The Hollow Sea elegantly interweaves the stories of two women haunted by hope and loss. Eloquent and moving, with a touch of folklore, this is a beautiful, hopeful tale Heart-wrenching, haunting, and ultimately hopeful too. Extraordinary. Beautiful, thought-provoking and woven through with folklore and myth, a n utterly absorbing read that will touch your heart. Magnificent. Unforgettable. Fiercely original . . . a really powerful, provocative and original debut The weather has such a human quality to it, even when it’s calm, it’s like a coiled spring ready to snap, but when it gets angry, it holds all the power. The way Annie has managed to depict several storms in such different ways is amazing. Surely, once you’ve read one storm scene, you’ve read them all, but this book gives them their own characteristics.

In the 1950s he wrote some of "his finest novels", Closed Harbour (1952), The Welsh Sonata (1954), Levine (1956), and An End and a Beginning (1958), the final volume of the Furys sequence. [30] Characters in extreme situations is also the subject these novels of Hanley's maturity, where the male protagonists, following some trauma, are both unemployed and isolated from family and society. [31]The Hollow Sea itself, turbulent and unpredictable, plays a key role in Scottie’s search: at times frustrating; at times bringing things to a head. I loved the concept of superimposing the "hollow sea" to Scottie's desperate search for motherhood. I also loved the author's sheer imaginativeness, making up a whole new species of shapeshifters, and creating their own unique lore and folk tales from scratch. An atmospheric tale, shot through with folklore. The writing shimmers' KATE SAWYER, Costa shortlisted author of The Stranding After several years trying to become a mother, Scottie has made the heart-breaking decision to leave her home and her husband in search of a fresh start. Upon her arrival on St Hia, the islanders warn her against asking questions about Thordis - but Scottie can''t resist the mystery of what happened to the woman whose story became legend.

Shadows before Sunrise (drama, about the Russian composer Moussorgsky). BBC Radio, Home Service, 6 December 1942.Temple University, Philadelphia: An important collection of Hanley BBC Radio and TV scripts, together with all the later letters from John Cowper Powys to Hanley. After several years trying to become a mother, Scottie has made the heart-breaking decision to leave her home and her husband in search of a fresh start. Upon her arrival on St Hia, the islanders warn her against asking questions about Thordis - but Scottie can't resist the mystery of what happened to the woman whose story became legend.

Byron again shows his realization of the emotional requirements of good storytelling when he turns almost abruptly from the pathos of Haidée's brief but happy experience of love to a sardonic description of the opera company whose treacherous impresario had sold them as a group into slavery. Island idylls are few and brief, Byron is telling his readers, but misfortune of one kind or another is the common lot of man and may be expected momentarily. There is quite a lot of folklore in this and I’m in two minds. I like myths and legends so I would have liked a bit more of that, but you don’t want to stray into complete fantasy territory, as that would have ruined the majesty of the narrative, which is so perfect. I believe the conclusion of The Hollow Sea may be a divisive one. By never confirming that the more fantastical, mythological, parts of St Hia are real or imagined, Kirby opens herself to acceptance (or otherwise) of the ending, based on which side the reader fell on. While the conclusion of Scottie’s arc feels fitting if the fantastical aspects are taken as purely metaphorical, this is not the case if they are taken verbatim. In this case, the mythological is lost in the conclusion, which is somewhat underwhelming. The ending of The Hollow Sea is a sudden one, and does feel somewhat rushed which may help explain its underwhelming arc. Spending longer on the final act of the novel may have perfected Scottie’s development and offer better justification of her final choices. Thordis lived on the Island of Bride with her fisherman husband. When she cannot give him a child, he and the islanders accuse her of being a witch, and he abandons her to marry another. Beautifully written with a hint of mythology and well-drawn characters, this is a captivating story of love and loss that will stay with you'' Candis

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Mesmerising, lyrical and utterly enchanting The Hollow Sea pulled me in as tenderly as the tides which crash around these isolated islands. Sensitively described with a wonderfully creative edginess both Scottie and Thordis have their flaws but it is these very differences which binds their stories together and the result is something quite, quite special. Scottie and her husband are desperate to start a family but the emotional effects of failed IVF attempts have left Scottie exhausted and in need of a new beginning. Leaving her bewildered husband behind, Scottie travels to the remote island of St Hia to take part in the annual seal count and it is in this isolated place where Scottie starts to learn more about herself and the secrets of her past. A heart-rending atmospheric novel of finding what makes one whole'' Melissa Fu, author of Peach Blossom Spring The setting on a remote British island is evocative and strongly anchors the book with the sense of place vital to the book’s heart .i would have loved to have read this book staring out to sea but instead I was probably as far from the ocean that you can get .The book transported me so well that I felt I could hear the gulls and smell the brine As Scottie’s search for identity and healing continues to take unexpected twists and turns, the past is gradually pieced together through the interlinked stories, using a mix of voices and folklore and sensory detail, while Scottie’s journey towards some form of acceptance is sensitively and heartbreakingly portrayed. The Hollow Sea

Liverpool City Library: A large number of letters to James Hanley, notably a major collection from John Cowper Powys, as well as small collections from T E Lawrence, E M Forster and Storm Jameson. Also a selection of press cuttings and a number of Hanley's books. Scottie and her husband Jasminder, are trying for a baby. They are on the IVF cycle of hope and disappointment. Scottie decides that enough is enough, and she makes plans to join a Seal counting group in the North Atlantic waters. Scottie is intrigued by an island she saw on line, St Hia, it reminds her of previous memories, that she doesn’t know much about, due to being adopted at the age of eight.

When Scottie reaches the island, memories begin to be recovered, and a deep and unsettling story is uncovered. An incredibly beautiful story, shot through with shimmering myth, sorrow and hope Polly Crosby, author of The Illustrated Child Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review. Many years ago an Icelandic teenage girl, Thoradis, was swept off her feet by a fisherman, he lived on St Hia, she runs away to be with him. But life doesn’t turn out how she expects it to. A local character from Llanfechain was also the source of the central character, Rhys, in The Welsh Sonata (1954), which was Hanley’s first full-length novel with a Welsh setting. [56] This novel marks an important step forward in Hanley’s attempt to give form to his feelings about Wales. The Welsh Sonata is narrated from the perspective of Welsh characters, and Hanley occasional uses Welsh words, and he employs, at times, a poetic style. [57]