Dorothy gets off to a poor start with the villagers in the fishing community she has joined as the new school mistress. She has moved from
Edinburgh and in the aftermath of her mother’s death, she is still trying to shake off her mother’s poor opinion of her. With a cold and loveless childhood behind her she finds it difficult to fit in. She is drawn to a kind and marriageable fisherman, but the town’s gossiping gets in the way.
The story begins with a rescued child, which draws parallels with another child who was lost to a storm, and it inevitably pulls the narrative back and forth. This is very skilfully told, holding the reader’s attention as the jeopardy builds.
I really loved it, and despite it seeming to be always winter, the mood and picture of the simple and difficult life of a fishing community of yesteryear is beautifully drawn.

A really atmospheric, almost claustrophobic tale of life in a small community where tongues wag and secrets stay hidden. Dorothy is an outsider, a young teacher escaping from home, with all her life before her, but there is resentment of her reserved manner and jealousy of her attractiveness. It's a tale with some mystical elements, a real sense of the sea and a fishing community, well drawn relatable characters and real sadness along with hope. I really enjoyed it.

A captivating setting, atmospheric and heart wrenching. A duel time line between the past and the present brings this brilliant story together personally. A tale of grief and love.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC

A rather sad tale of unrequited love suppressed feelings and misunderstanding. This is a well written story with each character well rounded with good and bad. I would very much have liked a bit more detail at the end but overall a gentle easy read.

The Fisherman’s Gift is a nice book, nice story but just too much romance for me. I would like it to be more about the boy and less about the bored housewives tittle tattling in the shop. I really couldn’t take to Dorothy either.
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This is a poignant beautifully written book. All the characters have their own private struggles and the book shows how you can't know what someone else is experiencing. The book looks at the grief of a mother who lost her son then 15 years later looks after another boy and how that impacts on the grief she still feels. The story of Dorothy and Joseph winds through the book. I was just a bit disappointed in the end after all the difficulties the ending was left hanging, I just wanted a much clearer way towards a happy ever after.

First book I have read by this author and although very different from-my typical choice of genre found storyline, characters and place settings to be hugely captivating in a whimsical entertaining fashion. The two main protagonists brought up in repressive homes have, as adults, struggled with the social interaction that more traditional families take for granted. A small community with the inherent stereotypes of gossips, inherent customs and practices and mistrust of newcomers leaves the new school teacher lonely and isolated.. A situation unfolds when unable to articulate or express her emotions or sense of segregation from the rest of the small community a dramatic series of events occurs in two time lines involving a lost child and several years later a found child with innuendo and aspersions of a child back from the dead. This explainable situation gets submerged under folklore and old wives tales towards a catalyst that has the ability to cause serious complications and fatalities for this interbred community dependent on the superstitions and myths of the past. Descriptions of the barren landscape , extreme weather and wild coastline add greatly to the atmospheric sense of isolation and danger for and from this innocent and naive community who act on impulse and emotions rather than logic with dramatic implications and consequences. Many thanks to author publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

A beautifully written story, I really enjoyed this book. It was almost like a fairy tale and so easy to read. Just beautiful.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for my honest and unbiased opinion.

This reads like a fairy tale for adults. Set in a tiny coastal village somewhere is Scotland, the story jumps back and forward between ‘Then’ and ‘Now’. Dorothy is caught between her puritan upbringing and shyness and the gossip and envy of the village women. The story unfolds slowly and there are a few ‘would that really happen?’ moments, but on the whole this is a well-written novel with a dreamy, otherworld quality.

Julia Kelly’s »The Fisherman's Gift« is a touching story set in a snow-covered Scottish fishing village during the winter of 1900. The tale starts when a young boy washes up on the beach, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Dorothy, a teacher still grappling with the loss of her own son to the sea years ago. As Dorothy takes the boy under her wing, the village becomes tangled in a web of secrets and emotions that intersect with her past and present.

The book captures the vibe of a close-knit community, where whispers and gossip flow like the tides. The air is tense, yet there are moments of tenderness as Dorothy navigates her grief and a growing connection with Joseph, a solitary fisherman. Their interactions are filled with unspoken emotions and shared pain, weaving an emotional tapestry that truly resonates.

Kelly's writing style is poetic yet easy to follow, pulling readers into early 20th-century Scotland. Her characters are well-rounded, especially Dorothy, whose journey from heartache to hope feels authentic and inspiring. Joseph makes for an intriguing counterpart; his quiet fortitude and depth add layers to their evolving relationship.

While the novel shines in character development and emotional depth, some may find the pacing a bit slow at times. However, this leisurely pace lets Kelly delve deeper into themes like loss, love, and community dynamics. The gradual revelation of secrets keeps readers hooked, even if it calls for some patience.

»The Fisherman's Gift« stands out not only as a love story but as a reflection on how communities handle grief and the transformative power of human connection.

It's a genuinely moving read – a book I really loved and think you will too.

In the winter of 1900, Dorothy Gray arrives a small Scottish fishing village to take up the post of school mistress in the village school. After a difficult childhood with an overbearing mother she does not find it easy to make friends and is happy to tell herself that she doesn't mind the villagers think her stuck up and stuffy.
Roll on a good few years and in another storm a small boy is washed up on the beach, something that has a profound affect on the villages as secrets begin to unravel and they begin to revisit events from the past.
This is a beautifully and powerfully told story of loss and grief, of love, secrets and misunderstandings in which the settings and weather play nearly as bigger role as the characters.
Very moving - a book I thoroughly enjoyed.
With thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Vintage for an early copy in return for an honest review.

The discovery of a child washed up on the sands after a winter storm is a catalyst for the inhabitants of a tiny Scottish village to revisit events in the past which have had a profound impact on members of their community. The Fisherman’s Gift is a story that is both bleak and beautiful and so evocative of both the time and place in which it is set. Fantastic writing; highly recommended.

It's astounding that this is a debut novel because the writing style is so haunting and beautiful and the tightly woven storylines between these characters in a small Scottish village are so intricate. There is a sense of melancholy throughout but I loved that there were glimmers of lightness for the various characters towards the hopeful open ending. My heart absolutely ached for Dorothy throughout. I'll be looking out for future work from Julia Kelly!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a beautiful story. Hard to believe that this is a debut novel as it is so well written.
When you read this you will need a few tissues but it is so worth it.

It's been a while since I read such a beautiful book. Poignant and heart breaking at times, but ultimately redemptive. The characters are deftly drawn and I felt that I knew them: Dorothy the teacher, whose awkward introduction as she met the women in the village shop seals her fate, and charismatic fisherman Joseph.

So moving, so beautifully written and with a gorgeous, evocative setting. This book broke my heart, and I loved it!

What a wonderful read! Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this review copy.
Beautifully written, poignant, sad, lost loves, forgiveness, friendship- all covered in this story set on a remote Scottish island, where the bleakness and beauty is vividly portrayed. This is a real treat of a book and I enjoyed it immensely.

What a beautiful, beautiful book!
A hard winter in 1900 and a small Scottish fishing village is the backdrop for this story of loss and grief, of love, secrets and misunderstandings.
A child is found and this is the catalyst to the locals all having to address their past behaviour and ask some hard questions of what went before.
At the heart is Dorothy who battles her deep-seated grief after the loss of her own child and also Joseph, a local fisherman, whose life is entwined with hers.
The tension rises as the story moves into the later stages and I don't mind admitting I was sobbing as I read some of the last passages.

A truly immersive and poignant story that offers hope while it breaks your heart. Not many books have the power to stay with you long after you've turned the final page. Without doubt, this is one of them.

Thank you to NetGalley, Julia Kelly and to Harvill Secker for the opportunity to read this early copy.