Tight Little Island

by Compton Mackenzie

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Genres: Scotland, Fiction

339 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1950

About the author

Compton 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.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's all well and good to be patriotic, but the citizens of Little Todday and Big Todday, two of the more obscure Hebrides islands, are short of whisky, and even the beer is in short supply. The drought seems to threaten two weddings, as without a dram George Campbell can't muster the nerve to tell his dictatorial mother that he's getting married, and Sergeant Major Odd can't get his father-in-law to be to name a date. When a ship is wrecked off Little Todday in the fog, the locals are delighted to learn that it's filled with enough whisky to keep them happy for an eternity of drinking. Of course, technically it belongs to the nation, but whose need is greater? Based on a true story, this book was also made into a popular movie.

[David Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Tight Little Island" is an alternative title for the excellent and hilarious Whisky Galore. Be aware that the humour is often as dry as one might expect from the setting: a remote Scottish island during World War II.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quaint, dryly amusing, and historically interesting novel, but not a very good one. The details of life in wartime Britain are fascinating, the Gaelic expressions (with handy glossary and pronunciation guide) and humor were a treat, but the story as a whole has no driving force, and the lack of impetus and direction results in an ending that is unusual and unsatisfactory.

[Beate Lundstrom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not quite what I expected - was looking for humor but there was none.