I've always had an interest in remote places and this book looks like it really fits the bill, especially when the subject is remote island communities that are far away from the rest of society at large. As someone who has lived most of my life in Southern California, I always find these remote communities and societies fascinating, especially in how they work and why people choose to live there in spite of all the difficulties in connecting with the outside world.
Thank you so much for your review. I've only just finished the novel so went back to your video to hear your thoughts and it was great to help get a new perspective on the book and its themes. I didn't gel well with the book, even though I loved the beginning, at the end I felt there was something missing for me but couldn't quite put my finger on it. I know I didn't particularly I'm absolutely fascinated by the idea of living remotely, in particular on a wind-beaten island, I'm so intrigued by the connection with the elements and the goddesses of pagan religions and how they embody that link. I've in fact been so many times to the Aran islands (living nearby) and am hooked since my very first visit on Inishmore. But I have zero interest in closed-off, isolated communities in damp old buildings. It gives me the absolute ick to think about having to strictly stick to the same group of people and rules and geography forever, - particularly when it has sect-like behaviors like passport confiscation and a self-appointed leader with shady ideas. So I guess I was hoping for an opposite development, where I would be shown how it can really be beneficial to some, outside of 'society sucks so much I'd rather relive my past traumas in putting myself in another sort of toxic relationship with authority and mother-like figure' (I'm French so Maman was so on the nose for a controlling character with a sort of Peter Pan syndrom who'd rather destroy everything than let things take their course). The world of the book still sticks with me though, and I'd love to visit a Rathglas-like place (not with the community actually, but maybe the ghost of it?), but I think I was having different expectations for the story. Also the art world connection was a little eye-rolly to me, another thing I'm not connecting great with, and it felt like a too easy way to serve up unexplored underlying questions about the place and the story. So, thank you, because I still didn't have the best reading experience, but thanks to you I better understand why and why it's still a good book!
Talking about intentional communities hooked me from the start. When I was a teen in the 70s, it was my dream to live in Findhorn in Scotland. I eventually had the opportunity to spend a week there in 2001, which is how I learned for certain that it wasn’t the life for me. (I’ve also visited Crystal Waters in Queensland Australia.) Nevertheless, I remain intrigued by novels with that setting so I am delighted to add Hagstone to my TBR. Other novels set partially within intentional communities include Arcadia by Lauren Groff, Astra by Cedar Bowers and The Spectacular by Zoe Whittall.
Thanks for sharing! It’s great you went to visit some and could decide they weren’t right for you. I’ve not read those three (though I’ve always meant to read Arcadia) so thank you! 😊
Nearly 50yrs ago, I went on a boat trip to the island of Gola ( off the coast of Donegal). There was only one man living there. There were so many empty houses. People who had moved to the mainland or were forced to emigrate. I often wonder if anyone lives there now. I’ve been to Rathlin island ( off the coast of Antrim). It has a thriving community but they are very close to the coast of Ballycastle. I have a fascination with islands. My cousin got married on Iona. I’d love to visit all the islands off the coast of Ireland , Scotland and northern England (Lindisfarne)
I've begun to be really interested in Irish literature as well. I'm currently reading prophet's song and I'm obsessed. It kind of brings back attavistic memories of the Greek military junta which luckily I'm too young to have lived into, it fell in 1974, three years before I was born but my parents were university students then and this claustrophobic atmosphere we feel in the book reminds me of all the stories my parents narrated to me.
I just read Rousseau's The Social Contract recently, he writes about the way that collectively people in a society have to agree to the rules and conventions of that society in order to receive the benefits and how people naturally do this because they recognise it as being in their better interests. He also talks about the difference between being free in a state of nature i.e independent of society and "free" within a society where you have individuality and autonomy but only because you agree to be cohesive with everybody else and those are the rewards. It's really quite interesting
Balancing personal freedom, community, and sustainability... is it possible to truly break free from capitalism? An endlessly fascinating topic, one that every nonconformist person struggles with, whether it be in terms of environment, art, queerness, etc. Thanks for a wonderful review and discussion Eric! ❤️
Must be something in the air atm about isolated living on Celtic islands - thinking of Carys Davies’ “Clear” (which I loved). But thinking of alternative communities, Lauren Groff’s “Arcadia” (from a while back) is also excellent
@@EricKarlAndersonWell, my library doesn’t have it, so now I’m bugging them to order a copy. The librarian said to tell you to stop causing trouble (all in fun). 😊
Ah yes, I did read that around five years ago and thought it was interesting but quite an uneven book. I posted about it here: lonesomereader.com/blog/2019/7/26/the-blithedale-romance-by-nathaniel-hawthorne
@EricKarlAnderson Read your review. Interesting that you found it so uneven. I really loved that novel and do believe-as Hawthorne seems to-that sexual desire and individual personality traits will always disrupt and finally dominate any idea of a utopian society. In the end, I think that even one's devotion to an ideology stems from their personality. This isn't by any means an argument for disregarding one's ideals but an individual's sensibility and the drive to assert that sensibility is very powerful. One last thing: one of my favorite authors is Henry James and he was a great admirer of Hawthorne. You can feel, I believe, the influence of "The Blithedale Romance" in James novel, "The Bostonians." I don't know if you've read that one but I think it's a phenomenal book.
@@marcevan1141 That is a really interesting point of view I'd forgotten from the novel, thank you. I've not read "The Bostonians" but I'd like to one day. I do really admire James' books as well - though earlier in my life I found them quite dry. I especially love his novel "The Princess Casamassima" which is so compelling in how it dramatically presents how individual sensibility feeds into political ideology.
@EricKarlAnderson That's one I haven't read, but I definitely will get to it. I would passionately recommend "Portrait of a Lady," "What Maisie Knew," "The Turn of the Screw," and "Wings of a Dove."
I've always had an interest in remote places and this book looks like it really fits the bill, especially when the subject is remote island communities that are far away from the rest of society at large. As someone who has lived most of my life in Southern California, I always find these remote communities and societies fascinating, especially in how they work and why people choose to live there in spite of all the difficulties in connecting with the outside world.
Thanks, hope you get a chance to read the novel at some point.
Thank you so much for your review. I've only just finished the novel so went back to your video to hear your thoughts and it was great to help get a new perspective on the book and its themes.
I didn't gel well with the book, even though I loved the beginning, at the end I felt there was something missing for me but couldn't quite put my finger on it. I know I didn't particularly
I'm absolutely fascinated by the idea of living remotely, in particular on a wind-beaten island, I'm so intrigued by the connection with the elements and the goddesses of pagan religions and how they embody that link. I've in fact been so many times to the Aran islands (living nearby) and am hooked since my very first visit on Inishmore. But I have zero interest in closed-off, isolated communities in damp old buildings. It gives me the absolute ick to think about having to strictly stick to the same group of people and rules and geography forever, - particularly when it has sect-like behaviors like passport confiscation and a self-appointed leader with shady ideas.
So I guess I was hoping for an opposite development, where I would be shown how it can really be beneficial to some, outside of 'society sucks so much I'd rather relive my past traumas in putting myself in another sort of toxic relationship with authority and mother-like figure' (I'm French so Maman was so on the nose for a controlling character with a sort of Peter Pan syndrom who'd rather destroy everything than let things take their course).
The world of the book still sticks with me though, and I'd love to visit a Rathglas-like place (not with the community actually, but maybe the ghost of it?), but I think I was having different expectations for the story. Also the art world connection was a little eye-rolly to me, another thing I'm not connecting great with, and it felt like a too easy way to serve up unexplored underlying questions about the place and the story.
So, thank you, because I still didn't have the best reading experience, but thanks to you I better understand why and why it's still a good book!
Talking about intentional communities hooked me from the start. When I was a teen in the 70s, it was my dream to live in Findhorn in Scotland. I eventually had the opportunity to spend a week there in 2001, which is how I learned for certain that it wasn’t the life for me. (I’ve also visited Crystal Waters in Queensland Australia.) Nevertheless, I remain intrigued by novels with that setting so I am delighted to add Hagstone to my TBR. Other novels set partially within intentional communities include Arcadia by Lauren Groff, Astra by Cedar Bowers and The Spectacular by Zoe Whittall.
Thanks for sharing! It’s great you went to visit some and could decide they weren’t right for you. I’ve not read those three (though I’ve always meant to read Arcadia) so thank you! 😊
@@EricKarlAnderson Groff explores charisma and power politics in Arcadia. I think you would like it.
Nearly 50yrs ago, I went on a boat trip to the island of Gola ( off the coast of Donegal). There was only one man living there. There were so many empty houses. People who had moved to the mainland or were forced to emigrate. I often wonder if anyone lives there now. I’ve been to Rathlin island ( off the coast of Antrim). It has a thriving community but they are very close to the coast of Ballycastle. I have a fascination with islands. My cousin got married on Iona. I’d love to visit all the islands off the coast of Ireland , Scotland and northern England (Lindisfarne)
That’s fascinating, thank you! I’d love to visit them too.
I've begun to be really interested in Irish literature as well. I'm currently reading prophet's song and I'm obsessed. It kind of brings back attavistic memories of the Greek military junta which luckily I'm too young to have lived into, it fell in 1974, three years before I was born but my parents were university students then and this claustrophobic atmosphere we feel in the book reminds me of all the stories my parents narrated to me.
I just read Rousseau's The Social Contract recently, he writes about the way that collectively people in a society have to agree to the rules and conventions of that society in order to receive the benefits and how people naturally do this because they recognise it as being in their better interests. He also talks about the difference between being free in a state of nature i.e independent of society and "free" within a society where you have individuality and autonomy but only because you agree to be cohesive with everybody else and those are the rewards. It's really quite interesting
The Years that followed by Catherine Dunne is a good one by this well loved Irish author. Also revered in Italy.
Balancing personal freedom, community, and sustainability... is it possible to truly break free from capitalism? An endlessly fascinating topic, one that every nonconformist person struggles with, whether it be in terms of environment, art, queerness, etc.
Thanks for a wonderful review and discussion Eric! ❤️
Yes, issues we all constantly wrestle with throughout life. Thanks for watching
Sounds so interesting and I’m intrigued. I do like reading books like this
I knew from the very beginning it was Hagstone😅 just finished it and gave it 5 stars. It’s very powerful and I could relate very much
Ah, so glad you loved it too!
Must be something in the air atm about isolated living on Celtic islands - thinking of Carys Davies’ “Clear” (which I loved). But thinking of alternative communities, Lauren Groff’s “Arcadia” (from a while back) is also excellent
And I would recommend Molly Aitkin - the island child & Matrix by Laureen Groff
It does not seem to be available in the states. I checked Amazon and Barnes and Noble
I think I will try and get this from the library
This sounds fascinating!
Ooo, this book sounds great and right up my alley! I’m definitely going to read this.
Fab! Hope you enjoy it!
@@EricKarlAndersonWell, my library doesn’t have it, so now I’m bugging them to order a copy. The librarian said to tell you to stop causing trouble (all in fun). 😊
Bro Bruth Brah 🙏💙 love it loads
Eric, you should read Nathaniel Hawthorne's short novel, "The Blithedale Romance." It deals with this subject in a very interesting way.
Ah yes, I did read that around five years ago and thought it was interesting but quite an uneven book. I posted about it here: lonesomereader.com/blog/2019/7/26/the-blithedale-romance-by-nathaniel-hawthorne
@EricKarlAnderson Read your review. Interesting that you found it so uneven. I really loved that novel and do believe-as Hawthorne seems to-that sexual desire and individual personality traits will always disrupt and finally dominate any idea of a utopian society. In the end, I think that even one's devotion to an ideology stems from their personality. This isn't by any means an argument for disregarding one's ideals but an individual's sensibility and the drive to assert that sensibility is very powerful. One last thing: one of my favorite authors is Henry James and he was a great admirer of Hawthorne. You can feel, I believe, the influence of "The Blithedale Romance" in James novel, "The Bostonians." I don't know if you've read that one but I think it's a phenomenal book.
@@marcevan1141 That is a really interesting point of view I'd forgotten from the novel, thank you. I've not read "The Bostonians" but I'd like to one day. I do really admire James' books as well - though earlier in my life I found them quite dry. I especially love his novel "The Princess Casamassima" which is so compelling in how it dramatically presents how individual sensibility feeds into political ideology.
@EricKarlAnderson That's one I haven't read, but I definitely will get to it. I would passionately recommend "Portrait of a Lady," "What Maisie Knew," "The Turn of the Screw," and "Wings of a Dove."
Have you read The Utopians by Anna Neima?
I haven't but I'll look it up, thanks!