Orkney

This book is a perfect example of what happens when you give more weight to prose than plot. I had high hopes, especially considering the numerous plaudits crammed in all over the covers, but ultimately it was a bit of a let down.

Orkney is the story of an ageing college professor who marries one of his young students, and follows how their new life together unfolds as they honeymoon on the ever changing Orkney coast. Amy Sackville writes beautifully, and if this book was a short story it might have been an interesting read. As it stands it's far too long, particularly because the first half of the book is mainly repetitive descriptions of how attractive the professor finds his new wife, which very quickly became tedious. Had this book been written by a man, I would have given up on it. As it was, I pressed on and whilst the second half of the book is definitely better than the first - in that things actually happen in it to progress the small semblance of story we're given - I was still left wanting. The whole thing feels unfinished, and though I can see what Sackville was trying to establish with the mind numbing repetitions, it falls far short of the mark.

2.5 stars, all garnered from the beautiful descriptions of the island landscape.