Meanwhile, on the wild island of Borneo, an eccentric British 'rajah', Sir Ralph Savage, overflowing with philanthropy but compromised by his passions, sees his schemes relentlessly undermined by his own fragility, by man's innate greed and by the invasive power of the forest itself. I was very much looking forward to this new novel by Rose Tremain and to begin with I thought I would really love it. She creates a delightful character in Irish Clorinda Morrissey who remakes her life in Bath in the 1860s. Then we meet Jane Adeane, who works as a nurse with her father and is known as ‘the Angel of the Baths’. It seemed to me that Tremain was showing us how, in the midst of trouble, illness and despair, there are ‘islands of mercy’ in the small things of life. A friendly hand, a cream tea, sunshine through the mist. This is the sixth Rose Tremain novel I have read. I find her to be a very good historical fiction writer and have found all six novels interesting and satisfying reading experiences. This ambitious novel takes us from Dublin to Bath with Clorinda Morrissey, from Bath to London and Paris with ‘the Angel of Bath’ Jane Adearne and to Borneo with Sir Ralph Savage and Edmund Ross, brother of Valentine Ross, the would be husband of Jane. The year is 1865.

I dont know if I d grab this book to read of my own volition, coz this is not always the genre I prefer, to be honest, but finding out it was narrated by wonderful Katie McGrath, spurred me on to get the audio version of the book. Just started it, but I ll properly comment on it when I finish it... Another gratifyingly well-put-together work... Tremain's long sentences brim with a poised positivity...[and] add lightness to her fond depictions of these imperfect strivers Francesca Carington, Sunday Telegraph, *Novel of the Week* That being said, this book in itself was magnificent. I loved everything about it, from the characters to their different plots and the writing, chefs' kiss. This was my first Tremain book and i am so glad i came across her. I can't really describe it but her writing made me feel some type of way and i want to feel that way again. Der Roman besteht aus vier Teilen, die wiederum aus mehreren kurzen Kapiteln zusammengesetzt sind. Erzählt wird in chronologischer Reihenfolge aus einer Art auktorialer Perspektive. Dabei gibt es verschiedene Erzählstränge, in denen der Leser an wechselnden Schauplätzen die Ereignisse um Jane, Valentine, Edmund und Clorinda verfolgt.

At one point there is even a conversation between Jane and her friends in London, where they discuss literature, a french author's novel is set in a morgue and asks a lot of the reader, not least a strong stomach, they note there is nothing like it in England. Set in late 1800's Ireland, Bath, London and Borneo, this is the story of a community of people whose lives intersect in the town of Bath, a dual narrative of events concerning those who live there and the efforts of two men in Borneo with ambitions slightly at cross purposes.

It highlights some of the issues of that era, but does so with a cast of characters that are not stereotypical, which makes it all the more interesting to read, because it defies expectation and presents an alternate scenario by focusing on those who defy convention, transgressing this straight-laced, Victorian society daring to live in ways outside mainstream society and getting away with it.Islands of Mercy is a superb novel set in the latish 19th.century in a variety of locations; Bath, London, Dublin, Paris, West coast of Ireland and Borneo. It is, first and foremost, a magnificent story. It has a cast list of many, all of whom are fascinating and beautifully drawn. The prose is simple and totally prescriptive and the narrative frequently exciting. Im Fokus des Romans stehen die vorgenannten vier Protagonisten, für die ich mit Ausnahme von Clorinda keine Sympathie aufbringen konnte. Insgesamt fiel es mir schwer, einen Zugang zu den Personen der Geschichte zu finden, weil ein Großteil der Charaktere zwar ungewöhnlich, aber auch ein wenig schablonenhaft wirkt. Gestört habe ich mich auch daran, dass Figuren wie Jane, Valentine und Leon als egoistisch und eingebildet ausgestaltet sind. So gelang es mir nicht, mit den Charakteren mitzufühlen.

Much less mercy is encompassed Dr Valentine Ross, whose own heart is worn away. There are excellent guys: Jane’s dad, Sir William, a medical professional; and Julietta’s other half, Ashton, a publisher. In a scene towards completion Tremain brings them with each other as Julietta hurries upstairs to comfort Jane, breezily prompting Ashton to tell her lover’s dad “guy to guy”, over a glass of cherry, “the entire dreadful story”. Ashton informs some of it, yet can not bring himself to expose all. Sir William, we are informed, was entrusted to the tale “as if told by a writer that disdains to apportion to his characters reason as well as objective”. Such is not Rose Tremain’s method. After this encounter with Valentine, Jane goes to London to spend time with her childless, unmarried, financially independent Aunt Emmilene, an artist. She is like a mother to Jane and it is during this visit that Jane discovers more of the essence of who she is, an aspect captured by her Aunt in a portrait she sits for. The events that unfold create a significant dilemma for Jane, that she must navigate. life, so often so cruel in the way it thrust the human soul into prisons from which there seemed to be no escape, could sometimes place it athwart an open door.” As I reread Tremain's quote above, and wonder about the journey's taken by some of the characters, I realise the irony too in the different paths of what a journey west to east meant. For an ambitious woman travelled from Ireland to England and a man from England to Southeast Asia's Malay archipalego. Beautiful narration and the need to find out how they will develop made this story unputdownable for me.The slightly odd title tells you a lot about what Tremain is doing in this 14th novel. Often at the mercy of forces internal and external, her outcast characters look for places where they can find rest and refuge after a time of suffering. Will they, in turn, extend mercy? The split perspective and the focus on people who have to hide their sexuality are most similar to her Sacred Country. The Victorian tip of the hat is mostly directed, I think, to George Eliot; of recent work, I was reminded of The Doll Factory and The Essex Serpent. I especially liked Jane’s painter aunt, Emmeline, and Clorinda, the Irish woman whose opening of a tearoom sets the plot going. The settings are surprising and vivid, and if Tremain doesn’t quite bring them and their story lines together seamlessly, she is still to be applauded for her ambition. This is probably my joint favorite of her novels that I’ve read so far, with The Road Home.