Frances
PLOT
Admittedly, not much goes on in this book. Most of the time, Ivar and John go about their day, exchanging their native tongue and tending to things around the island. Likewise, the story will occasionally switch to Mary's perspective, John's wife, to offer some context from the past leading up to why John took the job in the first place. Much of this novel's charm, on the other hand, comes from the way the author describes this otherwise mundane environment. Things like cooking, knitting, kindling, foraging, and just, in general, simple errands are described in a pleasantly comforting way. Altogether, it's an atmospheric and fairly short read (around 130 pages) that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Unfortunately, however, this book isn't without its flaws. Even though it is a 4-star rating to me, I felt like the ending wasn't executed as well as it could be. I think the romantic implications from Chapter 36 (about 80%) and beyond should not have been included or at the very least incorporated better. It just didn't really feel plausible to me considering John was: 1. married; 2. talking so lovingly about his wife the whole time; and 3. never really showed affection towards Ivar. I felt like I could have believed it a little more if there was a gradual lead-up to it rather than an abrupt appearance.
CHARACTERS
The characters, for the most part, are ordinary people. They didn't particularly stand out, but they also weren't boring. Like mentioned before, much of this book's strong point is in how the environment is described. So in the end, it wasn't really an issue for me. I do wish, on the other hand, we got a little more from their internal monologue. For example, did John feel remorse for his wife when she figured it out? Did John resist these feelings towards Ivar? Was John truly happy in his marriage to have fallen for Ivar? Was John struggling as both a (possibly closeted) bisexual and a minister? These are things I wish went a little more in-depth from his perspective as his isolation with Ivar went on. Like stated before, I felt like this type of information could have helped make the end more believable.
AUTHOR'S WRITING STYLE
Despite this book being released in 2024, it very much feels like a pre-21st-century classic. I also appreciate when an author brings a lesser-known historical event to the spotlight. I have never even heard of the Highland Clearances before and found it interesting to look up and read about.
RATING
I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.
PLOT
Admittedly, not much goes on in this book. Most of the time, Ivar and John go about their day, exchanging their native tongue and tending to things around the island. Likewise, the story will occasionally switch to Mary's perspective, John's wife, to offer some context from the past leading up to why John took the job in the first place. Much of this novel's charm, on the other hand, comes from the way the author describes this otherwise mundane environment. Things like cooking, knitting, kindling, foraging, and just, in general, simple errands are described in a pleasantly comforting way. Altogether, it's an atmospheric and fairly short read (around 130 pages) that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Unfortunately, however, this book isn't without its flaws. Even though it is a 4-star rating to me, I felt like the ending wasn't executed as well as it could be. I think the romantic implications from Chapter 36 (about 80%) and beyond should not have been included or at the very least incorporated better. It just didn't really feel plausible to me considering John was: 1. married; 2. talking so lovingly about his wife the whole time; and 3. never really showed affection towards Ivar. I felt like I could have believed it a little more if there was a gradual lead-up to it rather than an abrupt appearance.
CHARACTERS
The characters, for the most part, are ordinary people. They didn't particularly stand out, but they also weren't boring. Like mentioned before, much of this book's strong point is in how the environment is described. So in the end, it wasn't really an issue for me. I do wish, on the other hand, we got a little more from their internal monologue. For example, did John feel remorse for his wife when she figured it out? Did John resist these feelings towards Ivar? Was John truly happy in his marriage to have fallen for Ivar? Was John struggling as both a (possibly closeted) bisexual and a minister? These are things I wish went a little more in-depth from his perspective as his isolation with Ivar went on. Like stated before, I felt like this type of information could have helped make the end more believable.
AUTHOR'S WRITING STYLE
Despite this book being released in 2024, it very much feels like a pre-21st-century classic. I also appreciate when an author brings a lesser-known historical event to the spotlight. I have never even heard of the Highland Clearances before and found it interesting to look up and read about.
RATING
I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.