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A review by mariebrunelm
Portrait of a Wide Seas Islander by Victoria Goddard
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
In this companion novella to The Hands of the Emperor, we follow Cliopher’s un le, Buru Tovo, as he sails across the world to visit his nephew.
This quiet, delicate and deeply spiritual novella is a gift to its readers. There isn’t much happening in terms of plot, because its strength comes from its character study and its philosophy. Not the boring, fussy, wordy kind. Rather the kind that sees the world as a whole and as a web of stories and myths, in which traditions are held dear and inspire people to grow even in unexpected directions while nurturing a deep sense of connection to nature and fellow humans.
In this very gentle story, we get to spend time sailing the seas with a character that is a central but mostly absent figure from The Hands of the Emperor, and enjoy his quiet humour and deep-seated trust in the world and in others. We get to see Cliopher from another point of view than his own, which is utterly delightful even though it is short.
The Hands of the Emperor is one of the three best books I read in 2024, so I was highly anticipating this novella, knowing it would be a healing reading experience just as the companion novel had been. And so, I’d been keeping it for a rainy day. I’m not a particularly spiritual person, but then the rainy day happened and I started to read Portrait, and mid-way through I finally received some good news and I’m not afraid to thank Victoria Goddard for that even though she had no hand in it.
This quiet, delicate and deeply spiritual novella is a gift to its readers. There isn’t much happening in terms of plot, because its strength comes from its character study and its philosophy. Not the boring, fussy, wordy kind. Rather the kind that sees the world as a whole and as a web of stories and myths, in which traditions are held dear and inspire people to grow even in unexpected directions while nurturing a deep sense of connection to nature and fellow humans.
In this very gentle story, we get to spend time sailing the seas with a character that is a central but mostly absent figure from The Hands of the Emperor, and enjoy his quiet humour and deep-seated trust in the world and in others. We get to see Cliopher from another point of view than his own, which is utterly delightful even though it is short.
The Hands of the Emperor is one of the three best books I read in 2024, so I was highly anticipating this novella, knowing it would be a healing reading experience just as the companion novel had been. And so, I’d been keeping it for a rainy day. I’m not a particularly spiritual person, but then the rainy day happened and I started to read Portrait, and mid-way through I finally received some good news and I’m not afraid to thank Victoria Goddard for that even though she had no hand in it.