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Vinland
Vinland follows the turbulent life of Ranald Sigmundson, a young boy born into the Dark Ages when Orkney was torn between its Viking past and its Christian future. Struggling to understand the conflicts of his home, Ranald seeks adventure and knowledge across the seas, his journeys taking him as far as Norway, Iceland and Ireland. Through Ranald's story, many elements of early mediaeval life - of seamanship, marriage customs, beliefs and traditions - are brought vibrantly to life, and the traditional poetry interwoven through the prose adds a richness and poignancy to the tales he tells.
In Vinland, Mackay Brown's fourth novel, lore and legend, the elementary pull of the sea and the land, the sweetness of the early religion and the darker, more ancient rites, create an exquisite celebration of Orcadian history.
In Vinland, Mackay Brown's fourth novel, lore and legend, the elementary pull of the sea and the land, the sweetness of the early religion and the darker, more ancient rites, create an exquisite celebration of Orcadian history.
272 pages, Paperback
First published July 16, 1993
24 people are currently reading
535 people want to read
About the author
George Mackay Brown
183 books101 followersGeorge Mackay Brown, the poet, novelist and dramatist, spent his life living in and documenting the Orkney Isles.
A bout of severe measles at the age of 12 became the basis for recurring health problems throughout his life. Uncertain as to his future, he remained in education until 1940, a year which brought with it a growing reality of the war, and the unexpected death of his father. The following year he was diagnosed with (then incurable) Pulmonary Tuberculosis and spent six months in hospital in Kirkwall, Orkney's main town.
Around this time, he began writing poetry, and also prose for the Orkney Herald for which he became Stromness Correspondent, reporting events such as the switching on of the electricity grid in 1947. In 1950 he met the poet Edwin Muir, a fellow Orcadian, who recognised Mackay Brown's talent for writing, and would become his literary tutor and mentor at Newbattle Abbey College, in Midlothian, which he attended in 1951-2. Recurring TB forced Mackay Brown to spend the following year in hospital, but his experience at Newbattle spurred him to apply to Edinburgh University, to read English Literature, returning to do post-graduate work on Gerard Manley Hopkins.
In later life Mackay Brown rarely left Orkney. He turned to writing full-time, publishing his first collection of poetry, The Storm, in 1954. His writing explored life on Orkney, and the history and traditions which make up Orkney's distinct cultural identity. Many of his works are concerned with protecting Orkney's cultural heritage from the relentless march of progress and the loss of myth and archaic ritual in the modern world. Reflecting this, his best known work is Greenvoe (1972), in which the permanence of island life is threatened by 'Black Star', a mysterious nuclear development.
Mackay Brown's literary reputation grew steadily. He received an OBE in 1974 and was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1977, in addition to gaining several honorary degrees. His final novel, Beside the Ocean of Time (1994) was Booker Prize shortlisted and judged Scottish Book of the Year by the Saltire Society. Mackay Brown died in his home town of Stromness on 13th April 1996.
He produced several poetry collections, five novels, eight collections of short stories and two poem-plays, as well as non-fiction portraits of Orkney, an autobiography, For the Islands I Sing (1997), and published journalism.
Read more at:
http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org....
A bout of severe measles at the age of 12 became the basis for recurring health problems throughout his life. Uncertain as to his future, he remained in education until 1940, a year which brought with it a growing reality of the war, and the unexpected death of his father. The following year he was diagnosed with (then incurable) Pulmonary Tuberculosis and spent six months in hospital in Kirkwall, Orkney's main town.
Around this time, he began writing poetry, and also prose for the Orkney Herald for which he became Stromness Correspondent, reporting events such as the switching on of the electricity grid in 1947. In 1950 he met the poet Edwin Muir, a fellow Orcadian, who recognised Mackay Brown's talent for writing, and would become his literary tutor and mentor at Newbattle Abbey College, in Midlothian, which he attended in 1951-2. Recurring TB forced Mackay Brown to spend the following year in hospital, but his experience at Newbattle spurred him to apply to Edinburgh University, to read English Literature, returning to do post-graduate work on Gerard Manley Hopkins.
In later life Mackay Brown rarely left Orkney. He turned to writing full-time, publishing his first collection of poetry, The Storm, in 1954. His writing explored life on Orkney, and the history and traditions which make up Orkney's distinct cultural identity. Many of his works are concerned with protecting Orkney's cultural heritage from the relentless march of progress and the loss of myth and archaic ritual in the modern world. Reflecting this, his best known work is Greenvoe (1972), in which the permanence of island life is threatened by 'Black Star', a mysterious nuclear development.
Mackay Brown's literary reputation grew steadily. He received an OBE in 1974 and was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1977, in addition to gaining several honorary degrees. His final novel, Beside the Ocean of Time (1994) was Booker Prize shortlisted and judged Scottish Book of the Year by the Saltire Society. Mackay Brown died in his home town of Stromness on 13th April 1996.
He produced several poetry collections, five novels, eight collections of short stories and two poem-plays, as well as non-fiction portraits of Orkney, an autobiography, For the Islands I Sing (1997), and published journalism.
Read more at:
http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org....
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
January 20, 2020
I enjoyed this historical novel, largely set in the Orkney islands in the 11th century. Mackay Brown's protagonist Ranald Sigmundsson is a witness to many of the events recalled in Orcadian, Norse and Irish folklore, and his familiarity with these sources is impressive and unobtrusive.
It may stretch credulity more than a little that one man could see so much - in the first part of the book he travels (initially as a stowaway) on Leif Eriksson's trip to America, after which he meets the king of Norway and escapes from the battle of Clontarf in which Sigurd, the earl of Orkney and the Irish king Brian Boru were both killed. The remainder of the story is set on Orkney, and describes the intrigues of the islands' various warring earls and their uneasy relationship with the Norwegian monarchy, and their gradual adoption of Christianity, moving away from reliance on Viking raiding into more sustainable agriculture and seabound trading.
An enjoyable book, which like Beside the Ocean of Time shows that Mackay Brown wrote much of his best work very late in his career.
It may stretch credulity more than a little that one man could see so much - in the first part of the book he travels (initially as a stowaway) on Leif Eriksson's trip to America, after which he meets the king of Norway and escapes from the battle of Clontarf in which Sigurd, the earl of Orkney and the Irish king Brian Boru were both killed. The remainder of the story is set on Orkney, and describes the intrigues of the islands' various warring earls and their uneasy relationship with the Norwegian monarchy, and their gradual adoption of Christianity, moving away from reliance on Viking raiding into more sustainable agriculture and seabound trading.
An enjoyable book, which like Beside the Ocean of Time shows that Mackay Brown wrote much of his best work very late in his career.
May 25, 2020
Historical fiction about the life of Orkney Islands native Ranald Sigmundson from boyhood to death. It starts with the journeys of his youth. He stows away on Leif Erikson’s voyage to Vinland and continues his travels by sea to Greenland, Iceland, Norway, and Ireland. He eventually settles into a farming life in his homeland. This story is set in period during and just after they heyday of the Vikings. The part about Vinland is short but gains importance in Ranald’s life as time passes.
I enjoyed the first half of this book, which is focused on Ranald’s youth and travels. I did not maintain the same enthusiasm for the second half, which shifts to the rivalries among various Earls of Orkney, and their interactions with nearby Kings. Ranald becomes increasingly disillusioned with the politics and internecine squabbles among leaders, and retreats into an introspective life. As he ages, he prepares for his final journey, examining religious beliefs. Ranald’s’ story represents the process of gaining wisdom and finding what is important in life.
George Mackay Brown’s writing style is lovely. He tells Ranald’s allegorical tale in a manner that evokes the epic storytelling traditions of the past. I liked this book enough to read more of his back catalogue.
I enjoyed the first half of this book, which is focused on Ranald’s youth and travels. I did not maintain the same enthusiasm for the second half, which shifts to the rivalries among various Earls of Orkney, and their interactions with nearby Kings. Ranald becomes increasingly disillusioned with the politics and internecine squabbles among leaders, and retreats into an introspective life. As he ages, he prepares for his final journey, examining religious beliefs. Ranald’s’ story represents the process of gaining wisdom and finding what is important in life.
George Mackay Brown’s writing style is lovely. He tells Ranald’s allegorical tale in a manner that evokes the epic storytelling traditions of the past. I liked this book enough to read more of his back catalogue.
May 28, 2009
George Mackay Brown's fourth novel, Vinland, reads much like the sagas that his main character, Ranald Sigmundson, might have heard sung. In his youth, Ranald, a boy from Orkney, journeys to Vinland with Leif Ericson, and his life is forever marked by an encounter that he has there with one of the skraelings. Ranald subsequently visits the King of Norway's court, fights in the host of Earl Sigurd at the battle of Clontarf, and then settles into farming life in an Orkney torn by the civil wars between rival earls. Through it all, though, Ranald's heart still longs for Vinland, and for the mysterious, beautiful land beyond it.
Throughout the novel, the prose sings: the flight of a hawk, the beauty of a ship's prow and a woman patching clothes by candlelight, the bloody deeds of men of power, and the humble prayers of the small crofters are all rendered in spare, beautiful prose until you feel that you are there yourself, standing on a green hillside above the blue ocean, watching for a white sail in the distance.
Throughout the novel, the prose sings: the flight of a hawk, the beauty of a ship's prow and a woman patching clothes by candlelight, the bloody deeds of men of power, and the humble prayers of the small crofters are all rendered in spare, beautiful prose until you feel that you are there yourself, standing on a green hillside above the blue ocean, watching for a white sail in the distance.
October 23, 2014
This book should be called Orkney rather than Vinland. I learned so much about Orcadian history from it. Set in the 11th century, this beautifully written story of the life of Ranald Sigmundsen who went to Vinland with Leif Ericsson, visited the court of King Olaf in Norway, fought at the battle of Clontarf in Ireland against Brian Boru, eventually settling in his native Orkney to farm and raise a family, touched every corner of my heart. The writing is precise, using an economy of words that only a gifted author such as GMB can. Instead of page upon page of battle blood and gore, GMB leaves us with the same impression in only a couple of sentences. I had tears in my eyes when at last Ranald turned 'his face to the west'. I can't recommend this lyrical tale strongly enough.
July 26, 2024
Found this book very charming. I really got pulled into the world of the Norse sagas and it helped put into context a lot of things we saw in Orkney.
Read
July 1, 2013Another novel that is part of my small reading project with books inspired by Icelandic sagas, and one I probably would have liked considerably more if I had not read it directly after William T. Vollmann’s awe-inspiring Ice-Shirt. It still was a decent read, and I guess it helped that it was by far the slimmest volume so far.
One surprising but very enlightening side effect of this project is that by reading (more or less) in a row several novels tackling the same historical period, you get a very clear image of the differing ways in which they approach that period and mold it into an artistic form – it’s almost like a small encyclopedia of the historical novel. While William Vollmann’s The Ice-Shirt attempted to merge an authentic reconstruction with a contemporary perspective in a unique blend of fiction and non-fiction, George Mackay Brown places his emphasis firmly on the contemporary – Vinland is a novel that does not describe history for its own sake but uses it as an allegory for the present (much like many Science Fiction novels do, which makes me wonder if that might not point towards a more profound affinity between the two genres – something to keep in mind for further reading).
Vinland is partially based on the same Vinland sagas William T. Vollmann used, but mostly draws from the Orkneyinga saga, the “History of the Earls of Orkney”. In the novel Brown, who himself lived for most of his life on the Orkney Isles, tells the story of Orkney-born Ranald Sigmundson (a character who, as far as I can tell, is not in the sagas but who Brown made up for this novel) from his childhood to his death. This life story starts out very eventful – as a boy, Ranald finds himself part of Leif Erikson’s expedition to Vinland, encounters the natives there, then travels to the court of the Norwegian king and takes part in the battle of Clontarf. Up to this point, the novel is everything you would expect a novel about Vikings to be, with lots of adventure, exhilarating sea travels, glorious battles. But then Ranald’s grandfather dies, and thins take an unexpected turn – he returns to Orkney to take over the family farm, and from that day on never leaves again – at first, he still takes some part in politics, but withdraws more and more, and what had started out as a rousing adventure tale ends as a quiet and somewhat melancholy meditation on country life.
Brown eradicates all supernatural elements from the sagas and fills his tale out with small details of medieval everyday life and a realistic psychology for his characters. But in spite of that, and in spite of Vinland following the Orcadian power struggles of the time in some detail and its inclusion of several highly atmospheric set pieces, it is quite obvious that the novel is not really trying to paint a portrait of the past. Instead (and I do admit being somewhat annoyed at this, perhaps unjustly so), Brown keeps throwing analogies to the present at the reader – when, for example, Ranald becomes increasingly disgusted with petty politics and power games and the wars they tend to result in, this is clearly a present-day comment on present-day events even if they come dressed up in a historical costume. Which might not even be necessarily a bad thing, but is done so blatantly and heavy-handedly here that it drew several groans and repeated eye-rolling from me. Also, Brown falls occasionally short of of the state of current debates - a novel published in 1992 really should know better than to describe the natives of Vinland as noble savages who practice a harmony with nature that has supposedly been lost to Western civilization. (And if you’re now wondering what’s so civilized about the Vikings – so did I.)
In spite of all this, I still ended up enjoying Vinland, and this was solely due to the writing which is hauntingly beautiful – the prose, emulating the style of the sagas, appears very simple, almost simplistic on first sight, but develops a flowing, lilting rhythm over time that gently draws the reader in, almost without them noticing, and suddenly you find vivid, entrancing pictures being conjured in front of your eyes by the text. It is all very quiet and unassuming and has an increasingly melancholy air about it the farther the novel progresses. Vinland might be (especially if compared to Vollmann’s wild, sprawling, avant-garde extravaganza of a novel) craftsmanship rather than art, but there is a certain dignity in its very simplicity that I found very calming, and Brown’s prose is gorgeous.
One surprising but very enlightening side effect of this project is that by reading (more or less) in a row several novels tackling the same historical period, you get a very clear image of the differing ways in which they approach that period and mold it into an artistic form – it’s almost like a small encyclopedia of the historical novel. While William Vollmann’s The Ice-Shirt attempted to merge an authentic reconstruction with a contemporary perspective in a unique blend of fiction and non-fiction, George Mackay Brown places his emphasis firmly on the contemporary – Vinland is a novel that does not describe history for its own sake but uses it as an allegory for the present (much like many Science Fiction novels do, which makes me wonder if that might not point towards a more profound affinity between the two genres – something to keep in mind for further reading).
Vinland is partially based on the same Vinland sagas William T. Vollmann used, but mostly draws from the Orkneyinga saga, the “History of the Earls of Orkney”. In the novel Brown, who himself lived for most of his life on the Orkney Isles, tells the story of Orkney-born Ranald Sigmundson (a character who, as far as I can tell, is not in the sagas but who Brown made up for this novel) from his childhood to his death. This life story starts out very eventful – as a boy, Ranald finds himself part of Leif Erikson’s expedition to Vinland, encounters the natives there, then travels to the court of the Norwegian king and takes part in the battle of Clontarf. Up to this point, the novel is everything you would expect a novel about Vikings to be, with lots of adventure, exhilarating sea travels, glorious battles. But then Ranald’s grandfather dies, and thins take an unexpected turn – he returns to Orkney to take over the family farm, and from that day on never leaves again – at first, he still takes some part in politics, but withdraws more and more, and what had started out as a rousing adventure tale ends as a quiet and somewhat melancholy meditation on country life.
Brown eradicates all supernatural elements from the sagas and fills his tale out with small details of medieval everyday life and a realistic psychology for his characters. But in spite of that, and in spite of Vinland following the Orcadian power struggles of the time in some detail and its inclusion of several highly atmospheric set pieces, it is quite obvious that the novel is not really trying to paint a portrait of the past. Instead (and I do admit being somewhat annoyed at this, perhaps unjustly so), Brown keeps throwing analogies to the present at the reader – when, for example, Ranald becomes increasingly disgusted with petty politics and power games and the wars they tend to result in, this is clearly a present-day comment on present-day events even if they come dressed up in a historical costume. Which might not even be necessarily a bad thing, but is done so blatantly and heavy-handedly here that it drew several groans and repeated eye-rolling from me. Also, Brown falls occasionally short of of the state of current debates - a novel published in 1992 really should know better than to describe the natives of Vinland as noble savages who practice a harmony with nature that has supposedly been lost to Western civilization. (And if you’re now wondering what’s so civilized about the Vikings – so did I.)
In spite of all this, I still ended up enjoying Vinland, and this was solely due to the writing which is hauntingly beautiful – the prose, emulating the style of the sagas, appears very simple, almost simplistic on first sight, but develops a flowing, lilting rhythm over time that gently draws the reader in, almost without them noticing, and suddenly you find vivid, entrancing pictures being conjured in front of your eyes by the text. It is all very quiet and unassuming and has an increasingly melancholy air about it the farther the novel progresses. Vinland might be (especially if compared to Vollmann’s wild, sprawling, avant-garde extravaganza of a novel) craftsmanship rather than art, but there is a certain dignity in its very simplicity that I found very calming, and Brown’s prose is gorgeous.
June 12, 2011
I really admired this novel about viking Orkney by the end. Wasn't sure of the style at first, and there were some incongruous moments, but it grew and grew on me. The prose had a beautiful clarity, and the emotional sub-currents were very powerful. I will definitely be looking out for more George Mackay Brown.
June 11, 2021
‘This Voyage of ours will be famous…..told over winter fires from Iceland to Ireland’
Vinland tells the tale of a young Norse boy, Ranald Sigmundson from Breckness Orkney. Forced into his father's life at sea, eking out a living trading with Iceland, Ranald learns what it means to have a weak man for a father and stows away with the charismatic Leif Ericson, the famous adventurer of Norse saga. And so Ranald finds himself at the heart of a saga joining Leif on his adventure to Greenland and then on into the west, chasing the dream of a new land, the eponymous Vinland.
George Mackay Brown's Vinland, and Ranald, is reminiscent of Treasure Island and young Jim Hawkins. Initially an adventure set at sea told from a naïve young boy’s perspective as he first steps out into world, yet as the expedition to Vinland unfolds, the narrative reveals something more than its adventuresome beginnings suggested….Vinland is the march of time, a coming of age tale and the dream of youth that fades into the responsibilities of maturity.
MacKay Brown weaves multiple themes, conflicts and dramatic contrasts throughout the skein of Ranald’s life in a marvellous feat of long-term narration. As Ranald returns home a wiser, stronger young man his adventures and the dream of returning to Vinland are waylaid by an increasing set of domestic responsibilities and local leadership that soon relegates Vinland to a fireside tale and then sullen silences. Ranald’s homecoming is idyllic, a young adult full of vigour, enthusiastic at life's opportunities, the confidence drawn from responsibility, thoughts of marriage and children, but not just yet. However as the years pass the insidious creep of politics, warfare and bloodshed that swirls around the Orkney Earls leaves Ranald evermore disaffected with his life.
Ranald as a character is always growing, always revealingly another thread of McKay Brown's long term storytelling. A brief sojourn into war and Irish king-making leaves a distinct impression on Ranald, one of pointlessness and does much to dissuade Ranald of the innocence of youth. When Ranald finds sanctuary in the hands of the Christian church, something of an epiphany occurs, revealing a narrative dichotomy, pitching the old barbarous Viking traditions against the more enlightened spirit of Christianity into Ranald's coming of age. It seems telling that as Ranald's husbandry of the Breckness farm grows the prosperity and community the local Viking ships become less and less successful. The cultural and societal conflicts find a parallel in Ranald's internal world where a melancholic tension resides with maturity and domestic duty overshadowing the adventures of youth and the fading dream of Vinland. Both narrative threads reflect the march of history and the world changing tensions as the dangerous unpredictable Viking age met the emergence of a more administrative Christian age.
Ranald himself is a character full of conflicted tension. As Ranald hits middle age he admits to a yearning madness for the sea (and the adventure of his youth), a yearning put aside to run a farm and raise a family, because it was the right thing to do. There is a rage against the injustice of responsibility and within Ranald’s conflict there is a kernel of modernity where perhaps our own dreams of youth have been set aside for work and family. Ranald is a poignant figure for anyone who has ever chosen responsibility over pleasure for fear that given half an opportunity they would desert and set sail for their own personal Vinland. Yet for the reader there is a further conflict, raised on the modern interpretation of the Viking sagas and history, the stylised violence and near hero worship of the freedom Vikings represent....it's something of a kick in the teeth to see the romanticism of the Viking life thoroughly dismantled by the gentle hand of a Christian priest...
Mackay Brown brings a startling historical accuracy to his narrative, richly detailed in period knowledge and skaldic tradition that brings Middle Ages Orkney to fascinating life. There is a lyrical and poetic quality at times emulating the sagas, the waxing/waning of the moon likened to a shy girl becoming a bride, a princess and then a wife that lights the lantern to bring the shepherds home in a blizzard, beautifully conjuring the life and fears of Norse Orkney. Yet even the skaldic tradition of the narrative is subject to the conflict of the narrative’s overall theme. The language and culture of skaldic poetry, sagas and Norse mythology infuses Ranald’s youth yet over time the language changes, bursts of Latin and hymn illuminating the growing Christian influence on Norse society. As Ranald approaches old age and death, the prose features less skaldic poetry, less mythology and more prosaic historical detail and a Christian inspired hermitage of religious-philosophy and theology.
Does Ranald realise the cultural overlap, dreams of a Christian Eden paralleling the dreams of Viking Vinland? Is the author’s intent to extol Christian piety over Viking adventure? A clue perhaps in Ranald’s old age, riven with dementia the only coherent memory is of building a ship to sail west….yet MacKay Brown weaves ambiguously, in life Ranald was celebrated in skaldic verse but with death eulogised through Christian requiem.
Perhaps Ranald is the living embodiment of a cultural change, a moment in time when Viking became Christian.
Richly detailed, lyrical, poetic, emotional and multi layered, Vinland is an immersive read, bringing to life a rapidly changing historical Orkney seen through the eyes of a poignantly characterised Ranald Sigmundson.
‘Be thou, Lord, at the helm, when at last the voyager turns his face to the west’
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2018
An interesting tale of a young lad who went to sea from his native isle of Orkney and traveled as far as the New World with a ship of Vikings. The story-telling improved as the tale moved forward and the lad settled into his family farm. Since the author wrote of a place he knew so well there was a greater authenticity to his writing as he wrote more of his home and its history. There were a few loose strands in the story where the author seemed to have strayed from his main story line but in the end he focuses on the lad (now an old man) coming to terms with the meaning of life and his impending death, which was handled skillfully and thoughtfully. An enjoyable read all in all - particularly for having visited Orkney (which is where I bought the book).
May 29, 2021
Published 19 years after Magnus in 1992, this is a similar book in that it’s the story of an Orkney life, this time less celebrated than Earl Magnus, Ranald Sigmundson. Sigmundson is 12 years old when the novel opens, when he goes to sea for the first time with his father. But it is a difficult relationship, and he jumps ship in Iceland, continuing to Greenland and Vinland (Newfoundland) with an Icelandic vessel. The voyage has a lasting effect on his life, and he yearns to return. In subsequent adventures, he develops a strong relationship with the royal court of Norway, partakes in the Battle of Clontarf, marries and has children, and finally retires, disillusioned with humanity, to contemplate the new Christianity and plan a final voyage to the West.
This all takes place in the early 11th century, a couple of generations before Magnus Erlendsson.
Mackay Brown’s writing may have a religious connotation to it, but it is quite underplayed. If it were anything more it would put me off, but it has an important historical content.
Amongst Mackay Brown’s strengths are the historical detail, which is sufficiently diluted for me, and the descriptions of Orcadian life.
This was written at a time when the author’s own health was failing, and the last pages are an interesting contemplation of death.
I read this while on Orkney myself. Many of the references to places I have been to. They are indeed islands full of history, and Mackay Brown’s writing, as easy to read as it is, makes a perfect visitor’s guide.
This all takes place in the early 11th century, a couple of generations before Magnus Erlendsson.
Mackay Brown’s writing may have a religious connotation to it, but it is quite underplayed. If it were anything more it would put me off, but it has an important historical content.
Amongst Mackay Brown’s strengths are the historical detail, which is sufficiently diluted for me, and the descriptions of Orcadian life.
This was written at a time when the author’s own health was failing, and the last pages are an interesting contemplation of death.
‘I’m getting to be an old man, and it’s time for me to make preparations for the last voyage. For that, I need silence and a place where I can meditate alone from time to time. I mean no insult to you - you’ve been a loyal wife to me. If I’m not seen for a couple of days, or a whole week maybe, you know that I’m up there in my cell, trying to work out some hard problems that have troubled me greatly this long while.’
I read this while on Orkney myself. Many of the references to places I have been to. They are indeed islands full of history, and Mackay Brown’s writing, as easy to read as it is, makes a perfect visitor’s guide.
January 4, 2014
This novel weaves Leif Ericson's voyage to North America, the earliest encounter between Europeans and Native Americans, brutal wars between Scandinavians and Celts, pastoral farm life on the treeless Orkney Islands, the struggle between the Norse gods and early Christianity for the souls of men, the Scottish King Macbeth and the Norwegian King Magnus into a rich tapestry of life in the north Atlantic over one thousand years ago. George Mackay Brown's poetic prose is a joy to read, even with the sprinkling of words derived from the Norse language (once spoken in the Orkneys when it was under the rule of Norway) that can't be found in an English dictionary. in the end you feel the connection between this setting, so distant from us in place and time and yet so much like our own.
May 26, 2023
The book’s title is a misnomer as only the first section, in which young Ranald Sigmundson stows away on Leif Erikson’s ship, is actually set in any way at all in that fertile countryside. Even that sojourn is fleeting since one of the Norsemen, Wolf, reacts violently in an encounter with the indigenous skraelings as a result of which good relations are never restored. Brown takes this chance to put into Leif Erikson’s mouth a speech about how the arrival of Europeans will spell doom for the natives.
The novel is the tale of Ranald’s life, taking in his prowess as a horseman winning a race in Greenland, the brief stop in Vinland, a trip to Norway where he meets King Olaf (proud of his self-appointed status as the bringer of Christianity to Orkney,) returning to Orkney before a trip to Ireland as part of Earl Sigurd’s campaign against Brian Boru at the Battle of Clontarf (a disaster for the Orcadians but also for Boru personally,) settling in his farm at Breckness. The final, valedictory, section is titled Tir-nan-og.
Much of the intrigue of the book is taken up with the internal duels of the sons of Earl Sigurd to rule in Orkney. A matter complicated by the fact that the supreme ruler is the King of Norway and he too wants his slice. Three of Sigurd’s sons hold the islands more or less equally, but one, Thorfinn, also has lands in Caithness and Sutherland for which he pays homage to the King of Scots. Feudal land inheritance was a nasty business.
If in the end he is neglectful of his wife Ragna, since he becomes ever more reclusive as the cares of the world wear on him, Ranald lives out his life as a good man. Brown has given us here a picture of life in the Viking world just this side of the cusp of Christianity. In human relations not much has changed since.
The novel is the tale of Ranald’s life, taking in his prowess as a horseman winning a race in Greenland, the brief stop in Vinland, a trip to Norway where he meets King Olaf (proud of his self-appointed status as the bringer of Christianity to Orkney,) returning to Orkney before a trip to Ireland as part of Earl Sigurd’s campaign against Brian Boru at the Battle of Clontarf (a disaster for the Orcadians but also for Boru personally,) settling in his farm at Breckness. The final, valedictory, section is titled Tir-nan-og.
Much of the intrigue of the book is taken up with the internal duels of the sons of Earl Sigurd to rule in Orkney. A matter complicated by the fact that the supreme ruler is the King of Norway and he too wants his slice. Three of Sigurd’s sons hold the islands more or less equally, but one, Thorfinn, also has lands in Caithness and Sutherland for which he pays homage to the King of Scots. Feudal land inheritance was a nasty business.
If in the end he is neglectful of his wife Ragna, since he becomes ever more reclusive as the cares of the world wear on him, Ranald lives out his life as a good man. Brown has given us here a picture of life in the Viking world just this side of the cusp of Christianity. In human relations not much has changed since.
April 16, 2024
While I didn't mean to re-read this (I had it mis-marked as unread, though I realized my error on the first page), I don't regret it. Brown had the ability to write an ancient saga in the manner of Snorri Sturluson but in a voice that never seems stale our ancient. He is able to present the touchstones of a life, that are much the same for us today as they were 1,000 years ago, though the setting may have changed. The aging of Ranald especially takes on new meaning as I myself have more and more grey in my beard (if I let it grow).
While there were seven pages or so at the end of the Breckness chapter which I didn't particular care for, and thought were a little too much of Brown's own new-found Catholicism creeping in, I accepted Ranald's exploration in old age of Christianity, for it was appropriate to the time period and the setting. But frankly, it was more his longing to return to Vinland, which he knew would never occur, and the slow deterioration of his health and mind, that had such greater poignance.
Few authors can match Brown's evocation of place, not just through scenic description, but through the characterization of the people who are molded by the environment, carved by the winds, with hands that smell of the sea.
While there were seven pages or so at the end of the Breckness chapter which I didn't particular care for, and thought were a little too much of Brown's own new-found Catholicism creeping in, I accepted Ranald's exploration in old age of Christianity, for it was appropriate to the time period and the setting. But frankly, it was more his longing to return to Vinland, which he knew would never occur, and the slow deterioration of his health and mind, that had such greater poignance.
Few authors can match Brown's evocation of place, not just through scenic description, but through the characterization of the people who are molded by the environment, carved by the winds, with hands that smell of the sea.
August 22, 2018
This book made me hope to revisit Scotland and make the journey up to Orkney this trip, with beautiful descriptions of the ocean and the daily hardships and joys the islanders experienced.
However, I found the path the story took with the main character in the latter half of the book to be a bit frustrating. It seemed at a turning point when I really expected closure from Ranald setting out to sea again, he instead became a hermit and isolated himself from his family. To me, the reason why he had never returned to the sea was so that he could take care of the farm and his family, but if he isolated them and didn’t take care of them anyway, why did he stay on land?
Maybe I didn’t understand what the author intended. Parts of it were so lovely, but I lost my patience with the book in the latter half.
However, I found the path the story took with the main character in the latter half of the book to be a bit frustrating. It seemed at a turning point when I really expected closure from Ranald setting out to sea again, he instead became a hermit and isolated himself from his family. To me, the reason why he had never returned to the sea was so that he could take care of the farm and his family, but if he isolated them and didn’t take care of them anyway, why did he stay on land?
Maybe I didn’t understand what the author intended. Parts of it were so lovely, but I lost my patience with the book in the latter half.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2023
A wonderfully evocative book, vast in its expanse but not an overlong read. I found it really moving to follow the life of the main character, Ranald, from boyhood to old age. His growing disillusion with the world of military might, allegiances and alliances, and his ever more passionate search for something deeper, are a lesson for our own bellicose times.
If you have spent any time in Orkney, your enjoyment of the book will be enhanced, as it conjures up a powerful spirit of the place. It gave me, miles from the sea in the English Midlands, a strong longing to be back there and to taste the tang of the salt on my lips again, even if only from the deck of a ferry!!
If you have spent any time in Orkney, your enjoyment of the book will be enhanced, as it conjures up a powerful spirit of the place. It gave me, miles from the sea in the English Midlands, a strong longing to be back there and to taste the tang of the salt on my lips again, even if only from the deck of a ferry!!
December 3, 2017
I probably should go back and read this again after putting it down for a few years. The scope of the novel was excellent, just the material I wanted to read about, but I found Brown's narrative style problematic. The narrator is always at a birdseye distance from the characters. No personalities emerge. The characters are cardboard cutouts moving around in the story. I've spent a little time with other work from this author and have not been impressed. I realize that's heresy for any Scottish readers, that Brown is considered a national treasure. Just not for me.
June 10, 2023
A marvelous and easily approachable tale of a life in 11th century Orkney. Mackay Brown's grasp of history - or at least the lore passed down to our age - is unerring. While the main character, Ranald, is his invention, the narrative follows events laid out in the Norse sagas, the Orkneyinge Saga in particular.
This is the third book of Mackay Brown's that I have read in the last year, after spending some time in Orkney last summer. Having seen the brochs and howes and castle ruins, not to mention the landscape makes these tales all that much more vivid.
This is the third book of Mackay Brown's that I have read in the last year, after spending some time in Orkney last summer. Having seen the brochs and howes and castle ruins, not to mention the landscape makes these tales all that much more vivid.
May 19, 2022
Though the book has Vinland as a title, only the first chapter is about this part of the world. The main character, Ranald, is able to meet a couple off famous people during the viking ages, like Leif Ericsson and the Norwegian king Olaf. This is quite unlikely. The story is told in chronological order and slows down in the last third of the book. Not very entertaining. Nevertheless, the facts about the ancient wat of living are very interesting.
September 8, 2024
It was great to read this book while visiting Orkney. Set in the time of Leif Erikson, Macbeth, King Olaf and King Magnus, the places mentioned are still there but in ruins, but it brought the history of the island to life for me. A mini saga.
March 2, 2018
Great book, with touch of Nordic sagas.
February 13, 2019
Książka z cyklu obyczajowych. Czyta się przyjemnie, ale do nordyckich sag nie dorasta. Jak dla mnie zbyt mało zwrotów akcji, wątki historyczne mało ekscytujące, co powoduje u mnie niedosyt.
July 9, 2019
I started reading this just after returning from a holiday in Orkney. Such a wonderfully vivid re-telling of history. Recommended.
November 14, 2025
super unique and lyrical prose! ending was beautiful. on the whole though i feel like it took longer to get through than 260 pages should've, but part of this was lowkey bc i wanted to absorb the writing so it’s okay :)
December 9, 2015
1.5 stars.
This book really disappointed me; I was hoping for a quick, relatively interesting read, and instead I got a quick read that just dragged on forever and had painfully bad writing. After the first few pages I was already stunned at the writing (the author had obviously never in his life been introduced to the concept of ‘show don’t tell’, not to mention how the entire book was comprised of ‘This happened. Then this happened. This character felt this way. He did this.’ And yes, he really did put a full stop in-between everything), and by the 50 page mark I almost gave up.
As I knew that the book was only 260 pages, I decided to stick it out, as surely the whole thing couldn’t possibly be that painful. At about half way the tone changed, and rather than being told about this character going on that adventure (. Then this one. Then that one.), the reader is subjected to ~150 pages of the main character moping around until he finally dies.
The reason that I leaned towards two stars in the end for this book, instead of just one, was because the author obviously did his research and I learnt the bare bones of some history. I must admit that if you are looking to read this for the historical aspect, I would hazard a guess that the Wikipedia article would probably tell you a lot more and be much less painful to get through. I hate to have to be so scathing, but if I’d known that it wasn’t going to improve, then I wouldn’t have bothered reading beyond those first few pages.
This book really disappointed me; I was hoping for a quick, relatively interesting read, and instead I got a quick read that just dragged on forever and had painfully bad writing. After the first few pages I was already stunned at the writing (the author had obviously never in his life been introduced to the concept of ‘show don’t tell’, not to mention how the entire book was comprised of ‘This happened. Then this happened. This character felt this way. He did this.’ And yes, he really did put a full stop in-between everything), and by the 50 page mark I almost gave up.
As I knew that the book was only 260 pages, I decided to stick it out, as surely the whole thing couldn’t possibly be that painful. At about half way the tone changed, and rather than being told about this character going on that adventure (. Then this one. Then that one.), the reader is subjected to ~150 pages of the main character moping around until he finally dies.
The reason that I leaned towards two stars in the end for this book, instead of just one, was because the author obviously did his research and I learnt the bare bones of some history. I must admit that if you are looking to read this for the historical aspect, I would hazard a guess that the Wikipedia article would probably tell you a lot more and be much less painful to get through. I hate to have to be so scathing, but if I’d known that it wasn’t going to improve, then I wouldn’t have bothered reading beyond those first few pages.
July 29, 2011
I hate it when a book beats me. I know I bought 'A Calendar of Love' when I was in Orkney because it seemed like the right thing to do, although I haven't read it yet. But I had no memory of buying this.
So, after I'd struggled to around the halfway point, and my husband wondered aloud why I was reading one of his books, I had no qualms about returning it to its rightful place on his bookshelf, safe in the knowledge that I hadn't wasted any money on it. Is there anything worse than a tightfisted bookworm?
So, after I'd struggled to around the halfway point, and my husband wondered aloud why I was reading one of his books, I had no qualms about returning it to its rightful place on his bookshelf, safe in the knowledge that I hadn't wasted any money on it. Is there anything worse than a tightfisted bookworm?
January 10, 2015
I read Mackay Brown as I love Orkney, where all his novels and short stories are set, so when I am not there they serve in a sense to keep me connected. Vinland, though, being the life story of Ranald Sigmundson, is more wide ranging, and so has an epic feel about it.
February 28, 2012
A saga-like story, crisp and compelling, but not exactly what I wanted at the time. My review here: http://schietree.wordpress.com/2012/0...
January 14, 2015
Highly readable and enjoyable modern telling of the history of this part of Scotland in the style of the sagas.
October 7, 2019
An unusual read - written in a pseudo viking saga style.
I didn't love it but I did enjoy reading it.
I didn't love it but I did enjoy reading it.
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