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Dinsdag 14 maart '23 stond voor mij in het teken van de verschijning van 'Het wilde eiland', van Karen Swan, het allereerste deel in haar gloednieuwe, gelijknamige en vooral historische reeks. Ik mocht van de uitgeverij al een exemplaar ontvangen en ik kan je zeggen: de auteur stelt wederom niet teleur! Throughout the many hours listening I was kept hooked and I didn't want this to end! Especially like it did! Literally a cliff hanger - excuse the pun! The author certainly leaving us wanting more and I do hope we get to find out who owned the brooch. I actually want to relisten to see if there are any hidden clues! This time, the place is the isle of St. Kilda, an isolated island belonging to Scotland, in the 1930s. The story begins shortly before the evacuation of the inhabitants of the island, whose small population, only a few dozen people, is fighting for survival in a centuries-old way, isolated from many of the modern amenities. The book was inspired by real events. A delicious romantic tale of wild 1930s Scotland . . . perfect for everyone dreaming of summer' – Rachel Hore
Not only shops and trees but new rules and discrimination never known to Effy before and yes she causes chaos! I'm a fan of Karen Swan's books, always enjoying her flowing prose full of descriptive sentences that allow readers to really immerse themselves in the setting, as well as the story. She is an author that I am very glad to have discovered. I’m a fan of Karen Swan’s novels, enjoying the flowing prose filled that allows the reader to lose themselves in the setting as well as the story and appreciate a real sense of place. In The Last Summer the setting is St Kilda and the Scottish mainland in the 1930s. The tale is told through the eyes of Effie (Euphemia) Gillies, young and strong-willed who, when Lord Sholto, heir to the Earl of Dumfries visits, shows him around the isle as his guide, imparting her knowledge of the birds and nature. Admiring Effie, Lord Sholto finds her more than a source of information, and Effie, too, is smitten; they are drawn together until circumstances force them apart.
Publication Order of St Kilda Books
Summer on St Kilda – a wild, remote Scottish island. In the 1930s, t wo strangers from drastically different worlds meet . . . Wild-spirited Effie Gillies has lived all her life on the small island of St Kilda. But when Lord Sholto, heir to the Earl of Dumfries, visits, the attraction between them is instant. For one glorious week she guides the handsome young visitor around the isle, falling in love for the first time – until a storm hits and her world falls apart. Despite romance seemingly the focus initially, all is definately not what it seems and the reader's endure an unforgettable adventure with fun, sadness hardships and so much laughter and unpredictability even a pet cheetah & food fights! There’s a little in this for everyone – there’s a mystery that runs through the second half of the story, where someone meets their demise and there are investigations into it. There’s also a bit of romance although I’m not really sure about that portion of the story. I actually thought a much better match for Effie came from one of the men working for the Earl, as I never really warmed to the one that seemed to be end game. I just really didn’t like the way Effie was treated at certain stages and felt like the excuses for such things were very poor (but to be honest, probably not unrealistic).
Such delightful writing, this book has everything! Romance, history, mystery, period drama, comedy & lots lots more.... (Warnings re sexual harassment & animal death). Powerful writing and a wonderful premise make this a novel you’ll simultaneously want to savour and race through. I loved it and can’t wait for the next in the series!' – Jill Mansell Independent I so enjoyed The Last Summer by Karen Swan, which provides fascinating details about life on St Kilda prior to the evacuation of its inhabitants from the island. Powerful writing and a wonderful premise make this a novel you’ll simultaneously want to savour and race through. I loved it and can’t wait for the next in the series!Life is hard for the villagers on the island but it's the only life 18 year old Effie Gillies has known. Effie is wild and determined she has had to work as hard as the men to help support her ailing father. With the subsequent evacuation of the residents to the mainland, the story then moves to a story line very similar to watching Downton Abbey! We have the gentry of which Sholto belongs and the staff downstairs. There is plenty of adventure and action in this second half of the book: a dead body found on the evacuated St Kilda and plenty of secrets. The Last Summer by Karen Swan and audiobook Narrated by Katie Leung is an excellent historical fiction that takes us into the lives of those living and leaving St Kilda during the 1930s, and I just loved it.
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