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Hy Brasil
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Product Description
Product Description
Sidony Redruth is a young English woman who, after fraudulently winning a writing competition, is sent by her editor to write the first-ever travel book on Hy Brasil, a near-mythical island somewhere in the Atlantic, whose very existence had been a matter of debate as late as the nineteenth century. Elphinstone's plot takes the island location as its starting point, throws in some old-fashioned piracy - a lost treasure, modern-day drug smuggling - political intrigue, an active volcano and a tragic love affair. Told through Sidony's notes for her book, Hy Brasil has all the elements of a classic adult adventure story with a contemporary twist.
About the Author
MARGARET ELPHINSTONE is the author of four previous novels: The Incomer (1987), A Sparrow's Flight (1989), Islanders (1994) and The Sea Road (2000). She is currently researching her next novel, Voyageurs, a historical adventure novel set against the backdrop of the British/American war of 1812 in the Great Lakes area, which will also be published by Canongate. She lives in Glasgow.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If there is a theme running through Margaret Elphinstone's work, it is travel. 'Voyageurs' concerns a 19th century journey, while 'The Sea Road' tells the story of the Viking exploration of the North Atlantic through a woman’s eyes. And 'Hy Brasil', too, is strongly infused with literatures of exploration and adventure: the narrator is a young travel writer commissioned to write about the island and inhabitants of Hy Brasil; characters are provocatively named after pirates, both real and fictional; and the names and works of canonical writers - Hakluyt, Ballantyne, Stevenson, and Cook, to take a few - are peppered throughout, connecting the novel to a specific time and type of tale. It is, in many ways, a book about books, and a book about the pleasure of reading them.
But while Elphinstone's writing is, quite frequently, of a breathtakingly high quality, 'Hy Brasil' takes time to establish its intent. Elegant and expressive passages, often of the natural world of the island and surrounding ocean, give way to dialogue that fizzles, or set-pieces that, lacking focus, peter away. Sidony and Lucy and Jared (along with many others) are written for exceptionally well, in terms of descriptive prose; the problem is that Elphinstone fails, somehow, to make the characters enduring or authentic. When, towards the end, the plot finally begins to resolve, the reader doesn't care passionately enough about the island's inhabitants to be moved. Nevertheless, odd problem aside, 'Hy Brasil' is an artful and quirky novel, well worth a look.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Like the book Sidony is sent to write, "Hy Brasil" is a travel book with a difference - in that the country doesn't exist. I felt like I was escaping to a different world and on many occasions it seemed like I was accompanying Sidony on her trip. The novel blends beautifully described geographical features and events, with genuine and exciting political intrigue. The social lives of the islanders were complex and gossip worthy. Sidony is almost one of those young women living the single life in London who have been written about far too much - but seems so much more real by being in made up surroundings. Her falling in love is rushed - but somehow all the more believable.
Frustratingly, Margaret Elphinstone leaves many questions unanswered - partly due to the nature of the book (Sidony's narration is actually the notes for her book and she can't put everything in). It left me mulling the story over for days afterwards - which can only be a good thing!
Frustratingly, Margaret Elphinstone leaves many questions unanswered - partly due to the nature of the book (Sidony's narration is actually the notes for her book and she can't put everything in). It left me mulling the story over for days afterwards - which can only be a good thing!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
this is one of the best books i've read in a long time, and i read a lot. elphinstone's writing is exquisite, the plot is wonderfully original and, unlike the comment above, i was engaged with all the characters, whether on a love or loathe basis. they are very quirky, but fall far short of being eccentric to the point of caricature.
usually, i scan-read passages of description, as they're really not my thing, but elphinstone's writing is so beguiling, i read every word: it's lyrical, almost poetic, in places, giving glimpses of things and leaving you to read as much or as little into it as you can, or care to.
as the plot unfolds (and it's complicated, although i didn't notice as i was reading - genius), i actually did find myself holding my breath, even gasping out loud at a couple of points. i didn't mind the unanswered questions - that's post modern writing for you, which i usually have little time for - as they just added to the almost dreamlike, mythical thread which runs through the whole novel.
i wailed when i got to the last page, and jumped straight on here to order everything else she's written.
i love this book. can you tell?
usually, i scan-read passages of description, as they're really not my thing, but elphinstone's writing is so beguiling, i read every word: it's lyrical, almost poetic, in places, giving glimpses of things and leaving you to read as much or as little into it as you can, or care to.
as the plot unfolds (and it's complicated, although i didn't notice as i was reading - genius), i actually did find myself holding my breath, even gasping out loud at a couple of points. i didn't mind the unanswered questions - that's post modern writing for you, which i usually have little time for - as they just added to the almost dreamlike, mythical thread which runs through the whole novel.
i wailed when i got to the last page, and jumped straight on here to order everything else she's written.
i love this book. can you tell?
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