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Summary: "I think this valley is a kind of reservoir."
Review: In "The Owl Service" Alison and stepbrother Roger are staying at a country house in Wales. The house has belonged to Alison's family for hundreds of years, and she is used to spending summers there. However, she always remains an outsider to the area. This visit is a little different--Gwyn, the son of the taciturn, slightly mad housekeeper Nancy is also there. One day, Alison hears scratching coming from the ceiling in her bedroom. Gwyn investigates and uncovers a set of china plates. The plates have the most unusual owl pattern. Alison becomes obsessed with the pattern, and begins tracing the owls--making small models, which she leaves all over the house. These models disappear, and soon very strange and unexplainable things begin to happen .... I read this book as a child--perhaps I was 11 years old or so, and I have never forgotten it. Powerful memories of the story recently drove me back to re-read it, and quite frankly I don't really find it to be a children's book this time around. If someone out there is looking for the next Harry Potter book, "The Owl Service" isn't it. There are no magical pleasantries, or amusing creatures endowed with magical powers (and I loved the Harry Potter books, by the way). "The Owl Service" is much darker and its story is better described as pagan legend. This may be a suitable book for teens, but I don't think I'd give this book to a child younger than that unless the child was an avid, mature reader. Nonetheless, this is an intriguing story, and those (children or adults) interested in myths and legends may be particularly interested in the novel--displacedhuman.
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Summary: Nicely updated classic
Review: In a pastoral Welsh valley, a tragic love story plays itself out anew with each generation. When three teens discover a set of old dishes with an odd design, the haunting legend is set into motion once more. Can Alison, Roger and Gwyn break the cycle? The suspense and supernatural occurrences drive the plot. Garner is a master storyteller, weaving the past with the present seamlessly. His use of plot devices such as books and village gossips to drop hints and tell part of the story is natural, never forced. The reader must pay close attention to piece the story -- and the relationships of the characters -- together. Welsh rhymes and pronunciations and British words may be a bit of a challenge for some readers. The attractive cover art will appeal to teens. A full illustration of the plate decoration is included. Fans of supernatural, romantic mysteries will love the paperback version of this award-winning classic.
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Summary: Rewards For The Patient Reader
Review: It's a shame that Alan Garner is so little-known outside of his native England. A powerful writer and a master of the craft, The Owl Service easily counts as one of his best alongside The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and Elidor.
However, the book is not an easy read or a summer beach throwaway. The Owl Service is immersed in Welsh and English culture and folklore and the tale is told in the manner in which most English rivers flow: slow moving, yet with a strong and steady current that moves the observant boatman past wonders and mysteries.
The tale centers around three young teens: Alison and Roger are half siblings staying in the Welsh valley for the summer, and Gywn, the son of the housekeeper. In the first chapter, Alison and Gywn awaken a power that was created in the valley ages ago when a love triangle ended in tragedy. Now the power is in the children and they find themselves forced to reenact the tale again. Alongside other colorful characters such as Huw, the idiot groundskeeper who is far, far more than what he appears, and Nancy, Gywn's feisty, stubborn mother, the tale is a rewarding immersion into another world of mystery and magic and the power of the human heart.
Rating: 
Summary: Best for more mature readers
Review: Like several other reviewers (see the many excellent plot summaries on this page), I first read this book in elementary school because I'd enjoyed Garner's other books so much, and I too found it very strange and disturbing. However, the memory of it stuck with me for years, and I ended up rereading it recently as an adult; it made much more sense this time (knowing the adult-themed myth added another dimension too). This is definitely aimed at a more emotionally mature age group than Garner's other books, and younger kids will be disappointed. However, the fact that so many people remember it decades after their first reading suggests it has something unusual to offer older readers.
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Summary: Ummm
Review: Oh Boy! If you want to read a slow book...this monster is for you! This book had an air of mystery around it that I thouroughly enjoy, but the sad fact is that the author didn't take the plot anywhere! The story begins to get interesting when noises come from the attic and the three main characters find a box of plates, but then, as quickly as the suspense came, it died. It was a struggle for me to read because in order for a book to be mildly interesting it has to keep going, am I right? I'm sorry, but this didn't cut it....
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Summary: One of the best
Review: Once upon a time, back a couple of decades ago, my family travelled to Europe, stopping in Britain on the way and picking up a lot of children's paperbacks to keep us occupied during the drive. One of these books was "The Owl Service". It is an excellent book. I read it in junior high, and again in high school, and every few years I come upon my battered copy and reread it yet again. I'm about to order a new copy to replace the old Puffin publication which now has many loose pages. This is the kind of kid's book that give presumes that they have working brains, basic intelligence, appreciate good writing. It does not talk down, does not preach or moralize, or hit you over the head with any messages. It does have real people with conflicting emotions, and a wonderful story bringing an old ancient conflict through time to the modern world. Excellent! I keep trying to get my husband to read it!
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Summary: Atmospheric
Review: One thing that could never be said about "Owl Service" is that it is like anything else. Alan Garner skillfully weaves Welsh mythology with a suspenseful, almost horrifying story about ancient power reaching to the modern day. Something is scratching through Alison's ceiling, when she is sick with a stomachache. She and the cook's son Gwyn venture up into the loft, and there find a heap of strangely patterned plates. At first glance, the pattern appears to be an abstract floral; upon closer examination, Alison finds that when she traces around the pattern on pieces of paper, that they form tiny paper owls. Alison's brother Roger is inclined to be dismissive, but Gwyn isn't so sure. But this discovery sends Gwyn's mother into a near-crazed frenzy, and attracts the attention of the old handyman, Huw. Huw tells Gwyn the story of Blodeuwedd, Lleu, and Gronw - Blodeuwedd being a girl made out of flowers, who was transformed into an owl. And Alison is acting more strangely with each passing day. She becomes obsessed with making more little paper owls, as they keep vanishing when she creates them. She causes an explosion of twigs and gravel, and Gwyn finds her in the woods in the middle of the night, obsessively making more owls. When their mothers forbid them to speak to one another, and Huw reveals his true nature, Gwyn learns that he must discover things about the magic of the past, and his own past, before he can hope to save Alison from the magic of the owls and flowers. Like the previous two children's books by Alan Garner, this is about modern-day children swept up in mythical forces, but while the creatures and people of "Weirdstone" and "Moon" were solid and easily-defined, here everything is misted and ghostly. So much so that the climax, while exquisitely written, is very hard to decipher. Gwyn is our Charlie Brown hero; he's the boy next door, an ordinary kid with an embittered mother and calm way of dealing with a crisis. Alison's personality is a little less defined, since she spends the story being possessed by the magic and acting in an erratic manner. I'm not sure why Roger is in the story, since he contributes nothing except a series of obnoxious comments and insinuations. Huw is clearly a mystery from the beginning, that is slowly unravelled to reveal his tragic ancestry and past. Knowledge of the Mabinogion and the legend of Blodeuwedd is not really necessary to understand this book; Garner explains fully enough what is going on that newbies to Welsh mythology will comprehend the legend. And this book is written in an exquisitely atmospheric style: the scenes of magic are incredibly otherworldly, as is any scene where Alison cuts out the owls, which becomes dark and sinister without the use of any unusual words. The behavior speaks for itself. And there are a few scenes where the atmosphere is wholly human, such as the scene where Gwyn's mother leaves him win the rain without caring what happens to him. Though a little dense for the casual reader, "Owl Service" is an enticing read with a slightly confusing end, and an enchanting beginning and middle.
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Summary: Beware of the plates
Review: One thing that could never be said about "Owl Service" is that it is like every other fantasy book. Because it's not. Alan Garner skillfully weaves Welsh mythology with a suspenseful, almost horrifying story about ancient power reaching to the modern day.
Something is scratching through Alison's ceiling, when she is sick with a stomachache. She and the cook's son Gwyn venture up into the loft, and there find a heap of strangely patterned plates. At first glance, the pattern appears to be an abstract floral; upon closer examination, Alison finds that when she traces around the pattern on pieces of paper, that they form tiny paper owls. Alison's brother Roger is inclined to be dismissive, but Gwyn isn't so sure.
For some reason, discovery sends Gwyn's mother into a near-crazed frenzy, and attracts the attention of the old handyman, Huw. Huw tells Gwyn a tragic old story -- one that is connected to Alison's strange behavior. When their mothers forbid them to speak to one another, Huw reveals his true nature. To save Alison from repeating the cycle, Gwyn learns that he must discover things about his own past...
Like the previous two children's books by Alan Garner, this is about modern-day children swept up in mythical forces, but while the creatures and people of "Weirdstone" and "Moon" were solid and easily-defined, here everything is misted and ghostly. So much so that the climax, while exquisitely written, is very hard to decipher, and which will leave readers feeling deeply unsatisfied. Just what happened?
Garner takes a relatively obscure myth and spins up a strange tale around it. The writing matches that. Garner's is an exquisitely atmospheric style: the scenes of magic are otherworldly, as is any scene where Alison cuts out the owls, which becomes more sinister as the reason why becomes clear. There are a few scenes where the atmosphere is wholly human, such as the scene where Gwyn's mother leaves him win the rain without caring what happens to him.
Gwyn is our Charlie Brown hero -- he's the boy next door, an ordinary kid with an embittered mother. Alison's personality is a little less defined, since she spends the story being possessed by the magic. We don't get to see much of the real Alison. And it's not clear Roger is in the story, since he contributes nothing except a series of obnoxious comments and insinuations. Huw is clearly a mystery from the beginning, that is slowly unravelled to reveal his tragic ancestry and past.
While flawed by some useless characters, "The Owl Service" is a beautifully written book. If only Garner had thought up a climax to match the exquisite buildup.
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Summary: Too Good To Be Viewed Soley As A Children's Book
Review: The Owl Service is an amazing book. It can be read on a series of levels as it explores everyday life, social injustice as well as offering an insight into Welsh mythology. To top it all, it is a phenominally good read and very hard to put down. Garner, as always, researches his background material well and those familiar with his work will know he always relates his novels to some aspect of British folklore. This book still creates the same mental imagery for me that it did 15 years ago when I studied it at college. It deserves every one if its 5 stars.
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Summary: Hard to understand
Review: The Owl Service is one of those books that should have been edited more carefully. The plot is good, and the characters are thoroughly developed. The problem lies with the writing. Difficult to follow at times, it meanders along, never really explaining what is happening. The love triangle is the most confusing of all, especially the old myths. There are, of course, some touchingly sweet moments that I wanted to read over and over again, but they do not make up for the difficult passages elsewhere.
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