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It bears witness to emblems of a changing world outside its walls while a curse creeps up the nine floors, and an enraged spirit world swells to the surface, desperate for the building's longest kept secret to be heard. Format: Paperback Publication Date: 01/01/1800 When Fred makes his daring escape, prompting a desperate journey across occupied territory, he is sustained by one thought only: finding his way back to Chrissie. Even for someone who has completed a tour of Afghanistan, attempting to track down the current whereabouts of the paintings is Mark's most audacious mission to date. ' The Times'An undeniably haunting love story. But for Fred, memories of that summer - and the island woman, Chrissie, with whom he falls in love - will never leave him. This is because the books is a cleared item.
- Dimensions: 198x129mm
- Format: Paperback
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
- Publication Date: 12/08/2021
- B-Code: B057146
- Author: Fagan, Jenni
- ISBN: 9780099592198
- Pages: 352
Reviews
The booktrail
From the start there is a sense that this island is so cut off, even those who live there, forget there is a boat to the mainland at times. This book transported me to St Kilda as the descriptions of the island and the people on this remote Scottish Island were so well written I felt like I was actually visiting there myself. I cannot recommend this book enough.
Jeanniehay64
It was apparent that the author had solidly researched WW2 and I found myself learning more about the war from this book. Chrissie is an island inhabitant born and raised on St Kilda and when two young undergraduates Fred and Archie arrive to spend the summer on the island her life changes for ever as she falls in love with Fred. The author writes in her note at the end of the research and planning that went into this novel and it shows.
This is a history of the people of St Kilda and the people are who you get to know close up. After a misunderstanding separates the two young lovers they both never forget their special time together. He sees the island and the war through very different eyes and the two stories merge well to form a colouful and fascinating picture. I was brought up in a remote countryside setting and the warmth of neighbours the hardships and lack of luxuries resounded with me.
The other character I liked was Fred whose story with Archie who he met one summer is another focal point of the whole novel. What a talented , creative writer Elisabeth Gifford is ! A fascinating period of Scottish history which is easy to understand in novel form. The island is pretty much what you read about in the book in that the story and history is accurate.
Chrissie was a great character as we learn much about the island and life there from her. I’m now on the lookout for more of her books. A remote, isolated and very unique island stuck in time and forgotten by it too. !
Weather of course, permitting. The book follows the villagers in the last years before St Kilda was evacuated.
We follow his daring escape as he vows to return to st Kilda and meet Chrissie again. The island really is the star of the show. You really get to know and feel it with its harsh winters and cold air, but its that sense of impending doom and the claustrophobia which increases as the novel goes along, which should really worry you. This is not just a beautiful love story it is a fantastic insight into island life.
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