- Hardcover: 240 pages
- Publisher: Doubleday Children's Books (1 Jan 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0385604823
- ISBN-13: 978-0385604826
- Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 13.6 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,412,366 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Saskia's Journey
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Saskia is intrigued by an invitation to visit her great-aunt Alessandra. She realizes how little she knows about her roots but she needs to understand the past if she is to find the direction for her future. Her great-aunt must reveal the secrets of the past, only then can Saskia break the cycle.
From the Back Cover
I know this place...
Why does Saskia feel so disturbed when she goes to spend a few weeks with her eeclusive great-aunt Alessandra up on the Schottish coast? Why does she feel such a sense of menace around Alessandra's house when she has never been there before?
Just as the sea may give up its bounty, will Alessandra reveal the secrets - and tragedies - of their family's past? Somehow Saskia knows that she must understand more if she is to find the direction she needs for her future. For only then can she break the cycle, find the courage to stand up for what she wants - and be free...
'Themes of loss and forgiveness are at the heart of this haunting tale of self-discovery...truly memorable.' The Bookseller.
'Delicately balances narrative'. Scottish Sunday Herald.
'A sensitive, finely structures novel'. Books for Keeps.
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Although this was about Scotland and the sea, it was a disappointment. Mistress Breslin tries to bring too many "issues" into it; every few pages there is another sermon, about the environment, or how we see people with mental illness, or sexual abuse of children. I also felt as if the author had decided for the reader how we should see things, and how we should behave, and all we had to do was read this book to find out.
It's a bit like those Victorian books for children, where the hero displays all the good Christain virtues. Only this one is secular.
I also felt that mixing up a poetic attraction for the sea, and the science of marine biology didn't work too well. And I found it very odd that Saskia called her great-aunt by her Christian name. Every time she did it I flinched!
It's a bit like those Victorian books for children, where the hero displays all the good Christain virtues. Only this one is secular.
I also felt that mixing up a poetic attraction for the sea, and the science of marine biology didn't work too well. And I found it very odd that Saskia called her great-aunt by her Christian name. Every time she did it I flinched!
Format:Paperback
This was one of the occasions when I decided to support my local bookshop rather than buying online, but I soon regretted not checking the reviews before choosing. The book sounded intriguing, set on the Scottish coast which I love, but although the theme is interesting - great-aunt with dark secret from past living alone in old house set into cliff, great-niece visits, truth eventually revealed - somehow the story never quite seems to gel.
It has its moments and there are some lovely descriptions but much of the conversation seemed stilted and unnatural. It would no doubt sound worse if read aloud.
The author clearly feels strongly, quite rightly in my view, about the over-fishing of our seas and the wasteful discards, when millions of fish are thrown back dead into the sea every year as a result of fishing policies. But the long `speeches' on the subject that punctuate the conversation of Ben, a young marine researcher, are best reserved for the soapbox and sit uncomfortably within the context of a novel.
All in all, a disappointment and not a book I'd recommend.
It has its moments and there are some lovely descriptions but much of the conversation seemed stilted and unnatural. It would no doubt sound worse if read aloud.
The author clearly feels strongly, quite rightly in my view, about the over-fishing of our seas and the wasteful discards, when millions of fish are thrown back dead into the sea every year as a result of fishing policies. But the long `speeches' on the subject that punctuate the conversation of Ben, a young marine researcher, are best reserved for the soapbox and sit uncomfortably within the context of a novel.
All in all, a disappointment and not a book I'd recommend.
Format:Paperback
Although the main character of this book is a young adult, there is nothing in the storyline to attract a teenager. Set in Scotland, it touches on the history of herring and deep sea fishing and its demise. I agree with other reviewers, that it's preachy, but it's also uninteresting as it does neither the look at fishing, nor the storyline particularly well. It is telling of a deep secret in the family that is only gradually teased out as Saskia gets to know her great aunt Alessandra better - but as this was my holiday read, there were times when I didn't really care what was to be revealed as the story was so boring. Not alot happens, the revalations aren't that great, the demise of fishing continues and therefore I regretted wasting my time on this
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Journey into the past
Gripping storyline, though one or two things puzzled me. Why was the story set in 1988 when it is aimed at a young readership? Read more
Published on 1 Feb 2006 by H. Petre
an interestin novel dealing with many issues
I got this book because I had enjoyed Rememberance so much however this is not to that standard however it is very good. this book is essentially about family. Read more
Published on 14 Sep 2005
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