shetland way of life. It is the story of a landscape that is in equal parts beautiful and cruel. And it is the story of why Jack Paton is who he is, and why music is so important to him.
As I say, some books just make you stop and re-think your entire life choices. It is beautifully written, as befits a songwriter, and the characters are deftly observed. Gentle, powerful, this is definitely one of my books of 2024.
A simply stunning novel, a rare kind of book that will make you stop and question your own life. Have I lived it well? Am I happy with who and where I am? Malachy Tallack has written a novel of quiet intensity, the story of Jack Paton, his parents and his life in Shetland, seeing through the last years of his life in the old family home. He keeps himself to himself, a man of routine, grunting responses to the people he happens to meet if he's popped out for some shopping. His passion is country music, in which he loses himself to escape his own life. And then, one day, a box is left om his doorstep and everything changes.
The box contains a kitten, and as Jack slowly adapts his life to accommodate this little ball of fluff his neighbour's daughter starts to come over to play with the kitten as well. And so starts an unlikely friendship, as Jack starts to enjoy life again. Interspersed with this modern-day story we get the story of Jack's parents, Sonny and Kathleen, and their life together on Shetland. It is a story of a way of life, of a culture and history of a proud and distinct Shetland way of life. It is the story of a landscape that is in equal parts beautiful and cruel. And it is the story of why Jack Paton is who he is, and why music is so important to him.
As I say, some books just make you stop and re-think your entire life choices. It is beautifully written, as befits a songwriter, and the characters are deftly observed. Gentle, powerful, this is definitely one of my books of 2024.
December 3, 2024
Tallack's descriptive writing about the islands themselves is delightful to read, particularly the opening stanzas which demonstrate his skill as a nature writer. Indeed, most of his previous books have been non-fiction, which I personally prefer. This is his second novel, The Valley at the Centre of the World being his first, which I read and reviewed a few years ago.
Both novels reflect on the old way of life in Shetland, but here there is a dual timeline, concerning an unmarried 63 year old man content with his simple way of life and resistant to any change. The difficulty I had with it is that the plot is overly sentimental, even sickly sweet at times, and pretty awful.
Both novels reflect on the old way of life in Shetland, but here there is a dual timeline, concerning an unmarried 63 year old man content with his simple way of life and resistant to any change. The difficulty I had with it is that the plot is overly sentimental, even sickly sweet at times, and pretty awful.
January 4, 2026
The Book is set in Shetland and has interpolated chapters switching between the current day and the 1920’s, 30’s. The author tells the story of an unremarkable but worthy life of a man named Jack. There are no villains or heroes in this book but instead the everyday things and story of a good man. However, the novel has its fair share of action and drama in the interpolated flashback chapters which take us to Sonny’s experiences on the whaling ship in Antarctica.
This is a beautifully written novel, imaginative, understanding and sympathetic.
This is a beautifully written novel, imaginative, understanding and sympathetic.
September 8, 2024
Oh, so this was unexpectedly about country music and the magical friendship-forming power of a cat.
This was a really gentle, heartfelt story of our need for human connection and the bravery it takes to seek it.
This was a really gentle, heartfelt story of our need for human connection and the bravery it takes to seek it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2025
Loved this unusual book. Recommend listening as it is interspersed with music - read & sung by the author who has a wonderful gentle and lilting voice.
February 11, 2026
a lovely book to save me from a brief little holiday reading slump. as always, bonus points for a cat!
September 14, 2025
4.5 stars ⭐️
An incredibly moving and sweet story about a lonesome old man developing new friendships. I loved it.
An incredibly moving and sweet story about a lonesome old man developing new friendships. I loved it.
November 2, 2025
really enjoyed this. the song lyric interludes between chapters were very effective.
November 7, 2024
Who's cutting onions around here, eh?!
The gentleness of That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz reminds one of life in remote places, where life goes on non-urgently, at its own quiet pace that cannot be hurried along, where everything get put into perspective ...we are just a speck in the universe. But the essence of the novel also reminds one about how harsh life can be in remote places, where nature is a force to reckon with, playing us as marionettes, and no matter how quiet and non-urgent life can be, one still cannot escape its cruelness! But hope is there, one just need to open up to it!
Needless to say I LOVED That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz and I loved the relationships explored in it! And Loretta, who wouldn't love her, eh?! Sadness going hand in hand with warmheartedness, while dancing on country music! Just perfect!
*Book from NetGalley with many thanks to the publisher for the opportunity!
The gentleness of That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz reminds one of life in remote places, where life goes on non-urgently, at its own quiet pace that cannot be hurried along, where everything get put into perspective ...we are just a speck in the universe. But the essence of the novel also reminds one about how harsh life can be in remote places, where nature is a force to reckon with, playing us as marionettes, and no matter how quiet and non-urgent life can be, one still cannot escape its cruelness! But hope is there, one just need to open up to it!
Needless to say I LOVED That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz and I loved the relationships explored in it! And Loretta, who wouldn't love her, eh?! Sadness going hand in hand with warmheartedness, while dancing on country music! Just perfect!
*Book from NetGalley with many thanks to the publisher for the opportunity!
November 2, 2024
My heart is aching, this is a brilliant story.
This book made me long for home. It tackles grief, and friendship, and hope, and growth, but this is also incredibly sad.
Throughout this book i found myself thinking of my own childhood and memories I havent paused on for a long time.
Amazing that the author wrote an album to go alongside the book. We see scribbles of lyrics in the book from the main character, and we can actually hear the final song if you want to. Very Scottish folk/country ehich is not my usual chlice but I ended up really enjoying the music. So interactive.
This is staying on my shelf and will probably end up reading next winter too.
Now i need to go and hug someone
This book made me long for home. It tackles grief, and friendship, and hope, and growth, but this is also incredibly sad.
Throughout this book i found myself thinking of my own childhood and memories I havent paused on for a long time.
Amazing that the author wrote an album to go alongside the book. We see scribbles of lyrics in the book from the main character, and we can actually hear the final song if you want to. Very Scottish folk/country ehich is not my usual chlice but I ended up really enjoying the music. So interactive.
This is staying on my shelf and will probably end up reading next winter too.
Now i need to go and hug someone
February 25, 2026
Like a waltz the story is rather slow-paced, but purposefully so, well-fit for the personal focus of the book. There's a rhythm to it, flowing between the past and present (and transcripts of songs I would REALLY recommend listening to, from the album of the same name), helping us to understand our main character as he grows and to make this an easy, relaxed read.
December 3, 2024
I think I’ve found another favourite for 2024. That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz is a gorgeous little novel set on Shetland about life, love, connection and country music, beautifully evocative of island life and times past.
I discovered upon finishing the book that Malachy Tallack released his debut album - also called That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz - simultaneously with the publication of the book and I’m smitten. A book with its own soundtrack 😍.
Jack Paton is a man in his sixties living on Shetland where he grew up. He lives a quiet life, with just his country music for company, until something turns up on his doorstep that changes the rhythm of his solitary existence.
The story moves between past and present, telling us the story of Jack’s family, his father Sonny a whaler, mother Kathleen and uncle Tom, and Jack’s life in the present day with newfound company, punctuated by handwritten lyrics between chapters. I could not have loved it more.
There’s a simplicity and an honesty to the story that will resonate with readers. It’s a perfect one to buy for someone for Christmas who loves a gentle story and appreciates wonderful literary fiction.
A wild card! I’d recommend reading the book and stopping after each chapter to listen to the song on Spotify. I can’t guarantee you won’t cry.
It’s a slow-down-and-savour-it book. I’m giving it 5/5 for its delicate beauty, simplicity, sincerity and originality ⭐️.
Thanks to @canongatebooks and author @malachytallack for the arc via @netgalley. That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz was published in October and is widely available.
I discovered upon finishing the book that Malachy Tallack released his debut album - also called That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz - simultaneously with the publication of the book and I’m smitten. A book with its own soundtrack 😍.
Jack Paton is a man in his sixties living on Shetland where he grew up. He lives a quiet life, with just his country music for company, until something turns up on his doorstep that changes the rhythm of his solitary existence.
The story moves between past and present, telling us the story of Jack’s family, his father Sonny a whaler, mother Kathleen and uncle Tom, and Jack’s life in the present day with newfound company, punctuated by handwritten lyrics between chapters. I could not have loved it more.
There’s a simplicity and an honesty to the story that will resonate with readers. It’s a perfect one to buy for someone for Christmas who loves a gentle story and appreciates wonderful literary fiction.
A wild card! I’d recommend reading the book and stopping after each chapter to listen to the song on Spotify. I can’t guarantee you won’t cry.
It’s a slow-down-and-savour-it book. I’m giving it 5/5 for its delicate beauty, simplicity, sincerity and originality ⭐️.
Thanks to @canongatebooks and author @malachytallack for the arc via @netgalley. That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz was published in October and is widely available.
February 28, 2026
Read for a book club, in one morning, not something I’d pick out for myself as it’s a long story with little plot, but turns out, a lot of heart. Took me a while to get into it, but the second half was really touching. Also, I love cats <3
February 10, 2026
A beautiful tender moving story that I really didn't want to leave. 4.5 ⭐️
December 23, 2024
I've been recommending this book to many people over the last couple of weeks and for a good reason: I find myself thinking back at the perfect ending and the skilful prose of a 'quiet' lonely life.
This is a beautiful story which will engage readers of different ages and tastes - a sign of a skilfully executed novel.
p.s. I'm a crazy cat lady and the cat element was my least favourite part so you can safely gift this to any dog person as well!
This is a beautiful story which will engage readers of different ages and tastes - a sign of a skilfully executed novel.
p.s. I'm a crazy cat lady and the cat element was my least favourite part so you can safely gift this to any dog person as well!
May 4, 2025
The audio version of this book is amazing.
A gentle novel about the importance of the little things in life & the power of music. 🎵
A gentle novel about the importance of the little things in life & the power of music. 🎵
November 2, 2024
Malachy Tallack's latest novel "That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz" is a love letter to the Shetland Islands and an exploration of the power of music, in this instance of country music, a genre I have longed loved. I've even got a genuine Stetson, a present my husband brought back from Kentucky.
There are two alternating narratives. The first features Sonny, a young Shetlander who, like many other islanders at the time, signed up to work on a whaling ship in the 1950s and who almost loses his life. On his return to Shetland, the taciturn but short tempered Sonny marries Kathleen and together with Kathleen's uncle Tom they live and work on their croft.
The second narrative is set in the here and now and is about Jack an ageing man who lives alone in his croft house, having years earlier sold off the croft land to a neighbour. Part way through, the reader discovers what links the two narratives.
Apart from a short time in Glasgow years ago, Jack has lived all his life on Shetland and is a person of habit. He is also a talented guitarist, singer and songwriter, though he only plays for himself. His only luxury, other than his old guitar, is his prized collection of country music records and CDs. He doesn't consider himself to be lonely, but admits to feeling lonesome sometimes. Lonesome is a word that features in many country songs and particularly in those written in the 1940s and 50s by Hank Williams (whose "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" was once described by Elvis Presley as the saddest song he'd ever heard - he wasn't wrong).
His lonesome life begins to change when he arrives home one day to find a cardboard box on his doorstep. When he takes it inside, he discovers it contains a kitten who over time becomes his companion and who he names Loretta (after country singer Loretta Lynn), This leads to a friendship with Vaila, the 8 year old daughter of his nearest neighbour Sarah.
As the two narrative strands move forward,we discover more about the key characters and we begin to understand how they have become who they are. It is a gentle and quiet novel that focuses in on the little things that can be so important. It is the sort of beautiful story that brings both a smile to the face and a tear to the eye while avoiding the trap of sentimentality. As I was reading it, I was reminded of Robert Frost's great poem "The Road Not Taken" in which the choices we make help determine our future, in which "way leads to way".
Throughout Jack's narrative we come across the hand-written lyrics he has written, lyrics that have the beauty, simplicity and emotion of the best country music. The author, who is also a singer and songwriter, has recorded all these songs and they are available to download and listen to on sites like Bandcamp, Spotify and YouTube. The songs, like the novel, are gentle but full of depth and combine country with elements of folk. Having the album on repeat while reading this wonderful book helps heighten the power of both.
There are two alternating narratives. The first features Sonny, a young Shetlander who, like many other islanders at the time, signed up to work on a whaling ship in the 1950s and who almost loses his life. On his return to Shetland, the taciturn but short tempered Sonny marries Kathleen and together with Kathleen's uncle Tom they live and work on their croft.
The second narrative is set in the here and now and is about Jack an ageing man who lives alone in his croft house, having years earlier sold off the croft land to a neighbour. Part way through, the reader discovers what links the two narratives.
Apart from a short time in Glasgow years ago, Jack has lived all his life on Shetland and is a person of habit. He is also a talented guitarist, singer and songwriter, though he only plays for himself. His only luxury, other than his old guitar, is his prized collection of country music records and CDs. He doesn't consider himself to be lonely, but admits to feeling lonesome sometimes. Lonesome is a word that features in many country songs and particularly in those written in the 1940s and 50s by Hank Williams (whose "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" was once described by Elvis Presley as the saddest song he'd ever heard - he wasn't wrong).
His lonesome life begins to change when he arrives home one day to find a cardboard box on his doorstep. When he takes it inside, he discovers it contains a kitten who over time becomes his companion and who he names Loretta (after country singer Loretta Lynn), This leads to a friendship with Vaila, the 8 year old daughter of his nearest neighbour Sarah.
As the two narrative strands move forward,we discover more about the key characters and we begin to understand how they have become who they are. It is a gentle and quiet novel that focuses in on the little things that can be so important. It is the sort of beautiful story that brings both a smile to the face and a tear to the eye while avoiding the trap of sentimentality. As I was reading it, I was reminded of Robert Frost's great poem "The Road Not Taken" in which the choices we make help determine our future, in which "way leads to way".
Throughout Jack's narrative we come across the hand-written lyrics he has written, lyrics that have the beauty, simplicity and emotion of the best country music. The author, who is also a singer and songwriter, has recorded all these songs and they are available to download and listen to on sites like Bandcamp, Spotify and YouTube. The songs, like the novel, are gentle but full of depth and combine country with elements of folk. Having the album on repeat while reading this wonderful book helps heighten the power of both.
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