My Uncle Silas

Well I have finished the first of my three books bought on the recommendation of a friend in New Zealand.

I only tend to read now before I go to sleep, it helps me relax and whereas in the past I have been known to read all night, it isn't many pages before I find my eyes closing and I'm drifting off to sleep.  As a result on a whole I am a lot slower at reading than I used to be.  This was the perfect little book to read like this as each 'chapter' are a story in themselves and only a few pages long.  I don't think the cover really fully represents the characters - at least not how I imagine them to be.  For certain the character who refers to his 'Uncle Silas' I imagine to be a lot older than a child, although of course the book is spread over a number of years.  I think though sometimes providing characterisation as illustrated on the book can spoil the imagination though.  Of course I haven't seen the TV series so I can't comment at this stage on how true to the book it is.

The author captures the spirit and character of Uncle Silas very well and it is full of subtle humour and nuances that you can well imagine a man of his age and experience having.  The interaction between various characters and friendships is well portrayed for the era in which the stories are set.

The chapter most poignant to me was the last though in which the home of Uncle Silas is revisited and the sadness of change is very apparent.  This change and attitude sadly still abounds where the countryside and love of nature is gradually, or perhaps not so gradually being lost to straight lines, paved driveways, and 'modernisation'.  Not always a good thing.

A fun and easy read.