I really enjoyed this book by Tim McGregor. I read him before (Wasps in the Ice Cream), and like it, but wasn't completely my cup of tea. Eynhallow definitely was, so very glad I tried him again. The characters were great, as was the plot/story and pacing. Will definitely be reading Tim McGregor again. #Eynhallow #NetGalley

Eynhallow is an amazingly beautiful gothic tale. I don’t want to give too much away, but this story had everything and more. It was so alluring and written to perfection. It had mystery, romance, heartbreak, triumph, and tragedy. Such a wonderful telling of a classic tale. I cannot give Eynhallow enough praise. A true modern day masterpiece.

The island of Eynhallow—which is part of the Orkney archipelago in north Scotland—is now uninhabited. However, in 1797 (the time-period of this book), there was a small conclave of superstitious and xenophobic farmers. In the book, Eynhallow, life is hard on this windy rock, where four families (20 people) live in squalor and deprivation. They believe that spirits, trolls, goblins, and finfolk (fish creatures) roam the island, cause much of their suffering. Such a desolate and lonely place is just the right setting for a horror novel, and Tim McGregor has delivered us a literary marvel.

I don’t want to give too much away, but here is a synopsis. Agnes Turloch is an outsider to the island. Mr. Turloch is an abusive drunk who expects his wife to take care of the family and his sexual desires. She has had seven pregnancies, of which only four have survived. He tries to make her feel grateful that he chose to marry someone like her: tall, physically strong, and hardened by the lack of love and cruelty. When a stranger moves to the island, Agnes soon has someone who is also an outsider; a man who adds a new and exciting dimension to her existence. What is he there for? To tell more would ruin the story.

There is nothing that I can say against this book. It is well paced and well written. The horrors that people inflict on Agnes are emotional, physical, and mental. Much is taken from her, but little is given. This is the first time in a long while where I have read every single word of a book.

On Tim McGregor’s author profile on Goodreads, he states that, he lives with, “A really spiteful ghost.” This may be why he writes so well about the ones that inhabit the land—and people—of Eynhallow. I will be on the lookout for more books written by Tim McGregor.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Raw Dog Screaming Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The prose is wonderful.
This reimagining of Frankenstein was very interesting. It's an atmospheric novella about isolation, grief, ambition, agency, and arrogance with a strong female lead to root for.

This is perfect gothic fiction for a rainy day, a slow burn that ramps as it goes, as bleak as it gets.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tim McGregor, and Raw Dog Screaming Press for the eARC copy of this book!

From the very start, I enjoyed this story. It was so easy to imagine standing on the shores of Eynhallow, staring out to sea with Agnes. I loved McGregor's writing style and getting a sense of Agnes's quiet humor. I was truly rooting for Agnes to have just a little bit of happiness in her lonely life, and I think McGregor did a great job of building up that tension, only to rip the rug out in the last quarter of the book.

At times, the book was repetitive and the ending felt a little abrupt, but I think overall it was an enjoyable escape into the creepy world of Eynhallow. I also read in another review that this is a real place, so I'm excited to do some further digging!

If you're looking for a fast-paced thriller, this book is not for you. If you're looking for a slow-burning, chilly, and eerie read - Eynhallow will satisfy.

I thought this book was ok. It took a while for me to get past the author's style of writing. The prose was very clipped, and the dialogue felt confused. It seemed like the author was trying to use time-appropriate vocabulary and phrasing, but did not succeed, which made the reading experience jarring. Eventually, I was able to get used to the writing and focus on the story, which was interesting, but didn't completely grab me. I'm glad I finished the book, but it doesn't make me want to read anything else by the author.

Author Tim McGregor's "Eynhallow" is an excellent addition to Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein". McGregor takes a small part of Victor Frankenstein's flight away from Geneva, and expands and fills in some details, while creating a new, sympathetic protagonist in Agnes Tulloch.

McGregor takes us to 1797 on the Orkney Islands. Agnes is a wife and mother of four children. She cares deeply for her children, but does not have the resources or support to feed or care for them adequately. Her husband Robert is emotionally and physically abusive, drinks all their money up and pays the lively children little attention when home except to yell at them.

Agnes has no friends amongst the small number of families on the island, except for Katie, also a mother of several children. Katie and Agnes kid each other, and find what humour they can in their lives, which are full of hardship and toil. The other people of the island look at Agnes with a mixture of fear and revulsion; she is a very tall, powerful woman, easily a head taller than Robert. She's been ostracised and reviled since puberty, when she shot up, painfully, and her stepmother was happy to get rid of her as fast as possible to Tulloch.

Things change when a wealthy stranger arrives on the island, with numerous boxes and trunks, and rents the only empty cottage on the island. Robert quickly sees his advantage, and forces Agnes to cook and clean for the man for money. Agnes is unhappy, as she's already struggling to keep her own home, but has no choice but to agree.

She quickly finds the stranger to be somewhat mercurial, obviously privileged, and not always cognizant of how his requests could be interpreted (e.g., asking Agnes to pose for him). She learns his name is Victor Frankenstein, that he seems to be running away from something, even while he works hard daily on something secret. At the same time, both Agnes and Katie begin seeing a giant on the island....

I don't want to say much more, as the story is excellent, and gave me a better appreciation for Mary Shelley's original, though I still think Vic and Monster are annoying and terrible people. I loved the choice of making Agnes the point of view character, which allows McGregor to 1) really show the remoteness of the Orkneys, and the hardscrabble lives of the few inhabiting the place, and 2) slowly reveal Vic's project, and surprise those unfamiliar with the classic.

McGregor builds atmosphere beautifully; one can hear the wind blowing in from the ocean, feel the biting, salty air, and experience the isolation, and Agnes' cramped, small home and her desperate wish for something better. And then really feel the horror that Agnes experiences when she finally realizes what Vic and the Monster are about.

And the ending is so bleak and sad. Wonderful!

Thank you to Netgalley and to RDS Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I loved this gothic, literary horror novella. This is a tale of grief and regret, told through the eyes of Agnes, a woman living on the small Scottish island of Eynhallow, who is beautifully realized. Trapped in a marriage she didn't really want on a tiny island with no escape, Tim does a masterful job of pulling the reader into the story, feeling Agnes's frustration with the way things have turned out for her and the claustrophobia of this difficult life. Reading the story through her observations, asides, and insights adds a rich layer to what could easily have fallen into melodrama. I loved the setting, this harsh and unforgiving environment where the small community of families is essentially trapped, though they would never admit it. The set up is perfectly done, allowing readers to be captivated by these characters before the inevitable doom that befalls them when a mysterious stranger arrives.

I love Tim's storytelling style, and if you liked Lure, I think you will really enjoy this one as well (and if you haven't read Lure, go read that one too!).

If you don't already know where this story is going, keep it that way! I think it would be fabulous to read this without knowing anything about the big reveal, as it's very well done. Thanks to Raw Dog Screaming Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

Agnes lives on Orkney island with her husband George and her four kids. She was forced to marry George who was a friend of her fathers she was ill prepared for the hard life she would have what does her best and works hard at her chores and letting her children know Sue loves them. Her husband is abusive so when a stranger named Victor moves to the island he tells instead of asking that she is to cook and be a wash woman for the new tenant. At first she is irritated by her husband the man but soon becomes intrigued with the stranger in the closer they become the more the stranger opens up even telling her that something is plaguing him but when Agnes and her best friend Kate who is big with child sees a Hulking monster their husbands nor others don’t believe them. Victor Frankenstein moved to the island because he had a due to pay and works hard at this endeavor it is only Agnes who is ill prepared for what will happen when all is said and done. Agnes cannot stand her husband and although she has put up with him for many years having no other options but win an option presents itself Agnes is ready to take it if only she knew how big the cost would be. This book was so good the historical accuracy was good the writing style was great the story was good there was a point in the book where I was a little confused as to why and what happened but having reread it it all became clear to make I did fine with the Frankenstein storyline there was a lot of artistic license being taken but I was fine with that I really liked the story and totally enjoyed it. With the things they said in the jobs they did I thought Mr. McGregor did an awesome job with the RESEARCH and setting down the facts to make a great story I was also so sad about poor Kate and thought Agnes was a wonderful mother in a horrible situation. If you love a great horror story with an authentic Gothic feel you’ll definitely love this book oh I certainly did! I want to thank the publisher and net Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Expanding on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and narrowing down Victor’s trip to the Orkneys to an island with its own share of real life mystery, Eynhallow drips with Gothic imagery and isolation. Fronted by Agnes, who believes she finds a kindred spirit in the brilliant but troubled newcomer, there’s flashes of something special here, even if it never quite gets there.

Eynhallow is ultimately a novel about loneliness, isolation, and desperation, with the trio at its centre - Agnes, Victor, and Victor’s tragic creation - all working through their own iterations of it. Agnes remembering lost love and dreaming of escaping her unpredictable marriage; Victor in a forced isolation, trying to save his family at any cost; the monster seeking love and acceptance in a world that would never do so.

Bolstered by some really lovely and evocative writing, Eynhallow boasts an interesting premise, and an engaging lead. You’ll probably see the twist coming - the constant references to Agnes’ height will likely tip off more than just the die-hard Frankie-fans - but it remains a solid read nonetheless, with a focus squarely on some of the collateral damage of the terrifying and heartrending battle between Victor and his creation.

That said, Eynhallow feels as though the novel is reaching for something, but never quite getting there. To me, as a reader, Frankenstein is as much about the questions it raises as it is about what happens, and I think Eynhallow - until the big twist and the really quite affecting chapters that followed it - had more focus on the former rather than the latter.

What might have fixed it? A deeper exploration of the connection between Agnes and Victor, perhaps? More time with Frankenstein’s monster without the outside influence of other characters? Less time making a villain of Robert Tulloch? I couldn’t say for sure. But it feels like there’s ideas and questions just lurking under the surface here, and we never quite get to grips with them.

Relying heavily on moody location and proximity to Shelley’s original work to do the heavy Gothic lifting, Eynhallow is a little bit of a swing and miss, though that haunting finale sure does pack a punch.

Eynhallow is a Frankenstein retelling set in 1779. that follows Agnes Tulloch and her life on the small island Eynhallow when a mysterious stranger shows up.
The character work with Agnes is in my opinion pretty well done, you see her struggles as a woman in a small island community, stuck in poverty with her 4 childewn and abusive husband. The relationships with the other islanders and especially Frankenstein are interesting and engagin. It's a slow paced book, atmospheric and sad, but the stakes gradually ramp up.
However, the plot at the creschendo fell flat for me. Some of it is predictable which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, it is a retelling after all, but some of the plot progression is illogical and really drags what is supposed to be a greusome and horrific inevitability down. I honestly expected more. The ending of the book feels unnecessarily drawn out, there were several points at which the book could have ended, and each of them would have had a better thematic and emotional conclusion. At a certain point I was really over it, and I think it diminished my overall thoughts on the book.
Overall, I had a good time reading it, but it didn't resonate with my taste as much as I expected and I didn't agree with some of the writing choices. If you enjoy retellings and atmospheric character studies this book is a good fit.

A fictionalized lore of a small island in the Orkneys that currently has no inhabitants. The most successful aspect of the writing is to render the mood; a bleak existence on a small rock in the perilous ocean. In this setting, Agnes lives with her abusive husband and their children, constantly battling against the elements to survive. A stranger's arrival upends her life and makes it much more interesting.

I enjoyed the book. It may have been too slow to be truly scary for me.

Eynhallow by Tim McGregor is set on the Orkney Islands in Scotland, Eynhallow Island. The year is 1797 and Agnes Tulloch slogs through her unhappy life with an abusive husband and four kids. However, a new island resident changes everything, with monstrous results.

Eynhallow was surprisingly good & well fleshed out. There are some poignant moments but don’t be fooled, this book is a horror.

Thank you to NetGalley & RDS publishing for a digital copy of this book.

Tim McGregor's Eynhallow takes place in 1797 on the Orkney Island of Eynhallow. Agnes lives with her abusive husband and four children. She is considered an outsider with her tall stature and quick tongue. The drudgery of her day-to-day life changes with the arrival of a gentleman. His name is Victor Frankenstein and he's working on a very secretive project. It isn't long before people report seeing something large and hulking walking the island late at night.

It's probably not surprising that there are parts of this novel that are quite gruesome, especially towards the end. I expected it to be a lot scarier though and it (thankfully) wasn't. It kept me on the edge of my seat though. I loved this book - it was beautifully written and I really felt for Agnes. She is such a great character. If you like Frankenstein or retellings of classics in general, I recommend this book. But even just as a story outside of Frankenstein, it's an excellent book. Thank you to NetGalley and Raw Dog Screaming Press for the ARC.

this book was... interesting. until the 60% mark I was in love with the story, characters and connections they made. but after that author decided to take some turns and twists that didn't really fit with the rest of the story and pretty much destroyed it for me. don't get me wrong - it's still a good book, just not entirely for me I guess.

My second gothic horror novel of the year, breaking some kind of record. From the first few pages, I knew this was a book I was going to enjoy, no matter what the plot was: Tim McGregor has a way with words. But this is a marvellous plot: a small island with a tiny population of twenty people or four families, very insular (heh) and pretty unfriendly to outsiders. And then a mysterious (—”Byronic”) outsider comes to spend a season there, attracting the curious attention of a beleaguered and weary woman, Agnes, who remains something of an outsider herself—partly, perhaps, because she’s rather freakishly tall and strong.

The story is wonderfully narrated by Agnes. (Some mild spoilers follow.) There is a lot of grief in this novel: Agnes is an abused wife who was married young to an older man after an unhappy childhood. An incident in the second half of the book is shattering, but drives much of the rest of the story forward. And then, the loneliness that’s a central theme of the book only intensifies as the novel progresses, without a happy ending (although there is a somewhat satisfying one).

Eynhallow (“the holy isle”) is a haunted island, apparently—but the real hauntings are human. There’s body horror, but even for squeamish me, it isn’t unreadable or gratuitous; all of it serves the emotional punch the novel packs. And Eynhallow will knock you out. McGregor has written brilliantly here about a central character in classic science fiction (the very first, actually). And Agnes is a fantastic and memorable character.

Read if you love books. This is one of those novels where genre isn’t a thing at all; Eynhallow is just wonderful. Very, very highly recommended. Already one of my favourite books of the year.

Thank you to Raw Dog Screaming Press and to NetGalley for access.

This was a slow burn for me. It was different then what I was expecting but I did enjoy reading it. Seemed less horror more drama

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book

Tim McGregor's Eynhallow is a gothic horror literary work that takes place in the Orkney Islands in the year 1797. It tells the story of Agnes Tulloch, a woman who lives on a remote island and feels trapped in a marriage with an abusive husband who does not treat her well. After the arrival of a mysterious stranger on the island, her life undergoes a major transformation.

I was pleasantly surprised by how good this book is. A variation on the Frankenstein legend, it tells the tale of a small group of inhabitants of the island of Eynhallow who are visited by a stranger who's come to engage in some secretive work. One resident, Agnes, is tasked to bring him food and clean his quarters but soon grows close to the man and discovers his gruesome endeavors. His name is Victor Frankenstein and he's been quite busy... Fascinating as it is horrific in its telling of a fateful trip that changes the island forever. Historical horror at its finest. Very well-written, McGregor has a winner here. 4-4.5 stars. Highly recommended for fans of the genre. Thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a very interesting telling of what might of happened for Frankenstein if told in a different way. The story tells the reader of a ghastly island and the poor inhabitants of said island. Life is difficult for all islanders, especially Agnes. She is an outsider, becoming an inhabitant due to marrying Robert Tulloch. Her life is nothing but drudgery and longing for something else. Little does she know that her life is about to change forever.
I really enjoyed this book. I felt sorry for genes. She was miserable with her life and ow her children had to suffer. It was so easy for her to fall for sweet words and kindness. I was not impressed with her much older husband. Who took all the money and never did anything to ease the family’s plight. This story made the reader wonder.. was there some truth to the original Frakenstein? What if something remade could exist forever? I really recommend this book for horror lovers.