A fascinating story filled with intrigue, friendship, love and healing. The writing was beautiful, and the connection I felt to the characters was profound.

The story was complex, and I couldn’t say exactly what genre it would fit into but it wasn’t like anything i’ve read in a while. It felt like a breath of fresh air.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

beautifully written book about a small fishing town in Scotland in the 1900's where rumors fly and everyone knows everyone else's business. Dorothy leaves the big city and a cold mother to teach school in this small community where the women find her standoffish.

Some years later, a small child is found in the water. When Dorothy sees him, it takes her breath away, he looks so much like her child that she lost to the sea when he was 6. But it can't be, it's been 15 years ago now. This event brings back so many memories, many painful, things she wished she'd done differently.

As this story unfolds, it engrosses you more and more until you can't stop reading, but must find out the truth. The prose is so lovely that it is soothing to read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

In 1900 Skerry, a small fishing village in Scotland, a schoolteacher named Dorothy Gray shops at the local store. Out of the window, they see a local fisherman walking toward the store carrying something. As he gets closer, they realize it is a small child's body. The child is taken to the pastor's house to be treated. Dorothy is shocked, her son disappeared into the ocean years ago. Who could be missing a child? As events unfold, Dorothy is asked to care for this mysterious child. Will this be too much for Dorothy? The child is also a male, approximately 6 years old, who was the same size as her son when he disappeared.

As she cares for the child, Dorothy looks back on her life. Decisions she made and the outcomes leading to her current life. Since the disappearance of her son, she shut that part of her life off. Now she begins looking forward. Through her introspection, we see the details leading to the disappearance of her son, how her fractured relationships happened, and who she considers friends. Winter brings solitude as everyone reminisces and examines their part in the tragic events. Dorothy's healing is in her hands and only she can effect the change.

This fascinating story is full of intrigue, self-discovery, loss, and love. There are heavy hearts and guilty consciences to examine during this bleak winter coupled with a constant feeling of foreboding throughout this story. Fans of Wuthering Heights will enjoy this darkly moving story. Thank you NetGalley, Simon and Schuster, and Emily Farebrother for the advanced readers copy.

I've noticed that lately these types of stories are the ones that rate 5 stars for me. They don't really fall into a particular genre, other than they are simple yet deeply complex stories of life. In this case, life in the 1900's. As I always say, I know 100% that I would not have been tough enough to survive in that era. I'm way too lazy and soft, so I really enjoy reading about how people lived way back when. It shows you time and again that across time people are just people, struggling to get along, and oftentimes failing spectacularly. This was a heartachingly mesmerizing story that grabbed me quickly and left a lasting impact.

This was a riveting story and I could not put it down Julia Kelly know how to tell a story that you want to know the end right away but still want to read every word and learn about every character. I would recommend this book.

This book took my breath away. It’s a wonderful story with relatable characters. Julia R. Kelly is gifted with words that transcend the page and travel right into your heart. There is sorrow, hope, trust, love and friendship and all of these feelings and relationships are intertwined in creating an unforgettable story. Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. #TheFisherman’sGift, #Simon&Schuster. .

In the early 1900s, a young Dorothy arrives in a small fishing village along Scotland’s coast to become the schoolmistress. Dorothy’s mother has undermined her throughout her youth, eroding any self confidence and encouraging her to eschew social interaction. So Dorothy is not predisposed to living in a small community in which everyone knows everyone else’s business and gossip abounds. From the beginning she is somewhat ostracized and in response retreats even more from engaging with her neighbors. Eventually she marries—not the man she loves--and has a child, but that child is lost to the sea. Years later, when a child the same age is found washed ashore, Dorothy’s life is set in emotional turmoil. Although at times I wanted to throttle Dorothy for her lack of sense, Kelly keeps Dorothy’s perspective in character throughout. The portrayal of an insular community—in both its caring for one another and its being confining and hurtful in its gossip—was well executed.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to Simon and Schuster for an ARC of this book. My opinions are my own.

For a debut novel, The Fisherman’s Gift is a wonderful read! It has everything that I love! A great book!

The story-telling was poetic and the story was mesmerizing. I was completely engrossed in the narrative and highly recommend to others. My appreciation to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Fisherman's Gift.

Hauntingly beautiful words flow across the pages of this novel set in Skerry, Scotland. Dorothy is the new school teacher from Edinburgh trying to make her way in this small village. The characters are all relatable and the story will make your heart ache. Read this wonderful book and thank you NG for the ARC.

An incredibly beautiful, powerful, and heart warming story about a woman who goes through the unimaginable, only to find healing in an unlikely way. This story was beautiful and definitely worth the read.

I liked the premise of this story, but I couldn’t get into the writing style. I think it was not for me, but others may enjoy this slower-paced, atmospheric book.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Painful enough to make you cry and with beautiful enough writing to glue you to the page it's the story of Dorothy, child of a cold, unloving mother, who comes to teach in the isolated village of Skerry in Scotland. Her first shared glance with Joseph, a fisherman, forges a connection between them that sets the scene for tragedy.

Dorothy is regarded as cold and uppity by the village women. She has no friends. Every meeting with Joseph enhances their connection, but that is not to be. Agnes, who has loved Joseph from childhood and her mother, (both) victims of by their father and husband) drive an insurmountable wedge between Dorothy and Joseph.

The story jumps from early days to many years later. A child washes up on the rocky shore who looks remarkably like Dorothy's child who drowned many years ago. There is talk of sea creatures who lure children to play in the waves. Are these folklore beliefs real? Read on and find out for yourself.

It's an engrossing novel that tugs at the heart and brings tears of frustration and sorrow to your eyes. The descriptions of cold and seemingly never-ending snowstorms will make you reach for a sweater. It depicts small village life and how lack of communication can alter events.

Thanks to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster for an early copy that was offered to me in exchange for an honest review.

The Fisherman’s gift is a delight to read. I loved reading about life in a small fishing village in Skerry during the 1900. Life was hard for the villagers and it was made up of a close community that knew everything about one another and there was much gossip.
Dorothy, a teacher, has come to this small fisherman’s village to teach the children. She is a very private person and appears to have a cold personality to the people living there.
She falls in love with Joseph, a fisherman. Joseph also loves Dorothy. The love they have for each other has so many problems with another lady, Agnes, who has already picked Joseph for herself and will do anything to keep him.
A young boy is found on the shores one cold snowy morning. Dorothy thinks the child looks like her son, Moses, who was lost at sea many years ago.
Secrets come to light in this small village and peace is finally realized by this small fishing village.
I loved reading this story and would highly recommend it.
An ARC was given to me from the author and netgalley for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

It’s 1900 in Skerry…..
The setting is a small fishing and crofting village in Scotland.
We begin in winter…..the village is soon snowed in.
We meet Dorothy, a teacher, who will look after a child who was washed up at sea …..his survival is miraculous….yet nobody knows who he belongs to.
The boy looks like Dorothy’s own lost child, Moses, who was lost to the sea fifteen years before at the same age.
“The boys arrival also finally forces Dorothy to face the truth about her brief and passionate affair with Joseph, the fisherman who found the boy on the shore, and who has been the subject of whispers, connecting him to the drowning of Dorothy‘s son years earlier”.

Julia R. Kelly won the Blue Pencil First Novel Award in 2021.
She has been longlisted for the Exeter Novel Prize, the Mslexia Award (women’s writings)….and the PenguinWriteNow, and the Bath Novel Award.
“The Fisherman’s Gift” is my first time reading Julia R. Kelly.
I carved Julia R. Kelly’s name in-stone in my memory bank.
I’ll read her next book in a second.

A personal share:
Earlier this year I read “The Anxious Generation” by Jonathan Haidt … a book that examines the rising levels of anxiety and depression among young people. The author investigates societal, technological, and cultural factors contributing to this crisis and suggests ways to foster resilience and mental well-being.
The book changed me — keeps changing me - and I’m 72 years old…..with no kids at home.
But I, too, have felt anxiety from being reachable all the time. I miss the days when people only had three ways to contact me. They could call me and leave a message on my phone, they could write me a letter, or they could come to my house and knock on the door. That was it.
So …….
…..while reading Julia’s book, “The Fisherman’s Gift” ….a story about love, grief, loss, mystery, secrets, painful memories, hardships, universal misunderstandings, resentments, tension, sacrifice, heartbreak, maternal fears, shame, guilt, forgiveness, community connections, women,
“Good Enough Mother’s” ……more love…..etc…
I thought deeply about how life was when devices were nonexistent. Of course there are advantages today for all of our techie-toys…..(we can’t seem to live without them)….
but this story - this community- touched my heart in a way that made me miss simpler days of navigating them.
I had a taste for the small town quality of life — more open space — a small number of ‘meaningful-relationships’ and ‘community-minded-folks’. [note…I live in the global center of high technology of silicon Valley]. Living in a remote small village sounds appealing to at my age.

In ‘The Fisherman’s Gift’, I relished the visuals….smells….and atmospheric feelings.
I enjoyed the surprise-prose-storytelling-creativities, the tenderness, and the delicate sensibilities from which this book was written.
I was so immersed in this story — so involved in the character’s lives — (of course not all perfect- but very human) ….. I could have kept reading for another hundred pages (rare for me).
I had a deep emotional connection to this story (for many reasons: some personal)…..Mostly I really appreciated how unassuming- and quiet this book felt to me.
…I kept thinking it’s soooo nice to read an engrossing story/with an old fashion wholesome flare…..atmospheric beauty…..
before cell phones, before social media became part of our modern life: cyberbullying, disrupt sleep, social isolation, depression, fear of missing out, low self-esteem, addiction, privacy, concerns, anxiety, increase stress, self image, issues, security, threats….etc. ……
I’m simply noticing more recently the effect that a wonderful novel has on me — in its purest form.
This book was written in purest form. It’s a book to curl up with.
And kudos to the person who wrote the blurb….
Absolutely…..this book is for readers who were captivated with the novels “The Light Between Oceans” and “The Snow Child”.

Gorgeous writing….enraptured narration…stunning book cover…..
And an author whom I felt “I could be friends with”.
Having grown-up without a television, (but lots of books), Julia read everything she could get her hands on. As an English teacher, she has tried to pass on her love to the next generation of readers and writers. Since being confined to a wheelchair, Julia has learned to appreciate even more fully the journeys the written word can take us on.
She lives in Herefordshire with her partner in between them, they have raised five wonderful children.

This is a story of grief.… and coming to terms with it through Dorothy‘s growing relationship with a new child.
Maternal fear — the fear that somehow she failed her son, Moses, haunted Dorothy more and more as her memories returned.
The author shared with us that at some point she became aware that this story is one that all mothers might relate to if what all they remember is what they did wrong.
As the author was writing this novel, it became more and more clear to her that she was writing a novel about maternal shame.
Whew!!! Boy oh boy! Can I ever relate. Painful memories and grief live inside me —
Our older daughter (who was hospitalized five times; anorexic as a teenager) is forty-two years old today (recovered, thank God)- but about four years ago she stopped talking to my husband and I. We haven’t seen her in at least ten years. Estrangement is the most lonely, shameful, sad, rejected word in my life. …. so, yes…. I related to the author’s protagonist: Dorothy, who felt shame and grief for having failed her son, Moses.

When the author, Julia, thought back about memories with her own child, remembering the books they read together, she realized that she had been a Good Enough Mother. Same here, Julia! Me too. My daughter and I read many books together with wonderful memories! Happiest days!
Julia wanted to extend her message to many mothers who only remembered things they could’ve done better. That they too, were a Good Enough Mother.
THANK YOU, Julia!!!!

Julia also shared (I agree) it’s a book for ‘all’ women … women who share meaningful communication… godsip talk, women’s talk, intimate-talk with other women. Julia shared that it’s the absence of meaningful communication that often causes so much misery and so much misunderstanding for some people… And for some of her characters in “The Fisherman’s Gift”.
“It is ultimately only through friendship that the women of my novel find true connection and solidarity”.

As my famous last saying goes for a book I so thoroughly enjoyed….. “It’s SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!!

The Fisherman's Gift is a fine historical fiction read. I liked the writing style and the setting. The middle portion of the story read a bit too romance for me and I thought Dorothy's upbringing didn't fully explain her odd combination of naiveness and aloofness. This made the book a three rather than a four star for me. I always think the author carried on too long at the end wrapping all the storylines up. A perfect last line was at the end of the chapter titled The Last Morning (p. 185). I see this book being enjoyed widely.