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A review by woodsybookworm
Eynhallow by Tim McGregor
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Eynhallow
Agnes Tulloch lives on the island of Eynhallow, a harsh landscape surrounded by crashing waves and cold bitter winds. Eynhallow, the holy isle, is not an exciting place to live until a newcomer rows to shore. His name is Victor Frankenstein and he plans to rent the haunted manor on the hill for the summer so that he might work on his experiments in solitude. Agnes, a simple wife of the island, is rented out by her abusive husband as a cleaning woman and a cook to the noble Frankenstein, unaware her life would be forever changed by that one transaction.
Eynhallow was a haunting narrative of a woman scorned - of a woman who has been beaten down by her husband, her community, and her religious ideology - Agnes Tulloch was a giant trapped in a world that forced her to feel small.
Historical fiction is not my forte but I was hooked by the blurb for the book and the mention of Frankenstein. While Eynhallow is definitely a book involving Frankenstein, it isn't Frankenstein's story, it's so much more. The prose was poetic, the setting desolate, and by the end it was truly heartbreaking.
Eynhallow has earned my first five star review of the year. While it is slow to warm, not really picking up until a little over a quarter of the way through the novel - once Eynhallow hits it's stride, it hits it's stride running. If you can stick with the historical setting and the prose, you're in for a solid read.
Thank you to NetGalley, RDS Publishing, and Tim McGregor for allowing me to read an ARC copy of this novel.
Agnes Tulloch lives on the island of Eynhallow, a harsh landscape surrounded by crashing waves and cold bitter winds. Eynhallow, the holy isle, is not an exciting place to live until a newcomer rows to shore. His name is Victor Frankenstein and he plans to rent the haunted manor on the hill for the summer so that he might work on his experiments in solitude. Agnes, a simple wife of the island, is rented out by her abusive husband as a cleaning woman and a cook to the noble Frankenstein, unaware her life would be forever changed by that one transaction.
Eynhallow was a haunting narrative of a woman scorned - of a woman who has been beaten down by her husband, her community, and her religious ideology - Agnes Tulloch was a giant trapped in a world that forced her to feel small.
Historical fiction is not my forte but I was hooked by the blurb for the book and the mention of Frankenstein. While Eynhallow is definitely a book involving Frankenstein, it isn't Frankenstein's story, it's so much more. The prose was poetic, the setting desolate, and by the end it was truly heartbreaking.
Eynhallow has earned my first five star review of the year. While it is slow to warm, not really picking up until a little over a quarter of the way through the novel - once Eynhallow hits it's stride, it hits it's stride running. If you can stick with the historical setting and the prose, you're in for a solid read.
Thank you to NetGalley, RDS Publishing, and Tim McGregor for allowing me to read an ARC copy of this novel.