Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
⭑⭑⭑ 3 stars
"And thou shalt marry a gunnerman proud,
And a very proud gunner I'm sure he'll be,
And the very first shot that e'er he shoots,
He'll kill both my young son and me."
Our story begins with a young selkie, a seal that can shed his skin and walk on land as a man. This selkie loves the tantalising taste of danger and walking so close to the Folk on land, who have been slaughtering his clan for years. A passionate love affair ensues between the selkie and a wild, red-haired woman named Flora. Once she finds out that she is with child, she tries to lure the selkie to stay first with passion, and then with trickery.
There is such a whimsical quality to the writing that the fairy tale vibe glows strong. The writing is as beautiful as it is savage. [a:Joanne M Harris (author)] does a great job of capturing the setting of both the sea and the land, which bought about a level of realism that the novel may have otherwise lacked.
The imagery provoked from the author's writing is simply fantastic. It wasn't hard to imagine a great wet, wintery, wild land that was as brutal as the ocean.
One thing I loved about this novel is that there are no good guys, and no bad guys. There are only complex folk, mythological beings, and a story that feels like it's been passed down for generations.
The illustrations were delectable, and gave me a good idea of the wild blood that runs through each of the characters, who have their own secrets. They also added to the fairy tale quality that was so prominent in this book.
Unfortunately, I found that my attention wandered at times, and many times I had to read a sentence once or twice to let it sink in.
Other than that, this was a mildly entertaining tale full of fantastical delights and twists enough to make my toes curl with revulsion and pity.
Click to follow my blog for more reviews
Stories, like traveling folk, never die, but always move on. There are stories everywhere; in the air; the food you eat; in the embers of the fire. And when you go to bed at night, and listen to the wind in the eaves, there are stories under the bed and hiding in the shadows.
Beautifully written, deeply sad. The Blue Salt Road is true to the Scottish folktale, The Grey Selkie of Sule Skerry (Child Ballad 113), which is quoted often throughout the story. It reads like a folktale, though lingers on descriptions of the sea, the Scottish cliffs, the icy sting of winter and the warm melt of spring. Though the writing is flawless, I find that I can't rate it higher than 4 stars because the story is less a blend of bitter and sweet than mostly just straight bitterness and loss. An underlying dread weaves throughout all the story, only forjust one, maybe two characters to escape with a semblance of actual happiness in the end.
Beautifully written, deeply sad. The Blue Salt Road is true to the Scottish folktale, The Grey Selkie of Sule Skerry (Child Ballad 113), which is quoted often throughout the story. It reads like a folktale, though lingers on descriptions of the sea, the Scottish cliffs, the icy sting of winter and the warm melt of spring. Though the writing is flawless, I find that I can't rate it higher than 4 stars because the story is less a blend of bitter and sweet than mostly just straight bitterness and loss. An underlying dread weaves throughout all the story, only for
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I went into The Blue Salt Road with no prior information, and it didn't disappoint. It had Joanne Harris's trademark descriptive and atmospheric narration, this time adapted to an old folktale/fairytale-style storytelling. The introduction is gripping, the actual story slow to start but hypnotic and compulsive once it takes a hold.
Yay for fairy tales with nuance and grey characters and no clear line between good and evil. Mistakes are made by everyone. Everyone can be punished or forgiven for those mistakes.