Episode 153 - The Owl Service by Alan Garner

In lieu of a standard episode disclaimer, I will simply say: I spent the whole book expecting the “Owl Service” to be some kind of organized operation, perhaps to threaten outsiders or deliver pellets into enemies’ quarters. Only now, upon reflection, do I realize that it is a description of the set of plates. I am a fool and the owls are beyond me. They should be flowers, anyway.

This book defies description and we laughed, cried and wondered in reading it for the first time. Thank you, as always, for introducing us to magnificent books that we missed in our childhoods! This one’s for our listeners.

SIGNIFICANT pronunciation disclaimer. It would be painful to come off as disrespectful of the Welsh language and its folkore when we are actually pronunciation-challenged and (unfortunately) too American. Please know that we love learning more about the Mabinogion and can only improve from here!

EPISODE MEDIA

This was a very visual episode!

Our favorites of the many covers:

First edition

Midsommar-style

Photos from the Owl Service TV adaptation

Our family heirloom Aragorn poster