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Island of Wings [Paperback]

Karin Altenberg (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
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Book Description

Publication Date: 2 Feb 2012

Longlisted for the Orange Prize 2012.

1830. Neil and Lizzie MacKenzie, a newly married young couple, arrive at the remotest part of the British Isles: St Kilda. He is a minister determined to save the souls of the pagan inhabitants; his pregnant wife speaks no Gaelic and, when her husband is away, has only the waves and the cry of gulls for company.

As both find themselves tested to the limit in this harsh new environment, Lizzie soon discovers that marriage is as treacherous a country as the land that surrounds her.

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Product details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Quercus (2 Feb 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0857382330
  • ISBN-13: 978-0857382337
  • Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 19.7 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 27,202 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

'A beautiful story of love and loss, precise, subtle, spiritually alive' Andrew O'Hagan.

'This lovely, haunting novel evokes the rough beauty of St Kilda ... A story of faith and love' The Times.

'Stunning' Guardian.

'Her literary achievement is astonishing ... A superb book' Scotsman.

'I was enchanted by the magic of the storytelling. This is a novelist with a future' Michael Holroyd, New Statesman.

'Emotional intensity is foregrounded and the nuances of Neil and Lizzie's relationship are set out in the writing like a heart on a sleeve ... Neil's psychological flaws are convincingly drawn' Guardian.

'Compelling' Daily Mail.

'This is an accomplished debut, beautiful and compelling' Good Book Guide.

'Karin Altenberg's debut novel is an impressive work of research and descriptive writing about Nature and place in a second language ... a penetrating insight into the psychology of a religious zealot and a relationship rolling inevitably towards destruction' Country Life.

From the Back Cover

Would you go to the end of the earth for love? 1830. Neil and Lizzie MacKenzie, a newly married young couple, arrive at the remotest part of the British Isles: St Kilda. He is a minister determined to save the souls of the pagan inhabitant; his pregnant wife speaks no Gaelic and, when her husband is away, has only the waves and the cry of gulls for company. As both find themselves tested to the limit in this harsh new environment, Lizzie soon discovers that marriage is as treacherous a country as the land that surrounds her.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 35 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating 26 Jun 2011
By Charley.Brown
Format:Paperback
This is a well researched and well written book. Based on historical fact and with imagined emotion, the lives within the story are well presented. The characters are carefully drawn. The St Kildan culture is sensitively portrayed. The stories of the people, the land and the human emotion are raw and believable. I enjoyed being drawn into the lives of the islanders and the MacKenzies and have been inspired to do my own research into St Kilda before, and after the time in which the book is set.

I love the fact that this is an historical novel and that the stories of the characters continues after the last page.

An easy, thought provoking and thoroughly interesting read.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A spiritual journey through life; and a quest for meaning. 11 Nov 2012
By Keen Reader TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
This is a wonderfully evocative book, based around the true tenure of the minister of the Church sent to the islands of St Kilda, Neil MacKenzie and his wife, in 1830. From then, until the book ends in 1844, we read of the lives of not only MacKenzie and his spiritual quest, but his wife and her own quest, and we catch glimpses of the lives of those who have for centuries endured life in the harsh environment of St Kilda. Stuck on small islands at the mercy of the elements, those who survived life in the St Kilda islands had a unique outlook on life, the universe, and their place within it. This is captured beautifully in this story; life was harsh, but made sense to the islanders. The cycle of life and death was real and known to them; their own struggles to bear and raise children to ensure the surirval of their way of life on the islands echo the struggles of the islands themselves, and the wildlife living on them.

I love books about times, people and places who are so far removed from our own lives and times; and this book captures a time and place that is totally alien to us now, so far distant in both its own reality and its own time. A time, unfortunately, that was doomed to eventually end for those who had for centuries survived on the harsh world on the edge of the Atlantic.

A wonderful story, beautifully written; highly recommended.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling and beautifully written 25 Oct 2012
By Blogpiper
Format:Paperback
This book is difficult to put down as it is written beautifully and has a strong narrative drive. There are times when the characters are a little wooden because the author is walking a tightrope between fiction and history. However, Neil is wholly believable as a product of 19th century evangelism in Scotland, with a mass of contradictions and unpleasantness that he can justify by appeal to the authority of Heaven, Edinburgh or the workings of his own head. He is a character who is still recognizable today. Perhaps Lizzie is too, though the contemporary limitations imposed on her by duty, belief and geography are easier to overcome. There are a number of cultural references where the editing should have been more careful. For example, Paisley never had a Mayor (p. 10), there are mis-spellings of Gaelic (e.g., p. 62), and the famous St Kilda Surname of Gillies is rendered as "Gilles" throughout. However, reading the details and consequences of religious fervour chilled and delighted me, and awakened memories from many decades past. As a product of the manse, I remember it well.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully written tale...
of life for a clergyman and his wife on St Kilda in the 19th century. Lots of historic data, legends, myths and folklore. Read more
Published 26 days ago by Kim A
5.0 out of 5 stars Faultless ... Can not praise it enough!
Perfect on every level. The writing itself is beautiful, found myself re-reading passages just for the joy of the words! Read more
Published 28 days ago by Jane Cooper
1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
Was chosen for my book club but we did not enjoy this book at all. Promised so much but did not deliver on any level .
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a very interesting read again hard to put down when you know you have other things to do like walk the dog
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4.0 out of 5 stars The Endurance of Nature
Further evidence that nature will endure and prevail despite man's effort to interfere. If man works with nature both can successfully progress together. Read more
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I found this book very engaging and interesting. Characterisation is detailed so that the reader becomes familiar with the difficulties faced and quickly becomes emotionally... Read more
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Published 2 months ago by C B Fisher
5.0 out of 5 stars good for reading groups
I really liked this- we chose it for our reading group and I am glad I read it. Well written and absorbing story
Published 2 months ago by old lady running
1.0 out of 5 stars Awful
Possibly the worst book I have ever had the misfortune to read. Boring, inconsistent and completely lacking any interesting or convincing story.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading!
A beautifully written book depicting an existence that can only have been known to a few. The detail in the writing is captivating and brings to the present a past way of life that... Read more
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