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review
LadyCait84
Whale Fall | Elizabeth O'Connor
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Pickpick

A short, quiet novel that shows life on a small, fictional (but historically based) island off the coast of Wales. Set as WWII looms on the horizon, the book is able to touch upon a remote village‘s isolation from (& its responsibility to?) the broader world. As well as individuals‘ relationships with what is provided and/or prevented by the distance.

Several flavors of audacity tied to imperialism & classism are also on full display.

kspenmoll Loved this book! 24h
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quote
Teresereading
Whale Fall | ELIZABETH. O'CONNOR
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Here is an island year.
#FirstlineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

review
Gleefulreader
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Pickpick

Set in the late nineteenth century, this is a short novella of two intertwining stories. First is a priest who is hunting a blue fox and gets trapped in an avalanche and ends up hallucinating. The second is the story of a herbalist and the girl with Down‘s syndrome that he ends up rescuing and caring for until her death. The two stories come together and while there is darkness there is also goodness in this story.

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Teresereading
Whale Fall | ELIZABETH. O'CONNOR
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On a remote island off the coast of Wales
#whereareyouMonday
@Cupcake12

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review
melissajayne
Whale Fall | Elizabeth O'Connor
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4⭐️ I was quite surprised by this book and liked the descriptions of life in this remote Welsh fishing village prior to WWII. Read for the #literarycrew #readalong. #2025 #literaryfiction #historicalfiction #fiction

Librarybelle I was very surprised by it too. Glad you liked this! 2w
33 likes1 comment
review
julieclair
Whale Fall | Elizabeth O'Connor
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This book transports the reader to a small Welsh fishing island in the years leading up to World War II. The islanders live in the old traditional ways, but change is coming… indeed has already come to the mainland. The writing is spare but poignant, honest but nuanced, immersive but reflective. A true gem of a read. I feel like I lived this book.
Another fabulous #LiteraryCrew selection. You definitely know how to pick ‘em, @Librarybelle ! 👏

Librarybelle Love your review! 3w
Gissy Sold! 😊 3w
julieclair @Librarybelle Thank you! 💙 3w
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julieclair @Gissy I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 😀 3w
kspenmoll I loved this book- spare & beautiful & heartbreaking. 2w
53 likes2 stack adds6 comments
review
AshleyHoss820
Clear: A Novel | Carys Davies
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I had no idea about the Highland Clearances before this novel. People were being forcibly removed from their homes in the Highlands & the islands by their landlords. It‘s bleak and devastating. This novella follows John, a minister-turned-errand boy who is sent to evict Ivar, the last inhabitant on his island. John becomes injured and Ivar saves his life. Their growing bond, and the arrival of John‘s wife Mary, challenge what family really means.

BarbaraBB Loved this! 3w
AshleyHoss820 @BarbaraBB I did too! It was so close-quartered and atmospheric. A lovely little narrative. ☺️ 3w
Cuilin Loved this!! 3w
AshleyHoss820 @Cuilin Same!! It was such a pleasant surprise! ☺️ 3w
39 likes4 comments
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Librarybelle
Whale Fall | Elizabeth O'Connor
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It‘s time for our #LiteraryCrew discussion! I have 7 questions posted as spoilers; you can find them on my feed, the book‘s feed, or by searching the group‘s hashtags.

I realized I never posted the graphic for next month‘s Ragtime, so I will get that posted today.

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Librarybelle
Whale Fall | Elizabeth O'Connor
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7. O'Connor mentions a few islands that inspired this story, including St. Kilda. To get a perspective of the islands and the harshness of life, not to mention the village remains, I have a Mirror article link in the comments. #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

mcctrish Wow!!! 3w
Sargar114 That authors note was fascinating! 3w
Cuilin Oh wow thanks for sharing. I find this fascinating as someone who grew up in Ireland and would visit the smaller islands and you would see deserted villages etc and now I see TikTok‘s of people visiting them. I often wonder what the island‘s ancestors would make of that. 3w
julieclair So interesting! 3w
7 likes5 comments
blurb
Librarybelle
Whale Fall | Elizabeth O'Connor
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6. We have to talk about the whale! Do you think the whale was a good omen or a bad omen? O'Connor uses the arrival and departure of the whale's remains as an arc for the story. Why do you think she did this? What does the whale symbolize? #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

TEArificbooks I think it was a bad omen. It demonstrates another thing that the researchers took from the island. They can‘t let anything just go. They have to take from it and profit. The what symbolizes the changes that are coming, the changes in the main character but also the modernization coming and the changes we don‘t see in the book. The changes the war will bring. And symbolizes the loss of the way of life, the population leaving and modern influences 3w
mcctrish A bad omen absolutely 3w
Cuilin I think the whale symbolises the island and its precarious existence maybe some catalyst for change. There‘s a beginning and an end. The whale comes, the islanders interact with it, some mainlanders come and take from it and then all is left are the bones and then the skull is used in a celebration. 3w
julieclair I think the whale represents the islanders themselves. Both are tied to the sea, but the sea returns them to the land. Birds and other predators pick away at the whale, just like civilization is slowly influencing the islanders. The whale being removed may indicate the eventual evacuation of the island. But I love that the skull becomes part of their celebration, indicating that the old traditions may not entirely disappear. 3w
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