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thebooktrail88's review against another edition
4.0
Visit the locations in the novel The Lost Lights of St Kilda
A story to transport you to the Outer Hebrides
Oh to be transported to the Outer Hebrides, and the outer, outer Hebrides at that! This is a novel about the very, very small island and community of St Kilda. A remote, isolated and very unique island stuck in time and forgotten by it too. From the start there is a sense that this island is so cut off, even those who live there, forget there is a boat to the mainland at times. Weather of course, permitting.
The island really is the star of the show. You really get to know and feel it with its harsh winters and cold air, but its that sense of impending doom and the claustrophobia which increases as the novel goes along, which should really worry you.
The island is pretty much what you read about in the book in that the story and history is accurate. The author writes in her note at the end of the research and planning that went into this novel and it shows. A fascinating period of Scottish history which is easy to understand in novel form. This is a history of the people of St Kilda and the people are who you get to know close up.
Chrissie was a great character as we learn much about the island and life there from her. How the island and the mainland have formed and shaped her life. The other character I liked was Fred whose story with Archie who he met one summer is another focal point of the whole novel. He sees the island and the war through very different eyes and the two stories merge well to form a colouful and fascinating picture.
bgg616's review
5.0
St. Kilda, a World Heritage Site, lies 40 miles (64 KM) northwest of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. It is actually an archipelago, and is home to a huge bird colony including the largest Atlantic Puffin colony in the UK. The inhabited island was evacuated in 1930 by the British government when it became unfeasible for people to continue living there. St. Kilda had been inhabited for 4,000 years. The last residents were tenants of a Highland laird who rarely if ever visited but collected rents.
I read this book because I have long been fascinated by the islands' history. I was supposed to visit this summer but the trip was cancelled. It is possible to travel there (£220 in 2022) on a day trip. The abandoned village remains a tourist site, and there is a museum. The inhabitants spoke Gaelic, raised sheep (the Soay is a rare breed that is being revived), selling fleeces, and knitted items. They grew potatoes but the soil was poor, and depended on money from tourism and what they could sell as well as supplies brought by ship. Winter was a lean and lonely time as ships often didn't arrive when scheduled. People barely survived.
I don't read a lot of historical fiction because I prefer books that are more history than fiction in this category. But though it has a love story at its center, this is a novel that does justice to the culture and context of the characters. The author created two characters, Chrissie, a young woman on the island, and Fred, an outsider. They fall in love. It's 1927 and Fred is there only for the summer. He's a student at Cambridge. Fred returns to the mainland, but because of misunderstandings, and lies told by one character, they don't stay in contact. Then the islands are evacuated a few years later. Fred doesn't forget Chrissie though.
The story moves between time periods effectively. Integrated into the novel are details of life on St. Kilda including religion, values, their language, and survival. The novel included these seamlessly. I learned how both World Wars impacted Scottish soldiers, especially Highlanders who lost their lives in great numbers. One of my favorite episodes involved two Gaelic-speaking soldiers making their way through Spain to attempt to get to safety. They are in the northern Basque-speaking area being hidden by a local family. When the woman of the house hears them speaking Gaelic, she recognizes that like her, they speak a minority (and oppressed) language. This spurs her to do more to see them to safety. As a linguist, and lover of minority languages (I studied Irish for more than 5 years), I found this scene very possible. I have witnessed similar bonds between minority language speakers even when they speak different languages.
While it is a "romance", the novel does not let that aspect of the story dominate. The story is skillfully rolled out. I appreciated the sense of authenticity of the details as the writer not only tells a love story, but, more importantly, creates a nuanced portrait of a culture and the death of a way of life.
I read this book because I have long been fascinated by the islands' history. I was supposed to visit this summer but the trip was cancelled. It is possible to travel there (£220 in 2022) on a day trip. The abandoned village remains a tourist site, and there is a museum. The inhabitants spoke Gaelic, raised sheep (the Soay is a rare breed that is being revived), selling fleeces, and knitted items. They grew potatoes but the soil was poor, and depended on money from tourism and what they could sell as well as supplies brought by ship. Winter was a lean and lonely time as ships often didn't arrive when scheduled. People barely survived.
I don't read a lot of historical fiction because I prefer books that are more history than fiction in this category. But though it has a love story at its center, this is a novel that does justice to the culture and context of the characters. The author created two characters, Chrissie, a young woman on the island, and Fred, an outsider. They fall in love. It's 1927 and Fred is there only for the summer. He's a student at Cambridge. Fred returns to the mainland, but because of misunderstandings, and lies told by one character, they don't stay in contact. Then the islands are evacuated a few years later. Fred doesn't forget Chrissie though.
The story moves between time periods effectively. Integrated into the novel are details of life on St. Kilda including religion, values, their language, and survival. The novel included these seamlessly. I learned how both World Wars impacted Scottish soldiers, especially Highlanders who lost their lives in great numbers. One of my favorite episodes involved two Gaelic-speaking soldiers making their way through Spain to attempt to get to safety. They are in the northern Basque-speaking area being hidden by a local family. When the woman of the house hears them speaking Gaelic, she recognizes that like her, they speak a minority (and oppressed) language. This spurs her to do more to see them to safety. As a linguist, and lover of minority languages (I studied Irish for more than 5 years), I found this scene very possible. I have witnessed similar bonds between minority language speakers even when they speak different languages.
While it is a "romance", the novel does not let that aspect of the story dominate. The story is skillfully rolled out. I appreciated the sense of authenticity of the details as the writer not only tells a love story, but, more importantly, creates a nuanced portrait of a culture and the death of a way of life.
xkay_readsx's review
4.0
4.5⭐
Wonderfully written, The Lost Lights of St Kilda is an emotional historical fiction set on St Kilda. I was first struck by the beautiful cover then curious where St Kilda is, I didn't even know it's a real place- the Scottish Isles. After I read a brief history online, I knew I have to read this novel.
Be prepared to fall in love with these characters. The story is told in multiple timelines, mostly in the 1920s and 1940s, and through the voices of Fred, a Cambridge student who spent the summer on St Kilda studying rock formation, Chrissie an islander, and Rachel Anne.
I love the narrators' performance. Listening was tricky at first and I was a bit confused. After a while, the story starts to make sense and it's engrossing and rich with details that I found hard to put down.
Don't miss this fascinating story that blends romance, war, friendship, and the island's real history in one. The evacuation of St Kilda hit me the hardest. It's horrific, yet it's beautifully told. It doesn't make sense...!
Thank you Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for my audio ARC.
The audio is available on January 13, 2022
The book is out.
Wonderfully written, The Lost Lights of St Kilda is an emotional historical fiction set on St Kilda. I was first struck by the beautiful cover then curious where St Kilda is, I didn't even know it's a real place- the Scottish Isles. After I read a brief history online, I knew I have to read this novel.
Be prepared to fall in love with these characters. The story is told in multiple timelines, mostly in the 1920s and 1940s, and through the voices of Fred, a Cambridge student who spent the summer on St Kilda studying rock formation, Chrissie an islander, and Rachel Anne.
I love the narrators' performance. Listening was tricky at first and I was a bit confused. After a while, the story starts to make sense and it's engrossing and rich with details that I found hard to put down.
Don't miss this fascinating story that blends romance, war, friendship, and the island's real history in one. The evacuation of St Kilda hit me the hardest. It's horrific, yet it's beautifully told. It doesn't make sense...!
Thank you Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for my audio ARC.
The audio is available on January 13, 2022
The book is out.
jennyhk's review against another edition
5.0
I love a good historical novel and was literally swept away with this book. It’s very descriptive and I felt like I was walking the island with Chrissie. I liked both parts of the story, the descriptions of life in the 1920’s, following the last community to live on St Kilda before it was evacuated in 1930. But I also enjoyed Fred’s journey through war torn Europe, trying to get back to Chrissie who he had abruptly left over a decade before. When Fred came across Archie in Marseilles I did wonder if the story would have a happy ending and thankfully it did. It’s beautifully written and I’m excited to have discovered the author has written other books, I really like her style.
judenoseinabook's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Fascinating picture of the old life on St Kilda over it's last 15 years as a settlement. A love story that goes backward and forward between wartime escape from occupied France and life in 1920s st Kilda.
timemm's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
rosemaryandrue's review
3.0
I had no idea where we were headed, no idea what lay before us. All I knew was I was ready to travel the length and breadth of France if the world would give me one more chance to spend one more hour with you – to say I’m sorry.
In 1927, Cambridge student Fred ends up on the remote Scottish island of St Kilda to study the local rock formations and falls in love with Chrissie, a local woman. Thirteen years later, he is stranded in war-torn France and wondering how that summer romance long ago went so wrong…
I picked up this book because I was rather tired of the glut of World War Two narratives, generally about members of the French Resistance, and this promised something different. And indeed it delivered – most of the story is set on St Kilda, a remote Scottish island of which I had never heard before, but felt quite acquainted with by the time the book ended. The writing is lyrical and brought St Kilda with all its lush sea-swept beauty to vivid life. The parts which incorporate the history of the island were fascinating and really cemented how attached Chrissie was to her home. This made the ensuing evacuation quite emotional.
However, the plot felt somewhat thin. This is the story of how Fred and Chrissie fell in love, and what tore them apart, but we don’t see much of them falling in love and what tears them apart feels almost silly, unfortunately. I was also ambivalent on the character of Archie – I wish we got a better understanding of him, for while his actions are what drive the plot, his decisions seemingly come out of nowhere.
My copy of this book was an audiobook, narrated by Fiona McNeill, Geoffrey Newland, and Diane Brooks, who respectively voice Chrissie, Fred, and Rachel Anne, Chrissie’s daughter. The narration was done in Scottish accents, which for a hapless American like me took a little time to get used to! I thought the narration was well-done, though, and the narrators’ musical voices helped set the stage.
Overall, an interesting and emotional read for those interested in more obscure British historical settings.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
In 1927, Cambridge student Fred ends up on the remote Scottish island of St Kilda to study the local rock formations and falls in love with Chrissie, a local woman. Thirteen years later, he is stranded in war-torn France and wondering how that summer romance long ago went so wrong…
I picked up this book because I was rather tired of the glut of World War Two narratives, generally about members of the French Resistance, and this promised something different. And indeed it delivered – most of the story is set on St Kilda, a remote Scottish island of which I had never heard before, but felt quite acquainted with by the time the book ended. The writing is lyrical and brought St Kilda with all its lush sea-swept beauty to vivid life. The parts which incorporate the history of the island were fascinating and really cemented how attached Chrissie was to her home. This made the ensuing evacuation quite emotional.
However, the plot felt somewhat thin. This is the story of how Fred and Chrissie fell in love, and what tore them apart, but we don’t see much of them falling in love and what tears them apart feels almost silly, unfortunately. I was also ambivalent on the character of Archie – I wish we got a better understanding of him, for while his actions are what drive the plot, his decisions seemingly come out of nowhere.
My copy of this book was an audiobook, narrated by Fiona McNeill, Geoffrey Newland, and Diane Brooks, who respectively voice Chrissie, Fred, and Rachel Anne, Chrissie’s daughter. The narration was done in Scottish accents, which for a hapless American like me took a little time to get used to! I thought the narration was well-done, though, and the narrators’ musical voices helped set the stage.
Overall, an interesting and emotional read for those interested in more obscure British historical settings.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
steph1rothwell's review
5.0
I am going to struggle to find the words to review this wonderful book but I will try. I hadn’t really known what to expect, I wasn’t familiar with the author and I never knew anything about St Kilda. Almost immediately after starting to read it I realised that the novel was based on actual events with regards to the island and I was reading about them on the internet at the same time as reading this novel. The very realistic account of what life must have been like on St Kilda was fascinating. And even though I loved the story of Fred and Chrissie it was the story around the island that will be on mind for some time.
I can’t even imagine a world where you have to scale a cliff to get food to survive. A world where for months every year you have no contact at all with the mainland, no news, no letters, no provisions. The characters were fascinating, brave, independent and proud. They didn’t let anybody portray them as someone to be ridiculed. I enjoyed reading about the ceilidh, the folk stories and the Gaelic traditions. All that was missing was a soundtrack. It’s hard to think that the events that concerned this island happened less than 100 years ago.
I adored Chrissie, her blossoming friendship with Fred who had visited from the mainland along with Archie, her strength, loyalty, humour and devotion to St Kilda was astonishing. She had great spirit and had a determination to do the best for her daughter despite everything. Even though I liked both, I enjoyed reading her account more than Fred’s, it was from her that you learned more about their relationship and island life. Even though Fred’s experience in the war isn’t mentioned much there was enough for me to experience the danger that he was in. And like St Kilda, his war was something I knew nothing about.
A wonderful read that had me gazing into the distance on finishing.
I can’t even imagine a world where you have to scale a cliff to get food to survive. A world where for months every year you have no contact at all with the mainland, no news, no letters, no provisions. The characters were fascinating, brave, independent and proud. They didn’t let anybody portray them as someone to be ridiculed. I enjoyed reading about the ceilidh, the folk stories and the Gaelic traditions. All that was missing was a soundtrack. It’s hard to think that the events that concerned this island happened less than 100 years ago.
I adored Chrissie, her blossoming friendship with Fred who had visited from the mainland along with Archie, her strength, loyalty, humour and devotion to St Kilda was astonishing. She had great spirit and had a determination to do the best for her daughter despite everything. Even though I liked both, I enjoyed reading her account more than Fred’s, it was from her that you learned more about their relationship and island life. Even though Fred’s experience in the war isn’t mentioned much there was enough for me to experience the danger that he was in. And like St Kilda, his war was something I knew nothing about.
A wonderful read that had me gazing into the distance on finishing.
bostonkatebooks's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
anne_price's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0