Reviews

The Lonely Sea and Sky by Dermot Bolger

dg12357262's review

4.0

Amazing amazing book such a great insight into Ireland during the world war 2 and a coming of age story for the main character with interesting insight into the moral conundrum of war time as a neutral nation.

Would really recommend to anyone interested in Irish history paints a fascinating picture

carolinemred's review against another edition

adventurous informative inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

lisainbookland's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Such a wonderful portrayal based on true stories of Irish merchant ships which sailed during WWII — neutral but often targets nonetheless and also their part in rescuing stranded crews of any nationality they came across. A sea story that levels with Patrick O’Brian with me (although obviously set in a different time period). Even with the brilliant historical background however, the highlight were the characters. The main character is only 14 and the trip is his first voyage, left to be the main breadwinner for the family after his father’s death at sea. I loved the complex portrayal of how the Irish sailors were viewed by the British and Germans. My particular favourite was the tragic second officer Mr Walton. A new favourite book for me, highly recommend.

lonesomereader's review

5.0

When reading novels about WWII you are usually shown the perspective of women and men from countries involved in fighting the conflict. However, I haven’t come across many representations of countries that maintained neutrality. So I’ve found it fascinating reading two recent novels which do this: Rose Tremain’s novel “The Gustav Sonata” which portrays the long term consequences for a Swiss officer and his family drawn into a serious moral conflict and Dermot Bolger’s new novel “The Lonely Sea and Sky” which is based on a historical incident where a small Irish ship chose to save 168 shipwrecked German sailors in 1943. The question of whether to save these men from drowning is more difficult than it first appears: some German forces sank Irish vessels (frequently as target practice) despite their nation's neutrality and there was also the risk that the Germans might take control of the Irish ship once they had boarded and outnumbered the seamen. Their country might have been neutral, but they lived in a world at war. The novel is narrated from the perspective of a 14 year old Irish boy named Jack who joins the crew of a shipping vessel called the Kerlogue. He needs to mature quickly for a hard life at sea and he's confronted with many moral dilemmas posed in this dramatic journey. Bolger creates a personal, heartrending and atmospheric tale of the lives of these Irish sailors during a period of great international conflict.

Read my full review of The Lonely Sea and Sky by Dermot Bolger on LonesomeReader