This is a beautifully written book filled with descriptions of life in a village on the skirts of Scotland in 1900—cold that would rattle your teeth, briny gusts that fair knock you over on the sands, death possible on every fishing trip—but with enough moments of warmth from the villagers to make it bearable.
Dorothy, who would always be the newcomer no matter the years she has lived there, has always yearned for the simple things, a husband who loves her, a child or two, a place she can turn into a home. But Dorothy has never had a mother's love, a mother's pleasure in watching her child be a child, a mother's support, and now she is flailing in the throes of superstition, rejection, and loss. Forever watched and judged and dead inside, it all changes when she is offered the change to become the temporary caregiver of a child just like the one she lost. How it plays out is wonderfully put together. A very satisfying read.

The Fisherman’s Gift (Coming March 2025)
By Julia R. Kelly
Simon & Schuster, 320 pages
★★★★

Scotland, 1900: A small fishing village in a land where strict Calvinist morals prevail, though they have eroded in cities like Edinburgh. That’s where Dorothy, a young teacher, was raised. Now she stands on the rocky, windswept shores of Skerry, where she is about to become the new school mistress in a wee fishing village far from “Auld Reekie.” From the start she is viewed with suspicion because she’s a city gal who knows nothing of the customs and rhythms of her new home. The fact that she is terrified is viewed by locals as being aloof and uppity.

The Fisherman’s Gift is the debut novel from Julia R. Kelly and it’s a good one, though she admits she was inspired in part by the 2016 film The Light Between Oceans and perhaps borrows too much from it. Nonetheless, Kelly gives us a portrait of an isolated Scottish village and a tale that is by turns hopeful, sad, and inspiring. Kelly uses a then/now structure that becomes a puzzle for readers to piece together. She also employs multiple points of view.

When Dorothy arrives her only true allies are the minister and Joseph, a fisherman, handyman, and handsome bachelor. In good Victorian style, though, Kelly veers away from any straightforward romance. Hers is a series of doomed romances and missed cues. Dorothy casts aside her hopes when she discovers that Joseph is a regular visitor to the family of two young sisters, Jeanie and Agnes, and that it seems to be a given that Agnes will marry Joseph. He, however, is either not the marrying kind or has placed his hopes elsewhere.

In the “then” sections we learn that Dorothy marries William Gray, an unexciting but steady man, much to the chagrin of his sister Jane, who dislikes Dorothy. Agnes ends up with a very unreliable man. The novel’s crux is that Dorothy gives birth to Moses, who becomes her heart’s delight. Joseph always seems to be about to show Moses how to do things and even makes him toys, which infuriates Dorothy as she thinks it's inappropriate. ( I shan’t spoil why!) Alas, when he’s still a lad, Moses ventures out one night, makes his way to the beach, and drowns. Dorothy blames herself for the tragedy and disappears into herself to the point where she is estranged from William.

The ”gift” of the book’s title occurs in the “now” sections. A young boy washes ashore and is near death when Joseph carries him from the beach to the minister’s home. He is nursed back to health and is the spitting image of Moses. Could it be a miracle? He is sent into Dorothy’s care and she is torn between reason and faith, as well as intellectual and emotional truth. The child speaks what seems to be gibberish, but a bonding unfolds with Dorothy.

The boy’s origin is one of several mysteries embedded within The Fisherman’s Gift. On a more prosaic level, Kelly’s novel is a close look at village relationships in a place where the sleet blows sideways from the ocean and snowy winters are long. Imagine the loneliness in a hamlet in which outsiders tends to remain so in the minds of locals long after they’ve lived there. In Dorothy’s case, she wins over some of her neighbors, whilst others keep her at arm’s length. Norah Barclay, the village gossip, is always ready to dispense news, even if much of it skirts the line between reality and nonsense. Dorothy does gain an ally in Mrs. Brown, the widow who runs the store in Skerry, but her shop is also where women gather to dispense and hear gossip. (For men, it’s the local pub.)

The Fisherman’s Gift keeps you guessing until near the end. Even then, your book group can bat around exactly what the “gift” is. It’s too bad the book won’t release until March. Though there’s nothing particularly Christmas-themed in it, it feels like a novel for the holiday season. Perhaps late winter/early spring will have to do.

Rob Weir

#TheFishermansGift #NetGalley

The reason I wouldn’t submit this book into my curriculum is that I teach in a Christian classroom and my students are very young.
I enjoyed reading this book and I wish you all the best of luck.

This is a story of so many things. The basic story is of a young woman starting out in her professional life, desperately wanting to fit in within the small seaside town she has moved to. She falls in love, marries, and has a child who is lost at sea during a storm. Years later she takes care of a young child, seemingly so much like her own child, miraculously found alive on the beach after a storm. Could the sea have given her son back, as strange as that may seem? There is folklore, grief explored, and how self image and shame play into lost opportunities. #Thefishermansgift #netgalley

A beautiful story about the journey of a mother’s grief and guilt.

Dorthy is the new school mistress in a little fishing town Skelly. The town is full of gossips and she isn’t welcomed well. She meets Joseph who is a fisherman and they briefly fall in love. Life pulls them apart before they even have a chance to live out their love story.

A little boy is found from the sea who is similar to the son Dorothy lost. She is asked to watch over him until they can find his parents. Through watching and caring for him her past and the guilt and grief she has tried to bury surfaces. And she has to face and walk through the pain and hurt that has been shoved down through the years. She has to confront people and herself through this journey. She finds healing and closure through helping this little boy.

Being a mother myself so many parts of this story are so accurate, raw, relatable and hard to read.

Dorothy lost her son years ago during a storm on a small fishing island in Scotland in the 1900s. Now a snowstorm is hitting the island and a boy washes shore that is her son’s age when he disappeared. Long held secrets are revealed and we slowly find out what happened to her son Moses all those years ago. This started out slow for me and then midway took a turn that made the slow build worth it. This was a heartbreaking and beautiful book on grief and loneliness and the setting perfectly adds to the feelings of isolation in this book. The weather also plays nicely into the plot. The storm that took Dorothy’s son and the storm that brought her another boy his age years later. Loved this story , loved how it unfolded even though it broke my heart. It does end on a hopeful, redemptive note though. Love the characters and all their richly layered stories. The author nailed this debut for me.

This was such a delight to read. It was such a hard story to read because of how painful it was. It’s written beautifully in prose and beautifully intertwines hope, sorrow and love. The atmosphere was there and really engulfs you in the time and place. Definitely will think about this story for a long time.

This is a lovely and moving story about a tight-knit community and what happens when long-buried secrets come to light. I especially enjoyed how the author has so carefully crafted each character, including the fisherman, the school teacher, Moses, and the mystery boy. The "then" and "now" structure turned out to be a good way to tell this particular story, and it works to great effect. I liked seeing how the intricate layers unfolded. The ending provides a satisfactory conclusion. This novel will be great for book clubs.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-galley; all opinions in my review are 100% my own.

This was a very unique read for me and very enjoyable.
I was very pleasantly surprised with the writing skills executed in this debut novel. From the flow of the story to the simplistic realism of the characters, this story kept me interested from beginning to end.
Surprised with an added twist was just a bonus. I look forward to more by this author.
I was given a complimentary copy of via NetGalley. My opinion is my own

The Fisherman’s Gift is a beautifully written novel that I absolutely loved The characters the setting the small Scottish village a lovely debut novel looking forward to reading more by the author.#netgalley #s&s

The writing is exquisite, capturing the essence of life in a small village while delving into themes of love, fear of love, and the complexities of unrequited and even destructive love. It's a powerful reminder of how hate can lead individuals to actions they never imagined they would take. I can totally see this story becoming a captivating movie—definitely a quality watch! I highly recommend it. Thank you. This is undoubtedly the best book I’ve read this year! Thank you to #NetGalley, #Simon&Schuster, and #FishermansGift.
carolintallahassee

I recently finished Julia R. Kelly’s debut novel, “The Fisherman’s Gift,” and I can wholeheartedly declare that this remarkable author has earned a place on my must-read list for all her future works! From the moment I read the synopsis, I had a strong feeling that this book would resonate with me, but it far exceeded my expectations.

This novel is a true gem, brimming with originality and profound emotion. Each page reveals intricate layers of storytelling, skillfully woven together with several captivating mysteries that keep the reader engaged and eager to unravel the threads of the plot. This novel has a mesmerizing quality that says in your thoughts long after you’ve turned the last page.

If you’re on the hunt for an exceptional book club selection, look no further—“The Fisherman’s Gift” is the perfect choice. It captures the complexities of the human experience in a way that is both heartwarming and heartbreakingly poignant. I would rate this gem a solid 5+++ stars; if I could, I would give it even more stars!

3.75⭐️ This was a good read but a bit too dour for me. Many of the main characters were unlikable for most of the book. I would have enjoyed it more if there evolution started a bit sooner.

I really enjoyed reading "The fisherman's gift". I was surprised to learn this is the authors first book. I will definitely be reading her next book.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for the preview copy for my honest review.
5 stars!

I loved The Fisherman’s Gift. I read over a hundred novels a year and it is rare to come across one as utterly unique as this one. This novel paints such a vivid picture in your head, I feel I could draw the sea, the village of Skerry and the cottages described so clearly. The characters are so real and so heartbreakingly human. The overall theme of isolation due to misunderstandings and lack of human connections is universal.
The novel reads like a cautionary fairytale and is so immersive that it was difficult to put down. This is a novel with heart whose characters will stay with you long after the last page. It is difficult to believe that this is a debut novel, it is so polished and the writing is so lovely. I believe this novel will appeal to a wide audience of readers who are searching for a substantial read. I know I will be recommending it to my reading friends and my book club.
Thank you to Emily Farebrother from Simon and Schuster for providing me with this Netgalley preview novel.

I absolutely loved this book and its' characters. BeautifulIy written, friendships, sad at times. Bonus that I read while in Scotland as we traveled the real villages!

Julia R. Kelly's The Fisherman's Gift is a beautiful meditation on parenthood, love, and community. Set in a small fishing village in Scotland in 1900 (and a few years earlier), this novel introduces us to Dorothy, a schoolteacher who isn't at ease with herself and has never quite fit into her community. When her 6 year old son is lost to the sea, she retreats even further. A number of years later, another boy - very like her own - appears and she takes him into her home. It isn't until Dorothy realizes that she was a good mother to her son that she is able to release herself of guilt and return this young boy to his family. I loved this quiet gift of a book.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC in September and read the book in early October.

A summary of the plot: In Skerry, a small Scottish fishing village, in 1900, during a winter storm, a young boy washes up on the shore. The mystery boy bears an astonishing resemblance to the town teacher Dorothy’s son, who disappeared in the sea at the same age many years before.

Initially lodged with the Minister’s family, the boy needs be housed elsewhere until he can be identified; Dorothy, on her own and childless, agrees to take him in. As time passes, the boy reminds Dorothy increasingly of her own lost child., and she begins to fantasize that he might be the lost child returned to her by the faeries.

These events also finally force Dorothy to confront her past, including her brief passionate love affair with Joseph, the fisherman who found the boy on the shore and who has been the subject of gossip connecting him to the drowning of Dorothy’s son years earlier.

The past mingles with the present; long-buried secrets come to light within this tight-knit community.

The characters are skillfully drawn. We have Dorothy Aitkin, a teacher from the big city who arrives in Skerry to take over the school. Joseph the fisherman. Numerous villagers. The dead son, Moses. The mystery boy. We learn each of their stories as the chapters unfold, going back and forth between “then” and “now”. People’s secrets are revealed, and how they relate to each other.

Initially, I was somewhat skeptical of the degree to which Dorothy’s sister-in-law held sway over Dorothy in the matter of child-rearing, but given how badly Dorothy had been treated by her own mother, her hesitation to assert herself as a parent became more believable. The way in which the stories of the main characters are woven together and revealed, somewhat like peeling back the layers of an onion, is masterful. The book’s ending was very satisfactory, I thought. I hope Julia Kelley is writing a new book; I look forward to reading it.

The Fisherman's Gift
by Julia R. Kelly
Pub Date: Mar 18, 2025
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
“The Fisherman’s Gift” is beautifully written, it’s mesmerizing and it’s heartbreaking. I highly recommend this to historical fiction readers and women’s fiction readers alike.
I read this note on Goodreads: "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 and between them, they have raised five wonderful children. The Fishersman’s Gift is her debut novel."
This touched me and really helped me enjoy the novel so much more!
Be ready for this one: it is an extremely difficult/sad read but it is written so well! 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.

Beautifully written story that transports the reader to a small fishing village in Scotland in the 1900s during the winter. A child is found on the shore after a storm. This sets off a chain of events that bring up the past for many villagers. It is a story of unrequited love, kept secrets and the tragic events that follow. I sincerely hope that this will not be the last book Ms. Kelly writes as I look forward to reading other books written by this author,