I had the privilege of joining an author zoom meeting before I read this book and it was so wonderful receiving all the insights and incredible research and dedication that Emma put forth for this novel. It is VERY slow, but that goes with the themes and atmosphere of the novel.

I loved Room by Emma Donoghue and though the subject matter of Haven didn't entice me, my confidence in her writing ability and the short length encouraged me to read her latest novel. I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I was drawn in, even though it's a quieter, intimate story. Even before they left on their journey I was transported to the time period and setting and invested in the story. It is wonderfully atmospheric and descriptive. For most of the book this was an appreciated asset but at times it was drowning in detail such as pages on the efforts of scribing scripture. It slowed things down and took me away from the story.

I love how slowly your perspective on the characters change. At first I saw Artt as admirable for his piousness, then I started to question if it's more stingy stubbornness that will be the death of them, and eventually I saw him as recklessly arrogant and cruel. I craved a mutiny and feared for everyone's death. My investment in the characters speaks to the strength of the writing. My belief in who was holiest or most pure also shifted throughout; first it was clearly Artt but this shifted as we see him be wasteful with water, thoughtless with the lives of the birds, unquestioning in his dominance over them, and insistent on pious activities and unaccepting of any sort of rest or enjoyment. It clearly has a point of view on what is truly holy and pure: the beauty of nature, simple pleasures like music, and kindness.

I think a challenge this book is up against is that a lot of it feels unfathomable to modern ears, as we see Artt prioritize religious acts over urgent means of survival and witness characters feel as though their instinct for survival is an insolent thought. There were times I wished the plot were more propulsive and I think this could also turn some readers off. Ultimately, I recognize its merits as a quieter story and was still transported to this world whenever I opened its pages.

I recommend this for fans of quiet stories, secluded settings, and introspective musings. The mood and tone is great. It becomes more and more unsettling as you see things progress. The writing itself is wonderful with many underlined passages. And the transportive atmosphere alone makes it worth reading. However, the struggle to connect with modern ears and its slower pace reduced my overall enjoyment.

Emma Donoghue is one of my favorite authors. Having said that, I must say that Haven was not my favorite work of hers. Three monks take up living on a deserted island they claim for God. The premise itself was not what drew me to this book, it was the author. This is a gorgeously written novel, but I found myself wishing that the plot had moved a bit faster. I will continue reading Donoghue, but this book (sadly) did not deliver for me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced e-galley.

Haven opens on a dream that Artt, priest and scholar in an Irish Monastery in the Seventh Century, believes to be as a vision from God of his purpose in life. He must take two others from the Monastery to open another on a remote island after boating down the river Shannon. The initiates that he takes are one young man left at the monastery by his family and one older man forced to be there by circumstances. Artt convinces them to join him in his mission, forming their monestary on Skellig Michael, a craggy outcropping of rock southwest of the coast of Ireland.

Donoghue's writing is always beautiful and evocative. Here, it is carefully sparse, much in the spirit of the book itself. I believe Donoghue's normal fans will enjoy this as well as those who enjoyed Groff's Matrix last year.

A lot of you loved this. I seem to be the outlier. It must be time to go with everyone's favorite dating adage, "It's not you, it's me."

I gave up on Catholicism and organized religion a long time ago. I don't want to get into it. It doesn't matter. Why I am drawn to books set in Ireland probably has something to do with this. Just read John Boyne. Or Tana French. LGBTQIA+ and murder. My genres. I'm so funny.

This is basically a bunch of celibate priests stuck together on some island where they're trying to build a church out of inferior materials. They're not allowed to eat shellfish. Is that a thing? I know Jews don't, but I don't remember anyone enforcing this as I grew up, and I did K-12 at Catholic school. I know.

So you can see why I was bored, right? I've read Emma before, and been enthralled by her stories, so don't take this as a deterrent. I have another book of hers sitting in my tbr. I'll get to it eventually, but I'm obviously in no rush right now.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Emma Donoghue does it again. She managed to create an entire world out of a small room in her book Room. She has managed to yet again create a whole drama out of three monks and a remote island. Based on Artt's vision of letting go completely and relying on God to provide leads three monks (Artt, Trian, and Cormac) to band together and leave behind the small comforts of existence to the shoreline of an island that they don't have proof exists. What happens next is fascinating in seeing their characters unfold and to what great lengths each of them are willing to go in their faith, but to what length each is willing to rely fully on God and not on self. What happens next is a slow paced yet intense building of three temperaments slowly melding and colliding into what is now known as Haven. Excellent job!
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

Emma Donoghue is one of those novelists who can always deliver thoughtful, in-depth historical novels in unusual settings. I loved her last book about the Spanish Flu - so when I saw she was writing about the mysterious islands off the coast of Ireland that I've visited, I couldn't wait to read the story.

Donoghue is spectacular at writing complex characters and putting them in perfectly rendered settings - she is an artist when it comes to a well-turned phrase that completely recreates a rocky hillside or an unsettled ocean. Somehow she manages to make three men gathering food and saying prayers into page-turning drama. I really enjoyed the way she handled each man's approach to faith and the conclusion of the novel was surprising and yet entirely logical in terms of what came before.

The Skelligs have a special place in my heart - they were at my side as I hiked the Kerry Way. I didn't think it was possible to love them even more but "Haven" brought them alive for me.

Haven is a great character study of odd characters, isolated from the world. I love Emma Donaghue's writing and evocative sense of place and writing.

I should have read the Book Summary for Haven before picking it up.

I don't enjoy reading about philosophical religious concepts. The three main characters in this book are 3 monks that travel to a deserted island that was to bring them closer to God.

As well, I didn't pay attention in History class as it was way too dry for me when I was in school. Unfortunately, that means a lot of cool historical events and places have zero meaning to me. The island in reference in this 7th century story has some historical significance but it went right over my head.

Without interest in those two items, there was a lack of adventure that I was expecting and several slow areas.

I think this is probably a great read for the right reader!

I really wanted to like this book, but I just slogged through it the entire time. Respectfully, if I wanted to read the Bible I would've just picked up the Bible.

Maybe I am just not the right audience for this book, but this was a huge letdown for sure.

Sadly, the majority of this book was not for me. Overall, I liked the premises. But, the pacing felt slow, it didn't feel like much was going on. The ending was great! I wish the plot would have gotten there sooner, because I think it would have been an interesting place for the story to continue.

I am a repeat fan of Emma Donoghue and her ability to build complex character in a vivid world and Haven doesn't disappoint. A vision from God sends three monks sailing to a remote, rocky island, uninhabited by man.

I really enjoyed reading about the survival skills these monks needed to set up life on this island. There was something beautiful about the way they used the land and animals in the least evasive way. I really loved both Trian and Cormac and how they worked together. They supported each other emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

I took away stars because the whole story didn't fully engage me even though there was strong character development. I recommend this to readers who are a fan of Emma Donoghue and readers who like strong character development. I also think, given the religious themes and events that take place that this would be a great buddy read discussion.

Donoghue's themes are often quiet and dark, but I always feel that my time reading her work is worthwhile. I enjoyed this book about three monks leaving the orderly life they led at their 7th century monastery to battle with the challenges (including fierce wind and rain, little to forage for, and enormous flocks of shrieking, pooping birds) of living on the Irish island of Skellig Michael (Latitude: 51° 45' 59.99" N; Longitude: -10° 31' 59.99" W). The three men are at different stages of life and obedience to God: Cormac, a talented gardener and older monk who has lost his entire family in the plague; Trian, a young hunter and fisherman who came to the life for "safety" reasons (revealed in due course); and Artt (the Prior), a zealous and cantankerous man who believes he has received God's calling to forge a new life as leader and founder of a new order. Unfortunately for all three men, Artt's grand proclamations, extreme asceticism and unyielding stubbornness have uncomfortable and dangerous consequences. In the end, each man must consider his own faith journey and choose the life he believes God has for him.

I had a hard time with Artt's relentlessly terrible decisions and reprehensible actions toward the other two men, while proclaiming his devotion and attention to God's calling. The sections that described the daily tasks on the island, while dense and disturbing at times, were full of specific detail on processes such as building structures, setting up food production, and transcribing manuscripts, and I learned some things from them. As difficult as Donoghue's themes can be, her spare style that still manages to communicate so much about the characters' thoughts and motivations keeps me coming back.

This is the story of three monks in the 7th century who follow a dream of an isolated island on which to build a place of worship. There is the arrogant "living saint," Artt, the old monk who has lost his entire family, Cormac, and the young monk, Trian, who was given to the monastery at 13 years old. Artt demands unwavering obedience, even when they are suffering from lack of food, water, and shelter.

In short, Artt is a jerk and there never is a redeeming arc for him. I found Cormac and Trian to be much more pleasant characters, more dimensional and relatable. The flatness of Artt's character takes away from the story for me.

This has a slow pace, which goes well with the story of three men alone on a barren island, but can make reading a little tedious. I like the descriptions and world building, but would have liked to have more of a spark to get the story moving along.

My thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

i do think the story itself is very interesting. i love a good survival plot, so i was looking forward to reading about three monks settling an inhabitable island in the name of god. i just wish there had been a greater sense adventure when it came to their actual island experience.

and with the writing being as nice as it is and the characters so quiet, again, i just think the narrative is a little too meek for heart of the story. if i wasnt so interested in the particular history of the island, i probably would have been bored by it all.

so a good book to pick up for readers who have a particular interest in the topic, but i dont think this will appeal to the mass majority.

thank you so much, little brown and company, for the ARC!

I’ve always been fascinated with Skellig Michael so I jumped at the chance to read this historical fiction by Emma Donoghue. The actual history of this island’s construction is muddled by time and repeated attacks by Vikings, so its true evolution is already mysterious.
Artt, a priest visiting a monastery on the River Shannon, has a vision that he must go out into the ocean, find the perfect uninhabited island, and create a monastery. He picks as fellow travelers, a young monk, Trian, and an old monk, Cormac, telling them they were all chosen by God.
Their journey starts ill-fated. Artt discards much of the cargo packed by the others, much of it being food and water thought necessary to survive the trip. They take only one spare garment to be shared between the three. The journey is a nail-biter, and it’s a miracle when they spot land.
But the land isn’t natural; it’s tall spikes of treacherous rock covered with birds, thousands of birds. Artt insists this is where they’re supposed to be.
Thus begins a story of extremely difficult living conditions, hard labor, and demanding rituals of prayer 24/7. Trian is charged with providing food and he finds it difficult to meet the strict demands of Artt, who says they must follow God’s orders. Cormac struggles to meet Artt’s fast-paced work schedule, and his own work ethic can’t compare to the demands of Artt.
This is a very enthralling fiction of what could have evolved as the monastery was first taking shape on an island that fought development in every way.
Thanks so much to Litle, Brown and Company for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Emma Donoghue is such a profoundly talented writer. The second I read the description for Haven, I knew I had to read this book. It was beautiful, hypnotic, and emotional in equal measure. Donoghue is incredible at world building and at truly bringing the reader into the world she has created every step of the way. I love reading books that really make me think, and Haven is the perfect representation of this sensation. I was engaged the entire time I was reading, and I found myself thinking of what might take place in the story whenever I'd take a break from reading.

This is the type of book that creeps up on you, but once it settles into your bones, you can't get it out easily.

When I started Haven, I was a bit disappointed for two reasons. The beginning was very slow for me and I felt like it didn’t set the story up. You’re just kind of plunked into a situation that seems unlikely that things would go the way they go.

The story takes place in the 7th Century in Ireland. A monk named Artt has a dream about an island that he believes he is supposed to go to. He takes two other monks with him. Trian who is 20 years old and has been at the monastery since he was 13 and Cormac who entered the monastery after his wife and children died from the black death. Artt himself becomes their prior. The fact that Artt has had this dream and obviously they are going to act on it seemed very random and strange without some sort of set up. However, once I gpt past this, I started seeing it as a survival story.
As the three monks are preparing for their journey, they are making decisions about what to bring, now you have to understand that they are going on this long journey, they don’t know what to expect, they will be incredibly isolated and when making the decisions on what to bring, they grapple between the practical and spiritual and because of this they leave some essential things behind.
Once they find the island is when the story got more interesting to me. This is when we really get to know the three monks and we see how being isolated allows the prior to make his own rules and to make their situation even more difficult. The survival story becomes more about spiritual, emotional, and psychological survival than surviving the elements. It wasn’t until I finished the book that I really appreciated what Emma Donoghue was doing with this story.

As always, Emma Donoghue's prose is stunning in this character-driven novel. HAVEN's eerie atmosphere permeates a tale of the many different types of faith, and the ways they affect humanity—an apt and timely theme.