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bookedbymadeline's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
Only Donoghue can make me intrigued and devouring a character driven, intensely descriptive novel about three monks on an uninhabited island 😅 A fantastic novel that sucked me in- a tale of survival, faith, and religion. It was a slow start but by the third chapter (~35 pages) I was hooked!
I love Donoghue’s ability to tell stories and she’s one of my auto buy authors. Of the 3 books I’ve read so far from her, I’ve loved all of them! Donoghue does a great job of building this historical world, painting vivid imagery of the day to day survival of these monks.
The characters are well written, as we get a glimpse into all 3 of their thoughts, emotions, and motives. They each have their own distinct voices and I loved getting to know them and see them evolve throughout the course of the story!
I love Donoghue’s ability to tell stories and she’s one of my auto buy authors. Of the 3 books I’ve read so far from her, I’ve loved all of them! Donoghue does a great job of building this historical world, painting vivid imagery of the day to day survival of these monks.
The characters are well written, as we get a glimpse into all 3 of their thoughts, emotions, and motives. They each have their own distinct voices and I loved getting to know them and see them evolve throughout the course of the story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Animal death, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Sexism and Transphobia
thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thanks to Netgalley and Picador for a copy of this book.
In 7th century Ireland, devout priest and scholar, Artt has a dream telling him to leave the sinful world behind. He takes with him tow monks, young Trian and old Cormac. They row down the Sionnan (Shannon) in search of a remote island to found a new monastery; they discover an island that we now know as Skellig Michael.
Growing up in the South-west of Ireland myself, the incredible story of the monks and the harsh life they lived on Skellig Michael was something I grew up learning about, so I was very excited to read this.
If you're going into this book with zero prior knowledge of the history of Skellig Michael, Ireland, its mythology and the life of early Christian monks, know that Donoghue will not hold your hand, and researching along the way, may be beneficial to you.
This book is incredibly well researched (I expected nothing less from Donoghue). I really enjoyed the references to Irish mythology. A slow paced story about 3 monks living in isolation could easily be boring, but with Donoghue's writing I found it very compelling and intriguing.
The ending was incredible.
This is a book that will stick with me.
In 7th century Ireland, devout priest and scholar, Artt has a dream telling him to leave the sinful world behind. He takes with him tow monks, young Trian and old Cormac. They row down the Sionnan (Shannon) in search of a remote island to found a new monastery; they discover an island that we now know as Skellig Michael.
Growing up in the South-west of Ireland myself, the incredible story of the monks and the harsh life they lived on Skellig Michael was something I grew up learning about, so I was very excited to read this.
If you're going into this book with zero prior knowledge of the history of Skellig Michael, Ireland, its mythology and the life of early Christian monks, know that Donoghue will not hold your hand, and researching along the way, may be beneficial to you.
This book is incredibly well researched (I expected nothing less from Donoghue). I really enjoyed the references to Irish mythology. A slow paced story about 3 monks living in isolation could easily be boring, but with Donoghue's writing I found it very compelling and intriguing.
The ending was incredible.
This is a book that will stick with me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry and Animal death
Moderate: Abandonment and Sexism
Minor: Child death
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