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A review by amymariedoug
Islands of Mercy by Rose Tremain
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.
This book is nothing less than a work of art. Through out the novel we follow a multitude of characters from Bath to Dublin to London to Paris to Borneo - their lives all connected yet disjointed somehow.
The strength of this novel is undoubtedly Jane Adeane, who is struggling between her relationship with her female lover and the societal pressure to marry a man (specifically, a Doctor Valentine Ross). At 6"2, she is an extraordinary woman who is famous for her 'healing touch.' I very much enjoyed her chapters and she made for a wonderful protagonist.
I found myself less interested in Valentine's adventures in Borneo with his brother Edmund and found the structure of the novel a little confusing at times. Nevertheless, this is definitely still worth a read whether you love historical fiction or not. You can tell that Tremain has taken great care to weave the elements of the story together and for that, the novel deserves all the praise that it receives.
This book is nothing less than a work of art. Through out the novel we follow a multitude of characters from Bath to Dublin to London to Paris to Borneo - their lives all connected yet disjointed somehow.
The strength of this novel is undoubtedly Jane Adeane, who is struggling between her relationship with her female lover and the societal pressure to marry a man (specifically, a Doctor Valentine Ross). At 6"2, she is an extraordinary woman who is famous for her 'healing touch.' I very much enjoyed her chapters and she made for a wonderful protagonist.
I found myself less interested in Valentine's adventures in Borneo with his brother Edmund and found the structure of the novel a little confusing at times. Nevertheless, this is definitely still worth a read whether you love historical fiction or not. You can tell that Tremain has taken great care to weave the elements of the story together and for that, the novel deserves all the praise that it receives.