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Home Guard Series #2
Whisky Galore
“Love makes the world go round? Not at all. Whisky makes it go round twice as fast.” The hilarious story of wartime bootlegging in the Scottish highlands, in this classic comic wartime novel.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1947
81 people are currently reading
2211 people want to read
About the author
Compton Mackenzie
210 books83 followersCompton Mackenzie was born into a theatrical family. His father, Edward Compton, was an actor and theatre company manager; his sister, Fay Compton, starred in many of James M. Barrie's plays, including Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. He was educated at St Paul's School and Magdalen College, Oxford where he obtained a degree in Modern History.
Mackenzie was married three times and aside from his writing also worked as an actor, political activist, and broadcaster. He served with British Intelligence in the Eastern Mediterranean during World War I, later publishing four books on his experiences. Compton Mackenzie was from 1920–1923 Tenant of Herm and Jethou and he shares many similarities to the central character in D.H. Lawrence's short story The Man Who Loved Islands, despite Lawrence saying "the man is no more he than I am." Mackenzie at first asked Secker, who published both authors, not to print the story and it was left out of one collection.
Mackenzie was married three times and aside from his writing also worked as an actor, political activist, and broadcaster. He served with British Intelligence in the Eastern Mediterranean during World War I, later publishing four books on his experiences. Compton Mackenzie was from 1920–1923 Tenant of Herm and Jethou and he shares many similarities to the central character in D.H. Lawrence's short story The Man Who Loved Islands, despite Lawrence saying "the man is no more he than I am." Mackenzie at first asked Secker, who published both authors, not to print the story and it was left out of one collection.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 201 reviews
August 1, 2025
Uisge Beatha - is that a sneeze and a yawn in "Garlic"?
I am in two minds about this book, for I am sure that had I read it in print or on kindle, I would have given it 3 stars only, but the awesome narration by David Rintoul, whom I just cannot praise highly enough!!, rendered it much more enjoyable. His style and Scottish accents delighted my Scotland-loving ears and soul and I could have gone on listening for an ever longer period.
The novel is based on a true story: during WW2 a cargo ship ran aground off the coast of one of the Hebridean Islands, carrying tens of thousands of whisky intended for the US market. The locals set out to salvage as much of this precious cargo as they could, risking prosecution from Customs and Excise authorities.
In the book there are 2 fictional islands of the Outer Hebrides called Great Todday (Protestant) and Little Todday (Catholic) in the year of 1943. While the islanders may have their mild religious clashes (in the book this takes the form of rivalry of which island's people settled there earlier and what their origins are as well as about the observation of Sabbath), they are united on one front: when the provision of whisky starts thinning out and then cut off, the "Drought" affects morale very badly on both Islands, much to the consternation of the snobbish British Home Guard officer, Captain Waggett (who is in mortal fear of losing the war because of the locals' callous behaviour).
When the shipwreck happens and is discovered, any possible dispute on religion or anthropogeny is forgotten in the brethrenly and spiritual union over the saving, drinking and selling of the salvaged crates of whisky they all refer to as Minnie or St. Minnie to honour the grounded ship which was called The Cabinet Minister. (Obviously with the exception of the local Hotel & Pub owner, with whom this is a sore point as the shipwreck of the Minnie comes at the worst possible time: regular provisions & distribution of whisky is just being restored.)
The book takes its own sweet and long time to build up and gather steam (or is that Whisky fumes?) and at the beginning reads more like a collection of loosely tide storylines about quirky, Scottish Islanders than an organic whole, but then the parts starts to fit together nicely and in retrospect, I did not mind about the really slow and seemingly disjointed beginning.
We are introduced to a great cast of quirky characters on both islands with their side stories, including 2 "romances". And David Rintoul did full justice to the different voices and accents as well as to the Gaelic phrases (not that I am any expert on that!).
I would not say that the book is choke full of laugh-out-loud moments or would cause "unbridled mirth"; it is more of what I'd call gentle humour and it made me smile and chuckle quite a few times.
I am in two minds about this book, for I am sure that had I read it in print or on kindle, I would have given it 3 stars only, but the awesome narration by David Rintoul, whom I just cannot praise highly enough!!, rendered it much more enjoyable. His style and Scottish accents delighted my Scotland-loving ears and soul and I could have gone on listening for an ever longer period.
The novel is based on a true story: during WW2 a cargo ship ran aground off the coast of one of the Hebridean Islands, carrying tens of thousands of whisky intended for the US market. The locals set out to salvage as much of this precious cargo as they could, risking prosecution from Customs and Excise authorities.
In the book there are 2 fictional islands of the Outer Hebrides called Great Todday (Protestant) and Little Todday (Catholic) in the year of 1943. While the islanders may have their mild religious clashes (in the book this takes the form of rivalry of which island's people settled there earlier and what their origins are as well as about the observation of Sabbath), they are united on one front: when the provision of whisky starts thinning out and then cut off, the "Drought" affects morale very badly on both Islands, much to the consternation of the snobbish British Home Guard officer, Captain Waggett (who is in mortal fear of losing the war because of the locals' callous behaviour).
When the shipwreck happens and is discovered, any possible dispute on religion or anthropogeny is forgotten in the brethrenly and spiritual union over the saving, drinking and selling of the salvaged crates of whisky they all refer to as Minnie or St. Minnie to honour the grounded ship which was called The Cabinet Minister. (Obviously with the exception of the local Hotel & Pub owner, with whom this is a sore point as the shipwreck of the Minnie comes at the worst possible time: regular provisions & distribution of whisky is just being restored.)
The book takes its own sweet and long time to build up and gather steam (or is that Whisky fumes?) and at the beginning reads more like a collection of loosely tide storylines about quirky, Scottish Islanders than an organic whole, but then the parts starts to fit together nicely and in retrospect, I did not mind about the really slow and seemingly disjointed beginning.
We are introduced to a great cast of quirky characters on both islands with their side stories, including 2 "romances". And David Rintoul did full justice to the different voices and accents as well as to the Gaelic phrases (not that I am any expert on that!).
I would not say that the book is choke full of laugh-out-loud moments or would cause "unbridled mirth"; it is more of what I'd call gentle humour and it made me smile and chuckle quite a few times.
August 26, 2022
I couldn't write my own novel set on the Isle of Barra, and visit the island, without also picking up a copy and reading the most famous novel to feature the island, written by one of its most famous residents. A comic delight, some of it laugh out loud. A gentle tale of manners and culture clash, and a perfect glimpse into the way of life of the islands during the war.
November 14, 2015
This book is very amusing, and it is based upon a true story. It gives a great insight into why the simple lives of Highlanders and Islanders are to be so admired and envied.
The SS Cabinet Minister runs aground on the rocks of one of the Hebridean islands. The locals, naturally, take advantage of the availability of the ship's cargo: whisky. The authorities have other ideas about what should happen to this precious cargo.
The conflict which ensues, and some of the cunning methods that the locals employ, are hysterically funny. I am sure that you will enjoy this delightful tale.
The SS Cabinet Minister runs aground on the rocks of one of the Hebridean islands. The locals, naturally, take advantage of the availability of the ship's cargo: whisky. The authorities have other ideas about what should happen to this precious cargo.
The conflict which ensues, and some of the cunning methods that the locals employ, are hysterically funny. I am sure that you will enjoy this delightful tale.
November 24, 2014
I grew up with the Ealing Comedy black and white film of this book and have always known the story. The book turned out to be a disappointment. Full of redundant detail, the tale moves at snail's pace weighted down by quite pointless episodes and dialogue which would have been better rendered as reported speech. Compton Mackenzie's style tends to the trite in description with an irritatingly self-conscious and pompous diction - who has ever 'doffed' a dressing gown? Worse, he indulges himself to the extent of attempting to reproduce the islanders' accent phonetically, with not much success. If ever there was an author in need of a strict editor, this is the man.
March 17, 2018
One of the most fun books I have read in a long time. Loved it!
February 12, 2017
I waffled between 3 & 4 stars so I guess 3.5*
The reason I waffled so much is that I found the plot hilarious but had some trouble with the Scot dialects (I have trouble reading dialects of all kinds). The interspersed Gaelic didn't give me as much trouble as my edition had a glossary of Gaelic terms with how to pronounce them & their meaning.
Here are some examples of the dialect (these are fairly clear as to their meaning but illustrate the way the dialects were written):
" 'I'm sorry, Captain MacPhee, but unless the peer comes by Monday's poat the peer will be where the whisky is, and that's nowhere at all' said the big hotel keeper."
" 'Chorge will neffer be having the courage to tell Mistress Campbell he's going to be married to her. Neffer!' he declared. 'Not unless he'd trunk a tram the size of Loch Sleeport itself, and then I believe it would turn to water inside his stamac when he saw his mother gazing at him.' "
" 'A Dhia, Dhia, don't be saying that, Hugh. The crapefruits wass never in poxes. Chust lying on the traìgh. Crapefruits chaca!' "
The reason I waffled so much is that I found the plot hilarious but had some trouble with the Scot dialects (I have trouble reading dialects of all kinds). The interspersed Gaelic didn't give me as much trouble as my edition had a glossary of Gaelic terms with how to pronounce them & their meaning.
Here are some examples of the dialect (these are fairly clear as to their meaning but illustrate the way the dialects were written):
" 'I'm sorry, Captain MacPhee, but unless the peer comes by Monday's poat the peer will be where the whisky is, and that's nowhere at all' said the big hotel keeper."
" 'Chorge will neffer be having the courage to tell Mistress Campbell he's going to be married to her. Neffer!' he declared. 'Not unless he'd trunk a tram the size of Loch Sleeport itself, and then I believe it would turn to water inside his stamac when he saw his mother gazing at him.' "
" 'A Dhia, Dhia, don't be saying that, Hugh. The crapefruits wass never in poxes. Chust lying on the traìgh. Crapefruits chaca!' "
January 17, 2025
A delightful,heartwarming,quirky, funny,lovely story based on real events.
November 1, 2025
Sergeant-Major Alfred Ernest Odd returns to the Hebridean islands of Great and Little Todday in wartime and finds them in the middle of rationing with food supplies very low. Not only are food supplies low but whisky is almost non-existent and the islanders are not happy with the situation.
In addition the home guard are under suspicion as they are deemed to be not doing their jobs properly and the locals think that Odd has come to spy upon them and report back to headquarters.
There are a variety of comic characters in the script with one of them George Campbell well under his mother's thumb. So much so that when he wants to marry Catriona he dare not mention it to his mother so he sweats on the outcome of the relationship for some considerable time.
Some relief is brought when a ship is wrecked off the coast and the cargo turns out to be a supply of whisky bound for Russia. The locals begin gathering it in and hiding it away before the authorities can move in and as a consequence things get a little bit easier, and happier in the Todday islands, one of which is of the catholic faith and one of the protestant faith, which in itself causes some problems.
The whisky is enjoyed, the community comes together, the home guard escapes any reprimands, George Campbell braves his mother to inorm her of his marriage and life goes on idyllcally!
There are many gaelic phrases in the text, which can prove frustrating, however there is a glossary at the back!
Finally, having seen the film and read the book, I am loathe to say that the former was better than the latter.
In addition the home guard are under suspicion as they are deemed to be not doing their jobs properly and the locals think that Odd has come to spy upon them and report back to headquarters.
There are a variety of comic characters in the script with one of them George Campbell well under his mother's thumb. So much so that when he wants to marry Catriona he dare not mention it to his mother so he sweats on the outcome of the relationship for some considerable time.
Some relief is brought when a ship is wrecked off the coast and the cargo turns out to be a supply of whisky bound for Russia. The locals begin gathering it in and hiding it away before the authorities can move in and as a consequence things get a little bit easier, and happier in the Todday islands, one of which is of the catholic faith and one of the protestant faith, which in itself causes some problems.
The whisky is enjoyed, the community comes together, the home guard escapes any reprimands, George Campbell braves his mother to inorm her of his marriage and life goes on idyllcally!
There are many gaelic phrases in the text, which can prove frustrating, however there is a glossary at the back!
Finally, having seen the film and read the book, I am loathe to say that the former was better than the latter.
March 11, 2011
I have start off by saying that I'm a singer in a Celtic band and I don't just sing about whiskey, but I love the stuff. Reading this book for me was like finding myself surrounded by a room full of kindred spirits. There were so many things to love about this book, but really at its heart was the culture of Gaelic speaking Scotland. It is culture where nothing is ever too serious, yet the passion for life is the poetry of the air they breathe. Music, dancing, and just good Craic with friends is the pulse of the people, and the lubricant that smooths things out is Whiskey, Whiskey Galore.
Do yourself a favor, read this book. You'll not regret it.
Do yourself a favor, read this book. You'll not regret it.
January 15, 2023
Great fun! There's no complicated story, or big plot twists but it's a good bit of fun. I read the beginning quite slowly because quite a lot of characters were introduced quite quickly, but it was definitely worth it. Was a tad concerned when I hadn't been chuckling at all at the beginning, but it got rather amusing after not too long. I loved the islanders, which I believe I was meant to, and I couldn't stand Mr Waggett- which I believe I was meant to.
My favourite part was (though I recognise I found it far funnier than maybe it was) when Mr Waggett was complaining about the islanders and said he'd tried to introduce football, then said "I had to give a foul against one of the Garryboo team. It was more than a foul. It was an assault. What happened? Young Willie Macennan , the captain of Garryboo, deliberately dribbled the ball to the touch-line and kicked it into the sea."
My favourite part was (though I recognise I found it far funnier than maybe it was) when Mr Waggett was complaining about the islanders and said he'd tried to introduce football, then said "I had to give a foul against one of the Garryboo team. It was more than a foul. It was an assault. What happened? Young Willie Macennan , the captain of Garryboo, deliberately dribbled the ball to the touch-line and kicked it into the sea."
May 29, 2016
This was an excellent book about an island. Cecily reminded me of this author in her review on DHL just now in one of his short stories on islands.
February 21, 2023
A poorly written book, though fun in a cosy sort of way. Wartime rationing creates a whisky drought on two neighbouring Hebridean islands during the early 1940s. The future matrimonial happiness of various parties is threatened, as is communal harmony, the morale of the local Home Guard and the authority and dignity of its commander. Fortuitously, the drought ends; some funny business ensues and all’s well that ends well. Wedding bells peal and the Catholic Church receives a new convert.
Also included: two characters who have absolutely nothing to do with the story and without whom the book would have been far better; some attempts to guy old-style travel writing that merely add further tedium to Mackenzie’s already plodding prose; some elbow-in-the-ribs attempts at humour; and lots and lots and lots of Gaelic, none of which adds either flavour or interest to the book and further demands a glossary at the back to help the Sassenachs make sense of it.
Two and a half stars, really, at best; I doubt I shall be reading anything more by Mr Mackenzie.
Also included: two characters who have absolutely nothing to do with the story and without whom the book would have been far better; some attempts to guy old-style travel writing that merely add further tedium to Mackenzie’s already plodding prose; some elbow-in-the-ribs attempts at humour; and lots and lots and lots of Gaelic, none of which adds either flavour or interest to the book and further demands a glossary at the back to help the Sassenachs make sense of it.
Two and a half stars, really, at best; I doubt I shall be reading anything more by Mr Mackenzie.
December 18, 2020
Wonderfully laid-back tale of the inhabitants of two Hebridean islands, and their intimate relationship with whisky! Very much "light entertainment" rather than laugh-out-loud or farcical, but that's OK as I've read very few books that can pull this off so charmingly and with such well observed characters/dialogue. Little overlong/slow/drawn-out though, lowering rating to 3.5 stars, but rounding back up cos 3 would be harsh.
July 28, 2019
Three solid sturdy stars for the story plus one for the sheer amount of whisky overflowing from each page, even when there is a shortage of it.
June 3, 2022
Gentle tale about whisky-deprived Scottish islanders during the Second World War. Widespread depression reigns without the water of life, until a ship runs aground bearing thousands of cases of whisky, and the islanders manage to salvage enough bottles to restore their spirits. There are some very funny characters and humorous dialogue, although the prevalence of Gaelic makes it a bit difficult to follow. The love stories are dated, plus the whole novel seems to promote alcohol as an antidote to the world’s ills!
April 12, 2021
Slàinte mhath!
Despite their remote location, the Hebridean islands of Great Todday and Little Todday are not untouched by the ongoing Second World War. Some of the islands’ sons are far away serving in the forces, while various servicemen are stationed around the various islands. Rationing is in force, although the islanders always have their livestock and fishing to fall back on. But when there’s a prolonged shortage of whisky, things begin to get serious! When, after a few weeks of drought, a cargo ship full of whisky is shipwrecked just off one the islands, the temptation to steal the whisky before the authorities get there is overwhelming.
Humour is one of those things that is entirely subjective. Many people, according to the Goodreads reviews, found this hilarious. I’m afraid I found it occasionally mildly amusing, but mostly repetitive and rather dull. It takes about half the book before the shipwreck happens, and for most of that time we are introduced to a variety of quirky caricatures – an English writer’s affectionate idea of what Hebridean islanders should be like – and listen while they tell each other how awful life is because they have no whisky. I grant you that alcohol plays a large role in Scottish social life, and even more in our anti-social life, but not to the extent of it being the sole subject of conversation. I tired of it long before the ship hove into view.
There are a couple of other strands, both regarding romances. One is of an English soldier who has returned to the islands to claim the girl he proposed to a few years earlier, before he was posted abroad. But before they get married, they must have the ritual rèiteach – a kind of pre-wedding party. This leads to the running joke that I swear must have been repeated at least fifty times – that the Englishman can’t pronounce the Gaelic word rèiteach. He’s not alone – nor can I, but nonetheless the humour wore thin after the first dozen times he attempted it and failed. The islanders can’t imagine a rèiteach without whisky though, and so the couple can’t wed till the drought is over.
The other couple are both islanders, and the joke here is that the man is completely under his mother’s thumb, so much so that he’s afraid to tell her that he’s got himself engaged. He needs whisky to give him courage. (Mild spoiler: personally I felt the girl should be warned that the meek and mild model of sobriety she thinks she’s marrying turns into a bullying monster when he has a drink in him, but I think Mackenzie thought his drunken behaviour towards his admittedly irritating mother was admirable. Maybe that’s how men saw things back in those days...)
Mackenzie paints a picture of the lives of the islanders in which his characters seem to have endless amounts of free time and to do very little work, and, while he touches on the religious divides that have plagued Scotland for centuries, he does so in a way that makes them seem playful – I wish! However, despite its lack of realism it’s all in keeping with the cosy tone of the book.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by David Rintoul, who does an excellent job with the accents, and I assume also with the Gaelic pronunciations – I fear my ignorance of Gaelic means I wouldn’t know. There’s a fair amount of Gaelic sprinkled through it, which I would probably have found less annoying in a paper book with a glossary. But in an audiobook, not only did I not understand the words, I couldn’t work out how they would be spelled so that I could google them – it took me ages even to find the word rèiteach, despite it having been repeated umpteen times. Like a lot of Gaelic it is not pronounced how it looks! (My post title Slàinte mhath!, for example, is pronounced roughly slan-ja-va and means Cheers!)
Overall, then, a reasonably entertaining read, mildly amusing but, for me, not funny enough to make up for the lack of substance underneath. It could have made a great novella, but at full novel length there feels like far too much repetitive padding. Maybe I should have read it after a few drams of Glenfiddich…
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Despite their remote location, the Hebridean islands of Great Todday and Little Todday are not untouched by the ongoing Second World War. Some of the islands’ sons are far away serving in the forces, while various servicemen are stationed around the various islands. Rationing is in force, although the islanders always have their livestock and fishing to fall back on. But when there’s a prolonged shortage of whisky, things begin to get serious! When, after a few weeks of drought, a cargo ship full of whisky is shipwrecked just off one the islands, the temptation to steal the whisky before the authorities get there is overwhelming.
Humour is one of those things that is entirely subjective. Many people, according to the Goodreads reviews, found this hilarious. I’m afraid I found it occasionally mildly amusing, but mostly repetitive and rather dull. It takes about half the book before the shipwreck happens, and for most of that time we are introduced to a variety of quirky caricatures – an English writer’s affectionate idea of what Hebridean islanders should be like – and listen while they tell each other how awful life is because they have no whisky. I grant you that alcohol plays a large role in Scottish social life, and even more in our anti-social life, but not to the extent of it being the sole subject of conversation. I tired of it long before the ship hove into view.
There are a couple of other strands, both regarding romances. One is of an English soldier who has returned to the islands to claim the girl he proposed to a few years earlier, before he was posted abroad. But before they get married, they must have the ritual rèiteach – a kind of pre-wedding party. This leads to the running joke that I swear must have been repeated at least fifty times – that the Englishman can’t pronounce the Gaelic word rèiteach. He’s not alone – nor can I, but nonetheless the humour wore thin after the first dozen times he attempted it and failed. The islanders can’t imagine a rèiteach without whisky though, and so the couple can’t wed till the drought is over.
The other couple are both islanders, and the joke here is that the man is completely under his mother’s thumb, so much so that he’s afraid to tell her that he’s got himself engaged. He needs whisky to give him courage. (Mild spoiler: personally I felt the girl should be warned that the meek and mild model of sobriety she thinks she’s marrying turns into a bullying monster when he has a drink in him, but I think Mackenzie thought his drunken behaviour towards his admittedly irritating mother was admirable. Maybe that’s how men saw things back in those days...)
Mackenzie paints a picture of the lives of the islanders in which his characters seem to have endless amounts of free time and to do very little work, and, while he touches on the religious divides that have plagued Scotland for centuries, he does so in a way that makes them seem playful – I wish! However, despite its lack of realism it’s all in keeping with the cosy tone of the book.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by David Rintoul, who does an excellent job with the accents, and I assume also with the Gaelic pronunciations – I fear my ignorance of Gaelic means I wouldn’t know. There’s a fair amount of Gaelic sprinkled through it, which I would probably have found less annoying in a paper book with a glossary. But in an audiobook, not only did I not understand the words, I couldn’t work out how they would be spelled so that I could google them – it took me ages even to find the word rèiteach, despite it having been repeated umpteen times. Like a lot of Gaelic it is not pronounced how it looks! (My post title Slàinte mhath!, for example, is pronounced roughly slan-ja-va and means Cheers!)
Overall, then, a reasonably entertaining read, mildly amusing but, for me, not funny enough to make up for the lack of substance underneath. It could have made a great novella, but at full novel length there feels like far too much repetitive padding. Maybe I should have read it after a few drams of Glenfiddich…
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
April 30, 2011
The picture on the cover and my vague memories of the film are of people desperately trying to hide whisky from the excise men, but that is merely one day's events in a very good book. Much of it explores the relationships between islanders when they are in the trying times of an alcohol drought and the effect of a sudden, unexpected, but not entirely legal solution.
I've been told many times that one way to make a novel is to get a set of characters, put them in a challenging situation and see what happens. Whisky Galore is a wonderful example of a story which could have been written by following that advice.
I've been told many times that one way to make a novel is to get a set of characters, put them in a challenging situation and see what happens. Whisky Galore is a wonderful example of a story which could have been written by following that advice.
March 18, 2012
Though this started out quite slowly, the more I read the more I enjoyed it. Whisky Galore belongs to that genre of writing about the country wherein officious city-types are constantly being wrong-footed by the wily locals, so there are plenty of laughs at the expense of the uptight authority figures. There are also some funny satirical jabs at military incompetence, puritan hypocrisy, and overbearing parents. I hear the 1949 movie version is great, so I'm looking forward to checking that out too.
December 20, 2018
What a delight!
The characters, the islands themselves, the Gaelic, the wonderful Mistress Odd and St. Minnie. All of this and more make this book a delightful read, once you manage to follow who the characters are and their names.
The original Ealing comedy of Whisky Galore is a pleasure and the 2016 remake surprisingly good, with a brilliant Eddie Izzard as Waggett, played so, so well but for me the book is the best, while the films are simple sketches.
This book is worth the read and repays the effort of doing so in spades!
The characters, the islands themselves, the Gaelic, the wonderful Mistress Odd and St. Minnie. All of this and more make this book a delightful read, once you manage to follow who the characters are and their names.
The original Ealing comedy of Whisky Galore is a pleasure and the 2016 remake surprisingly good, with a brilliant Eddie Izzard as Waggett, played so, so well but for me the book is the best, while the films are simple sketches.
This book is worth the read and repays the effort of doing so in spades!
June 23, 2019
A good story but which unfortunately just continued to a predictable, inevitable finale without adding any unusual exciting twist to the overall plot. Lots of interesting characters introduced but it did become a little confusing when trying to remember their job descriptions/roles in society and which of the two isles of Todday they actually lived in. Good without being spectacular - 3.5 stars for me.
October 21, 2013
Cute story about the shenanigans that ensue when the whisky (and, for that matter, beer) supply ran out on the island due to wartime rationing. Certainly a crisis in Highland (or perhaps better island) Scotland. The fun begins when a ship, with 15,000 cases of whisky onboard, runs aground. Definitely a product of its time, but also an enjoyable read.
December 2, 2020
I have read more complex and profound books this year, but Whisky Galore is certainly the most amiable one. Compton Mackenzie’s book is a gentle tale of mildly rebellious Scots, but with no real enemies.
The action is set on the two fictional Scottish islands of Little and Greater Todday. It might be an exaggeration to say that they are a whisky-based culture, but certainly whisky is an important social oil in this place.
Unhappily the oil that moves the wheels on these islands has dried up. Put more literally the action takes place during World War 2 and whisky is rationed so that it can be sent abroad for trade. A limited supply of whisky is available, but now even that has run out. When the beer runs out too, an elderly resident leaves the bar in disgust, goes home, and dies immediately. That is how important whisky is.
Mackenzie is careful to explain that the islanders are not alcoholics. They merely like to have the whisky available, even when they are not drinking much of it. This is a whimsical tale, and this means that the evil effects of alcohol are ignored.
You will not meet a single alcoholic in the book, even on a quiet island with little to occupy the locals. Nobody’s health is ruined by alcohol. Indeed the local doctor makes sure that an ailing patient receives a new pipe and a crate of whisky because smoking and drinking are good for him.
Alcohol may make people more belligerent, but you can be sure that this extra boost will only make them better. They will not engage in fighting or violence. It will merely make them more likely to stand up to other people.
Indeed the presence of whisky serves in two different ways to remove the relationship problems of two couples. A timid man is too scared to bring his fiancée home to meet his formidable mother, and an English officer cannot persuade his fiancée’s father to allow her to marry. Whisky solves both these problems, but in different ways. (It would be spoiling the book to say how.)
Yes, in spite of the shortage of whisky allowed to the island, there will be whisky galore. Mackenzie takes his time, allowing us to grow to like the islanders as they go about their daily lives. Then half-way through the book, the cargo vessel S.S. Cabinet Minister is shipwrecked just off the coast, and guess what the cargo is!
The cargo belongs to the Customs officials by rights, but that does not stop the islanders from gleefully stealing it, rather than allowing it to sink in the ocean and be lost. This is highly illegal, and they must contend with customs officials and the local rich busybody, Paul Waggett.
In the Ealing film, this was typically turned into a story of plucky ordinary people getting one over on the dreary representatives of officialdom. This was typical of Ealing movies of the era, and can be found in other British television shows and movies.
Strictly speaking, this English stance on freedom has as little to do with genuine freedom as libertarianism has to do with true liberty. In both cases there is a certain insularity and bigotry that merely opposes the outsider who seeks to interfere in their lives, however well-meant.
Of course the locals are right in this instance. However they are also notably lax about security, discretion or protecting the island in times of war. Again to be fair, it is fairly unlikely that any amount of defence preparation would have protected them against a Nazi invasion, and would probably only have led to more killings.
Nonetheless I cannot help looking at Brexit and the spread of the coronavirus, and thinking where this obstinacy about being a good citizen leads people. This is merely the good-natured flipside of that.
On the whole though, Whisky Galore is considerably less anti-authority than the film version. The attempts by the government to prevent misbehaviour on the island are somewhat half-hearted, and the locals need to resort to fewer high jinks to prevent the officials seizing their ill-gotten gains.
Similarly, while Mackenzie was a Scottish nationalist – a founding member of the Scottish National Party no less – he is not especially Anglophobic. Perhaps there is a certain glee in seeing Scottish people sticking it to the English. The ship that sinks has the name of a representative of the English government. (In all fairness, this is only a slight change from the real-life incident which inspired the book – the sinking of a ship called SS Politician.)
However there are sympathetic English characters in the book, one of whom marries a local islander. Mackenzie has some gentle humour at his expense, as he struggles to understand, or even pronounce Gaelic words. Towards the end of the book, his mother arrives, and her good-natured incomprehension adds a little more humour to the situation.
It is curious that Mackenzie plays up to so many Scottish stereotypes – quaint island folk who love their whisky and celebrating, and who live in small communities with local characters. Other minority groups – Jews, black people and Asian people – have similarly often reproduced a culture that seems to meet rather than challenge representations of their people.
Perhaps there is a kernel of truth in the stereotypes. Perhaps members of the stereotyped groups find a certain comfort and amusement in accepting the widely-held beliefs about them and repeating them. Perhaps the only way of producing commercially acceptable products is to reproduce those familiar representations. I am not sure.
Religious conflicts play a small part here. One island is Protestant and the other Catholic. A Catholic matriarch is disapproving of Protestants, and almost everything else. The islanders take their religion seriously enough to reluctantly put off stealing the whisky on the Sabbath, but not to the tune of temperance.
A Protestant happily changes his religion to take some of the strain off marrying a Catholic, and his mother is glad enough to see him going to church at all, even if it is not her own church. In this scene, we see the history of why some religions are said to be fast-growing. Often it is not a matter of religious inspiration so much as personal pragmatism.
Perhaps 300 pages is a little long for a book of this kind, but Whisky Galore is good-natured, and it is hard to feel too irritated or bored by it.
The action is set on the two fictional Scottish islands of Little and Greater Todday. It might be an exaggeration to say that they are a whisky-based culture, but certainly whisky is an important social oil in this place.
Unhappily the oil that moves the wheels on these islands has dried up. Put more literally the action takes place during World War 2 and whisky is rationed so that it can be sent abroad for trade. A limited supply of whisky is available, but now even that has run out. When the beer runs out too, an elderly resident leaves the bar in disgust, goes home, and dies immediately. That is how important whisky is.
Mackenzie is careful to explain that the islanders are not alcoholics. They merely like to have the whisky available, even when they are not drinking much of it. This is a whimsical tale, and this means that the evil effects of alcohol are ignored.
You will not meet a single alcoholic in the book, even on a quiet island with little to occupy the locals. Nobody’s health is ruined by alcohol. Indeed the local doctor makes sure that an ailing patient receives a new pipe and a crate of whisky because smoking and drinking are good for him.
Alcohol may make people more belligerent, but you can be sure that this extra boost will only make them better. They will not engage in fighting or violence. It will merely make them more likely to stand up to other people.
Indeed the presence of whisky serves in two different ways to remove the relationship problems of two couples. A timid man is too scared to bring his fiancée home to meet his formidable mother, and an English officer cannot persuade his fiancée’s father to allow her to marry. Whisky solves both these problems, but in different ways. (It would be spoiling the book to say how.)
Yes, in spite of the shortage of whisky allowed to the island, there will be whisky galore. Mackenzie takes his time, allowing us to grow to like the islanders as they go about their daily lives. Then half-way through the book, the cargo vessel S.S. Cabinet Minister is shipwrecked just off the coast, and guess what the cargo is!
The cargo belongs to the Customs officials by rights, but that does not stop the islanders from gleefully stealing it, rather than allowing it to sink in the ocean and be lost. This is highly illegal, and they must contend with customs officials and the local rich busybody, Paul Waggett.
In the Ealing film, this was typically turned into a story of plucky ordinary people getting one over on the dreary representatives of officialdom. This was typical of Ealing movies of the era, and can be found in other British television shows and movies.
Strictly speaking, this English stance on freedom has as little to do with genuine freedom as libertarianism has to do with true liberty. In both cases there is a certain insularity and bigotry that merely opposes the outsider who seeks to interfere in their lives, however well-meant.
Of course the locals are right in this instance. However they are also notably lax about security, discretion or protecting the island in times of war. Again to be fair, it is fairly unlikely that any amount of defence preparation would have protected them against a Nazi invasion, and would probably only have led to more killings.
Nonetheless I cannot help looking at Brexit and the spread of the coronavirus, and thinking where this obstinacy about being a good citizen leads people. This is merely the good-natured flipside of that.
On the whole though, Whisky Galore is considerably less anti-authority than the film version. The attempts by the government to prevent misbehaviour on the island are somewhat half-hearted, and the locals need to resort to fewer high jinks to prevent the officials seizing their ill-gotten gains.
Similarly, while Mackenzie was a Scottish nationalist – a founding member of the Scottish National Party no less – he is not especially Anglophobic. Perhaps there is a certain glee in seeing Scottish people sticking it to the English. The ship that sinks has the name of a representative of the English government. (In all fairness, this is only a slight change from the real-life incident which inspired the book – the sinking of a ship called SS Politician.)
However there are sympathetic English characters in the book, one of whom marries a local islander. Mackenzie has some gentle humour at his expense, as he struggles to understand, or even pronounce Gaelic words. Towards the end of the book, his mother arrives, and her good-natured incomprehension adds a little more humour to the situation.
It is curious that Mackenzie plays up to so many Scottish stereotypes – quaint island folk who love their whisky and celebrating, and who live in small communities with local characters. Other minority groups – Jews, black people and Asian people – have similarly often reproduced a culture that seems to meet rather than challenge representations of their people.
Perhaps there is a kernel of truth in the stereotypes. Perhaps members of the stereotyped groups find a certain comfort and amusement in accepting the widely-held beliefs about them and repeating them. Perhaps the only way of producing commercially acceptable products is to reproduce those familiar representations. I am not sure.
Religious conflicts play a small part here. One island is Protestant and the other Catholic. A Catholic matriarch is disapproving of Protestants, and almost everything else. The islanders take their religion seriously enough to reluctantly put off stealing the whisky on the Sabbath, but not to the tune of temperance.
A Protestant happily changes his religion to take some of the strain off marrying a Catholic, and his mother is glad enough to see him going to church at all, even if it is not her own church. In this scene, we see the history of why some religions are said to be fast-growing. Often it is not a matter of religious inspiration so much as personal pragmatism.
Perhaps 300 pages is a little long for a book of this kind, but Whisky Galore is good-natured, and it is hard to feel too irritated or bored by it.
June 2, 2020
This was a book I have been meaning to read all my life and during lockdown I finally found the time. I must declare an interest here as my father's side of the family come from Uist which is actually mentioned in Compton Mackenzie's novel (no relation btw).
This is a wonderful peek into wartime Hebridean life, with its more idiosyncratic elements still surviving to this day. The way Mackenzie constructs the narrative and dialogue and writes it as it sounds (e.g. "sarchant" for sergeant and "chick" for cheek) is very good at helping you imagine life on the 'machair' (low grassy plains) and the slow and measured delivery the Islanders have when they speak. With a liberal peppering of Gaelic words and phrases throughout the novel you can immerse yourself into Hebridean culture... and a handy English/Gaelic key at the back helps.
The story involves the grounding of a cargo ship, the SS Cabinet Minister, off the fictional island of Little Todday whilst carrying thousands of cases of whisky to America. The poor islanders had suffered the awful fate up to that point of being denied a dram due to wartime rationing so you can imagine the reaction to something like this falling into their laps (especially with such evocative names as Highland Gold, Highland Heart and Tartan Milk!)
You probably know that it has parallels with a real event in 1941 when the SS Politician suffered a similar fate off the island of Eriskay. However, the book (unlike the 1949 film) only has the latter part of its content dedicated to the islanders making off with their alcoholic spoils; the grounding of the ship doesn't happen until half way through the book and the actual search is contained in one chapter.
To me the book is mainly about two weddings and the osbtacles that two very different men have to overcome to achieve their ambitions of marrying island girls. The worldly, middle-aged English Sergeant-Major Alfred Odd is dead set on marrying Peggy Macroon whose father seems strangely pessimistic about the match and wonders what the rush is, whilst the rather timid school teacher George Campbell has his sights set on housekeeper Catriona Macleod in direct opposition to his own mother (described as an "old Tartar" by the Sergeant-Major).
How these two men manage to clear the way to matrimonial bliss (Sergeant-Major Odd and Peggy's pre-wedding (or reiteach) and wedding play a big part in the latter part of the book, whilst George and Catriona's nuptials must wait a little bit longer) coupled with the ending of the dram drought on the islands of Little Todday, and its larger neighbour Great Todday, form a charming and gentle tale.
Whilst there are some wonderful characters in the book, such as the officious Home Guard Captain Waggett and the larger than life priest Father Macalister, there are a bewildering number of them. Many characters seem to just dip in and out of the story and it is sometimes difficult to keep up, whilst the novel itself is very dialogue heavy. However, that is no bad thing I guess as it does allow you to become immersed in the gentle intrigue, mischief and humour of the 1940s Hebrides.
The best saying in the book and one which sums up the rather laid back attitude of a lot of islanders I know is uttered by the Great Todday headmaster Norman Macleod (Catriona's sister) when he says that apart from delaying food: "I believe postponement is one of the great pleasures of existence'. That said, don't postpone it too long in reading this endearing and whimsical look at wartime island life.
This is a wonderful peek into wartime Hebridean life, with its more idiosyncratic elements still surviving to this day. The way Mackenzie constructs the narrative and dialogue and writes it as it sounds (e.g. "sarchant" for sergeant and "chick" for cheek) is very good at helping you imagine life on the 'machair' (low grassy plains) and the slow and measured delivery the Islanders have when they speak. With a liberal peppering of Gaelic words and phrases throughout the novel you can immerse yourself into Hebridean culture... and a handy English/Gaelic key at the back helps.
The story involves the grounding of a cargo ship, the SS Cabinet Minister, off the fictional island of Little Todday whilst carrying thousands of cases of whisky to America. The poor islanders had suffered the awful fate up to that point of being denied a dram due to wartime rationing so you can imagine the reaction to something like this falling into their laps (especially with such evocative names as Highland Gold, Highland Heart and Tartan Milk!)
You probably know that it has parallels with a real event in 1941 when the SS Politician suffered a similar fate off the island of Eriskay. However, the book (unlike the 1949 film) only has the latter part of its content dedicated to the islanders making off with their alcoholic spoils; the grounding of the ship doesn't happen until half way through the book and the actual search is contained in one chapter.
To me the book is mainly about two weddings and the osbtacles that two very different men have to overcome to achieve their ambitions of marrying island girls. The worldly, middle-aged English Sergeant-Major Alfred Odd is dead set on marrying Peggy Macroon whose father seems strangely pessimistic about the match and wonders what the rush is, whilst the rather timid school teacher George Campbell has his sights set on housekeeper Catriona Macleod in direct opposition to his own mother (described as an "old Tartar" by the Sergeant-Major).
How these two men manage to clear the way to matrimonial bliss (Sergeant-Major Odd and Peggy's pre-wedding (or reiteach) and wedding play a big part in the latter part of the book, whilst George and Catriona's nuptials must wait a little bit longer) coupled with the ending of the dram drought on the islands of Little Todday, and its larger neighbour Great Todday, form a charming and gentle tale.
Whilst there are some wonderful characters in the book, such as the officious Home Guard Captain Waggett and the larger than life priest Father Macalister, there are a bewildering number of them. Many characters seem to just dip in and out of the story and it is sometimes difficult to keep up, whilst the novel itself is very dialogue heavy. However, that is no bad thing I guess as it does allow you to become immersed in the gentle intrigue, mischief and humour of the 1940s Hebrides.
The best saying in the book and one which sums up the rather laid back attitude of a lot of islanders I know is uttered by the Great Todday headmaster Norman Macleod (Catriona's sister) when he says that apart from delaying food: "I believe postponement is one of the great pleasures of existence'. That said, don't postpone it too long in reading this endearing and whimsical look at wartime island life.
January 22, 2024
Kind of reads like a long ad for Scottish whiskey. I’m not mad about it though. Cute read just a little slow.
September 27, 2017
This charming book first published in 1947 is a fictionalized version of an actual event that occurred off the Scottish island of Eriskay in 1941. During WW II and before the U S entered the war, Great Britain was in dire need of armaments which it could not produce for itself in sufficient quantities, nor could Britain pay for the armaments entirely in cash. The deal eventually brokered was that the U S would ship munitions in convoys of “Liberty Ships” to Britain. In return, Britain would pay for the munitions is cash AND whisky, this made whisky scarce in Scotland where it was – and is – a crucial component of Scottish island life from taking a few daily drams to high ceremonial occasions.
The Hebridean islands of Big and Little Todday (actually Eriskay) are out of whisky when the book begins. Life is hell. One of the islands’ oldest inhabitants dies for want of the stuff. Worse, there are two couples who desire (or are being talked into) marriage. These marriages cannot happen if whisky is not to be had. The two islands are in competition in various ways, including religion – Big Todday is Protestant of some sort (never specified?) and Little Todday is Catholic.
Then, the saints be praised, a miracle happens! A liberty ship breaks up off the coast filled with 5,000 or 50,000 cases of whisky (estimates varied!) bound for New York! The islanders are in a race against time to unload this bounty before various officials and the military arrive to rescue this glorious treasure from the ship and the islanders. That’s all the plot I’ll reveal – np spoilers!
As stated, the book is charming, filled with Scots Gaelic speech with a glossary at the end for Sassenachs who speak no Gaelic (like “Muggles” in Harry Potter). It describes island life and island attitudes and beliefs, from the deep importance of whisky in Scots’ lives to encounters with various kinds of “Little People” and Skerries – seals who come on land and become people, but who can also return to the sea as seals!
The idea of the book was the theme for the hilarious movie, “Waking Ned Divine.” In the movie, Ned, who lives in a wee small Irish village, wins the big lottery prize. This is wonderful except for one problem – Ned discovers he has won, suffers a heart attack and dies. The villagers find his body and decide that Ned cannot have died and make a plan to keep the prize. BUT everyone in the village must abide by the plot or all is lost. Everyone agrees to abide by the plan. Except one person. How will this work out??
The book is a good one for a cold winter night when you sit by a fire, wrapped in a blanket and want a good, hilarious read.
The Hebridean islands of Big and Little Todday (actually Eriskay) are out of whisky when the book begins. Life is hell. One of the islands’ oldest inhabitants dies for want of the stuff. Worse, there are two couples who desire (or are being talked into) marriage. These marriages cannot happen if whisky is not to be had. The two islands are in competition in various ways, including religion – Big Todday is Protestant of some sort (never specified?) and Little Todday is Catholic.
Then, the saints be praised, a miracle happens! A liberty ship breaks up off the coast filled with 5,000 or 50,000 cases of whisky (estimates varied!) bound for New York! The islanders are in a race against time to unload this bounty before various officials and the military arrive to rescue this glorious treasure from the ship and the islanders. That’s all the plot I’ll reveal – np spoilers!
As stated, the book is charming, filled with Scots Gaelic speech with a glossary at the end for Sassenachs who speak no Gaelic (like “Muggles” in Harry Potter). It describes island life and island attitudes and beliefs, from the deep importance of whisky in Scots’ lives to encounters with various kinds of “Little People” and Skerries – seals who come on land and become people, but who can also return to the sea as seals!
The idea of the book was the theme for the hilarious movie, “Waking Ned Divine.” In the movie, Ned, who lives in a wee small Irish village, wins the big lottery prize. This is wonderful except for one problem – Ned discovers he has won, suffers a heart attack and dies. The villagers find his body and decide that Ned cannot have died and make a plan to keep the prize. BUT everyone in the village must abide by the plot or all is lost. Everyone agrees to abide by the plan. Except one person. How will this work out??
The book is a good one for a cold winter night when you sit by a fire, wrapped in a blanket and want a good, hilarious read.
February 29, 2012
A feelgood, rather quaint book, very much of its period [late 1940s]. Based on the true shipwreck of the SS Politician off the coast of the Hebridean island of Eriskay, and the remarkable disappearance of its cargo of prime whisky. I suspect there is a good deal of truth in the story, whatever the author's disclaimer! Mackenzie knew the Outer Hebrides well, so I guess the book is likely to have a degree of truth in the social history it represents; it is certainly accurate in its depiction of the atmosphere of the islands. The book has dated, but remains gently humorous and has a pleasing range of characters, though far too many of them have similar names. I think this is deliberate on the part of the author, as his island characters seem to revel in befuddling the English with exactly this issue. I'd be happy to read more by the same author when I want something gentle and quirky in future.
June 1, 2021
Farce. A great book to use as a palate cleanser after a heavy read. I enjoyed every moment of this silly plot. World War II. A couple of islands in the Outer Hebrides. Many supplies do not arrive on the weekly boat delivery because, you know, there's a war on, and whiskey, for instance, is sent to the U.S. and Canada. Soon the island has severe rationing, and then no whiskey at all. Then, one of the ships headed to North America hangs up on a close-by reef in a fog. Suddenly, there are cases and cases of whiskey available as long as the authorities don't find out. There are also two love stories. The father of the bride of one couple won't agree on a date for the wedding. The groom in the other couple is a milquetoast and must stand up to his mother before he can get married. It is the kind of book where the problems are all solved satisfactorily, one laughs at the ridiculous events, and it has a feel-good ending.
July 5, 2013
A bit disappointed really.
I loved the Ealing film as a child, and maybe I'm misremembering, but it was really funny.
The book seems to have the potential to be amusing, and sometimes manages this. On two little Scottish islands in World War Two (one Catholic, one protestant) whisky is running out. Providentially, a supply ship runs aground nearby containing thousands of cases of the said product. Before long, almost everyone is 'salvaging', and a lot happier. Only a few killjoys are trying to stop the fun.
There's a couple of side stories (the more interesting part a lot of the time) about two couples fighting to get married (one with an obstinate father, the other a wonderfully overbearing mother).
The film definitely 'salvaged' the best bits of the book and Ealing-ised the rest. Normally I enjoy period pieces, but this one just didn't hit the spot for me.
I loved the Ealing film as a child, and maybe I'm misremembering, but it was really funny.
The book seems to have the potential to be amusing, and sometimes manages this. On two little Scottish islands in World War Two (one Catholic, one protestant) whisky is running out. Providentially, a supply ship runs aground nearby containing thousands of cases of the said product. Before long, almost everyone is 'salvaging', and a lot happier. Only a few killjoys are trying to stop the fun.
There's a couple of side stories (the more interesting part a lot of the time) about two couples fighting to get married (one with an obstinate father, the other a wonderfully overbearing mother).
The film definitely 'salvaged' the best bits of the book and Ealing-ised the rest. Normally I enjoy period pieces, but this one just didn't hit the spot for me.
April 21, 2015
I can't give this anything less than five stars. It's been a hoot. I've laughed my way through it and I'm going to miss it all the way through to when the dvd of the 1949 film arrives. It isn't worth 5 stars for the writing, the characters are over-drawn to the extent of approaching caricature, the setting is idealised and, like Dylan Thomas's The Outing, makes a bunch of men getting drunk sound almost fabulous; my experience is that it is rarely thus. But it has magic. It pulls together it's different strands (it wouldn't work if it wasn't set in wartime) to make a very special weave. Very few books have made me laugh more than this one. I hasn't made me want to drink whisky but it has provided a more than ample substitute.
February 14, 2016
I cannot believe that I had not read this book before. I loved it. Amazingly it did not feel dated at all. I have read a lot of books from the period and they often feel dated (still good, mind you) but this one feels quite fresh (for the lack of a better word). It's a true classic I know, but I had not expected it to be so funny. I was laughing loads and reading passages to my poor husband. I shall be hunting down now a nice vintage edition for the book shelf. This is a keeper.
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