Margo Lanagan

This book reminds me of Maggie Stiefvater's "The Scorpio Races." Not at all because of similar plots, but because of the setting on a small, isolated island presumably somewhere in the British isles.

This is a dark retelling of one of those weirder well-known myths of selkie women who shed their seal skins to live on land as humans. It's full of characters who can be painfully selfish and cruel, who have been twisted by time and loss. We jump between characters and timelines and sometimes show more it's a confusing process, but the many perspectives we get of the characters experiencing the island's dark and alluring magic are worth any temporary confusion.

The prose is beautiful, the character's flawed and well-developed. An excellent take on the myth, and an intriguing story overall. show less

Where to begin? This book was stunning. Absolutely stunning. It's going to be a difficult task to sufficiently describe both the book and why it was so excellent. It's so unlike anything I've read. It's eerie, haunting, atmospheric, stark, rustic, stormy, fascinating,unsettling, tragic, with moments of beauty. The language is gorgeous--Lanagan evokes such beautiful, clear images and emotions with rich, unexpected diction. I loved the mythology that felt like folklore--or rather felt like show more what really happened that then developed into folklore. Bleak though it may have been, Rollrock and its people were vivid, realistic, and unlike anything I've encountered in YA lit.

We witness the spellbinding (pun intended) development of Misskaella from misfit girl into witch, seeing who she really is, where she comes from, and how she becomes who she becomes. We then watch as the consequences of her decisions unfold in fascinating and often sorrowful ways. The story is told from six perspectives, each giving the reader a different view of life on the island, a different view of development of the story. Frankly, I would have been happy to read a novel about each of those characters. (I was especially sad to see Misskaella's section come to a close.) Lanagan often tells her story by implication, making it even more eerie, and more intense as the reader puts together the pieces and experiences the (often heart-breaking) realization of what happened. There is so much meat in this story. I would love to read this with friends and discuss it.

I will say that this is a book that takes some effort to get into. The first chapter I found a bit confusing (and I'm not entirely sure why it was there), but once I got into Misskaella's narrative, that was it. Not a book for everyone, I'd say, but oh, it was masterful. show less

3.5*

"On remote Rollrock Island, the sea-witch Misskaella discovers she can draw a girl from the heart of a seal. So, for a price, any man might buy himself a bride; an irresistibly enchanting sea-wife. But what cost will be borne by the people of Rollrock - the men, the women, the children - once Misskaella sets her heart on doing such a thing?"

I've always been fascinated with the legend of Selkies, ever since seeing the movie The Secret of Roan Inish which is based on the book [b:Secret of show more the Ron Mor Skerry|2295426|Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry|Rosalie K. Fry|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459864579s/2295426.jpg|672792] by Rosalie Fry.

During a reading challenge around Australian Authors I had an opportunity to indulge that interest with Margo Lanagan's Sea Hearts, winner of the 2013 Children's Book Council of Australia's Book of the Year for Older Children.

Sea Hearts is a tale of desire, revenge, loyalty, heartache, loss and weakness with some magic thrown in. All the makings for a great tale.

The prose was beautifully written, though no doubt would be a struggle for younger readers. Even as an adult it took some time to move with the rhythm and flow of the book. It is thought provoking and lyrical and best for kept for when you have time to immerse yourself with intent, rather than a quick, lazy read.

The story is written from the view point of several characters (none from that of a sea-wife) but from their husbands, children and the central character, the witch Misskaella. While I normally do not enjoy a lit of shifting perspectives (as popular as it is becoming these days) this did bring interesting perspectives on the consequences of bringing forth women from the seals.

The book never really addresses the wrong or right of these actions, only urges you to consider the consequences from all angles, showing that the world is never made up of black and whites, just many shades of grey.

There are so many words to describe this book. Dark, Melancholy, Moody, Heartbreaking.

I gave Sea Hearts 3.5* because, although it was a beautiful book, it was at times difficult to read, certainly in the beginning and I felt that ultimately the end was just lacking "something". Its hard to describe what that something is... you know it when you read it.. It leaves you breathless with a sense of disbelief of what you have just read. show less

This is a sad, haunting, achingly lovely novel. On a lonely, rocky, windswept isle that might be off the coast of either Ireland or England, a bitter and heartsore witch conjures beautiful, gentle sea-wives out of seals to enchant the men away from the native women. The story spans a generation as the witch's slow revenge works its way through its tragic course, sometimes surprising even her. Each character is fully formed and their stories are richly told in wonderful, muscular, earthy show more language. Utterly brilliant. show less