This was a stunningly beautiful read - crazy that it's a debut and I cannot wait to see what the author has to offer next!

It's a very sad read, you really feel the despair of the characters involved, but it's so absorbing and really captures the essence of living with regrets, guilt and loss.

The story centres around Dorothy, who moves to Skerry, a small fishing village, and is a schoolteacher. She's suffered loss in the past, her young son lost his life in the sea and that tragedy impacted the whole area. But after a recent storm a young boy is washed ashore and discovered by a local fisherman, and the whole village are captured by the mystery of who this young boy is, and soon Dorothy takes over his care.

We learn so much about the characters in the village, both from present day to the past, and as the secrets unravel the sadness of the characters comes to the fore and it's a really emotionally charged read. A wonderful book!

The Fisherman's Gift explores themes of loss, grief, and shame. Set in the early twentieth century in the small community of Skerry, this book somehow feels timeless. I think it may have been intentionally written this way to show that really, people don't change all that much. That we all experience loss and mourn. Fall in love and lose our minds.

The story centres around a tragic loss. A child lost to the sea. And later, a child washed up by the sea.

Dorothy is the grieving mother. And she is a complex and frightened woman. Overwhelmed by grief, she sees this new boy as her chance at redemption.

The author writes Dorothy's story so exquisitely. Revealing layers upon layers of complexity, we gain an insight into this quiet woman. A woman afraid to show her feelings or reach for what her heart wants.

In Joseph, we meet a man of quiet strength and deep sadness. A man who I felt huge compassion for.

This book is beautiful, it's compelling and mystical and wholly absorbing. A book to savour on a stormy night. A book that teaches us to let shame soften and live in the past.

Set in a tiny Scottish fishing village at the turn of the 20th Century. Miss Dorothy Aitken arrives in Skerry as the new schoolmistress. Buttoned up, stifled as a child from Edinburgh she struggles to fit in. Fisherman Joseph is her only friend until she is warned off him by Agnes and her family who have designs on his future. Making difficult choices, Dorothy marries and becomes a mother until the stormy night her six year old son disappears. When Joseph finds another boy washed ashore some years later she struggles not to see him as her lost son. A story of loss, of emotions, the effects of love and living a life hidden. #netgalley #thefishermansgift

The Fisherman’s Gift is a historical novel set in the early 1900s in a small village in Scotland. When young boy is washed ashore, Dorothy must face her past as she cares for the child that looks eerily similar to her son who vanished years prior.

Julia Kelly’s book is beautifully written and captures bored village life perfectly. However, due to pacing, slow character development and a heavy focus on adult relationships, I struggled to remain invested. I am certain this is a me thing and that this book is perfect for the right reader - particularly fans of historic fiction - but I could have done with more focus on the idea of a changeling and the psychological effects.

Set in 1900 a young boy washes up on the shore of a small fishing village in Scotland, Skerry Sands. This event brings back memories because years before, Dorothy, the local schoolteacher, lost her own young son to the sea and this lad is the same age as her son was when he died. She takes him in to look after him and with flashbacks from past to present we see the events that led to her being frozen by grief. While the boy is with her she revisits the past, her arrival in the village where she was never accepted and where the other women were sometimes cruel to her. However, underneath you discover that everyone is flawed and struggling. With a scattering of folklore this is a story of sadness, loneliness and misunderstandings.

I was immediately caught up in this book and it had me aching for each and every one of the characters from start to finish. It's a beautiful story of love, grief and missed chances in a small village where resentment runs high and past hurts run deep. I loved the almost claustrophic feel of the community and the sense of isolation that permeated the story. I loved the mix of mystery and romance. I really enjoyed the shifting timeline and the understated writing style. I don't think I've read such a tender story for some time. It really got under my skin. Emotionally it's tense and very melancholic but there was hope at the end too and this fairly warmed my heart. A fabulous read.

#netgalley

When I started The Fisherman’s Gift, I liked the premise - “a little boy washes up on the beach of a small fishing village in Scotland, barely alive. He bears an uncanny resemblance to teacher Dorothy’s son, lost to the sea many years before” but wasn’t sure the style was for me.

Yet a few pages in, it hit me—some stories don’t need to shout to be heard. This is a quiet, aching novel about love and the wounds passed down the generations.

Set in the tiny Scottish fishing village of Skerry at the turn of the 20th century, just as a fierce winter storm is hitting, Kelly conjures a world as tight as a fist, where the weight of social expectations presses as heavy as the weather itself.

At the heart of the story is Dorothy—a blow-in, never quite one of their own, no matter how long she’s lived there. Reared in Edinburgh by a mother who doled out love in cold, sharp, almost weaponised doses, Dorothy grows into a woman wary of kind acts, always on edge. Watching her pass that burden on to her own son, even as she knows the damage it does, is gut-wrenching. Dorothy is difficult, maddening at times, but achingly human.

Another key figure is Joseph, a fisherman who, despite being of Skerry, is also an outsider. Never quite trusted by or trusting in his community but for very different reasons to Dorothy.

The writing is quiet, almost spare, letting the place do the talking as a tender love story unfolds amongst secrets, lies and community gossip.

The story moves between timelines, not for shock value but to add layers to the narrative as our story ebbs and flows like the sea.

The sea is always there, powerful, relentless, more than just a backdrop but a living, breathing thing. And then, of course, there’s the child—the thread binding together this small island saga.

A slow, devastating, understated beauty of a novel that delves into the human spirit’s resilience amidst tragedy. But Kelly’s masterstroke? She doesn’t ask you to love these characters, only that you try understand.

The Fisherman's Gift by Julia Kelly was one of the most beautifully written books I have read for a while, it just took my breath away and all I wanted to do was, sit on a beach, listen to the sea and take in all the sounds and smells around me. WoW. . . . . . .

The story is set in 1900, in Skerry, a small Scottish fishing village, and it is destined for an unyielding winter. During a storm, a young boy washes up on the shore. He bears an uncanny resemblance to teacher Dorothy’s son, lost to the sea at the same age many years before, his body never found.

The village is soon snowed in, and Dorothy agrees to look after the child until they can uncover the mystery of his origins. But over time, the lines between reality and desperate hope start to blur as the boy reminds Dorothy more and more of her own lost child.

The boy’s arrival also finally forces Dorothy to face the truth about her brief but passionate love affair with Joseph, the fisherman who found the boy on the shore and who has been the subject of whispers connecting him to the drowning of Dorothy’s son years earlier.

This was a book I could read all over again or even purchase the audiobook, It was just a perfect story especially as the characters were perfect. You will either love them and you may even dislike some, but they all played a great part within The Fisherman's Gift.

I highly recommend this book. Don't forget to have some tissues handy.

Review on Goodreads and Amazon UK

#Gifted Review: The Fisherman’s Gift by Julia Kelly

“What was forgotten, returns, when the sea is ready.”

Some stories whisper rather than shout. The Fisherman’s Gift is one of them. A quiet, melancholic novel about love missed, love denied, and the painful cycles we inherit. Set in a small Scottish fishing village at the turn of the 20th century, Julia Kelly captures a world both insular and unforgiving, where the weight of community expectation presses as heavily as the relentless sea.

It is a deeply tragic, character-driven love story that left me heartbroken. At its heart is Dorothy, an outsider despite years spent among the villagers. Originally from Edinburgh, she is shaped, and scarred, by a mother whose cold, calculated love leaves her wary of tenderness. It is deeply unsettling to witness Dorothy carry this legacy into adulthood and repeat this pattern with her own son, even as she acknowledges the lasting wounds she carries.

Kelly’s prose is understated, allowing the setting to do much of the emotional heavy lifting. The sea itself becomes a character, unpredictable, sometimes violent, always present. The shifting timelines prevent the story from stagnating, lending a sense of inevitability rather than surprise. And then there’s the mystery of the child, a thread of quiet magic woven through the novel, making the sorrow more bearable.

I found myself willing Dorothy to let the walls crack, to allow herself to believe in love, but she remains a complicated, often unlikeable protagonist. That, I think, is Kelly’s triumph, portraying a woman shaped by pain with such realism that, even in frustration, I never stopped rooting for her.

A notable debut. Published March 6th

Thank you to the author and @Vintagebooks for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

#VintageInfluencers #TheFishermansGift #JuliaKelly

A beautifully written historical fiction tale of family, love, loss, grief and hope.

The setting: 1900 in Skerry, a small Scottish fishing village gave dark gothic, atmospheric vibes which complimented the gorgeous descriptive prose.

A young boy, barely alive, is found washed up on a beach by a reclusive fisherman Joseph. A village teacher, Dorothy agrees to care for the child until his identity and origins are known.

A stunning, tender love story unfolds amongst secrets, lies and community gossip.

I adored the characters in this book and felt their joy and pain every step of the way.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this arc.

The book is heavily character driven with a great deli ant on the reader being able to easily remember who is who and which period in time they are taking about. If I was watching this as a tv series I think it would would have enjoyed it more but that’s probably me being lazy.

With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

This was a pleasant enough read - a fairly standard thwarted romance with a historical setting and a serious subtext in the form of the lasting trauma of losing a child.

In a fierce winter storm that hits a tiny fishing community in 1900, solitary fisherman Joseph retrieves a child, barely alive, washed up by the storm. This triggers collective memories from 20 years earlier when the local schoolteacher Dorothy lost her own child to a similar storm at a similar age. As the history of the troubled relationship between Dorothy, an outsider from Edinburgh in 1880, and Joseph, is slowly revealed, the superstitious community cannot help but feel this new child is Dorothy’s lost son, returned. Others in the community have their own secrets and long-held grudges which have played out to devastating effect over the years.

As a portrait of the tensions inherent in a small, isolated community, the book does a good job of analysing the devastation wrought by the petty jealousies, gossip and instinct to close rank against outsiders. Character development is pedestrian and nobody really emerges as a rounded, interesting, complex person. As a story, it is constructed quite well and kept me interested, but it is not especially stand-out and I will probably forget it fairly soon.

Slow start - strong finish. This read has the most amazing descriptive writing. The imagery was fantastic. I really felt for Dorothy and Joseph especially and I felt a connection to some minor characters. And there’s a twist, one I didn’t see coming. Loved the ending and really enjoyed this read. Thank you to NetGalley and Vintage for sending me an ARC of this book in return for my honest review

Disclaimer: I received a free unedited ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. This book is due for publication in March 2025.

The Fisherman’s Gift by Julia R. Kelly is a historical novel set in the winter of 1900 in a secluded Scottish fishing village. The narrative begins with a young boy washing ashore, bearing a striking resemblance to Dorothy’s son, who was lost to the sea years prior. As Dorothy, the local schoolmistress, cares for the child, the close-knit community’s secrets and past grievances surface, intertwining her fate with that of the reclusive fisherman, Joseph.

Kelly’s writing is evocative, capturing the austere beauty of the Scottish coastline and the intricacies of village life. The alternating timelines between past and present provide depth to the characters’ backstories, particularly Dorothy’s journey through grief and her complex relationship with Joseph. However, some readers might find the pacing uneven, with certain sections lingering too long on minor details, potentially hindering the story’s momentum.

The portrayal of the villagers offers a realistic glimpse into the dynamics of small communities, where gossip and long-held grudges influence interactions. While this adds authenticity, it occasionally leads to predictable plot developments. The novel’s exploration of themes such as loss, redemption, and the enduring impact of past choices is poignant, though at times it borders on melodrama.

In conclusion, The Fisherman’s Gift is a touching debut that delves into the human spirit’s resilience amidst tragedy. While it has its shortcomings, readers who appreciate atmospheric settings and character-driven stories may find it a worthwhile read.

3.25 ⭐️

Enthralling, touching and inspiring, this historical fiction has a touch of magical realism and explores grief, healing, immorality, redemption and second chances. Kelly’s wave of narrative carries us up through the crests of joy and plunges us into the depths of sorrow, a voyage as beautiful as it is profound.

As a Scotswoman, I was thrilled to read this and this did not disappoint. I highly recommend you read this during a storm, like me – it was truly atmospheric! All the fear and tension poured from its pages and I was entirely enraptured.

The title The Fisherman’s Gift is perfect. Not only does it emphasise Joseph being an important role in this story, but it is also symbolic of a few things. There are the literal gifts he has for both children: the toy boat for Moses (one he never gets the chance to give); the other the toy plover for Johan. But the greatest gift he gave was the child itself.

Through the excellent use of dual timeline, shifting from Now (the boy washing up on shore) to Then (Dorothy first arriving in Skerry), we are able to piece together everything that happens. The strange parallels between Johan and Moses help to add that seamless transition from past to present. Very interestingly, one section is a non-linear structure: we get Dorothy’s wedding, the pregnancy, the birth – but then a very drastic shift to sometime after her wedding, where there is the huge reveal. This makes Dorothy’s life go from looking fine until it isn’t. It makes the narrator, just like the gossip within the village, an unreliable source and hones in on the devastation of everything.

While predictable (I had the secret about Moses worked out from the first chapter), this was an enjoyable read. There were clues along the way that were very intriguing and gave a glimpse into the future, dropping the right breadcrumbs through gossip by the townsfolk or the overall narrative that makes you want to know what happens, and mainly how it does and why.

There were some incredible aspects in this book that make this a worthwhile read, which includes the very clever ironies. The main thing is in some of the names, alone: Moses is swept away by the sea which contrasts Moses in the Bible, who (while he is also separated from his mother) is saved from water and parts the Red Sea, showing he is in control. The sea is this Moses’ enemy. Joseph in the Bible is a father and protector. In this book, Joseph directly contradicts both roles as he does not know the former aspect and he does not manage the latter, being unable to protect Moses from what happens. Dorothy means “God’s gift”, something she does not believe, considering all her misfortunes. Agnes means “pure” which is ironic considering her thoughts and treatment towards Dorothy is not. There is a very cruel streak about Agnes.

There are a few symbolic aspects. The most important is the symbolism of and use of birds to tell the story. This is through the black seabird cormorant and the plover.
Cormorant: Dorothy sees the cormorant the day she spends time with Joseph, the latter who remarks that they are the spirit of those lost at sea, which accounts for it showing up later just before she takes on the job of looking after Johan (almost like Moses is giving her an approval). They are generally considered a bad omen and are linked to sins like greed and gluttony, which is all a great foreshadowing of what is to come (respectively: what happens to Moses, and Dorothy and Joseph’s lust for one another despite her being married).
Plover: Dorothy and Johan rescue a young plover after discovering it in the snow with an injured wing. Plovers are believed to be spiritual guides encouraging people to appreciate the moment and beauty around them. Dorothy certainly does as she watched Johan look after the bird.
Not only are they opposite in colour (the cormorant being black and the plover white) but they also dwell in different places (cormorants primarily live in water, plovers on the beaches or shores).

I wish there had been more descriptions and moments in the present time between Joseph and Dorothy. I wanted a conversation between them at the very end of the book. Of course, it ends on a very hopeful note but I would have loved to hear what he had to say to her. Or at least have the Epilogue as another chapter and then contain something else as an Epilogue. Also the chapter with Moses’ POV feels like an unnecessary chapter in a lot of ways and it makes the mood grim again.

The Fisherman’s Gift is told during two different time periods and through the use of multiple POVs. It is a historical fiction novel that centres of themes of grief and bereavement, societal differences and the importance of friendships and communities as a whole.

Set in a small village in Scotland, we are introduced to main characters Dorothy and Joseph, both of whom shared a short love affair, around the time Dorothy conceived her son, Moses. Moses then later disappeared and is presumed as dead after only his boot was found washed upon the shore.

In a cruel twist of fate, nearly two decades on, a child washes onto the shore, mirroring the tragedy Dorothy has already faced, and she ends up caring for him. This leads to a journey of self-discovery, acceptance of the past and a sense of faith for a brighter future.

Be prepared to have tissues at the ready, as you delve into the lives of seemingly ordinary people, all of whom have their own personal traumas, secrets and sensitivities. This was such a beautiful read and I would be happy to read more from Julia Kelly!

This book is beautiful. This book is powerful. This book is sad and nostalgic. This book is about looking back and looking forward. This book is about grief. This book evokes so much emotion and makes you realise the importance of relationships and being honest. I absolutely loved this book, it is a really special and unique read.

Dorothy has lived a quiet but tragic life in the village of Skerry. Her husband William up and left her and her son and soon after tragedy hits again when her son Moses goes missing. Since then she has spent her years teaching at the local school, visiting the local shop for supplies and heading home. That is until one of the local fishermen (and a former flame) Joseph comes back from the sea carrying a young boy in his arms. This boy looks EXACTLY like Moses but it cant be surely? He has the same silvery hair but he hasn’t aged. Joseph found Mose’s boot on that faithful day that Mose’s went missing and now he’s bringing her a child that looks just like him. This can’t be right. What is going on?

This was a very atmospheric read. I felt drawn in to this little village and its history. I felt all the uneasiness of Dorothy trying to live her life with everyone watching and talking about her. The story itself is quite sad and shows the extent that shame and pride can hold you back from the people and things you want most. How secrets and assumptions can destroy our happiness and how sometimes you have to embrace your past mistakes to let go of the shame that sticks to you.

This is the authors debut novel and with writing of this standard I will keep an eye out for further work. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys atmospheric, mysterious stories of living in small villages. Thank you NetGalley and Randomhouse UK for the ARC of this book.

This is a poignant and sad story set in Skerry Sands, a remote small Scottish fishing village, where life is hard. The gift is a little boy. Will he replace the mother’s grief and guilt for the lost boy? It’s a dual timeline story set in 1900, and before. It’s multi POV, with Dorothy, Joseph and Agnes. Central to the story is isolation and misunderstandings. There’s love and loss, sadness and hope. I received an early copy from NetGalley.

Brilliant characters, memorable story line, dual time line. Love the place where the story is set. Highly recommend this book.