Showing results for "compton mackenzie"

THE meagre sun that for thirteen pallid February days had shone with no more brilliance than a rushlight stuck amid the cobwebs of a garret, poured down at last his profuse glories, and Curtain Wells woke up to a fine morning and the burden of conscious existence, with an effort all the more completely unanimous on account of its reputation as an inland Spa. Residence there implied an almost monastick ideal of regularity. Other shrines of Æsculapius, falling from their primitive purity of ...

From a world of daisies as big as moons and of mountainous green hillocks Michael Fane came by some unrealized method of transport to the thin red house, that as yet for his mind could not claim an individual existence amid the uniformity of a long line of fellows. His arrival coincided with a confusion of furniture, with the tramp of men backwards and forwards from a cavernous vehicle very dry and dusty. He found himself continually being lifted out of the way of washstands and skeleton c...

It's 1955 and the Pallas Players, an all-female theatre company, are putting on a play: Whisky Galore.They transport us back to 1943 on the Scottish islands of Great and Little Todday, where the whisky supply has dried up because of the war, leaving tensions running high. Relief seems to be at hand when a ship carrying 50,000 bottles of whisky is wrecked just offshore. Then it's every thirsty man for himself as the islanders try to rescue as many bottles as possible before...

The Complete Works of Compton MacKenzieThis Complete Collection includes the following titles:--------1 - The Altar Steps2 - Carnival3 - Plashers Mead4 - Sinister Street, vol. 15 - Sinister Street, vol. 26 - The Passionate Elopement7 - Poor Relations8 - Kensington Rhymes9 - Rich Relatives10 - The Vanity Girl11 - The Early Life and Adventures of Sylvia Scarlett12 - Guy and Pauline...

It's 1943 and the war has brought rationing to the Hebridean islands of Great and Little Todday. When food is in short supply, it is bad enough, but when the whisky runs out, it looks like the end of the world.Morale is at rock bottom. George Campbell needs a wee dram to give him the courage to stand up to his mother and marry Catriona. The priest, the doctor and, of course, the landlord at the inn are all having a very thin time of it. There's no conversation, no jolity, no fun - ...

Chester Royde, an American millionaire, travels to Scotland with his new bride Carrie and sister Myrtle, to find out more about Carrie's Scottish ancestry. Their new 'relatives' turn out to be a little more authentically Scottish than they bargained for. Ben Nevis, Laird of Glenbogle Castle, is fiercely protective of his lands and the Macdonald clan spirit, but being cash-strapped he's not above attempts to marry heiress Myrtle to one of his many brawny sons. But then a group of hikers stu...

Aileen has lost her parents and she is now solely responsible for herself and her younger brother. She is jaded and no longer wants to look for love because she is not even sure if true love even exists. Or if it is attainable for her. Suitors are plenty, but she is afraid to give her heart and risk having it broken.Quinn has recently become the Laird of the village, a huge responsibility for him yet all he can think about is the mysterious and beautiful girl he saw in the village....

Sir Compton Mackenzie, (1883–1972) was a prolific writer of fiction, biography, histories, and memoir, as well as a cultural commentator, raconteur, and lifelong Scottish nationalist.It is described by Dr. John MacInnes (formerly of the School of Scottish Studies) as "one of the greatest works of English literature produced in the twentieth century."Sylvia & MichaelGuy and Pauline, 1915The Early Life and Adventures of Sylvia, 1918Scarle...

Sinister Street is a 1913–1914 novel by Compton Mackenzie. It is a kind of Bildungsroman or novel about growing up, and concerns two children, Michael Fane and his sister Stella. Both of them are born out of wedlock, something which was frowned upon at the time, but to rich parents. In the UK, the novel was published in two volumes. However, in the United States, the volumes appeared as two separate books: Youth's Encounter (1913) and Sinister Street (1914). It is the picture of the develo...

The Passionate Elopement is a sparkling satire of manners set in Curtain Wells, a fashionable inland spa where health cures, flirtation, gossip, and social display are all part of the same ritual. From the disciplined morning promenades at the Pump Room to masquerades, valentine schemes, tea tables, and carefully staged public entertainments, the novel delights in exposing the absurd machinery of high society while celebrating its wit and theatrical energy. At the center is Phyllida Courte...

Poor Relations follows John Touchwood, a witty but self-dramatizing playwright whose life is thrown into comic confusion by success, gossip, and the demands of family. On the Atlantic crossing home from New York, he basks in theatrical triumphs, rereads affectionate and exasperating letters from relatives, and falls into a flirtation with the reserved Miss Hamilton and her sharp companion Miss Merritt. What begins as an amused, romantic voyage soon exposes the gap between John's public cha...

"The Seven Ages of Woman" likely explores the various stages of a woman's life, from childhood to old age, drawing inspiration from the famous monologue on the seven ages of man in William Shakespeare's "As You Like It."Compton MacKenzie, known for his wit and keen observations of human nature, likely imbues the play with humor, insight, and perhaps a touch of social commentary. Through a series of vignettes or scenes, the play may delve into the joys, challenges, and complexities of woman...