“Stray beams shard through gaps in the vast sky. The clouds shift, the light tints the Great Skellig brown, then grey, then green, as if God’s nib is inking in an illustration. Land and sea like opposite pages, intricate and bejewelled with colour, in a book laid open for all to read.”

Haven is the twelfth novel by Irish-born Canadian author, Emma Donoghue. During his stay at Cluain Mhic Nois monastery by the River Sionan on the Isle of Hibernia, Artt, a priest, scholar and hermit whose reputation for piety and conversion precedes him, cannot help but notice how poorly many of the monks, even the Abbot, observe their vows of poverty and chastity. He notes their greed, laziness, spite and lust with distaste.

Perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise, then, when the Lord speaks to him in a dream, ordering him to “withdraw from the world. To set out on pilgrimage with two companions, find this island, and found a monastic retreat”

The Abbot is a bit puzzled at just whom the Lord has instructed him to take along: instead of a dozen strong, seasoned men of middle years, he will take only the old lyre player, Cormac with his dented head, and the young red-haired piper, Trian; one practical, one a bit of a dreamer.

Within days they are sailing down the Sionan and out to sea, in search of their deserted island. Indeed by sail and oar, their craft arrives at a pair of skelligs, both inhospitable except to many species of sea birds, the larger deemed by the Prior as their destination. Their meagre supplies are carried to the tiny habitable patch, and a source of water located. Only a single tree, a stunted rowan, adorns this barren place.

Artt insists they do not overload their little boat with unnecessary equipment and provisions, ensuring that, within weeks they run short of supplies and need to improvise for food, fuel, quills and candles. This requires them to be resourceful, although Artt declares that God always provides (inspiration, perhaps? serendipity?) for his devotees.

Trian is filled with wonder as “Swallows wheel and cavort overhead in shrill numbers, the odd little brown flyer dipping low enough to beak an insect off the water between one wingbeat and the next. Now the whole mass forms a spiralling, swirling cloud, speckling then darkening into a winged shape that smears like ink, rips and dissolves again. So many! What can drive them to flock in such urgent numbers, to form one great bird shape of their countless pointed bodies?”

The young monk’s love of nature means that he is disturbed by the amount of bird killing he is required to do to provide food, then fuel and eventually light. He is often hungry. And he misses playing his pipe. Cormac’s pragmatism sees him frustrated every time a suggestion for a useful construction is overridden. Their Prior may be learned, but seems naïve about survival, and spends long hours in silent meditation.

Having vowed obedience to their Prior, Cormac and Trian shelve their doubts about some of Artt’s decisions. When he insists that a stone cross, an altar, a chapel and the copying of religious texts take precedence over food and shelter, one might wonder if his priorities are skewed by his godliness: is the man devoted, mad or a bit of both?

Privation and suffering can be offered up to God, but winter approaches and the birds are departing: can the trio survive?

The triple narrative provides three very different perspectives on the challenges the men face and their thoughts reveals their very human flaws: even holy men can be plagued by vanity and pride, anger and guilt, cruelty, rigid self belief, lack of charity, and rejection of criticism. And doubt, plenty of doubt.

Donoghue’s extensive research into life in the seventh Century is apparent on every page: fascinating details like portable fire, a river vessel, crafting equipment and constructing stone buildings are subtly woven into the narrative. She conveys her era and setting with exquisite descriptive prose. Her imagined establishing of Skellig Michael is brilliant.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Pan Macmillan Picador.

I adored Room and had high hopes for this book but sadly it was a little slow for my liking and the bleak island setting, and journey to reach it, was not the escapism I was hoping for.

Emma's writing is as beautiful as ever though so it is one I will revisit when I'm looking for a slow burn story.

I really enjoyed 'Akin', 'Room' and 'The Pull of the Stars' - all of which are totally unique and different from each other, so I was looking forward to reading 'Haven'. This book is a slow-burner with an unexpected twist towards the end and was worth persevering with where the narrative slowed.

The story is essentially the story of Artt, a monk who has a vision in a dream that he must leave the priory with two other monks to found a new colony. Three men set sail to drift aimlessly until God's will is revealed to Artt, the new master. The other two monks who accompany Artt: Trian and Cormac have taken an oath to do as commanded for as long as they serve their new master.

It is soon clear that Artt is fanatical about his purpose and makes some extreme choices about their future. Trian and Cormac have good combined knowledge of how to survive, but when they are forced to try and exist on a deserted island of impenetrable bedrock, their faith and oath begin to waver.

The setting of this book is stunning and well written; however, the pace is slow and I found it hard to like the character of Artt at all. The book is gritty and requires a strong stomach at times - as they have to make some awful choices to survive. There is no end to Artt's faith and desire for God to direct him.

Glad I read this, but it was tough going at times. 3.5 stars from me! Not one for nature lovers!

I’ve read four books by Emma Donoghue now and each one has been completely different from the one before! Haven is a particularly unusual novel and even after finishing it I’m still not quite sure what I really think of it.

The setting is 7th century Ireland and the novel begins with a stranger arriving at the monastery of Cluain Mhic Nóis on the banks of the River Shannon. His name is Artt and he claims to have had a dream, a vision sent by God, showing himself and two other monks founding a monastic retreat on a remote island. Artt persuades the Abbot to let him take a small boat and go in search of the island, accompanied by two other monks: the elderly Cormac, who came to religion late in life after losing his loved ones to plague, and Trian, a young man given to the monastery by his parents as a child. The three monks set off in the boat and eventually come to the uninhabited rocky island of Skellig Michael, where they prepare to live in seclusion together for the rest of their lives.

There’s really not much more to the plot than that, but what could have been an extremely boring book is surprisingly absorbing in the hands of Emma Donoghue. I found it interesting to see how the three men set about establishing their own little settlement on the island and how different their views were on what is necessary for survival. Skellig Michael is a harsh, remote and inhospitable place; looking at photos, I can’t imagine what it would have been like to live there, but monks (not the ones in the novel, who are fictional) really did build a monastery there and it’s now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Cormac, the most practical of the three, believes that their immediate priority should be to build shelter for themselves ready for the winter, but Artt – or ‘the Prior’ as he now calls himself – insists that there will be time for this later and that their time should first be spent on constructing an altar, a chapel and a stone cross. Meanwhile Trian is kept busy fishing and capturing the puffins and other seabirds that will provide them with meat and eggs, as well as fuel and fat for candles. I should tell you that there are a lot of graphic descriptions of gutting fish and killing birds, which I felt became repetitive and excessive – but I think maybe Donoghue has a message here for us, a warning regarding humans’ destruction of the environment and the wildlife that shares our planet.

I disliked Artt more and more as the story progressed and he became increasingly fanatical and adamant that ‘God would provide’, refusing to listen to the concerns of the other two monks. I also found my attention wandering whenever Cormac began to tell one of his many stories about the saints. The ideal reader for this book would have a much stronger interest in Christianity than I do, I think! There’s a revelation near the end which I had suspected all along, and although it came as no surprise to me, it does provide a turning point in the story – but just as things were starting to get exciting, the book ended. It’s a strange novel, as I said, and won’t necessarily appeal to people who’ve enjoyed Emma Donoghue’s other books (it’s nothing like the other three I’ve read – Room, Frog Music or The Wonder), but it’s a short, quick read and worth picking up if anything I’ve said about it has piqued your interest!

In 'Haven' by Emma Donoghue, Artt, a visitor at Cluain Mhic Nois monastery, is considered by many as a living saint. He fasts while the others bend the rules about what they can eat, and challenges the Abbott about the monks lifestyle and wealth. When he has a prophetic dream that he and two monks, Tirian and Cormac, will sail across the ocean to found a monastery on a deserted island, the Abbot is happy to let them go. Particularly as Cormac received his calling late and has an unknown number of years left, and Tirian is considered as strange. For Artt the new monastery will be a sanctuary from the nine evils: price, vanity, anger, envy, avarice, lust, gluttony, apathy and sadness. However, on the deserted island with little food and resources, his willingness to die whenever God wills it doesn't consider the other two people under his leadership.

Donoghue is a brilliant writer who can convey a huge amount in a few sentences. Themes of fanaticism, obedience and loyalty are all explored here, and whilst this is a very different novel to her most famous 'Room,' this also includes issues around isolation and how people can become conditioned to their circumstances. I particularly like novels where different perspectives are presented and I really enjoyed getting to know the backstories of the three protagonists. Donoghue also gives a strong sense of place, both in terms of location and of the time this is set in. This novel does not disappoint.

I'm so in awe of Donoghue's ability of writing about so very different and varied subjects and always with such competence and mastery!
Even if Haven wouldn't be my usual choice of a book, I have to acknoledge its beauty which resides firstly in the exceptionally skilled writing, secondly in the amount of research the author put into it and lastly in the competence of her characters' creation.
Great book!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't normally pick up books set in 7th Century, but when something is so well written, you are less inclined to worry about the setting etc. The story follows Artt, a revered scholar and holy man, who has a dream about casting off and setting up a holy community on an island untouched by the sins of man with just 2 other monks. Once they get there, they have to balance the priorities of doing God's work and survival. Artt is pretty unlikeable, but it is balanced with the sweetness of Tirian and the pragmatism of Cormac.

On the surface, there is not much to the plot and it sounds a bit dull, but it is filled with gorgeous descriptions and is an interesting meditation on religion, devotion, fanaticism, interpretation, belief and what it takes to survive.

Teachers - would make a fabulous extract to look at language skills. There is nothing content wise that makes it inappropriate to students, but I imagine that any under a mature Yr10 just wouldn't really get it...!

This was a good premise: 2 monks and Artt, the Prior, heading to a deserted island in 7th century Ireland to establish a small community as the result of God telling Artt to do so in a dream.
The beginning was interesting detailling how they survived and the flora and fauna of the island, but, after a while, I felt the story dragged and Artt became increaingly unpleasant and the monks more downtrodden and hungry. The "twist" was very unexpected and seemed to come out of nowhere without any obvious reason for it.
I was a bit disappointed at the end that the author just referenced too many historians to mention rather than providing references should any of her readers want to find out more.
Thank you to netgalley and Pan Macmillan for an advance copy of this book

This novel has all the hallmarks of what makes Donoghue so great. Her isolated tiny cast of characters, beautiful descriptive prose, and exploration of issues to do with faith, sexuality, truth, and identity.

This is almost fable-like novel discusses the prejudices of Church and religion contrasting them brilliantly with the dedicated faith of the pilgrims who set up religious communities on the islands of Ireland and Scotland. How deviation from the love, peace and honesty leads to corruption and bigotry.

Although this book is quite short it did drag a little in the second half, but it packs a powerful punch at the end.

This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

“This island is a ship to heaven, and they won’t founder no matter the weather.”

Haven tells the story of three 7th century Irish monks who, following a vision in a dream of their new Prior, Artt, set off down to seek out an uninhabited island off Ireland’s southwest coast. What they find is Great Skellig, off the coast of present day County Kerry, inhabited only by thousands upon thousands of seabirds. How will Artt, Cormac and Trian survive on this island, never previously touched by humankind?

I was excited by the prospect of a novel set on what is now known as Skellig Michael, having visited there in August 2014 myself - just before the Star Wars hysteria took hold. The island is magical: far enough away from the mainland that you feel you could be somewhere other than Ireland, and the stone beehive huts truly look like something from a film set

Emma Donoghue has an impressive way of turning her hand to so many diverse topics. This latest imagining of the first landing on Skellig Michael has clearly been thoroughly researched. While not much is known on what exactly that landing looked like, Donoghue has provided insight in to the lives of 7th century monks and created three fascinating characters, who evoked various emotions in me, ranging from love to loathing.

It can be slow moving in places, but I was captivated by their modes of survival and the push and pull of Artt’s oft over-exuberant piety with his followers. I am not sure if a lot of my interest stemmed from my personal experience of visiting the island, but I would say anyone who enjoys historical fiction will enjoy this novel.

As a great admirer of Donoghue’s writing, I was very excited to read this, her latest novel. The premise is intriguing — three monks setting out in search of an island untouched by mankind, where they can devote themselves entirely to God — and I was drawn to the sixth century setting. Donoghue is always unpredictable, so I was prepared for something a bit different.

Unfortunately, ‘different’ turned out to be ‘boring’.

There is surprisingly little in the way of plot or storytelling in this book, so there is nothing to hold your attention. It’s clear that Donoghue has undertaken extensive research in order to authentically portray the monks’ sea journey and their life on the barren rock they end up on. But there is only so much you can read about foraging for food, killing birds, saying prayers, and singing psalms before your eyes glaze over.

Granted, there were some interesting tidbits about the brothers’ resourcefulness in such an unforgiving environment. And maybe even a subtle lesson about how we could better manage our own resources. But, I found it really hard, as a non-religious person, to relate in any way to men who would willingly subject themselves to such subservience and grinding hardship.

My interest picked up a little towards the end, with the shift in the group dynamic and the twist that turned out to the only plot point. This darker turn was unsettling and welcome, but came too late to lift the story out of the doldrums.

That said, Donoghue’s prose is as lyrical and evocative as ever, and this experience will not deter me from reading future work.

This was breathtaking. I have loved everything Emma Donoghue has written- she seems to thrive in tales of poignancy and extremes.

The story of religious fervour in three disparate characters who leave a monastery to seek an isolated island on which to found a new holy place to dedicate to God had me transfixed throughout. The descriptions of Skellig Michael are vivid and compelling; the bleak reality of how humans somehow always manage to ruin what they claim to revere even more powerful when seen through the eyes of innocent and helpless Trian or weary, compassionate Cormac.

I can’t recommend this more enthusiastically. I’m still trying to swallow past the lump in my throat an hour after finishing it.

A rather wild variation on ‘three men in a boat ‘, this novel is set in 7th century Ireland, where three monks, one of whom is fanatically religious to an extent that often threatens to be fatal, set off in a small boat to found a religious retreat on whichever island the good Lord sees fit to land them on. This turns out to be an inhospitable rock in the ocean, covered with birds and their excrement and without the means to support the men physically. Although two of the monks have pledged to follow their Prior (the fanatical one) their lives become more and more difficult and bizarre as the brief season for growing food turns into autumn then the privations of winter. The book is absolutely beautifully written, in an appealing, contemplative style and although is slow moving, it kept this reader hooked until the final word - it was almost like coming out of a trance when the book ended.

Having read her previous novels I was excited to get hold of an advanced copy of "Haven', and liked the idea of three religious men setting out to found their own sacred place. However the book rather failed to live up to expectations. I found some of the details interesting but the constant fighting and killing of the seabirds, whilst it might have been necessity for the brothers, was rather hard to stomach as a reader.
The plot moved along fairly slowly, although the novel is short. The big reveal at the end is barely hinted at earlier on and came as rather a bolt from the blue to me. I thoroughly disliked the leader and scholar Artt, who may have seen himself as driven, but came across as extremely selfish and somewhat spiteful.
So overall an interesting story idea but the actual fiction failed to grip me in the way the author's previous work has.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for an. arc copy..

This book sounded really unusual and I loved the sound it from the blurb: in sixth century Ireland, three monks depart on a voyage to found a new monastery on an island which will be free of sin, after one of them has a vision of himself in a boat with the other two men. It starts off rather idealistic and enthusiastic, as you would expect, with the devout men going about their tasks to prepare for the journey, even though it means leaving behind a lot of the small comforts they are used to. But slowly the plot devolves into something altogether more mean and sinister: forced to survive off on an unforgiving island with little in the way of natural resources, the chosen monks are tested to the very limits of their faith. I wasn’t fully expecting the turn the book took, and it’s quite a dark and difficult read. I’ve loved every other book I have read by this author, but this one hasn’t gripped me quite in the same way - it is very well written and well imagined so I think I was just not in the mood for the type of read it ended up being.

My thanks to #NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I think readers of "Room" will maybe be confused as this is a (seemingly) very different book..
It's set in 7th Century Ireland. A priest has a vision about leaving the monastery and establishing a purer life. Artt is a talented illumination scribe/artist with a very strong ascetic drive.

His vision also includes taking 2 particular monks to the place he saw in his vision. There is young Trian with his strength and appreciation of nature. He has been sent to the monastery by his family (for unclear reasons). Also there is old Cormac with his wealth of experience whose family have all died.

They sail down the Shannon and set up on a bare rock with minimal supplies. From the start, the vows of obedience of Trian and Cormac are tested. Artt is intent on building a monastery and illuminating manuscripts,.
whereas Cormac thinks that survival and shelter, food and water are more important. Artt says God will provide.

As the seasons wear on their survival becomes more precarious and they birds they have depended on migrate. Cormac becomes ill
Trian has become the main food hunter and has become attached to the only tree on the island which Artt fells. This is a turning point.

The sheer hardship of scratching an existence on the island is vividly brought to life.. Yes nothing "happens" . It's a character driven book, not a plot driven one. The day to day battle for existence is gruelling (compare with Room )


Artt seems almost fanatical, a zealot but is his Faith a pure one, believing that God will provide?

Skellig Michael is now a major tourist site so this book may attract those readers. who have visited there.

It's an immersive book which I loved..

I’m happy to review and rate this book positively for the beautiful story that it is but, I do also want to make note of the lack of acknowledgment of the “too many historians to name” whose research and works Donoghue has “drawn gratefully on” in writing this book. There is never too tight of a word count to negate properly referencing the people whose life’s work made your book possible and I hope this is addressed at some stage in a future print run. Bibliographies exist for a reason.

In the 7th century, a man dreams of an uninhabited island where God is calling him to establish a monastery. Alongside two monks, he embarks on a journey that screams poverty and chastity from the off. Leaving most of their useful tools ashore, the men arrive at Skellig Michael to find an inhospitable environment with little in the way of fuel, food or protection from the elements. As their Master and Prior Aart descends further into his religious fervour and devotion, young Trian and old Cormac begin to question how blindly they followed this stranger into the abyss.

This is not a book I would pick up based on its but, I requested it as I know I enjoy Donoghue’s writing and that alone kept me hooked here from the off. The use of pathetic fallacy throughout moves the story and the characters through the harsh and ethereal landscape that is Great Skellig until it’s predictable yet satisfying conclusion.

Please though, credit the people who made this book possible - considering COVID precluded you from visiting the island yourself.

This is everything I've come to expect from the author. Beautifully written, rooted in history and thought provoking.
Some scenes I've found haunting- highly recommended.

A truly intriguing book. Its my first Emma Donoghue and for some reason, having read other reviews, I was expecting something a little strange.

This is not strange, it is historical fiction of the best kind. It tells the fictional story of how the first monastery/chapel came to be on Skellig Michael off the Kerry coast of Ireland. We are told the story of the prior, Artt, and his two acolytes - Cormac and Trian, who leave Clanmacnoise Monastery for a more ascetic life on an island that Artt has dreamed of.

They land on the great skellig and begin to forge a life there with the plan that this will become a haven for those of a more religious bent. However the plans seem to diverge from what the three monks originally intended and what follows is a tale of hardship and endurance.

On a personal note I've never been one to do without a creature comfort in my life, even camping was not for me. I've seen the Skelligs from far away but know the vagaries of the Kerry coast quite well. Quite how anyone survived to erect those beehive cells or build any form of church while trying to survive on what I'd basically a chunk of jagged rock is beyond my understanding.

As the story unfolds I have to say had I been on the skellig with Artt I would cheerfully have chucked him off the highest point at the first opportunity but then I am not, nor ever have been, religious.

Emma Donoghue weaves an entirely believable story and the characters of the three monks are carefully observed. All in all a great book but definitely not weird in any way; simply beautiful and stark and somewhat frightening.

Highly recommended.

I’m a huge Emma Donoghue fan and have read almost all of her books, so when I heard about Haven I couldn’t wait to get started.

Set in the Middle Ages, it’s an unusual story of three monks who set sail from the west coast of Ireland in search of a place one of them saw in a dream - somewhere they can be at one with God and leave behind the trappings of everyday life. For the leader of the group these so called trappings seem to include the most basic of items, and it’s left to his companions to try and provide all of the food, shelter and tools that they need to survive.

The story really makes you think about how we impact the world around us by our way of living, and whether we do actually need all of the things we’re led to believe we do, but beyond that I found it one of Donoghue’s less engaging novels. The characters were hard to really connect with, and there’s a twist in the tale that came completely out of the blue and felt rather unnecessary.

I’ll always be a fan of this author’s work and there are some really interesting themes explored in this book, but sadly it just doesn’t quite live up the previous books for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.