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abritain's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed it - and particularly the narration. The brief switches between the two different narrative perspectives was particularly engaging. And I liked the fact there was a definite conclusion.
valen_reads_13's review against another edition
5.0
Heartbreaking to think how many families go through not knowing what happened to their children.
siobhano's review
3.0
I bought lots of books in Ireland and this is one of them. "The Island of Longing" is about a woman who left her home island and work as a skipper to be with her husband in Dublin and have kids. The family lives in Dun Laoghaire and the protagonist's daughter vanishes. As the narrative switches between chapters with the mother as the focaliser, only the reader knows what happened to the daughter in one or two sentence interludes between chapters. After the daughter has been taken, so we learn, the mother struggles. Years later, her marriage is in shambles and she has breakdowns, which is why her husband asks her to leave. She returns to her father on the island and takes up her work as a skipper again, including old feuds and secrets that do not make her life easier. While she does find some healing, she is still convinced that her daughter is still alive...
Raw, touching, sad, and sometimes quite frustrating, this book also oozes the love for the sea, being a skipper and being outside in nature. I was quite engaged and never bored. So 3.5-4 Stars because I found it terribly that the partly truly delusional and endangered mother did not really receive any help. I also found the ending extremely frustrating.
Raw, touching, sad, and sometimes quite frustrating, this book also oozes the love for the sea, being a skipper and being outside in nature. I was quite engaged and never bored. So 3.5-4 Stars because I found it terribly that the partly truly delusional and endangered mother did not really receive any help. I also found the ending extremely frustrating.
sue_loves_to_read's review against another edition
4.0
One unremarkable afternoon, Rosie watched, from her bedroom window, her daughter Saoirse come up the drive on her bike, expecting to hear the slam of the door to shortly follow. But the slam never came, and it has been years since Saoirse's inexplicable disappearance. Unable to cope with her grief, Rosie eventually moved back to her hometown, Roaring Bay Island, where captaining the island's ferry alongside her father has provided some solace.
Beautifully written with some wonderful characters but absolutely heart breaking.eautifully written with some wonderful characters but absolutely heart breaking. I've read both of Anne Griffin's previous books and absolutely loved them and this is full of the same charm, eloquence and truly evocative language. An incredibly talented author.
My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy in return for an honest review.
Beautifully written with some wonderful characters but absolutely heart breaking.eautifully written with some wonderful characters but absolutely heart breaking. I've read both of Anne Griffin's previous books and absolutely loved them and this is full of the same charm, eloquence and truly evocative language. An incredibly talented author.
My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy in return for an honest review.
bionicsarah's review against another edition
4.0
This is a beautifully rooted book who’s narrator moves back home to an island off the cost of Ireland to recover after her marriage breaks down following the loss of her daughter
We watch as the narrator heals whilst she takes on the job of piloting a ferry between the island and the mainland .
Initially we know little about the missing teenager and this is revealed drip by drip by very short paragraphs appearing during the novel written from her point of view .I’m the version I read these sections were clearly demarcated by use of bold font and a different typeface.I quickly understood what these sections meant .They added an additional layer to the story which might have been missed if the story were told simply from the mother narrators point of view
Personally I would have liked a disclaimer explaining that the mixer of a young woman was involved as it was quite triggering for me and had I been aware I might not have chosen to read the novel in the first place .I spent the whole book wanting her to be found safe and well
The author writes with a clear easily read prose style and because of this I found it easy to read
I loved the cast of characters that we meet ok the island and found them all to be authentic and real people
I read an early copy of this novel on NetGalley uk the book is published in the uk on 4th may 2023 by Hodder and Staughton .Argus review is published in Goodreads Netgalkey and on my book blog bionicsarahsbooks.Wordpress.Com
We watch as the narrator heals whilst she takes on the job of piloting a ferry between the island and the mainland .
Initially we know little about the missing teenager and this is revealed drip by drip by very short paragraphs appearing during the novel written from her point of view .I’m the version I read these sections were clearly demarcated by use of bold font and a different typeface.I quickly understood what these sections meant .They added an additional layer to the story which might have been missed if the story were told simply from the mother narrators point of view
Personally I would have liked a disclaimer explaining that the mixer of a young woman was involved as it was quite triggering for me and had I been aware I might not have chosen to read the novel in the first place .I spent the whole book wanting her to be found safe and well
The author writes with a clear easily read prose style and because of this I found it easy to read
I loved the cast of characters that we meet ok the island and found them all to be authentic and real people
I read an early copy of this novel on NetGalley uk the book is published in the uk on 4th may 2023 by Hodder and Staughton .Argus review is published in Goodreads Netgalkey and on my book blog bionicsarahsbooks.Wordpress.Com
lifeandliterature's review against another edition
5.0
Irish fiction and Irish authors regularly make an appearance amongst my read books each year, and yet Anne Griffin is a new to me author. I'm not sure how The Island of Longing appeared on my radar but I am so glad that it did. The story centres around Rosie who has been living through the pain of her daughter being missing for the past eight years. Despite all of those around her, including her husband Hugh, believing that Saoirse has met a tragic end, Rosie is staunch in her belief that her daughter will one day return to her. Their marriage under strain from their differing beliefs, Rosie returns to her childhood home where she finds a sense of comfort amid a new friendship, and old rivalries come to a head.
The standout of The Island of Longing was for me the gentleness of the authors writing. Although there is so much heartbreak, grief and sadness, there is also family, and community, and friendship, and love.
I'm so happy to have stumbled upon The Island of Longing, and am so looking forward to reading more of Anne Griffin's work.
The standout of The Island of Longing was for me the gentleness of the authors writing. Although there is so much heartbreak, grief and sadness, there is also family, and community, and friendship, and love.
I'm so happy to have stumbled upon The Island of Longing, and am so looking forward to reading more of Anne Griffin's work.
annemariewhelehan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Your heart would be broken with this book. It is a sad story of a 17-year old girl going missing and the impact it had on the life of the family, particularly the mother. It is hard to fathom how you could deal with this scenario, and the author is very empathetic and brings us through a very believable 8 or so years after her disappearance. Nothing is tidied up neatly, but it feels very real and thankfully hopeful.
onesime's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
4.5
Rarely cry at books, but this one had me.
miacasey16's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0