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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read my other book reviews at booksibled.wordpress.com
I went to a talk at the British Library on Fairy Tale, Folk and Fiction. The tickets were a gift from a nice friend as she was working behind the scenes and, as the BL is only down the road from Wellcome, I hung out at work then wandered down to watch one of my favourite authors discuss my favourite style of fiction.
But being a huge Harris fan I obviously owned most of her books already and hadn’t brought any with me to be signed. So, imagine how thrilled I was to find that, not only was there a gorgeous book I didn’t have in my collection yet, but it was based on tales from my own heritage. The Selkies of the Scottish waters. Not only was this one of my favourite tales as a child but I’ve loved seals for as long as I can remember and I am the only person I know who lived in Aberystwyth for years and never saw a dolphin but saw a few seals on my early morning walks as the sea spray crashed around me. So, this was always going to be the one for me wasn’t it?
The story is slightly turned on it’s head from what most people will know. In the original a sailor goes to the beach and sees the seals dancing out of their skins. He steals one and when she can’t return to the sea he takes her in, marries her and they have children but she finds the skin and returns to the sea when she belongs.
Harris’ narrative follows a male seal of no name who finds himself stuck on land with no memory of his life in the sea after his skin is stolen. What follows is his attempts to fit in in his new world, his wife’s desperate hope to keep him with her and the work of the creatures who know the truth, to bring him back home.
The book itself is stunning, with delicate illustrations that wash over the pages and the story is beautifully realised, just enough background to immerse you in the world but not so much as to lose the feel of a fairy tale. I’m so glad she managed to create something fresh and new while staying true to the original tale.
P.S. A beautifully retelling of the selkie myth with such an original and yet timeless feel. Yet another of Harris’ books that I can’t wait to pass on to people I know. The illustrations are glorious and the care taken with the source material is heartwarming. If you enjoy folk tales and mythology then this is a book for you.
I went to a talk at the British Library on Fairy Tale, Folk and Fiction. The tickets were a gift from a nice friend as she was working behind the scenes and, as the BL is only down the road from Wellcome, I hung out at work then wandered down to watch one of my favourite authors discuss my favourite style of fiction.
But being a huge Harris fan I obviously owned most of her books already and hadn’t brought any with me to be signed. So, imagine how thrilled I was to find that, not only was there a gorgeous book I didn’t have in my collection yet, but it was based on tales from my own heritage. The Selkies of the Scottish waters. Not only was this one of my favourite tales as a child but I’ve loved seals for as long as I can remember and I am the only person I know who lived in Aberystwyth for years and never saw a dolphin but saw a few seals on my early morning walks as the sea spray crashed around me. So, this was always going to be the one for me wasn’t it?
The story is slightly turned on it’s head from what most people will know. In the original a sailor goes to the beach and sees the seals dancing out of their skins. He steals one and when she can’t return to the sea he takes her in, marries her and they have children but she finds the skin and returns to the sea when she belongs.
Harris’ narrative follows a male seal of no name who finds himself stuck on land with no memory of his life in the sea after his skin is stolen. What follows is his attempts to fit in in his new world, his wife’s desperate hope to keep him with her and the work of the creatures who know the truth, to bring him back home.
The book itself is stunning, with delicate illustrations that wash over the pages and the story is beautifully realised, just enough background to immerse you in the world but not so much as to lose the feel of a fairy tale. I’m so glad she managed to create something fresh and new while staying true to the original tale.
P.S. A beautifully retelling of the selkie myth with such an original and yet timeless feel. Yet another of Harris’ books that I can’t wait to pass on to people I know. The illustrations are glorious and the care taken with the source material is heartwarming. If you enjoy folk tales and mythology then this is a book for you.
The line between song and myth is porous, and the Child Ballads have been fertile ground for Joanna M. Harris lately. “The Brown Girl” inspired A Pocketful of Crows, and now “The Great Silkie Of Sule Skerry” offers the starting point for The Blue Salt Road. Harris understand storytelling and the power of the tradition of folk tales, but, like all the best artists, she makes it her own in this rich tale. She takes you there, to the wide strand by the ocean, the poor village, the whaling ships, and into the water itself, to a part of the world where both the Folk and the Selkie live. Although the story centres on one couple, slowly the wider picture emerges of a reality that’s different to anything we imagine at first, yet absolutely believable. Her characters are alive, with their good traits and bad; nothing is painted in black and white, not even love. It’s a very human story, as all the best ones should be, one that ends with beautiful hope, and an unexpected twist. There’s redemption and reclamation between the covers, along with every shade of emotion, and that, along with a lovingly-told story, is what makes it such a compelling read, with magic treading lightly between the words. The luscious illustrations by Bonnie Hawkins complement it all, giving another, powerful dimension to the characters and settings, bringing them vividly alive.
A beautiful and bittersweet tale of selkies that really captures the feel and mindset of the Hebrides. Be warned, tales of selkies and fisherfolk, mermaids and morvoren are rarely happy ones, although this ends on a very satisfying note. The themes of power between men and women, domesticity versus wildness, and freedom versus bondage are very well explored. Read in one sitting. Highly recommend.
Another library book review, this time of The Blue Salt Road, which I have to lead with praise around the overall design of the hardback - both back and front covers have some stunning embossed silver design work and the interior also has some lovely artwork throughout. So even if the story wasn't all that great (and that isn't the case), it looks beautiful.
This book reads like a fairytale, with language to match - it's about the selkies who live near an island populated by people who live from killing whales and seals, but where our main character is also fascinated by them. Leaving his skin behind, our selkie hero starts a relationship with one of the humans, not realising that her family has all sorts of legacies when it comes to the selkie people. When she manages to get hold of his skin, he essentially becomes her slave and is forced to go into the family business - hunting the local sea-life with his new father in law.
As someone who loves cetaceans very much, there's a whole series of scenes I found hard to deal with and had to push through to the rest of the book. In the end and following an act of revolt that's long in coming, the whole horrifying scenario comes to light, of a family which has lived a lie for many generations. To be honest, I can only recall hearing this story told before from the perspective of the female selkie and that's just as horrific as this version. This is another of those books where I'm glad I've read it but I can't see myself wanting to re-read it any time soon.
This book reads like a fairytale, with language to match - it's about the selkies who live near an island populated by people who live from killing whales and seals, but where our main character is also fascinated by them. Leaving his skin behind, our selkie hero starts a relationship with one of the humans, not realising that her family has all sorts of legacies when it comes to the selkie people. When she manages to get hold of his skin, he essentially becomes her slave and is forced to go into the family business - hunting the local sea-life with his new father in law.
As someone who loves cetaceans very much, there's a whole series of scenes I found hard to deal with and had to push through to the rest of the book. In the end and following an act of revolt that's long in coming, the whole horrifying scenario comes to light, of a family which has lived a lie for many generations. To be honest, I can only recall hearing this story told before from the perspective of the female selkie and that's just as horrific as this version. This is another of those books where I'm glad I've read it but I can't see myself wanting to re-read it any time soon.
Nice pencil illustrations throughout the novel. They really helped set the tone and style. Classic telling of the selkie story, so very close to my home. Lags in the middle, during the whaling hunt - and the book is only 200 pages long. Satisfying conclusion.
Similar to A Pocketful of Crows, this is a retelling of a specific Child Ballad (number 113), but where the first book follows a brown fae girl, this explores the tales of the selkie. I missed the structure of the first in this which is a bit more conventional in that the parts aren't tried to the months, and I usually don't love selkie stories, but this one has me hooked at one point - I rattled through the entire second half in about an hour. Not quite as lovely as the first, still great