“Four friends. One weekend. Gallons of whisky. What could go wrong?”
Well, after a promising start almost everything goes wrong for both the characters involved and the reader in this tale of misadventure in the Highlands.
Four thirty-something friends head off on a lads weekend away to the Scottish island of Islay (pronounced Eye-La). Their itinerary includes trips to the island’s famous whisky distilleries and one of them even has plans to start up a whisky business but he needs the help of his wealthy friend to get it off the ground.
Johnstone creates a fantastic atmosphere of camaraderie amongst the gang as they meet various locals with mixed results but when an aggressive bully suddenly becomes a cold blooded killer it’s a step too far.
The trip goes from bad to worse and what was a feel good story becomes a far-fetched fight for survival that might have worked had the first half of the book not been so jovial.
Just like the characters involved I was loving it to begin with (this book made me want to: 1. Drink whisky 2. Visit Islay 3. Go on a lads weekend away) but towards the end I couldn’t get out of there quick enough.
Just like the characters involved I was loving it to begin with (this book made me want to: 1. Drink whisky 2. Visit Islay 3. Go on a lads weekend away) but towards the end I couldn’t get out of there quick enough.
The book has a wonderful setting (although I am biased) and good characters but the whole thing would have worked better as a kind of...The Hangover In The Highlands instead of the Dreary Deliverance it became.
Ric’s Rating: 58%
As soon as I began reading your review, The Hangover and about a dozen other similar flicks came to mind.
ReplyDeleteYep, he should have stuck to the comedy.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the review, Rick, though the book doesn't sound too great. Think I'll give it a miss.
ReplyDeleteCheers Billy, it had plenty potential, I really wanted to like it and I did up to a point it just got a bit silly.
ReplyDelete