As is always the case anything by Rose Tremain is a pleasure to read as she is an author at the top of her game.

This was a beautifully written story that veered from place to place and provided wonderful descriptions of Victorian life in Bath and also Borneo, Dublin and Paris.

The main character, Jane, is beautifully drawn and described and her story and her determination to achieve her ambitions moved me greatly.

Highly recommended.

Clorinda Morrissey comes to Bath from Dublin and uses her only family heirloom to buy a teashop. This becomes a great meeting place for Bath society and a local doctor Valentine loves coming to it. He is an energetic young man who wants to marry his senior partner’s daughter Jane. She is known as the angel of the baths using its curing powers to aid recovery of patients.
From this failed attempt to marry Jane events move on to London, Paris and Borneo. We have beautiful lesbian love affair, a self styled Rajah and his manipulative native boyfriend. There is horrific violence and death alongside love and beauty both in London and Borneo as the story moves on to its conclusion.
This is a superb novel beautifully constructed and well told thought out. It is a wonderful read.

I love Rose Tremain's writing and was delighted to have the opportunity to read Islands of Mercy. Unfortunately, however, I really struggled to get involved with this story.

The book is set in 1865 and follows the story of Jane Adeane, who becomes known as the Angel of the Baths thanks to her extraordinary nursing skills. Jane is sure that she has something important to offer and as the story develops we see conflict develop in her life. She attempts to conform to expected roles, but realises that if she is going to follow a path that brings her true happiness she cannot fit in with society.

Meanwhile, in a parallel story, we are taken to Borneo and follow the eccentricities of Sir Ralph Savage, a self-styled 'rajah' and his lover Leon. Personally I couldn't connect with this part of the story at all and just felt it broke the flow of Jane's story. The two stories are nominally linked as the brother of Dr Valentine Ross, who works with Jane's father, finds himself in Borneo, but I found the link tenuous and, for me, the Borneo story jarred against the rest of the narrative.

This book is about relationships; between family members, husbands and wives, friends and lovers. There are many relationships in the book which would have been extraordinary at the time, either for being same sex or between people across social divides. We meet unloved family members and find deep love between people who are unable to acknowledge it publicly.

For me, Clorinda's character really shone out. Like Jane, she wanted to make her mark in life, so she sold a family heirloom and set up a tea shop, which became a focal point of Bath society. But she never fails to be true to herself and her family back in Ireland. And even when very good fortune beckons for her, she is determined still to run the tea shop which is her 'baby'.

There were times I began to get drawn into the story in Bath, but then sadly we kept getting lost in the jungle of Borneo. I am glad so many people have enjoyed this book, but it was not one for me.

I am very grateful to NetGalley and to the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

I have always loved Rose Tremain’s work but I think this one has to be my favourite so far. It is very difficult to say too much about why without spoilers and repeating the plot and my personal ‘hate’ is reviews that are pretty much just high school book reports.
The novel is well researched and historically accurate while also being beautifully cast with characters and driven by a fast paced plot and engaging story. I managed to devour the novel in a day and haven’t stopped thinking about the characters since.
The book manages to have gay main characters without sensationalising it or detracting from what is a truly beautiful and unusual love story. While I’m not sure true happiness lies in wait in Borneo, I think in London that three people will be very happy and in Bath too. Aisling’s introduction to the story was a welcome addition and usually I’d think an author quite mad to add a new strand to the story at the end.
This book will make you think about the nature of love, be that familial or passionate and the sacrifices we are willing to make for those we love and those who love us.

This is a wonderful book and so beautifully written, it grabbed me from the first page and kept me entranced. Spanning Bath, London, Ireland and Borneo, Rose Tremain is at the height of her descriptive powers. This is a book about the power of love, between family members and between lovers; how wonderful and restorative it can be, and how destructive it can be when it is denied. The characters are fascinating and totally original. You feel for them and cheer them on their journey, or watch in horror as their story takes a darker turn. This is a novel I’m sure I will return to again.

Rose Tremain never fails to produce an engaging well-written story and Islands of Mercy is no exception. Set in 1865 Bath it focuses on four main characters and explores their hopes and dreams and their passions and frailties. Their stories are intermingled and as each person seizes their chance and changes their destiny forever you are left pondering their choices and appreciating the story-telling of Rose Tremain.

Rose Tremain's The Road Home is one of my favourite books so I was very interested to read this latest work, 'Islands of Mercy'. The novel, set in 1865, moves between Bath, London, Paris, Dublin, West of Ireland and Borneo, following the intersecting lives of several characters. Chief amongst these is Jane Adearne, a nurse, Sir Ralph Savage, a self-appointed Rajah and Clorinda Morrissey, a businesswoman.

The book is a lovely, flowing read. I was equally interested in all the characters and the female characters in particular were depicted with great nuance. The book is very interested in exploring relationships that were taboo at the time and these feel very realistic and plausible within the context. The various characters all seek safety or happiness in different places or relationships, and these are successful in some cases, and in others, not.

My main criticism would be that the novel feels oddly rootless (like an island?). There are only the loosest of links between the characters, and some float into focus towards the end, and some float out, so you don't really know how or why they make a coherent whole. Nevertheless, a very enjoyable and immersive read.

Rose Tremain writes well. Here she takes us from Ireland to Bath to Borneo to London exploring how lives unfold and the motivations behind the charcaters’ actions. Strong women dominate and two of the central characters are gay, so whilst this is set in the past it has a very 21st century feel.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy.

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.

First of all, this is extremely well written as you would expect from a writer of the calibration of Rose Tremain. It beautifully and almost forensically reflects the times - it’s social mores, beliefs, attitudes, the scientific understanding and medical beliefs in particular, as this is intrinsic to the storytelling. The female characters are admirable- I love Clorinda’s work ethic and desire to overcome the poverty and famine of her native Ireland, I love Jane’s independence and unconventionality which is at total odds with the times, something she perhaps inherits from her artist Aunt Emmeline. The Male characters are less likeable with perhaps the exception of Jane’s father Sir William Adearne an eminent Bath surgeon. Valentine Ross gets less and less likeable as the book progresses as he perceives he will not be able to control Jane. I’m not sure what to make of The Rajah Sir Ralph Savage who is so rich he spends his money on pointless things just because he can - maybe that’s the point! All the characters are searching for something that’s possibly elusive and unattainable - be it love (whether of the kind at odds with society at the time), friendship, freedom, some are ambitious and ruthless in seeking their desires but all are trying to survive the constraints of the times and circumstances. There are some lovely descriptions of places especially Bath, London and the Paris of Haussmann but I found it harder to engage with Borneo. This is also true of the storytelling set in Borneo which I find less interesting and overlong.

Overall, it’s Jane's story I love the most. I like everything about her from her 6’ 2” stature, her independence and unconventional attitude to life which is a pretty tricky thing in the reign of Victoria!

With thanks to NetGalley and Random House, UK, Vintage (Chatto and Windus) for the ARC.

Having long been a lover of Rose Tremain’s work, the opportunity to read Islands of Mercy was greatly appreciated, and the writing of this national treasure is as strong, beautiful and engrossing as ever. The characters here are vividly drawn and engender strong likes and dislikes - the main protagonist, Jane, is an unusual woman in Victorian England, being both exceptionally tall and attracted to women. The main villain (the man who wants to marry Jane) is a very nasty piece of work and the story is peopled with other marvellously convincing and varied characters, with their compassion, love, hatred and prejudice, all wrapped up in wonderful story telling. The book is set in London, Bath, Paris, Borneo and Ireland and Tremain’s descriptions of place leap off the page in vivid pictures - the colours, smells, tastes and textures in the writing could not be more real. The several strands of story here are brought together with a skill that leaves the reader both bereft when the book is finished, and in awe of the author’s skill.

I have been a fan of Rose Tremain since her book The Road Home and love her writing style which sweeps you into a story of characters you will not forget.
This book for me was full of a cast of characters I loved and the story moved from Bath to London, Ireland and Borneo. What I like is that through her writing you get a clear feel for the place and time as a History teacher I relish this experience.
My favourite character was Clorinda, an Irish Immigrant escaping the famine who comes to Bath to set up a tea room. For me she was self-determined ambitious woman with such a caring side and her story could easily have been factual, it left me wondering if there really could have been a Clorinda who achieved success. I hope and imagine that was so
Themes of love in this book span same sex relationships and for the end of the 19th century was a taboo subject amongst huge sections of the British public.
I enjoyed this book and for readers who like a cast of characters whose experiences take you to a different time and a multitude of places then this is for you.
As always Rose Tremain sweeps you away.
Many Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book for an honest review.

Islands of Mercy is a brilliant book. Covering places from Dublin, Paris, Borneo and Bath with the main 4 characters so well defined and are visible to your minds eye with ease. I could have read this novel in one sitting (if only time would allow me to) it is a rich delight of a story with intriguing characters that keep you guessing. The story is well told with a constant interest. I do not remember ever reading Rose Tremain before and I shall now seek out her books. A great read, loved it.

The story follows the fortunes of several people in Victorian England, moving from Bath to London to Borneo. The central character, Jane Adeane, is the daughter of a renowned doctor, Sir William Adeane, in Bath, who works as his nurse, treating patients in the thermal baths and at her father's surgery, Having turned down a marriage proposal from her father's colleague, she goes to London to stay with her Aunt Emmeline, an artist and fiercely independent woman. There she meets Julietta Sims, with whom she embarks on an affair, falling deeply in love and realising that she could never be happy married to Valentine Ross. A parallel story follows Edmund Ross, Valentine's brother, on his adventures in Borneo and Sarawak, where he encounters the eccentric homosexual Sir Ralph Savage.
A series of dramas and events lead to an ultimately bleak ending for most, but happiness for some...
Enjoyable, but not gripping, with characters who were at times compelling, but at others, not entirely believable

Islands of Mercy is an enjoyable read that spans from Victorian Bath, to Paris - and all the way to the island of Borneo. Following a series of interconnected characters, the book was very much about people seeking to find things - whether contentment in themselves; the ideology of other people; or a different kind of life in a whole new place.

It's a good book - the characters are strong and described in a way that makes them pop in your imagination - I liked this a lot and found that the style kept me engaged throughout. I found that because there are a lot of interlinking tales, some of them weren't as strong for me and I felt didn't necessarily add to the overall plot.

Something I liked a lot was the portrayal of the Victorian era and particularly the consideration for their morbid fascination - the way bodies are described, the portrayal of the Paris Morgue and the references towards surgical procedures felt stylistically really accurate and communicated the melodrama of the time.

An enjoyable read that takes your mind all around the world.

There are several intertwined stories in this book. They all involve strong themes of love and sexuality. It is cleverly plotted, and the historical setting is well-depicted in the manners, dress, gender inequalities and medical practices of the time. However, I did not engage with any of the characters and skimmed some of the more descriptive parts of the narrative. Rose Tremain is an accomplished author but this one is not to my taste, unfortunately.

I loved this! This a story of self determination and life paths chosen; what are the driving forces of our lives? What motivates? What holds us back? The characters are well drawn, the settings, Ireland, Bath and Borneo. The women seem stronger than the men, capable of rolling with life’s punches, while the men seem rather ineffectual. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

I really enjoyed Islands of Mercy. It was a calm, slow and meandering story split into different narratives. I very much enjoyed the two leading ladies stories both so different yet drawn together. I loved to hate Valentine Ross, was drawn to Jane and her awakening with her beautiful French lover, enjoyed Chlorinda journey and didn't really know what to feel about the rajah and his never ending fight for success.

This book is quite long and slow paced but will take you on a journey from London to Borneo, Ireland to Bath and into a story of love, passion, strength and weakness.

What a rich cast of characters and broad variety of locations is here brought to life by strong characterisation and vivid description. All of the senses are engaged, sound being strong, smell being overwhelming from sweet perfume to the stench of disease.

The disparate story lines at first felt disjointed but were all skilfully woven together, with the breathless unravelling and the many surprises lasting until the very last page.

So much powerful human emotion is here, love turned to hate by jealousy, empathy, greed, lust for power, compassion, joy, despair. Relationships, both loving and troubled within families and between couples are exposed and explored. Adult behaviour has its roots, for example, in feelings of being the less favoured child, and finally another less favoured child escapes to a happy life.

This is a story of the best and worst of human nature ending with a powerful sense of hope. A truly satisfying book which has what many do not: a beginning, a middle and an end.

It a universal human experience to wonder about the paths we chose to take in life and whether or not we have made the right decisions. How much of our choice is fate and how much are we our own agents in our own destiny? I thought Rose Tremain explored these ideas both literally through the walking of paths, roads and streets but also metaphorically through her exploration of society, culture and gender roles.
The story, set in 1845, follows predominately the life of Jane Adeane, the dutiful daughter of renowned Bath doctor William Adeane. She rejects a marriage proposal from her father’s colleague Valentine Ross quite early on in the novel which immediately establishes the fact that Jane is someone unconventional and as someone who is willing to follow her own path in life. Her relationship with her aunt Emmeline, herself a bohemian character who lives alone and spends her time painting and welcoming the London cultural elite into her home, is one of the most sympathetically drawn within the novel.
Indeed it is the women who seem to have agency within this text, from Clorinda Morrissey who escaped famine in Ireland to create her own tea business in Bath to Julietta Sims who enjoys apparent freedom within her marriage to indulge in relationships with women, forming a close and lasting bond with Jane. All these women drive and push forward along their paths whilst the men, particularly in the form of the Ross brothers, lose their way and actively leave the path with disastrous consequences. I felt Rose Tremain’s narrative was thoroughly researched, crossing many cultures and continents, it also cast all the characters in complex and sympathetic ways. There are no villains here but rather a contemplation of the how we deal with the storms and obstacles in life that may take us away from the path set out before us.

.Rose Tremain ambitiously covers massive themes of loyalty, betrayal, guilt and love and a huge amount of geographical and emotional ground In ‘Islands of Mercy’. And she writes some exquisite passages of description, particularly of wildlife in SE Asia and weather in all its variety. A rich text, indeed.
The main focus of interest for me, was nurse Jane Adeane ‘Angel of the baths’ in Victorian spa city, Bath where she is regarded with awe by those in need of healIng. On a visit to her beloved Bohemian artist aunt, she falls for the devastatingly beautiful socialite Julietta and abandons conventional Victorian expectations of respectability.
Even more exotic is the ‘love’ between White Rajah Sir Ralph Savage and materially ambitious houseboy Leon in Borneo. And then there’s Clorinda who mothers everyone and brings married bliss to Jane's elderly Sir William, and solvency to her Irish brother. Oh, and Valentine Ross who proposes to Jane early in the novel and then recklessly heads off to Borneo to search for his brother Edmund.

All these plot strands are linked, but the overall effect for me is a bit of a tangle. An over-egged pudding, maybe from an excellent writer

My thanks to @NetGalley and @ChattoandWindusUKVintage for my free pre-release download.