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A review by readbydanni
The Lost Lights of St Kilda by Elisabeth Gifford
4.0
Before reading this book, I'd never heard of St Kilda. Having read the book followed by a tiny little bit of research (hello Wikipedia!), The Lost Lights of St Kilda has even more charm for me. The book tells the story from the perspective of two main characters; Chrissie, born and raised on St Kilda and Fred, a one-time visitor to St Kilda who is now a captured prisoner of war in Nazi-occupied France.
Chrissie's perspective paints the history of St Kilda, the people and the struggles and joys of their lifestyle, starting from her childhood right through to her being a grown woman.
Fred's perspective is of a man trying to right the wrongs of his past whilst desperately trying to escape and return home. As their stories are told, we find out how Chrissie and Fred met, how their friendship ended and what happened to each of them once they each had to leave the island behind.
For me, this book started out a little slow but once we'd got to know the characters, it definitely picked up. Despite this, it is quite a heavy read. We're shown the struggles and pains of living on a remote island where visitors are rare and how those that do visit see the inhabitants as almost savages. The sense of community within the pages of The Lost Lights of St Kilda is both heartwarming and heartbreaking as life on the island becomes more and more of a struggle.
Beautifully written, Elisabeth Gifford has tried to pay tribute to the life and struggles of the previous inhabitants of St Kilda whilst also giving us a wartime love story with an ending that will warm your heart.
Thank you to NetGalley, Elisabeth Gifford and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Chrissie's perspective paints the history of St Kilda, the people and the struggles and joys of their lifestyle, starting from her childhood right through to her being a grown woman.
Fred's perspective is of a man trying to right the wrongs of his past whilst desperately trying to escape and return home. As their stories are told, we find out how Chrissie and Fred met, how their friendship ended and what happened to each of them once they each had to leave the island behind.
For me, this book started out a little slow but once we'd got to know the characters, it definitely picked up. Despite this, it is quite a heavy read. We're shown the struggles and pains of living on a remote island where visitors are rare and how those that do visit see the inhabitants as almost savages. The sense of community within the pages of The Lost Lights of St Kilda is both heartwarming and heartbreaking as life on the island becomes more and more of a struggle.
Beautifully written, Elisabeth Gifford has tried to pay tribute to the life and struggles of the previous inhabitants of St Kilda whilst also giving us a wartime love story with an ending that will warm your heart.
Thank you to NetGalley, Elisabeth Gifford and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.