Island of Wings

Mar 28, 2012 Kimberly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Historical Fiction Lovers

Shelves: netgalley, historical-fiction, around-the-world

I read this book for three challenges. My Around the World challenge which I can knock Scotland off my list because this book takes place on the the island of St. Kilda which is off the coast of Scotland. I also read this for my RCC Challenge, and the NetGalley 2012 Reading Challenge.

My first love is history, I had to sit through hours and hours of The History Channel, The Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel etc. as a kid thanks to my dad so unlike a lot of other kids, I actually lov...more

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 09, 2013 Christine Blachford rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I’ve got mixed feelings about this one. The amount of research that has gone into this shines through from the very start, and it becomes obvious quite quickly that this is a fiction story layered on top of what really should have been a non-fiction piece about the island of St Kilda.

There are detailed descriptions about the people, about their customs and unique way of life, from the way they hunt puffins to the way a marriage ceremony unfolds. Based on letters and records from the island at th...more

like · see review

Dec 13, 2012 Cheryl Gatling added it

The cover blurb proclaims that this book is about love and loss in a marriage. It is true. That is in here. Neil and Lizzie MacKenzie would have faced challenges enough in their new marriage by becoming missionaries to the remote Scottish islands of St Kilda, basically a few rocks way out in a stormy ocean, covered with aggressive, stinking seabirds. Communication and supplies from the outside world come only once or twice a year by boat. Lizzie doesn't even speak the language (Gaelic) of the fe...more The cover blurb proclaims that this book is about love and loss in a marriage. It is true. That is in here. Neil and Lizzie MacKenzie would have faced challenges enough in their new marriage by becoming missionaries to the remote Scottish islands of St Kilda, basically a few rocks way out in a stormy ocean, covered with aggressive, stinking seabirds. Communication and supplies from the outside world come only once or twice a year by boat. Lizzie doesn't even speak the language (Gaelic) of the few families on the island, who live the same way there ancestors did a thousand years ago. Their marriage is made even more difficult because Neil MacKenzie really needed serious therapy. He was suffering survivor guilt from a shipwreck years ago where his friend had drowned and he had lived. This caused him to be emotionally distant (and sometimes cruel) with his wife, and driven and overbearing with his parishioners. It was almost surprising that Lizzie and Neil managed to have as many tender moments (and as many children) as they did. But this book is not really about the MacKenzies and their marriage. This book is about St Kilda. It is about the stark, cathedral-like beauty of the "stacks" (towers of rock), and rocky bays. It is about the flora and fauna: so many birds that the cliffs look like they are made out of white rock because white feathers cover every inch of them, and also rugged sheep, and fish, and seals. It is mostly about the people who live there, their traditions, and living conditions, and marriage customs. The people live in rock houses built by their ancestors. They are more like burrows. There are no windows. They must be entered on hands and knees. The animals live inside, and the floor is covered with a layer of filth that accumulates all winter, and is shoveled out in the spring. The smell makes the visitors gag, but the locals are used to it. They sing and talk all day. They work the land in common, fertilizing the fields with rotted bird carcasses. Their one great sorrow is that most of the babies die within eight days. They didn't know, but we do, that this was from tetanus. This really is St Kilda's story, and I found it fascinating. I recommend to anyone who reads it to Google images of St Kilda, and see for yourself the scenes described in the book. I believe the author truly loves St Kilda, and that shines in some of the book's lyrical passages. Neil and Lizzie MacKenzie are real historical characters. The real history of St Kilda that lies outside the scope of this book is also interesting, that eventually (in 1930) the island would be abandoned, and all of its inhabitants relocated, because life there was just too hard for the last few remaining. The MacKenzie's church and house, and the stone cottages Neil helped build for the people, remain. And of course, the rocks and birds remain.(less)

like · see review

Jul 18, 2012 Lydia Laceby rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Originally Reviewed at Novel Escapes

Rated 3.5 Star

I didn’t love Island of Wings and I didn’t hate it. I was interested enough to continue to see what happened and at times found it horrific and fascinating but overall, I’m just not sure this novel was for me. Island of Wings is a historical novel about the Island of St Kilda, the inhabitants and a Reverend and his wife who are posted there to guide the ‘savages’ into modern life. Based on real people, the novel is a fictitious account of their l...more Originally Reviewed at Novel Escapes

Rated 3.5 Star

I didn’t love Island of Wings and I didn’t hate it. I was interested enough to continue to see what happened and at times found it horrific and fascinating but overall, I’m just not sure this novel was for me. Island of Wings is a historical novel about the Island of St Kilda, the inhabitants and a Reverend and his wife who are posted there to guide the ‘savages’ into modern life. Based on real people, the novel is a fictitious account of their life there, with historically accurate events and details.

Religious fanatics don’t appeal to me in any way, so the Reverend’s quest for redemption didn’t keep me reading. Instead, I loved his wife’s story. Lizzie’s plight among people that she couldn’t communicate with and who lived a completely foreign life to her with an increasingly distant husband was intriguing. I kept wondering what I would do in such a situation and with limited resources and in a time that a woman wasn’t able to make bold moves regarding herself or her family.

Her loneliness was palpable and heart wrenching and I enjoyed watching her initially try to cope and eventually understand the natives more than her husband who was trying to lead them. The relationships she cultivated with the other women was heart warming and there was one scene in particular that actually had me giggling and yet another gagging.

The pagan superstitions and rituals were fascinating and I found the attempts of the Reverend to crush them both irritating and amusing when unveiled how entrenched they were to island life.

The mysterious deaths of babies on this island broke my heart many times over and the entire way through the novel I wanted to know why. I was finally rewarded in the notes and acknowledgements, so if you’re interested in why the neonatal rate on the island was so high, keep reading.

The details and description of the Island were both gruesome and fascinating. They lived on such barren land, yet the inhabitants somehow managed to survive. The details of all the birds eventually blended together for me, with the exception of how the islanders survived winter and the stench which was described many times over and actually had me gagging in certain instances.

There were really long passages in this novel which I tended to grow cross eyed at and I had to check early on that St Kilda was a real place and where it was located as for some reason I apparently missed it. But that said, there was enough in Island of Wings to maintain my interest and keep me flipping pages.(less)

like · see review

Apr 20, 2012 Kimberly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Island of Wings is a well-written portrayal of the isolated lives of a missionary and his family on the island of St. Kilda, Scotland, in the 1830s and 1840s. I've never been to St. Kilda, and I obviously wasn't alive in the 19th century, but this book just feels authentic. While I was reading it, I really got a sense of the characters' inner personalities and a sense of the bleakness of the island. For example, Lizzie is written in what I believe to be a true to the time period manner. Lately I...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 15, 2012 Felice rated it 4 of 5 stars

This years’ Orange has given me a couple wonderful treats including Island of Wings by Karin Altenberg.

In 1830 the Reverend Neil MacKenzie and his wife Lizzie arrive on the island St. Kilda to do missionary work. The MacKenzies are hopeful, in love and happily expecting their first child. They are full of vigorous believe that their efforts to educate the populace of the island on all topics but especially God will set them all on the right path. And. If the island happens to turn more British...more This years’ Orange has given me a couple wonderful treats including Island of Wings by Karin Altenberg.

In 1830 the Reverend Neil MacKenzie and his wife Lizzie arrive on the island St. Kilda to do missionary work. The MacKenzies are hopeful, in love and happily expecting their first child. They are full of vigorous believe that their efforts to educate the populace of the island on all topics but especially God will set them all on the right path. And. If the island happens to turn more British during the process? So much the better. Don’t think that because the topic is religion and the island is in Scotland not Africa or Asia that Island of Wings isn’t also about colonialism.

St. Kilda was settled a thousand years before the MacKenzies arrived to do a makeover by Gaelic speaking Norsemen. Arriving at St Kilda the young couple is shocked to discover a place that seems medieval compared to the luxuries they left behind. Although only 40 miles off the coast of Scotland, the island might was well be 400 miles away for all the comfort that is there. A few times a year the taxman would come to the island to collect revenue and to drop off supplies otherwise the islanders provide for themselves what they need. This is a hardscrapple place to live. The islanders are raggedly dressed, their homes are filthy, malnutrition is rampant and one in three newborns does not survive their first week.

These challenges that met the MacKenzies are quickly compounded. Only Neil speaks Gaelic so Lizzie’s isolation is immediate. Lizzie’s child is still born and the wretched bleakness of the lives around her further forces Lizzie into her own world. Neil’s efforts to convert the natives are hardly successful and his plans to reorganize how they do their farming have dire consequences.

In a spare writing style Karin Altenberg has done four things very well in Island of Wings: history, geography, people and politics. She has given us intriguing historical details, a world impossible to imagine, characters that change not because they grow older but because of circumstance and experience and a powerful lesson in the politics of faith. Island of Wings is an impressive, thoughtful novel.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Dec 11, 2011 ExLibris_Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Island Of Wings takes the life of real people, Neil and Lizzie, and supposes their experiences and struggles, using research as the structure for the story. The island of St. Kilda is a part of Scotland and was the home of a small number of native inhabitants that lived in primitive huts and led a very hard existence on this isolated island. When Neil Mackenzie came to the island, he had in mind that he was saving the savages and introducing religion. Karin Altenberg goes into great detail about...more

like · see review

Jan 04, 2012 Susan Tunis rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My best friend and I jokingly rate books and films on their “Susan-friendliness,” and that’s nothing more than the completely subjective scale of my idiosyncratic likes and dislikes. I should have known that Karin Altenberg’s debut novel, Island of Wings wouldn’t be my cup of tea. But that said, I don’t necessarily think that there’s a thing wrong with this novel. It’s not my kind of story, but I think that it was skillfully and effectively told.

Perhaps most interestingly, the story here is heav...more My best friend and I jokingly rate books and films on their “Susan-friendliness,” and that’s nothing more than the completely subjective scale of my idiosyncratic likes and dislikes. I should have known that Karin Altenberg’s debut novel, Island of Wings wouldn’t be my cup of tea. But that said, I don’t necessarily think that there’s a thing wrong with this novel. It’s not my kind of story, but I think that it was skillfully and effectively told.

Perhaps most interestingly, the story here is heavily based on historical fact. It is a fictionalized account of the life of Reverend Neil MacKenzie and his wife Lizzie. MacKenzie, dealing with demons of his own, asks the Church of Scotland to “preach the Gospels in the most godforsaken place they could offer—he had suggested Newfoundland, where he was sure he could do a world of good. In the end, the Society in Scotland for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge had asked him to go to St. Kilda—the furthest inhabited islands in Britannia.”

The novel, which is told somewhat episodically in eight parts between the years 1830 and 1843, has clearly been meticulously researched, and I found the author’s note at the end quite interesting. The setting of the novel is a fascinating place with which I was completely unfamiliar. When the couple arrives in 1830, the islanders are enjoying a happy subsistence, living exactly as their ancestors did centuries earlier. It’s a very different, rather primitive way of life. Altenberg does a great job of conveying the harsh beauty of this remote place, with special attention to the natural world.

What I personally had trouble with was the relationship at the heart of this novel, and the character of the Reverend. Women didn’t have an easy time of it back then, and while I can’t say that this novel is completely joyless, it’s a harsh existence and utterly humorless. Also, as a secular Jew, the whole idea of Christianity being forcefully foisted onto a disinterested people is distasteful to me in the extreme. Reverend MacKenzie is not a sympathetic character and was simply not someone I wanted to spend 300 pages with. Still, he was characterized well enough (and not as some kind of black and white monster, but as a very flawed human) to arouse strong feelings in me.

While Island of Wings ultimately wasn’t for me, I fully expect it to find its audience, and I am certainly open to reading Ms. Altenberg’s future work.(less)

like · see review

Jul 21, 2012 Janet rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

Karin Altenberg's debut novel interested me for several reasons: it is set in the remote island of Hirta, the main island of the St Kilda archipelago. I love the Hebrides, though have never yet managed to get out as far as St Kilda, now unpopulated except by the sea birds whose constant mournful calls echo throughout the story.

The book's two main characters are Rev. Neil Mackenzie and his young wife Lizzie, based on a real couple who lived there in the 1830s. Lizzie's character is the more compe...more

like · see review

Aug 23, 2012 Ruth Innes rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

(some slight spoilers)

I have long been fascinated with the story of the Island of St Kilda and that is the setting of this book. In fact, it is mostly historically accurate and some of the characters are based on documentary sources.

Rev Neil MacKenzie and his new wife arrive on St Kilda in 1830. He is determined to save the souls of the pagan inhabitants. His wife, Lizzie, speaks no Gaelic and finds it an incredibly lonely place with nobody to speak to. Life is harsh and reliant on the extreme e...more

like · see review

Jun 28, 2012 Beadyjan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pastures-new, historical

This review also features on my book blog http://beadyjansbooks.blogspot.co.uk/

I chose this book as it appeals to my longing for escape, I love to read about women who have settled somewhere remote and alien to their usual surroundings and you can't get much more remote than the Isle of St Kilda.

This book tells the account of the lives of true couple Reverend Neil McKenzie and his wife Lizzie who in 1830 take up residence on the Scottish Island of St Kilda to bring Christianity to the barely civ...more This review also features on my book blog http://beadyjansbooks.blogspot.co.uk/

I chose this book as it appeals to my longing for escape, I love to read about women who have settled somewhere remote and alien to their usual surroundings and you can't get much more remote than the Isle of St Kilda.

This book tells the account of the lives of true couple Reverend Neil McKenzie and his wife Lizzie who in 1830 take up residence on the Scottish Island of St Kilda to bring Christianity to the barely civilised, superstitious Gaelic speaking islanders who live in mounds of earth, eat little but seabirds and are resistant to change. Life on St Kilda is hard, barbarous and pitiless and deprivation and hardship are a way of life.

Its a brutal yet beautiful location and Lizzie finds the isolation devastatingly lonely yet finds a solace in the wildness and freedom of the island. Unable to communicate with the islanders she finds it hard to get to know them and as her husband becomes increasingly moody and hurtful towards her she struggles to cope.

Battling to cope with the death of her firstborn drives a wedge between the couple and leads Lizzie to seek companionship with the local women, united in tragedy as the mortality rate of newborns is terribly high on the island most dying within a week of birth.

The book describes an unusual setting, the struggles of a difficult relationship made harder by having to rely so heavily on each other for companionship despite having been virtual strangers when wed. Life must have been incredibly lonely and hard for this young bride in an era when breaking away from the constraints of conventional life was virtually impossible and when women did seize the opportunity of escape there was no going back and they just had to make do with what was thrown at them.

A fascinating look at life on an island like no other, although in some parts I found the story dragged but overall a worthwhile read especially for anyone who has an interest or curiosity about the setting of St Kilda.
(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 26, 2012 Ellie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical

In 1830, Reverend Neil Mckenzie and his young wife, Lizzie, make their way to the remote island of St Kilda to start a new life and bring Christianity to the Pagan inhabitants.

Poor, poor Lizzie. She is an English speaker on an island where everyone speaks Gaelic, except her husband, who is more interested in saving souls than keeping his wife company. It must have been an incredibly lonely life for her in the early days, isolated from the rest of the world. The infant mortality rate on the isla...more In 1830, Reverend Neil Mckenzie and his young wife, Lizzie, make their way to the remote island of St Kilda to start a new life and bring Christianity to the Pagan inhabitants.

Poor, poor Lizzie. She is an English speaker on an island where everyone speaks Gaelic, except her husband, who is more interested in saving souls than keeping his wife company. It must have been an incredibly lonely life for her in the early days, isolated from the rest of the world. The infant mortality rate on the island was shockingly high and Lizzie suffers along with the other women, finding a bond amongst tragedy. Whilst based in fact, and the personal aspect of Island of Wings is fictional, it is not difficult to imagine this would have been the case.

The history books may have Mackenzie down as a man who brought civilised ways to St Kilda but Altenberg rewrites him as a man obsessed with religion, blind to the needs of those around him and zealous with the desire to turn the islanders to Christianity. The islanders themselves, seem rather tolerant of the missionary but it doesn't work both ways and I found myself feeling anger towards him. It may have been normal for the day, but the idea of forcing religion on people is awful and he comes across as quite oppressive. He is too worried what other people may think of him and some of the thoughts he has about his wife are unforgivable. He even treats his children with coldness.

The writing is evocative of the landscape with its beauty and its harshness. It is indeed an island of many wings, with birds playing a crucial role in both their survival and their superstitions. I found the history of the island and how they coped fascinating. I recently read of the guga culls of modern day Lewis in Peter May's The Black House and it was interesting to see the origin of the custom. The harvest of seabirds was essential to survival, with food being scarce and no regular supplies brought in from the mainland.

In the end, St Kilda was not a viable place to live and the island is now uninhabited, although the native sheep still roam the hillsides. Read for the descriptions and the history, especially if you have an interest in the evolution of religion in the Highlands and Islands. The plot isn't particularly strong, being based on historical events on an island where not much happens but there is a strong human element to it.
(less)

1 like · like · see review

May 09, 2012 Sam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction, library, literary-fiction, orange-prize, religion, christianity

Island of Wings is one of the books on the Orange Prize long-list that I was really looking forward to reading. It's set in 1830 when Reverend Neil McKenzie and his wife Lizzie set sail for the desolate islands of St Kilda from the Hebrides. Neil is tasked with winning the local population round to Christianity and away from their 'Pagan' traditions. Neil is also running away from a difficult past and Lizzie is leaving behind everything she knows. They are both tested in the harsh environment of...more Island of Wings is one of the books on the Orange Prize long-list that I was really looking forward to reading. It's set in 1830 when Reverend Neil McKenzie and his wife Lizzie set sail for the desolate islands of St Kilda from the Hebrides. Neil is tasked with winning the local population round to Christianity and away from their 'Pagan' traditions. Neil is also running away from a difficult past and Lizzie is leaving behind everything she knows. They are both tested in the harsh environment of their new home.

I went into this book thinking that I would love it. And whilst there were elements about it I very much enjoyed, Island of Wings fell short of my expectations. To start with the positives, it was obvious that Alternberg had really done her research - I knew nothing about St Kilda before starting the book but almost felt as if I had visited it myself after closing it. I was very interested in the lives of the residents of St Kilda, especially the high rate of infant mortality (up to 80%) due to neonatal tetanus. Their whole lifestyle was fascinating, as was watching the lengths Neil had to go to in order to convert them to Christianity. The basic bones of the story were decent and events played out well.

But for some reason, the book just didn't click. The writing felt very awkward in places, especially towards the beginning of the novel. There were multiple persepective shifts within each chapter with no line breaks or signalling, which made the reading experience jarring. One minute I was deep in Neil's crisis of regret, the next in Lizzie's mind pondering what guests will think of her house. My example is extreme, but I really do like clear signs of perspective change and don't like constantly having to work out who is thinking what.

Another thing that bothered me was how Lizzie lived on the island for well over twelve years but never learned any Gaelic, meaning she couldn't communicate with the natives at all. Surely she would have picked it up over time? All in all, Island of Wings was an evocative book with a good story that taught me a lot about a different place but it was let down by an awkward writing style. It's Karin Altenberg's debut novel and the promise of the story means I would definitely read her future books.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Nov 09, 2012 Jules rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a very subtle book, it slipped in, under my radar. A couple of chapters in I started to wonder if anything was going to happen in this book, what could happen on an island so self-enclosed? But a couple of chapters later I was hooked! Still not a great deal had happened but the characters had drawn me in to a complex story of, to quote the blurb, "faith and love". The juxtaposition of the two main characters, Neil & Lizzie, and their attitude to the situation they found themselves i...more

like · see review

Apr 15, 2012 Sophia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The story follows the newly married Rev. Neil MacKenzie and his wife, Lizzie, as they arrive on the remote Scottish island of St Kilda, where Neil is to try to bring Christianity to the superstitious community of islanders. Lizzie, with no knowledge of Gaelic, soon feels loney and isolated and this feeling only gets worse after her first child is stillborn. Neil, however, relishes the challenge of trying to 'civilise' the islanders and he begins a number of improvements meant to enrich both thei...more

like · see review

Sep 18, 2012 Simon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Turned out to be a quite different kind of book from what i expected. Despite its historically researched background on the St Kilda island of Hirta, based on diaries and other contemporary records from the 1830s and 40s, the writer has more ambitious aims than historical re=enactment. The way the relationship of Neil MacKenzie and his wife Lizzie changes as they adapt to living in a remote Gaelic-speaking community is the heart of the novel. In particular Altenberg dissects the way an adherence...more

like · see review

Mar 12, 2013 Vicki rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-books

It was ok. Parts of the book I really enjoyed reading: especially those about Lizzies family life and her learning to cope with living in an environment where no one speaks the same language as she does.
The character if the minister has been drawn to be a selfish, religious driven man, and while he is very well created, there are a fair few passages in this book based around his sermons and speeches which for me personally didnt add anything to the story. I am not a religious person and I frequ...more

like · see review

Jun 21, 2012 Joanne rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gave-up

I was really looking forward to reading this novel - I'd picked a couple of books based in the Scottish Highlands and Islands for my visit to the Highlands, and I thought that that idea behind the book was really interesting - the author has obviously done a lot of research into the subject, by writing a fictional story based on historical fact, and I admire the amount of work she has put into it. But I just really didn't like the style of writing. I love descriptive books that sweep me away, bu...more

like · see review

Jan 16, 2012 Lydia Presley rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, fiction, historic-fiction, scotland

Original review posted here

I struggled with this book, and not because of the writing – but rather because of the story and the conviction it laid on my heart.

I’ve not made any secret of the fact that I am a Christian. I’ve been there, right along with my brothers and sisters in Christ, supporting and encouraging missionaries – but this book gave me a picture (granted, a historical one) that made my heart hurt- not just for the missionary but also for those people he was sent to convert. Recentl...more

like · see review

Apr 15, 2012 Jenny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: orange-prize, cold-weather-islands, read2012, location-scotland, around-the-world

I hadn't heard of this book before it was longlisted for the Orange Prize, but I'm certainly glad it was brought to my attention. It is a well-researched, historical novel based on the journals of the real minister, Neil MacKenzie, who travels to St. Kilda in 1830 to convert the heathens, whether or not they want to change.

What I liked:
-There is Gaelic throughout the novel, and as someone who has studied Scottish Gaelic (very casually, don't be impressed), I really enjoyed seeing little bits o...more I hadn't heard of this book before it was longlisted for the Orange Prize, but I'm certainly glad it was brought to my attention. It is a well-researched, historical novel based on the journals of the real minister, Neil MacKenzie, who travels to St. Kilda in 1830 to convert the heathens, whether or not they want to change.

What I liked:
-There is Gaelic throughout the novel, and as someone who has studied Scottish Gaelic (very casually, don't be impressed), I really enjoyed seeing little bits of that. While she borrows some place names for the island from the highlands, it gave additional opportunities to use the beautiful words, and it helped place you there.

-This is obviously well-researched. It contains a lot of information about the patterns of the birds and the sea, and the extreme hardship of living on the island. It was similar in feeling to a book I recently read set in the Faroe Islands, The Old Man and His Sons, where every bit of survival depends on knowing the best time to kill the birds or hunt the seals.

What I didn't like as much:
-The character of Neil MacKenzie is incredibly frustrating, and perhaps that is true to his journals, but he never grows! He never learns! He never changes. He leaves St. Kilda just as stubborn and possibly more set on being the man in charge.

-The idea that the wife never learns any Gaelic to communicate with the other islanders? I mean, really? None? Can that be true? For her to be more of a redeeming character, she would have needed to immerse farther than also losing her children to the 8-day curse. Or maybe this is a product of the marriage between religion and colonialism.

-The lack of point of view from the St. Kildans. To me, the ancient history of the island, which the St. Kildans clearly are respectful of because of their unwillingness to change, is the more interesting story. I think I would have liked if the author had moved a little farther beyond the facts she was finding. It ends up being a little shallow of a story, with the repeated patterns between Neil and Lizzie, and Neil and his 'congregation.'

Overall, I'd give this about 3.5 stars, and one entire star of that is my own sentimentality for cold weather islands, remote places, and Gaelic. I wouldn't expect it to make the shortlist, but if it does it would have to be because it tells one historic story of a place that has since been abandoned to the birds.(less)

like · see review

May 01, 2012 Mij Woodward rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lizzie-s-literary-life, orange-prize-2012, hist-fiction

I am unable to finish reading this book because it feels like a TV docudrama meant to reveal life on treeless Hirta in 1830, what day-to-day life was iike for the native St. Kildans living there, and what life was like for a minister and his wife who moved there from Scotland.

The idea for this book is absolutely fascinating to me, and I admit, I have loved learning about the dwelling places of the inhabitants and their way of life, surviving on birds for the most part. I am fascinated by the ch...more I am unable to finish reading this book because it feels like a TV docudrama meant to reveal life on treeless Hirta in 1830, what day-to-day life was iike for the native St. Kildans living there, and what life was like for a minister and his wife who moved there from Scotland.

The idea for this book is absolutely fascinating to me, and I admit, I have loved learning about the dwelling places of the inhabitants and their way of life, surviving on birds for the most part. I am fascinated by the character of Lizzie, wife of the minister, who lives an almost completely isolated life on the island, shut away in the minister's house next to the church, unable to speak the language of the St. Kildans.

The problem I am having is that I cannot seem to get into the shoes of Lizzie or care much for her, other than watching from a distance to see how she struggles. Same with her husband, the minister, and the local St. Kildans. I am watching them all from a distance.

I will skim through the rest of the book, as I want to find out what happens to Lizzie and the rest. The skimming will allow me to skip the many details of hunting for birds and the like. I do not want a lesson in the social history of Hirta. I want a story about people, their feelings, a problem to be solved, with the social history part on the side.

Later - FINISHED SKIMMING.

This skimming allowed me to find more and more things about this book that totally irritated me. The conversations between husband and wife seemed stilted and weird. One chapter was devoted to a shipwrecked pirate whom Lizzie nursed back to health and then experienced a "bodice-ripper" moment with him, and later a similar but not so enjoyable "bodice-ripper" moment with her husband.

Much of the dialogue between any of the characters felt contrived, or like a badly-written play.

All sorts of "telling" instead of showing went on, throughout the book.

My half-reading and half-skimming of this book did succeed in two ways for me:

(1) I learned about the history of Hirta (thanks to Wikipedia), including the phenomenon of "neonatal tetanus" and the early deaths of many of the St. Kildans' infants.

(2) My belief about the silliness of book awards has been confirmed. HOW DID THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE ORANGE PRIZE PUT THIS POORLY WRITTEN BOOK ON THE LONGLIST?

Yet, of course, I want the people behind the Orange Prize to continue with their longlists and shortlists, for it is from these lists I get ideas for my next "to-read" books. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and in this case, it was not a win for me.(less)

like · see review

Apr 10, 2012 Estelle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book because we are going to St Kilda in the summer and I have long been fascinated by the stories of life there. Initially I was disappointed particularly with the writing. There is a lot of 'telling' and the focalisation is often clumsy. However as I progressed and got used to the slightly clumsy style I found some of the cameo scenes compelling. The story of the boy falling off the rocks (although odd to include a story so far on in the book with a character we have not met previo...more

like · see review

Dec 31, 2011 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, historical

Stark, restrained book about an 1830s minister and his new wife who start life on a remote Scottish island with hopes of “educating” the natives. This is based on real people, which makes the story richer. It is not super plotty and at times it’s very much tell-not-show. There are some critical goings-on that are told in retrospect. It’s so jarring that I had to read a couple of times to make sure I was taking it in correctly. Also, the story meanders quite a bit and there is a moment that’s set...more

like · see review

Feb 13, 2012 Rhena Tantisunthorn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If I weren't so charmed by Karin Altenberg's vivid descriptions of the island-setting of her book, I'd probably hate her. Island of Wings is her first book and it's in English, her second language after her native Swedish. But she makes too much good use of the language and her observations are too sharp to hate her. In fact, I kind of want her to be my friend, which is ironic because at it's heart, her novel is about isolation and how difficult, how nearly impossible, it can be to bridge the va...more

like · see review

Apr 14, 2012 Beth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

When I picked this book up at the library, I had no idea that it was based on real events and the people that experienced them. I thought it was going to be a good historical fiction novel, but it was so much more than that! I feel like I actually experienced the lives of the people of St. Kilda in the 1830s. And, as a Christian myself, the book's message has been laid heavily on my heart.

I am not that great at reviewing books, because I don't really know how much information to give in order to...more

like · see review

Mar 17, 2013 Angelika rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

I really like those books, which take their time for the story to develop, which describe in detail surroundings, thoughts, coherencies or characters! "Island of Wings" is one of them. The (quite interesting) storyline is based on real persons and events and seems to be well researched. Even if, especially the abundant descriptions of nature, sometimes are a bit tedious and slow the reading down, Altenberg has an outstanding talent to make atmospheres palpable, to let her readers almost feel phy...more

like · see review

Apr 11, 2012 Erin Hurme rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved this book. It doesn't hurt that I am also a serious fan of The Hebrides/St. Kilda Archipelago in Scotland, either. But the book took flight and left a lingering impression upon my mind and emotions, and that's a rare event for an inveterate book reader like me. From the descriptions of grief and maternal loss, to the mercurial nature of marital life, to the landscape of the island itself, to the strong(but somehow gentle)questioning of missionary life and whether or not converting the "n...more

like · see review

Feb 04, 2013 Judy Croome rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Historical "faction' fans

Meticulous research is the foundation of this narrative-heavy historical novel, based on the true lives of the Reverend and Mrs McKenzie, sent as missionaries to the Scottish island of St Kilda in the mid-19th century.

The plentiful descriptions perfectly evoke the harsh barrenness of the land, and the fictionalised characterisations of this real family were interesting; at times, I would have enjoyed a tighter focus on Neil & Lizzie.

An interesting and well-written portrayal of an historical...more

like · see review

Dec 28, 2011 Audra (Unabridged Chick) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-figure-fictionalized, historicals, heroine-unlikable, mood-bittersweet, place-as-character, place-scotland, place-uk, sense-of-place

A very cool, restrained book, this historical novel is set on St. Kilda, an island that is the furthest part of the British Isles. Beginning in 1830, the story follows Lizzie and her husband, missionary Rev. Neil MacKenzie, as they move from urban Scotland to the isolated, rocky, backwards island.

In some ways, the novel's arc is unsurprising -- the proper British couple is first charmed, then horrified, by the savage land -- but Altenberg's writing is controlled and captivating, and the developm...more

like · see review

Nov 10, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Good read. I didn't realized it was historical fiction when I first picked it up, so I enjoyed it more as I realized it was rooted in fact. I would have liked a bit more detail about life on St Kilda and a little less conjecture about what was going on in Lizzie's head. It was hard to understand some of the politics of the time, especially regarding the conflict in the church. I wish the author had offered a bit more factual information pre and post novel, but I have since researched it a bit an...more

like · see review

title link	preview: Island of Wings: A Novel
avg rating	preview: Island of Wings: A Novel Goodreads rating: 3.33 (286 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11821554-island-of-wings?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1317133942l/11821554.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11821554-island-of-wings?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Island of Wings: A Novel by Karin Altenberg[/url]

Island of Wings: A Novel

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (8)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Karin Altenberg

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Island of Wings: ...

Quotes from Island of Wings