thesapphiccelticbookworm's Reviews (2.04k)

Thank you to Booksirens and the author for a copy of this book.

In 1987, retired Carl Walker's neighbour, and mailman, Drew tells him about a stash of diamonds hidden since WWII. Their German neighbour, Ursula is one of the few who knows the secret, unfortunately she has dementia.

When the stock market crashes, Carl is left feeling he has no choice but to find those diamonds, thus starting a journey across an international journey, but his trip is complicated by him being followed my a man.

This book starts off as a simple treasure hunt, but we soon learn that under the surface it's so much more, as we delve into Carl's life and past.

A really solid, unique thought provoking book. Looking forward to see what the author will come out with in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and Picador for a copy of this book.

In 7th century Ireland, devout priest and scholar, Artt has a dream telling him to leave the sinful world behind. He takes with him tow monks, young Trian and  old Cormac. They row down the Sionnan (Shannon) in search of a remote island to found a new monastery; they discover an island that we now know as Skellig Michael.

Growing up in the South-west of Ireland myself, the incredible story of the monks and the harsh life they lived on Skellig Michael was something I grew up learning about, so I was very excited to read this.

If you're going into this book with zero prior knowledge of the history of Skellig Michael, Ireland, its mythology and the life of early Christian monks, know that Donoghue will not hold your hand, and researching along the way, may be beneficial to you.

This book is incredibly well researched  (I expected nothing less from Donoghue). I really enjoyed the references to  Irish mythology. A  slow paced story about 3 monks living in isolation could easily be boring, but with Donoghue's writing I found it very compelling and intriguing.

The ending was incredible.

This is a book that will stick with me.