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Sealskin
Sealskin | Su Bristow
10 posts | 5 read | 14 to read
What happens when magic collides with reality? Donald is a young fisherman, eking out a lonely living on the west coast of Scotland. One night he witnesses something miraculous ... and makes a terrible mistake. His action changes lives not only his own, but those of his family and the entire tightly knit community in which they live. Can he ever atone for the wrong he has done, and can love grow when its foundation is violence? Based on the legend of the selkies seals who can transform into people Sealskin is a magical story, evoking the harsh beauty of the landscape, the resilience of its people, both human and animal, and the triumph of hope over fear and prejudice. With exquisite grace, Exeter Novel Prize-winner Su Bristow transports us to a different world, subtly and beautifully exploring what it means to be an outsider, and our innate capacity for forgiveness and acceptance. Rich with myth and magic, Sealskin is, nonetheless, a very human story, as relevant to our world as to the timeless place in which it is set. And it is, quite simply, unforgettable. For fans of Angela Carter, Eowyn Ivey, Alice Hoffmann and Geraldine Brooks.
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Aimeesue
Sealskin | Su Bristow
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December picks for the #EuropaCollective. Links to descriptions in comments. Go vote!
All are welcome to join in! Let me know if you‘d like to be tagged.

@mcctrish @LeahBergen @DrexEdit @Tamra @lauraisntwilder @squirrelbrain @BarbaraBB @jlhammar @Deblovestoread

Tamra I‘m all about Bookstore love! My vote is for Cosse. 📚 12mo
See All 27 Comments
mcctrish @Tamra I saw bookstore and thought the same thing 🤣🤣 12mo
jlhammar Great picks! Definitely intrigued by Sealskin, but my vote goes to the one I already own and have been meaning to read for ages - 12mo
jlhammar @BarbaraBB You can go ahead and post your two nominations for our March 2024 read. Thanks! 12mo
LeahBergen Great picks! I‘ll vote for 12mo
GatheringBooks Oooh! A europa book club! Is it too late to join??? 💕 12mo
lauraisntwilder My vote goes to Sealskin. 12mo
BarbaraBB @GatheringBooks I‘m sure you can still join! @jlhammar is hosting 💕 12mo
BarbaraBB I‘ll vote for A Novel Bookstore! 12mo
squirrelbrain Ooh, A Novel Bookstore sounds so good! That gets my vote. 12mo
Aimeesue @GatheringBooks Of course! You will, however, have to learn the secret handshake. 😉 12mo
jlhammar @GatheringBooks @CSeydel So glad you‘re both joining us!! 12mo
jlhammar @charl08 You can still vote for this one if you‘d like. 12mo
jlhammar @Adventures-of-a-French-Reader Feel free to cast your vote. Happy to have you in the mix! 12mo
Adventures-of-a-French-Reader For this one, I'll vote for 12mo
GatheringBooks @Aimeesue lols! Looking forward to learning the secret 🤝 hehe. Happy that you organized this @jlhammar 12mo
GatheringBooks In the event that I can also vote for this one, will go for 12mo
jlhammar @Sapphire Voting is still open on this one if you have a preference. 12mo
jlhammar @TheKidUpstairs Feel free to cast your vote, Megan! 12mo
Sapphire I already have ANB on my TBR so I will vote for that one! Thanks 12mo
jlhammar @Cathythoughts This one is still open if you‘d like to vote for your preference. 12mo
Cathythoughts @jlhammar Thankyou! I‘d go for 12mo
jlhammar Okay, I think we can call this one since we have a majority. Our December 2023 read will be 12mo
34 likes27 comments
review
quietlycuriouskate
Sealskin | Su Bristow
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Mehso-so

It grieves me I didn't love this: it was a gift and selkies are my favourite mythical creatures. There are character arcs galore. The problem begins with the rape on page six. It's a subject I daren't go near, usually, but this horrific episode (which drives the story) was... meh. How can it be?! I didn't feel any connection to the characters then and scarcely more by the end of the book. Either I've lost all empathy or the writing was flat.

Cathythoughts Interesting, I have this for a long time. Started it once or twice, but just couldn‘t get into it. And the whole idea of it has seemed so brilliant 🤷‍♀️ 6y
quietlycuriouskate @Cathythoughts There were definitely things I liked about it, not least the theme of belonging/being an outsider; I appreciated that it wasn't just Mairhi the selkie woman who had to negotiate that one. But, there is to my mind something troublingly anaesthetic about the writing. 6y
46 likes2 comments
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Bookworm-Bobbie
Sealskin | Su Bristow
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Great gift haul from @EmmaPlum 😁 including the Gryffindor jumper that I‘m currently wearing 🦁🧙🏻‍♀️

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laurieluna
Sealskin | Su Bristow
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So I actually managed to write a blog post! I'm going to try and do weekly roundups. It's still a work in progress and I apologise if there's any spelling mistakes etc. Here's the link if you fancy a read!
https://miralunasbooknook.wordpress.com/2017/10/23/weekly-round-up-16th-22nd-oct...

EchoLogical Go you! 🎉 7y
laurieluna @EchoLogical thanks 😄 I found it such a good way to organise my reading too and write down my thoughts! Just hope I can keep it up. 7y
Cinfhen It‘s one of my goals for 2018!!! Good for you🙌🏻 7y
See All 6 Comments
Tamra 👏🏾👍🏾 7y
laurieluna @Cinfhen go for it! It was really good to write things down like that. @Tamra thanks! 😄 7y
Bklover Good for you! Enjoyed it! 7y
41 likes6 comments
review
laurieluna
Sealskin | Su Bristow
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Pickpick

I'm so conflicted by this story. The writing and the characters, fantastic. Even the majority of the plot. And although I cried at the end, my heart is a little broken by how it started. 4.5🌟

Cathythoughts Great pic. It‘s been on my kindle for awhile, I must read it soon. 👍 7y
laurieluna @Cathythoughts I definitely recommend it. Just prepare for it to conflict your feelings somewhat. Think it may take me some time to work this one through in my head. 7y
35 likes1 stack add2 comments
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laurieluna
Sealskin | Su Bristow
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Struggling to put this down! Despite the circumstances surrounding the characters I'm finding this story engrossing. It reminds me a bit of a childhood favourite of mine, The Raging Quiet. Would not be surprised if I had this finished today.

LeahBergen This sounds good! 7y
laurieluna @LeahBergen it really is! There is a trigger warning for it (I'll not post here but theres a few goodreads reviews mention it) but it is a blink and you'll miss it moment, and if it didn't happen the rest of the story wouldn't either. Over a third of the way in now. 7y
Cathythoughts I have this one , must read soon. Sounds good 👍 7y
42 likes4 stack adds3 comments
review
KT_Scarlett
Sealskin | Su Bristow
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Pickpick

I liked this one. Selkies have been one of my favorite mythical creatures for a long time and this is the first book that I've read involving one. There were some issues with it but I really liked the writing style.

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Anjuk
Sealskin | Su Bristow
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Based on the legend of the selkies – seals who can transform into people .
‘What people say to your face and what they‘ll tell each other can be a long way apart. And as for what they feel in their hearts –that can be another thing entirely.‘

16 likes2 stack adds