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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
In the summer of 1727, a small group of men and boys from an island off the coast of Scotland were dropped off at a remote rocky outcropping for their community's annual excursion to spend a few weeks hunting the local birds for their meat, eggs, oil, and feathers. Only that year, calamity at home meant that the return ship never came back for them, and their trip ended up stretching out to nine long months before they were finally rescued. Unfortunately, not much else is known about that ordeal; if the survivors shared any specific experiences at the time, the record has not reached us today.
On the bare bones of this historical footnote, author Geraldine McCaughrean has crafted a plausible tale of how it might have transpired from the boys' point of view. I was initially worried that the premise was just an excuse for a Lord of the Flies retelling, but although there's a slight degree of that sort of social anarchy, this narrative is mostly a person-versus-nature story full of ingenuity, heart, and pluck. I was surprised by how quickly I came to care and worry about these characters, and I was swept away by the writer's sense of setting, both for the physicality of the sea stack and for the cultural perspective of the castaways. I don't know how much of the latter is research-based and how much is invention, but it feels wholly immersive to read.
[Content / spoiler warning: early on, one of the islanders is revealed to be a girl in disguise. Or at least, that's how the text treats it, even though the child has apparently been brought up as a boy all 'her' life. This figure is subsequently referred to via feminine pronouns and at several points seems in danger of sexual violence. It's overall not the most enlightened treatment of gender, and my only real hesitation about recommending this book to all.]
Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter
On the bare bones of this historical footnote, author Geraldine McCaughrean has crafted a plausible tale of how it might have transpired from the boys' point of view. I was initially worried that the premise was just an excuse for a Lord of the Flies retelling, but although there's a slight degree of that sort of social anarchy, this narrative is mostly a person-versus-nature story full of ingenuity, heart, and pluck. I was surprised by how quickly I came to care and worry about these characters, and I was swept away by the writer's sense of setting, both for the physicality of the sea stack and for the cultural perspective of the castaways. I don't know how much of the latter is research-based and how much is invention, but it feels wholly immersive to read.
[Content / spoiler warning: early on, one of the islanders is revealed to be a girl in disguise. Or at least, that's how the text treats it, even though the child has apparently been brought up as a boy all 'her' life. This figure is subsequently referred to via feminine pronouns and at several points seems in danger of sexual violence. It's overall not the most enlightened treatment of gender, and my only real hesitation about recommending this book to all.]
Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter
I understand why this won an award but there’s no way I would ever be able to force myself through it again.
struggled with This one to start with however once I got into it I couldn't put it down. slow starter but gripping towards the end to find out what happened
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
fun book! geraldine rlly knows how to write despair and all the little things our mind does when we're stuck
john is a real one
i rlly feel for quilliam,,,, hes rlly just trying his best huh
fun book overall and i enjoyed reading it :)
john is a real one
Spoiler
(king? queen? idk john is john and thats all)i rlly feel for quilliam,,,, hes rlly just trying his best huh
fun book overall and i enjoyed reading it :)
A wonderful book based on real events in 18 Century St Kilda, the island off the Western Isles in Scotland. Couldn't wait to get back to the book when I put it down. Will certainly read some more of McCaughrean's books now I have discovered her. Wonderful style.