Résumé
Résumé de La Maison aux volets verts
À qui s’adresse-t-il ?
You will enjoy this if you like Scottish settings, sharp small-town gossip, family tragedies that build step by step, and character studies of proud, stubborn people.
De quoi parle ce livre ?
What happens to a man who builds his whole life on being feared? George Douglas Brown opens his Scottish novel on a still summer morning, as John Gourlay smokes at his gate and watches twelve carts roll through the little town of Barbie in his honour. He is the greatest and most hated man there. This book gives you the rise of his pride, the rivals who gather around it, and the first key idea: a house built to defy a town.
Dans ce résumé
- 1Gourlay rules Barbie by sheer prideFree
- 2A house built to answer his enemies
- 3Envy and gossip become a force in the town
- 4A cruel marriage and a spoiled son
- 5Wilson arrives and Barbie finds a champion
- 6The railway meeting and the loss of a friend
- 7Cunning Johnny springs his trap
- 8A sensitive son is sent to college
- 9Edinburgh, drink, and a young man coming apart
Point clé 1 sur 9
Gourlay rules Barbie by sheer pride
John Gourlay is the carrier, cheese dealer and quarry master of Barbie, and he runs the town by force of will. He is dull in speech but stern in manner, and he treats his rivals as dirt. His great pleasure is to be seen.
The opening chapter shows it. A delay brings all twelve carts together, and he secretly enjoys the grand display despite scolding his men for being late. He once drove a rival, fat Simpson, off the road by hauling goods for nothing until Simpson had nothing left to haul. His men fear his glare, and he enjoys their fear.
But the author points out that a man who scorns public opinion is still its slave. Gourlay performs for the very people he despises. That need to be admired and feared is the weak spot on which the whole story turns.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Questions about La Maison aux volets verts
What is The House with the Green Shutters about?
It follows John Gourlay, a proud, feared merchant in the Scottish town of Barbie, as a clever rival, a gossiping community and his own pride put pressure on his household, especially his weak, sensitive son.
Who is Wilson in The House with the Green Shutters?
James Wilson is the son of a mole-catcher who returns to Barbie with money, opens a large shop called the Emporium, and becomes Gourlay's chief rival in business, in the town's politics and in the new railway.
What does the House with the Green Shutters stand for?
The house is Gourlay's pride in stone, built to impress and defy the town. It stands for his character and his reputation, and its fortunes follow his.
Is The House with the Green Shutters a true story?
It is a novel about the Gourlay household and the town of Barbie. Its close attention to gossip, business and family life gives the story a strong sense of reality.
Is The House with the Green Shutters easy to read?
It has a strong story, vivid scenes, lively gossip scenes and some Scots words that are easy to follow in context. The characters are memorable, so the pages move along quickly.