The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan
Goodreads Blurb
On remote Rollrock Island, men go to sea to make their livings--and to catch their wives.
The witch Misskaella knows the way of drawing a girl from the heart of a seal, of luring the beauty out of the beast. And for a price a man may buy himself a lovely sea-wife. He may have and hold and keep her. And he will tell himself that he is her master. But from his first look into those wide, questioning, liquid eyes, he will be just as transformed as she. He will be equally ensnared. And the witch will have her true payment.
Margo Lanagan weaves an extraordinary tale of desire, despair, and transformation. With devastatingly beautiful prose, she reveals characters capable of unspeakable cruelty, but also unspoken love.
The witch Misskaella knows the way of drawing a girl from the heart of a seal, of luring the beauty out of the beast. And for a price a man may buy himself a lovely sea-wife. He may have and hold and keep her. And he will tell himself that he is her master. But from his first look into those wide, questioning, liquid eyes, he will be just as transformed as she. He will be equally ensnared. And the witch will have her true payment.
Margo Lanagan weaves an extraordinary tale of desire, despair, and transformation. With devastatingly beautiful prose, she reveals characters capable of unspeakable cruelty, but also unspoken love.
My Review
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for a honest review. The Brides of Rollrock Island is a book about a little island were the men have become tired of their complaining wives and soon turn to the witch Misskaella to give them a woman who will be all theirs and obey them. She goes to the sea and transforms seals into beautiful woman. The men soon find themselves just as much in deeply in love with the new women. Over time all the human woman leave the island leaving it to the men and their seal wives. But nothing stays the same and there may come a time when the men need the human women back.
I picked this out because it sounded so good and so different from every other book. It covers several different times as we see the first sea bride emerge to the time of the great grandsons realize they want different things than their parents and grandfathers did. You have several different POV through out the book as the story unfolds. I liked the plot but the book didn't live up to what I expected. It is still a good read just I think there could have been more. At times it got slow and then it would pick back up. If you want a different tale told from different POV I would say pick this one up. If you like a story that has a nice steady speed this may not be for you.
3 out of 5 Bats~Pam
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for a honest review. The Brides of Rollrock Island is a book about a little island were the men have become tired of their complaining wives and soon turn to the witch Misskaella to give them a woman who will be all theirs and obey them. She goes to the sea and transforms seals into beautiful woman. The men soon find themselves just as much in deeply in love with the new women. Over time all the human woman leave the island leaving it to the men and their seal wives. But nothing stays the same and there may come a time when the men need the human women back.
I picked this out because it sounded so good and so different from every other book. It covers several different times as we see the first sea bride emerge to the time of the great grandsons realize they want different things than their parents and grandfathers did. You have several different POV through out the book as the story unfolds. I liked the plot but the book didn't live up to what I expected. It is still a good read just I think there could have been more. At times it got slow and then it would pick back up. If you want a different tale told from different POV I would say pick this one up. If you like a story that has a nice steady speed this may not be for you.
3 out of 5 Bats~Pam
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