Artt was legendary as a living saint, a holy man of great learning and experience of the world. He dreamed of escaping the society of fallen men, monks who wore embroidered clothing and feasted on roast swan and wine. In his dream he leaves Hibernia with two monks;, Cormac, aging and skilled, and Trian, young and naïve. Artt believes that God will lead them to an uninhabited island where they can dedicate their lives to holy living. The pious Cormac and Trian agree to follow and obey Artt as their Prior.

They pack a boat with the bare necessities. A chest holding holy scripture and communion supplies. Two bags of flour to make communion host. One extra garment among them. Oats and candles and one extra sail. Goatskin flasks of water and a pouch of seeds. A crowbar. Cloaks which they can wrap themselves in for sleeping. And they set off down river, to the sea, until they come upon a desert rock filled with roosting sea birds. Artt decides this is their home.

As the monks struggle to find food and shelter on the desert island, Artt insists that prayer and God’s work come before concerns of the body. Cormac is tasked to built an alter and a chapel before they have shelter. He creates a midden to nourish his crop of greens and roots in the thin soil. Trian knows how to fish and is tasked with copying the holy scripture, standing outside, writing upon a natural rock slab.

After their supplies run out, they use the birds and their eggs for food, then the oil and the bodies of the birds for fuel, and then are reduced to eating raw fish and seaweed. Cormac pleads to return to shore for supplies, but is told they will never leave, never return to the pollution of human society. God will provide, Artt tells them.

In Haven, Emma Donoghue explores a faith that is idealistic, unmoving, inhuman. We have seen this time and again, whenever ideals are held closer than the beauty of the Earth and love of its people. It is a faith that out to death women and girls believed to be witches. It rounded up and killed people whose religion was different. We read about it in history books, and we see it today.

Trian’s observation of the birds and nature mesmerizes him, raises questions. Trian feels guilt at massacring such abundance, an ominous pre-shadowing of humankind’s depletion of the abundance of the Earth. Donoghue’s descriptions of the island’s native flora and fauna are exquisite.

That’s the problem with a vow of obedience. It tends to make sheep of men.
from Haven by Emma Donoghue

The crisis comes when Trian’s secret is out, and Cormac must decide between obedience and his own moral conscious, deciding if he is Artt’s man, or Christ’s.

Donoghue was inspired by Skellig Michael and the monks that lived on the jagged island since 1044.

I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

Emma Donoghue is one of the few authors whose new books I automatically read, no matter what. Haven features her usual gorgeous writing and multi-layered characterization. It's less plot-driven than some of her other novels, and I did find some parts quite slow, but overall I really enjoyed being immersed in the world of the three monks on their island.
It reminded me of The Innocents by Michael Crummey because of the historical setting, beautiful language, and the focus on just a couple of characters living in isolation, and I think readers who enjoyed that excellent book will also love Haven.

Set mostly on the UNESCO site of Skelling Michael, this book explores the idea of the earliest monks to live there. The basic story-line is of one monk's vision that he believes is from God to live apart from society, completely isolated. He takes along 2 others who he can preside over but who don't have the same vision he does. It's an interesting look at how people interact and how single mindedness can override common sense.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC copy. All opinions are my own.

Father Artt had a dream. A dream of an island far off the coast of Ireland where he and two other men will build a monastery. Artt recruits old Cormac and young Train to come with him. Each monk possesses skills that will be important for the successful manifestation of Artt’s dream.
Using Skellig Michael as the setting for most of the story, Donoghue weaves a tale filled with external and internal conflict. On top of fighting the elements, tension also arises between the men. But what I found particularly interesting is the inner conflict each man experiences with a crisis of faith towards God and humanity.
This novel isn’t heavy on plot. Instead, it serves as more of a character study. Each of the three main characters are incredibly intriguing however, Donoghue only gives us glimmers of their backstories making Haven a fascinating read. (I especially love Cormac, I want to know more about his life before his holy vows).
Haven would make for a compelling novel study. Students could learn more about: Elements of allegory, characterization, beautiful detail, and a variety of themes (blind faith, disillusionment, adversity, resiliency, conformity, guilt, and environmentalism, just to name a few).
This novel is both sophisticated yet accessible and rich enough to serve as a class novel study and/or a mentor text.
Haven will be published August 23. Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown and Company for the advanced copy.

I like most of Emma Donoghue's work but this was so full of Bible quotations and sermons that I just skimmed over most of the book. Very disappointed.

A monk dreams that God has called him to leave the sinfulness of the world. He along takes two other monks and they set sail with just the barest amount of provisions and try to survive and serve God on a small barren island. This was a mix of religious obsession and survival story, kind of a slow burner as we read about the day to day life of trying to survive with some really cringy moments over the choices made.

I have loved other books from this author, but I just couldn’t get into this one. The writing was beautiful, but the story was too slow moving for me. I stopped a quarter of the way through. I am rating this book based on the lovely prose.

Haven tells the story of three monks who endure a perilous journey to establish a monastery on a remote island off the southwestern coast of Ireland. Guided by and equipped only with the belief that "God will provide" they face physical and spiritual struggles that threaten to derail their holy mission.

As always, Donoghue offers beautiful prose. However, the pacing did not work for me, and I struggled to understand where the story was leading. I found the ending unnsatisfying, and I didn't feel any sense of urgency in the characters as they faced insurmountable obstacles. The "secret" revealed near the end was out of sync with the plot and I struggled to understand its relevance to the story other than as a predictable device to force action by the antagonist.

I was will always read anything Donoghue writes - Pull of the Stars is one of my all time favourite reads - but this story was lacking for me. While this story wasn't for me, I am eager to read her next work! I will add that the proposed cover art is perfect for this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4656766827?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Let me start by saying I am a fan of Emma Donoghue. I’ve enjoyed her other work. I liked the idea of this story more than I cared for the book. Although it was a quick read it felt a bit long and drawn out. I didn’t feel connected to the characters. That said there were parts that I did enjoy and I enjoyed the twist as well.

I requested this book because I have liked previous works from this author. This book was slightly out of my genre liking but I still enjoyed it. It’s a slow paced novel but with beautiful character development and I really enjoyed the ending.

I enjoyed the vivid setting and the premise has great promise. Overall, it fell a little flat for me. I did enjoy the story overall but it moved a bit to slow for my liking.

I requested this book based on my enjoyment of her previous works. This novel was quite different. In Haven monks set off on a journey to found a monastery in a new land. What the find is a place where they will struggle for survival. Interesting, but now exactly my cup of tea.

A gentle, slow climb of a book with an interesting ending. It’s character-driven and a compelling topic but it was a little outside my wheelhouse. If you like historical fiction you may find it more interesting. I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novel pulled me in right away. The setting and characters were so foreign to me that I couldn't help but be yanked in. I am not a religious person, but find religiosity pretty fascinating. Seeing this journey from the minds of the protagonists was deeply interesting to me.

Having said that, I think the book falters a bit on the island. The sense of adventure could be more pronounced and it could be a little more interesting.

Still, I enjoyed my time with the novel and it's a quick read overall.

Emma Donoghue never disappoints, but I will say this was not my favorite book of hers. There was something lacking, and it made it hard for me to engage with the story. It's a really intense story, especially for the plot of three men settling on a remote island to start a monastery. Donoghue is such a fantastic writer, and the writing and descriptions were on point, but the book itself just didn't grab me.

Epic and moving. This is an ambitious novel that brings out the adventurer in all of us. I can't wait to recommend this to all of my friends who enjoy an epic story about the pull of religion, and the explorer in all of us.

I was hesitant about this one, because it isn't like anything I would normally pick up. The cover and title just intrigued me and I knew there was something about this book! I loved it and thought it was perfect for this rainy/dreary fall. I will be recommending to everyone!

Haven is the story of 3 men who settle on a remote island to start a monastery. Because of the conditions on the uninhabited island they find that survival is difficult as they try to build their community. I really enjoyed the premise of this book. I loved the descriptions of the landscape. Emma Donoghue always has such beautiful descriptions throughout her novels. I was excited to dive into this book because I have been a big fan of this author in the past. Unfortunately, this book didn't quite do it for me. The premise was good, but the actual book was kind of flat and boring. I'm going to continue to read this author's books every time she puts one out. I have enjoyed all of the others I have read by her.

I wanted to love this book. I have read and loved Frog Music and The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue, so I was thrilled to be given a copy of this book. However, I could not get into this book. There was nothing in the first chapter that hooked me or made me want to continue reading, even though I had such hope from the description.

I don’t read General Fiction often, but when I pick books like Haven and enjoy reading through, it really makes me wonder why don’t I read the genre more often!! I find this story a little complex to review, but if you enjoy good literature that explores faith, humaneness and belief, I think you’ll enjoy Haven. Emma has a way with the words, and it shows as she has written a compelling novel!

Thank you Little, Brown & Company for the reader’s cooy.