Wednesday, October 1, 2014

The Sea House Book Review




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About the Book

In 1860, Alexander Ferguson, a newly ordained vicar and amateur evolutionary scientist, takes up his new parish, a poor, isolated patch on the remote Scottish island of Harris. He hopes to uncover the truth behind the legend of the selkies—mermaids or seal people who have been sighted off the north of Scotland for centuries. He has a more personal motive, too; family legend states that Alexander is descended from seal men. As he struggles to be the good pastor he was called to be, his maid Moira faces the terrible eviction of her family by Lord Marstone, whose family owns the island. Their time on the island will irrevocably change the course of both their lives, but the white house on the edge of the dunes keeps its silence long after they are gone.

It will be more than a century before the Sea House reluctantly gives up its secrets. Ruth and Michael buy the grand but dilapidated building and begin to turn it into a home for the family they hope to have. Their dreams are marred by a shocking discovery. The tiny bones of a baby are buried beneath the house; the child's fragile legs are fused together—a mermaid child. Who buried the bones? And why? To heal her own demons, Ruth feels she must discover the secrets of her new home—but the answers to her questions may lie in her own traumatic past. The Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford is a sweeping tale of hope and redemption and a study of how we heal ourselves by discovering our histories. (Goodreads)





My Review






This book was way better than I expected. I have actually read a few novels set in this area and so I was curious to see how this book portrayed life. This book is mainly about the mysterious seal people or Selkies. The story starts with Ruth and her husband who find a baby mermaid skeleton underneath their house they are renovating. The storyline sounds odd but the mermaid part of it and folklore was really very interesting. The story goes between a few people so I had to really think about who I was reading about. Ruth wants to discover how the baby got under the house and the book flashes back to what happened so long ago.


I really enjoyed this book because it was different but I think it could have ended better. I didn't feel closure but maybe that's not a bad thing. There has been a lot of bad reviews written because there is some bad language. People make it out to seem like the entire book is full of it and it's really not, it's one sentence. While I don't appreciate cuss words in books, I think the negativity has blown up the true qualities this book is about.
I still recommend this book.


If you are in need of a cozy beach read or a summer afternoon break this book is a good pick.


Four stars.


"I received this book from Litfuse for free in exchange for an honest review."









Don't miss The Sea House, a stunning fiction debut from the UK. Set in a house on the windswept coast of the Outer Hebrides, Elisabeth Gifford's haunting tale effortlessly bridges a gap of more than a century. Adeptly interweaving two tales involving residents of the titular house, Gifford sets up an absorbing mystery revolving around local lore and myths about mermaids, selkies, and sealmen. Stretching seamlessly back and forth through time, layers upon layers of secrets are slowly and effectively peeled away in this evocative debut (Booklist).

Celebrate with Elisabeth by entering her Kindle giveaway!
E.Gifford, The Sea House Giveaway

One grand prize winner will receive:
  • A Kindle Fire
  • The Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford
Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on October 19th. Winner will be announced October 20th at Elisabeth's Blog.
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