This was a slow-moving story set in a small fishing village of Scotland in the early 1900s. It’s about Dorothy’s life as a teacher, wife and mother. She loses her young boy and suffers from grief. She also is torn with harmful whispers from the other women.

There is a knitting group at the only store in town where gossip flows. It’s a form of social power and venting emotions with their situations mainly marriage. The women are mean-spirited and petty. However, Dorothy doesn’t want to get trapped in that world exposing unnecessary dramas as others do just for entertainment. She ends up keeping to herself.

My mind kept drifting while reading this book. We are surrounded by a fast pace world with the internet and news so to get inside a book where everything crawls makes it oddly a challenge. Yet, it works for the story where nothing happens quickly. It shows how extremely difficult it is to lose a child and how one is able to cope.

My thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of March 18, 2025.

The Fisherman's Gift is a wonderful story. The setting, Scotland 1900, is very interesting. The people arewell developed. The book overall is riveting.. It's only January but I can't imagine a book I'll love more than this in 2025. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I think that had I read this book at a different time I might have enjoyed it more. The grief, cruelty, gossip and. hate took me to very dark places. The writing is beautiful but the narrative unwinds very slowly.

Dorothy is a young teacher when the novel begins. It then goes back in time to share her history with the reader. She is a currently school teacher in a small Scottish fishing village. Previously, she lived in Edinburgh and was raised by a very cruel and unloving mother. As the novel opens, a child is washed to shore and Dorothy can't help but be reminded of her own child who drowned many years previously.

This book just didn't hold my interest despite the poetic writing. I generally love historic fiction but I found it very difficult to connect with this novel.

I thank NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this advance review copy.

As the past rises to meet the present, long-buried secrets are unearthed within this tight-knit community, and the child’s arrival becomes a catalyst for something far greater than any of them could imagine.

A small Scottish village has secrets, and Dorothy has been keeping one for many years, but the biggest secret and puzzle is did someone have anything to do with the disappearance/drowning of Dorothy’s son, Moses.

When another child who looks like Moses washes up many years later, it brings back all the questions for the village and the emotions for Dorothy.

Dorothy is asked to take care of the child and says no at first - she knows she should help out, but she can’t.

But then she realizes she needs to help out the people in the village and the child. It turns out to be good for her.

The characters were portrayed perfectly for that time period and setting even though some characters caused Dorothy to make decisions she really didn't want to make.

THE FISHERMAN'S GIFT is not an uplifting read, but it is beautifully written, has a pull-you-in storyline, and a main character you don't know if you want to feel sorry for or be angry with for the choices she makes.

A moving, thought- provoking debut that may have you thinking about decisions you have made and/or ones you may make. 4/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

As I am the granddaughter of Scottish immigrants I thought this book was really right for me. However, it was so very sad and slow paced I just couldn’t put my whole heart into it. Perhaps I will read it again and see if I am in a better place for it as the writing is beautiful.

This book emotionally destroyed me in the best way. I don't often cry when I read. It's a rare thing. But this had me in tears so many times I lost count. My heart aches so much for these characters, and they are written so well I feel as if their emotions are my own. I could feel their pain, their sadness, their anger, and hatred. As a parent, I could not imagine the pain of losing my child, and imagining Dorothy's I could hardly contain my tears at times. I had absolutely no idea going into this book, I would love it as much as I did. I admit I requested a copy on a whim. If this is a debut novel, then I sincerely hope the author releases more works because I will be right there reading them. Thank you, NetGalley and Simon and Shuster, for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Fisherman’s Gift is a strange tale of Dorothy, a teacher in s small seaside village, Joseph, the man she loved, William, the man she married, Moses her son who was lost at sea, and a gaggle of villagers who enjoyed gossiping. It is a story of misunderstandings, lost opportunities, and finally truth coming to light. It is a tale of forgiveness a f finding one’s way again.

Gorgeous, heartbreaking, melancholy, lovely.
Tw: child loss
This story captures the essence of the pain of being human and the connection and disconnection of being alive. Following the stories of the people in a small fishing village in Scotland, the book flashes forward and back from the future to the past to weave a picture of the grief of love and loss. As a person who has lost a child, I think the author captured the experience of it so well through rich writing full of emotion. Definitely worth a read. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beautiful and atmospheric, this is a satisfying story of love , loss, and redemption. I let myself be swept away by this tale set in an unforgiving time and landscape. It reminded me of a Brontë novel in its mystery and an Austin novel in its misunderstood love. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

The Fisherman's Gift by Julia R Kelly is a sad, slow novel of a woman who has lost her son, and when a young boy washes up onshore in a small fishing village she is asked to care for him until his parents can be found. Although her son was lost many years before, could this be her second chance? It's also the story of how catty and nasty gossiping women can be with each other, and how damaging it can be. I truly felt for the FMC Dorothy and how awfully she was treated by the women of the village, it made my heart hurt for her. A thought provoking novel! Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Dorothy arrives in a small fishing village eager to start a new life but her upbringing insists she holds herself apart. Full of gossip, the town seems to reject her. Love becomes forbidden and friendship slips away - until the death of her son and years later the arrival of a misterious boy change everyone's lives.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️My review: In this historical fiction novel we get alternating chapters voiced by various characters. It is set in early 1900's Scotland in a small town where everyone knows everyone. It's interesting to see how the others see the MC Dorothy. She is a hurt, grieving woman but perceived as cold and self isolating by the town. Throughout the story I couldn't help but want to yell at various people, "Just say how you feel!!!" But then we wouldn't have had much of a story if communication were increased.
The mystery of the boy pushed forward the narrative and allowed the reader to see into the past. It kept me guessing where he came from and how he got there. And also, was his presence healing for Dorothy or was it pushing her into confusion?
My heart hurt for Joseph...again, if he had voiced his feelings things may have been different. He perhaps is the real sadness in the story.
Like life, things aren't always a picture perfect happy ending, but learning life's lessons and moving forward can lead to closure.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance digital copy in exchange for my review.

4.5 rounded up.
In a fishing village in Scotland in the early 20th century, an Edinburgh woman arrives to teach school. Told in past and present timelines and through multiple pov, her mutual attraction with a man and later tragic loss of her young son are slowly unpeeled. When another young boy washes ashore in a storm, everyone involved is driven to reflect on their past losses and mistakes. It’s a book with a lot of sadness to it (and tw: domestic violence), but manages to end hopefully. The writing is beautiful, the setting and small town dynamics absorbing. If I have one quibble, it’s that the central rupture that drives all further events stems from Joseph’s breathtaking blindness to or ignorance of the people around him. Or maybe I wasn’t feeling too generous to him!
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

The past rises to meet the present in the small Scottish fishing village of Skerry when a young boy washes ashore during a storm . . . a child that eerily resembles one who was taken by the turbulent waters of this coast years before.
This child’s mysterious arrival shakes up the members of this tight-knit community and unearths some long-buried secrets from the past.

I highly recommend this debut novel to fans of character-driven, evocative storytelling, lore, and domestic drama.

I thank NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of The Fisherman’s Gift for my unbiased evaluation.  4 stars

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of this novel of historical fiction that takes place in a small town in Scotland where a child has been rescued from the sea, a child that looks like the child a lonely teacher lost many years earlier.

I grew up in a small town. Upon seeing a neighbor most people began the conversation not with "How are you?", but with "Have you heard?". Gossip was and remains the currency of the town. Constant discussions about love, hate, cheating, crimes, bad children, ignored parents and more. My parents never partook, not really caring as they had a let people live feeling. I always found it draining. I had enough problems not having to worry what strangers might be saying about me, nor did I care what others were up to. One can see how being the subject of staring, of whispers, innuendos and rumors could get to a person. Where even their happiness is forsaken just to be accepted, to be welcomed and not a subject of conversation. Being an outsider is familiar to the main character of this story, and she has learned to live the life she has without complaining. Until something happens that changes everything. The Fisherman's Gift by debut novelist Julia R. Kelly is a story about a small town, gossip, dreams, love and redemption set in Scotland during the last century.

Skerry is a small fishing village where things have not changed since the days of the Vikings. People have known each other for generations, and newcomers are not well accepted, nor even acknowledged, with their new ways and attitudes. The time is the early 1900's and winter is seting in, a brutal winter that seems meaner and colder than usual cutting the town off from the outside world, making the seas stir with an anger unseen. Into this a young boy is washed ashore, found by a fisherman by the name of Joseph. Dorothy is a school teacher, one who is a particular target of scorn and gossip, both for being an outsider, and her relationship with the fisherman Joseph, that ended many yeas earlier. Dorothy is asked to take in the child, as the town has no idea how to deal with the situation. Dorothy is not interested, but begins to notice that the boy looks much like the child that Dorothy lost to sea years ago, a loss that Joseph, her passion once might have had a hand in.

This is a beautifully written book, about life, love, loss, learning to let go, and learning to accept who you are. There is a timelessness about the story, the Scottish village, though rural could be Anytown, USA, with its small ideas, smaller minds, and fear of change. And of sticking out. Kelly is a very good writer, conveying emotional moments in a few words, words with devastating impact. The setting is well described, and one really gets a feel for the characters and the land that has made them what they are. There is a hint of magical realism, well more than a hint, but this adds to the story, giving it a heft that makes the book memorable. I quite enjoyed this book, and even now find myself thinking about it quite alot.

A book about loss, and a book about trying to go on when life does not go one's way. This is a very assured first novel, one that has a lot going on, but never drags or makes a person go, no I don't think so. I look forward to what Julia R. Kelly will write next.

The Fisherman's gift is mainly a story of a young school teacher named Dorothy, who moves to a small village on an island near Scotland. She falls in love with a fisherman named Joseph, but lets gossip and her pride keep them apart. She marries William, another man in town, and has a young son, Moses. Moses is lost at sea one night in a storm - Dorothy is wracked with guilt, and keeps to herself until one night years later Joseph saves a young boy that has washed up on the shore of the island. When the Minister asks Dorothy to help care for the child, she begins to relive the years she had and lost her son, and secrets of the townsfolk come to light. Moved a little too slowly, and it was sad how women's gossip and inability to help each other led to sadness and pain through much of the book. The ending was redemptive, but it was a bit of a slog to get there.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this advance reader’s copy. The Fisherman’s Gift is a novel that opens in a small Scottish fishing village, where a young child on the brink of death is discovered, having washed up along the shore. We learn that many years ago, our main character, Dorothy, lost a child to the sea, who happens to look very similarly to the one just discovered. The novel shifts between past and present, as we learn how Dorothy arrived in this town through when she lost her son and to present day, as she interacts and cares for this found child while the town searches for his family.

One of the descriptors of this novel that compared it to The Snow Child was what initially hooked me and I definitely can confirm that readers of that book will love this one. There is a fair amount of activity in this book, in both past and present but, this does not feel like a fast, loud book. It feels like a quiet, quaint book, while simultaneously packing a punch with its message about the enormous burden that Dorothy and that mothers/women in general carry. Dorothy’s enduring shame at the hands of her mother’s mistreatment lingers into adulthood and translates into the shame and self doubt she feels in her interactions with the townspeople of her village; I felt deeply for Dorothy in this book and was rooting for her to finally find and accept compassion and love at the end of this story. Her interactions with the child found in the present were very well written and although Dorothy and the reader know logically that this child cannot be her son who was lost many years ago, she leans so convincingly into this fantasy to help negate some of her guilt from her own experience as a mother. It is so sad to read but, crafted so well by the author.

Another element of this book that I think is so strong is the author’s rich descriptions of the Scottish seaside. I felt truly transported to this setting and these descriptions leant themselves so well to the plot and the overall melancholy nature of the book. The descriptions, the emotions, the characterizations— all were so vivid and beautifully written.

I would highly recommend this book, especially to literary fiction fans and fans of the previously mentioned book, The Snow Child. I’m looking forward to seeing what this author publishes next!

The Fisherman's Gift by Julia R Kelly

As I read this heartbreaking story, a part of me didn't want to be in this world in which we are immediately aware that many years ago, a young boy went missing, most likely drowned, and now the townspeople were reliving that scenario. This time though, the boy pulled from the sea is still alive, barely. Eventually, Dorothy, the mother of the long ago missing boy is asked to care for this little boy, so close to the age of her own boy when he was lost.

We learn about Dorothy coming to this closed knit small Scottish fishing village, so close knit that even years later she is still an outsider. From the very day she arrived Dorothy was scorned and shunned. The townspeople felt she considered herself too good for them, making it impossible for her to become friends with them when they had already set her aside from the townspeople, always to be on the outside, always to be in competition with the other young women. So when a much sought after young fisherman, Joseph, becomes enamored with Dorothy, any relationship with him is doomed from the start. The people are against Dorothy, the rumors and gossip doom Dorothy and everything that relates to her.

Joseph, the once young fisherman has spent the last years on the outside since the day he found the shoe of Dorothy's lost boy. Rumors abound about him, once a prize of the community. Now Joseph is the one to find this present day boy and the rumors become a roaring fire about him, about Dorothy, about the lost boy of decades ago.

We get to meet the townspeople and although they seem petty and spiteful, the author allows us to really get to know them and once we do we can see what made them the way they are, so fearful, so prone to hope for the impossible, so quick to knock down anyone who might take away their slim hopes of a better future. Everyone's life is hard in one or more ways, everyone has had heartbreak, huge regrets and guilt, and everyone needs help in finding understanding and forgiveness. The hardest person to forgive seems to be oneself and this book surprised me. It felt so depressing but in the end it offers so much to so many.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

Beautifully written with an evocative setting. You feel like you're in this village with these characters. I felt it went on too long, though, especially the first half, and the lack of communication was frustrating, otherwise I would give it 5 stars. Great ending. I look forward to reading more from this author.