What do you think?
Rate this book
Billie's Kiss
With an Edwardian twist on The Tempest, and all the surprising, earthy and magical qualities of The Vintner's Luck, Knox's irresistible new novel is set on the remote, divided Scottish island of Kissack and Killing, one half of which looks historically and geographically towards Catholic Ireland, the other towards the Protestant north and Scandinavia. In the spring of 1903 a ship explodes as it docks on the island, drowning many of the passengers and crew in the icy waters of Stolnsay harbour. Young, strawberry-blond-haired Billie Paxton is among the only survivors. Clumsy, illiterate and suddenly alone, Billie will not say why, before the explosion, she jumped from ship to shore, and so falls under the immediate suspicion of her fellow passenger, Murdo Hesketh and his cousin and employer, Lord Hallowhulme, who owns the island - and has controversial plans for improving the lives of its inhabitants. Gloriously inventive and vividly atmospheric, Billie's Kiss conjures up a way of life hurtling towards a brave new world, in an enchanting novel that combines a strange, sexy love story with an Edwardian mystery, bringing together murder and eugenics, progress, prejudice and the loss of innocence.
280 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
9 people are currently reading
272 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Knox
36 books970 followersElizabeth Knox was born in Wellington‚ New Zealand‚ and is the author of eleven novels and three novella and a book of essays.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
April 30, 2015
I only got through 50 pages, so I have little meat for a review. Suffice it to say the writing was bloated with self-importance, the dialogue was choppy, the scenes were brief, & the tone was distant. I suspect these things are meant to translate into "nuanced characterization" & "exploring the depths of human experience" & other academic twaddle. Heck, maybe they do translate to nuanced characterization & exploration of the depths of human experience -- but I'm not the person to confirm or deny such psychological worth. My own philosophy is thus: academic twaddle like this translates into Bad Literary Fiction, thereby earning a one-way ticket to the DNF tag o' doom.
Goodbye, bookshelf -- hello, Paperback Swap.
Goodbye, bookshelf -- hello, Paperback Swap.
February 5, 2017
The last book that I read I took a while to get through because I wasn't enjoying it a lot. Billie's Kiss, by contrast, took me a while to get through because I was enjoying it so very much.
It's 1903, and Henry Maslen is traveling aboard a ship to take up a new post as archivist to Lord Hallowhulme on what is (although renamed) the Isle of Lewis in Scotland's Outer Hebrides; with Henry are his extremely pregnant wife Edith and her younger sister Wilhelmina ("Billie"). As the ship approaches its dock Henry steals an unwise kiss from Billie; she bolts from his embrace to leap onto the dock . . . and just then the ship explodes.
Also aboard the vessel is Murdo Hesketh, a sort of upscale general factotum for Lord Hallowhulme, the island's reforming laird. Murdo witnesses Billie's leap and assumes she must have been privy to whoever were the despicable conspirators who blew the ship up, with what proves to be a heavy loss of life -- including the lives of of Edith and her unborn baby. Of course, Billie is innocent, but it'll be a while before Murdo discovers this. In the meanwhile Billie and Henry are taken in as houseguests by the Hallowhulme family and she must fare as well as she can in a household that tries very hard to absorb her despite her gauche ways, her clumsiness and what we would now immediately recognize as dyslexia.
Even though Murdo is wrong in thinking that Billie was responsible for blowing up the ship and the consequent deaths, he's right that it was a deliberate act of murder. His slow discovery of the murderer's identity and motive is one of the book's primary strands; his quest for the truth almost costs him his life in what's an astonishingly suspenseful sequence later on. The other primary strand is the slowly blossoming love, after their initial mutual detestation, between Billie and Murdo.
For the most part this is really very beautifully written, although, as the perhaps inevitable price to be paid for its ambition, the prose sometimes slips over the border into labored tweeness --
-- yes, yes, that's lovely . . . but the sentence continues into overkill territory:
Oh, how I fretted as to whether or not that wool might be lanolin-rich. There's the occasional Thog's Masterclass moment, too, as in The Case of the Alluring Attire:
But such excesses are rare; for the most part, as I say, I loved the writing. I also loved Billie herself, and I challenge any reader to do otherwise; she has her imperfections, oh yes, but she's a person of great integrity and good heart.
The novel's title, Billie's Kiss, is a punning one. Billie's several kisses -- that first one from Henry, another surreptitious effort by Lord Hallowhulme, her initial kissorama with Murdo, the kiss she doesn't share with a vapid clergyman who seeks her hand -- are all, in one way or another, important plot points and plot drivers. But really the title is, I think, referring to Lord Hallowhulme's stately pile, Kiss Castle, which Billie almost conquers; certainly her experiences there shape the rest of her life.
It's 1903, and Henry Maslen is traveling aboard a ship to take up a new post as archivist to Lord Hallowhulme on what is (although renamed) the Isle of Lewis in Scotland's Outer Hebrides; with Henry are his extremely pregnant wife Edith and her younger sister Wilhelmina ("Billie"). As the ship approaches its dock Henry steals an unwise kiss from Billie; she bolts from his embrace to leap onto the dock . . . and just then the ship explodes.
Also aboard the vessel is Murdo Hesketh, a sort of upscale general factotum for Lord Hallowhulme, the island's reforming laird. Murdo witnesses Billie's leap and assumes she must have been privy to whoever were the despicable conspirators who blew the ship up, with what proves to be a heavy loss of life -- including the lives of of Edith and her unborn baby. Of course, Billie is innocent, but it'll be a while before Murdo discovers this. In the meanwhile Billie and Henry are taken in as houseguests by the Hallowhulme family and she must fare as well as she can in a household that tries very hard to absorb her despite her gauche ways, her clumsiness and what we would now immediately recognize as dyslexia.
Even though Murdo is wrong in thinking that Billie was responsible for blowing up the ship and the consequent deaths, he's right that it was a deliberate act of murder. His slow discovery of the murderer's identity and motive is one of the book's primary strands; his quest for the truth almost costs him his life in what's an astonishingly suspenseful sequence later on. The other primary strand is the slowly blossoming love, after their initial mutual detestation, between Billie and Murdo.
For the most part this is really very beautifully written, although, as the perhaps inevitable price to be paid for its ambition, the prose sometimes slips over the border into labored tweeness --
The family looked at Geordie, silent and stubborn, till he became aware of himself making no lasting impression, . . .
-- yes, yes, that's lovely . . . but the sentence continues into overkill territory:
. . . like a raindrop on a sheep's back, a neat, domed drop on lanolin-rich wool, shaken free by the first strong movement the animal made. [pp192-3]
Oh, how I fretted as to whether or not that wool might be lanolin-rich. There's the occasional Thog's Masterclass moment, too, as in The Case of the Alluring Attire:
. . . a young lady's garment, with a bustle that rustled and, as Billie walked, made passes at the air behind her as if it had its own appetites and interests. [p79]
But such excesses are rare; for the most part, as I say, I loved the writing. I also loved Billie herself, and I challenge any reader to do otherwise; she has her imperfections, oh yes, but she's a person of great integrity and good heart.
The novel's title, Billie's Kiss, is a punning one. Billie's several kisses -- that first one from Henry, another surreptitious effort by Lord Hallowhulme, her initial kissorama with Murdo, the kiss she doesn't share with a vapid clergyman who seeks her hand -- are all, in one way or another, important plot points and plot drivers. But really the title is, I think, referring to Lord Hallowhulme's stately pile, Kiss Castle, which Billie almost conquers; certainly her experiences there shape the rest of her life.
July 2, 2010
I find Elizabeth Knox’s books hard to start. But I’m always rewarded if I can get past the first few chapters – they always seem to take time to warm to them. Knox’s characters and situations seldom lure me in instantly – they seem a bit unlikeable or inaccessible. I have to be willing to get to know them. But I usually am, because ultimately, the story will reveal rewards in its complexity and emotional intelligence.
The start of Billie’s Kiss seemed as frosty and remote as the setting on an icy Northern sea. Eventually I found myself intrigued, as always, by Knox’s style. The depth of each main character is slowly revealed - it is interesting to have the inside view of a young woman struggling with the feelings and mannerisms of dyslexia in a time when this condition didn’t have a name.
One part of Knox’s realism that I enjoy is the suddenness with which events take place. As unexpectedly as in real life, someone can be dealt a blow. There’s no lead-up, no guidance to the reader that something’s about to happen, we are not given the view that the character cannot see. And there’s no fanfare when it does. A bullet can be as small (though destructive) and abrupt in words as in reality.
I wouldn’t say this book was one I really ‘enjoyed’. Rather, I was absorbed by its bleak insular world and before you know it, I was at the end. The ending ‘flash-forward’ annoyed me – it seemed out of place, a huge leap into hyperspace compared with the relatively slow tone of the preceding events. Yet I suppose it is closure, to know what becomes of Billie.
The start of Billie’s Kiss seemed as frosty and remote as the setting on an icy Northern sea. Eventually I found myself intrigued, as always, by Knox’s style. The depth of each main character is slowly revealed - it is interesting to have the inside view of a young woman struggling with the feelings and mannerisms of dyslexia in a time when this condition didn’t have a name.
One part of Knox’s realism that I enjoy is the suddenness with which events take place. As unexpectedly as in real life, someone can be dealt a blow. There’s no lead-up, no guidance to the reader that something’s about to happen, we are not given the view that the character cannot see. And there’s no fanfare when it does. A bullet can be as small (though destructive) and abrupt in words as in reality.
I wouldn’t say this book was one I really ‘enjoyed’. Rather, I was absorbed by its bleak insular world and before you know it, I was at the end. The ending ‘flash-forward’ annoyed me – it seemed out of place, a huge leap into hyperspace compared with the relatively slow tone of the preceding events. Yet I suppose it is closure, to know what becomes of Billie.
January 5, 2024
Finding this one hard to review. On the one hand I read the first half fairly quickly and found it engaging but by the second half I had lost interest. I think the writing style was, for me, hard to follow at times and I couldn't remember who was who, what their significance was etc. Also the whole book I thought Billie was like 14ish but then at the end of the book it mentions 16 to 20yo which made the plot make more sense but don't know how I'd got her age so wrong in my mind. Just a bit confusing. Glad I finally read it as it had been sitting on my shelf for years having read and not liked her other book The Vintner's Luck. I think Knox just isn't the author for me.
February 9, 2017
This is not a book to love. It is challenging to read for reasons difficult to identify and explain, but I shall try. Billie's Kiss is a very good tale. It is also choppy and stumbling as if Billie were in charge of the telling. There are many characters and settings, none of which are at peace with the others -- as if a hodgepodge of personalities had been swept up into a grab bag and allowed to fall where they may. I did read Vintner's Luck prior to reading this book, so I know the author is a gifted writer with the ability to successfully mix magical elements with the mundane in ordered sequencing, e.g. once yearly meetings between man and angel. Ensure that you have enough time to read this book as it may require a second review to gather the numerous threads. Though challenging, it was rewarding to be forced to slow down.
October 31, 2018
This book was given to me some years ago and has languished on my lengthy TBR shelf ever since. I wanted something light to read and so picked it out. I'm very glad I did, as I really enjoyed it, though I don't really care for the title, which had probably put me off reading it before now.
Set in 1903, it is part tragedy, part mystery, part thriller as the action ramps up towards the end of the book. Good fun and 3.5 stars.
Set in 1903, it is part tragedy, part mystery, part thriller as the action ramps up towards the end of the book. Good fun and 3.5 stars.
December 9, 2018
convoluted and over-written, with weak characters and odd unmotivated actions. i read "the vintner's luck" a long time ago & remember enjoying it, but haven't read anything else by elizabeth knox since; & i was disappointed and frustrated by this book. i persisted to the end, to see if there was going to be some resolution that justified the rest of it, but there wasn't. on a positive note, she does paint a strong picture of life on a remote Scottish island at the turn of the last century, and of the terrain and environment. however the text is so laden with metaphor and contrived turns of phrase that i felt bogged down and often lost the thread of what was being said, just trying to get through the words.
there were many aspects of plot and character development that just didn't made sense, for example: a fight to the death that comes out of nowhere and is drawn out over a whole chapter in gory detail; a character is "acid" to their cousin on one page and on the next page "determined to help him back to happiness"; a central character at the beginning of the novel fades away and is forgotten by the end; and the murderous act which triggers the whole story is finally explained in a most unsatisfactory way. in one quote the writing is described as "magic realism" which could perhaps be an explanation for inconsistencies, however i wouldn't call this book magic realism at all.
there were many aspects of plot and character development that just didn't made sense, for example: a fight to the death that comes out of nowhere and is drawn out over a whole chapter in gory detail; a character is "acid" to their cousin on one page and on the next page "determined to help him back to happiness"; a central character at the beginning of the novel fades away and is forgotten by the end; and the murderous act which triggers the whole story is finally explained in a most unsatisfactory way. in one quote the writing is described as "magic realism" which could perhaps be an explanation for inconsistencies, however i wouldn't call this book magic realism at all.
December 26, 2021
This book was sometimes hard to follow and it wasn't, in my opinion, worth the effort I put into understanding who everyone was and what happened to each of the characters.
A ship explodes right after a young woman leaps from the side of the ship to the dock. Well who the h*ll would have done that, caused that explosion, because it wasn't the boiler. Murdo, the man who takes care of the business of his cousin who is laird of business on this treeless island where they are both resented by the people who have lived on this island for generations; (get a breath), Murdo wants to know who did this as he lost his "man" (the guy who does things like clean the clothes and mail the mail for the other guy) in the explosion and he was very fond of his man. (get another breath)
So Murdo suspects the young woman (Billie or Wilhemina actually) but finds out otherwise. Billie lost her sister in the explosion. Many people people this story, I'm not going into it. But it is a romance of sorts and Murdo and Billie are the main characters. Murdo is one of these bad tempered, good-looking, hurt characters who the men hate and the women love. Billie is young, dyslexic, an oddball girl who loves to swim in the ocean and has hair to die for. She is the one every man has his eye on and the women generally don't like. Stuff happens, the end.
A ship explodes right after a young woman leaps from the side of the ship to the dock. Well who the h*ll would have done that, caused that explosion, because it wasn't the boiler. Murdo, the man who takes care of the business of his cousin who is laird of business on this treeless island where they are both resented by the people who have lived on this island for generations; (get a breath), Murdo wants to know who did this as he lost his "man" (the guy who does things like clean the clothes and mail the mail for the other guy) in the explosion and he was very fond of his man. (get another breath)
So Murdo suspects the young woman (Billie or Wilhemina actually) but finds out otherwise. Billie lost her sister in the explosion. Many people people this story, I'm not going into it. But it is a romance of sorts and Murdo and Billie are the main characters. Murdo is one of these bad tempered, good-looking, hurt characters who the men hate and the women love. Billie is young, dyslexic, an oddball girl who loves to swim in the ocean and has hair to die for. She is the one every man has his eye on and the women generally don't like. Stuff happens, the end.
August 20, 2010
A good read, a romance and a bit of a who-dunnit. Evocative of its own bleak world, but not, I feel of the period or place in which it is set. The determination to keep the prose dense and lyrical can often obscure the narrative and I often found myself puzzled. Portraying an odd collection of characters - none of whom are wholly engaging or sympathetic and without true heroes, many of the relationships are unconvincing and some complex issues of personality, history, ideology, moltive or status, are too suddenly explained or explained away and thus plot points are often unconvincing.
I found the connection to Port Sunlight, and the Lever family odd and have yet to fathom a reason for the strong parallels. I could also have done without the loose ends being tied so tightly.
I would not seek out Elizabeth Knox, but would read her again should I come across her by chance.
I found the connection to Port Sunlight, and the Lever family odd and have yet to fathom a reason for the strong parallels. I could also have done without the loose ends being tied so tightly.
I would not seek out Elizabeth Knox, but would read her again should I come across her by chance.
November 30, 2019
The best bits are at the beginning and the end; in between it meanders and sags and it was a struggle to keep going. Great setting. Potentially a good story buried in a lot of unnecessary writing, and I didn't really care much about any of the characters.
September 24, 2021
A very strange writing style and plot but one I found oddly appealing.
June 10, 2025
My second Elizabeth Knox novel. Unfortunately, in many different ways, this story was so odd and mismatched that I can’t see much merit in the read. Most of the time, I was bored and close to give up on it. Unfortunately, I am a notorious book finisher. It did not help that I had very little time to read lately and that I kept forgetting who is who and how they are related to each other.
My impetus for choosing this novel was my interest in Scotland, more specifically the Isle of Lewis and Harris, where I travelled to a few years ago. On this end, I got some results. The landscape descriptions are competent, and life on a remote Scottish island in the early 1900s sounded plausible. Moreover, I was unaware why the island goes by two different toponyms. Now it makes more sense. I liked how the land mass was described as Siamese twins, with the Protestant north looking towards Scotland, and the Catholic south oriented towards Ireland.
However, the writer chose to not only find aliases for the historical characters of the local laird and his family, which makes sense, since she did not mean to write about biographical facts – even though the fictional version is strongly based on some historical details (yet rearranged). However, Knox also renames places, which is extremely irritating. So our story is centred in “Kiss Castle” in “Stolnsay”, on the “Island of Kissack and Skilling”. This is annoying.
The main character, Billie Paxton, is extremely irritating. She is meant to be socially awkward – so she acts bold, brash and clumsy. This does not make her very likeable.
Somewhat unsuitably, images of the TV adaptation of Astrid Lindgren’s “Emil of Lonneberga”, and its adult actors popped up in my head. (Billie is Lina, Murdo is Alfred, James and Clara Hallowhulme are Emil’s parents. And yes, everyone is blonde.)
The title of the book is not a good choice. Yes, Billie kisses several men in the story, she is always willing and it’s always inappropriate. For example, there is a kiss she shares with her brother in law. Next thing we know, the ship she is on is sinking, and Billie jumps overboard.
Most of the time, I was absolutely clueless what the story is about. It takes a very long time to make sense. It is not until the end of the book that we find out why the ferry exploded while it was docking. When it is finally revealed, I still didn’t understand the motive behind the sabotage. The grand finale in the abandoned church comes out of nowhere; I did not understand the reason behind the attack. Afterwards, the story goes on for another sixty pages, in the form of a very strange and unnecessary epilogue. Also, the reference to Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and Lord Hallowhulme as Prospero is quite a stretch.
The story has several layers, which takes time to see through. Billie Paxton’s bizarre backstory has very little to do with the complex history of Lord Hallowhulme and his wife’s Scottish-Swedish lower aristocratic family. I would have been happy to read just that. Murdo’s memories of his life in Sweden was the most interesting part of the entire book.
Other than that, the author’s language is weird. Her general descriptions and particularly her metaphors can be difficult to comprehend. No, thank you, but the sky is not “God’s flesh”. Also, I don’t understand why a New Zealand author wants to tell stories that are set half a world away. I believe that when you write about a place that you know well, it will come across as by far more authentic.
My impetus for choosing this novel was my interest in Scotland, more specifically the Isle of Lewis and Harris, where I travelled to a few years ago. On this end, I got some results. The landscape descriptions are competent, and life on a remote Scottish island in the early 1900s sounded plausible. Moreover, I was unaware why the island goes by two different toponyms. Now it makes more sense. I liked how the land mass was described as Siamese twins, with the Protestant north looking towards Scotland, and the Catholic south oriented towards Ireland.
However, the writer chose to not only find aliases for the historical characters of the local laird and his family, which makes sense, since she did not mean to write about biographical facts – even though the fictional version is strongly based on some historical details (yet rearranged). However, Knox also renames places, which is extremely irritating. So our story is centred in “Kiss Castle” in “Stolnsay”, on the “Island of Kissack and Skilling”. This is annoying.
The main character, Billie Paxton, is extremely irritating. She is meant to be socially awkward – so she acts bold, brash and clumsy. This does not make her very likeable.
Somewhat unsuitably, images of the TV adaptation of Astrid Lindgren’s “Emil of Lonneberga”, and its adult actors popped up in my head. (Billie is Lina, Murdo is Alfred, James and Clara Hallowhulme are Emil’s parents. And yes, everyone is blonde.)
The title of the book is not a good choice. Yes, Billie kisses several men in the story, she is always willing and it’s always inappropriate. For example, there is a kiss she shares with her brother in law. Next thing we know, the ship she is on is sinking, and Billie jumps overboard.
Most of the time, I was absolutely clueless what the story is about. It takes a very long time to make sense. It is not until the end of the book that we find out why the ferry exploded while it was docking. When it is finally revealed, I still didn’t understand the motive behind the sabotage. The grand finale in the abandoned church comes out of nowhere; I did not understand the reason behind the attack. Afterwards, the story goes on for another sixty pages, in the form of a very strange and unnecessary epilogue. Also, the reference to Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and Lord Hallowhulme as Prospero is quite a stretch.
The story has several layers, which takes time to see through. Billie Paxton’s bizarre backstory has very little to do with the complex history of Lord Hallowhulme and his wife’s Scottish-Swedish lower aristocratic family. I would have been happy to read just that. Murdo’s memories of his life in Sweden was the most interesting part of the entire book.
Other than that, the author’s language is weird. Her general descriptions and particularly her metaphors can be difficult to comprehend. No, thank you, but the sky is not “God’s flesh”. Also, I don’t understand why a New Zealand author wants to tell stories that are set half a world away. I believe that when you write about a place that you know well, it will come across as by far more authentic.
March 16, 2009
I loved this book, as I've loved all of Knox's work so far. Her writing is gorgeous, and I always try to take my time reading her books simply to enjoy the language. The story, as her previous ones have been, is less about the mystery of the boat's explosion and more about the people involved. Knox's characters are all fascinating, and I lost myself in the story, not wanting to put the book down (a problem when in graduate school).
I tend to think of Knox's books not as thrillers or mysteries or dramas, but as character studies - watching the characters as their lives mesh or tear apart, as they are wounded and as they heal. The plot is interesting and intricate, but it still takes a back seat to the lives of Billie, Murdo and Geordie. Absolutely gorgeous book.
I tend to think of Knox's books not as thrillers or mysteries or dramas, but as character studies - watching the characters as their lives mesh or tear apart, as they are wounded and as they heal. The plot is interesting and intricate, but it still takes a back seat to the lives of Billie, Murdo and Geordie. Absolutely gorgeous book.
September 1, 2022
... He won't ask 'why am I alive? why has God preserved me?' because he regards his life as a temporary difficulty. He’s alive because he wants to know who took you from him. But he won’t ask “Who meant to kill me?” in case the question makes him jealous of his life and desirous of living. [p. 148]
Billie Paxton has survived a rough sea voyage aboard the Gustav Edda, tending her heavily pregnant sister Edith: Edith's husband Henry is due to take up a post with Lord Hallowhulme on the remote Scottish island of Kissack and Skilling. As the ship nears the dock, Billie leaps ashore -- and behind her the ship explodes, with several lives lost and many injured. Billie, and her flight from the deck, catches the suspicious eye of Murdo Hesketh, a minor aristocrat and a cousin of Lord Hallowhulme: he's lost his friend and servant Ian Betler in the disaster, and he thinks Billie may be to blame.
I've attempted Billie's Kiss several times over the years and not engaged with it, but a recent trip north inspired me to try again. I think it may be that rare thing, an Elizabeth Knox novel that I don't (yet?) love: perhaps because of the lack of fantastical elements, perhaps because of the slowness of most of the narrative (though time speeds up in the last couple of chapters, taking us from 1903 to 1916 in a few pages), perhaps because Billie -- who is illiterate, and whose sensorium I found at once fascinating and frustrating -- didn't always seem aware of her own feelings, perhaps because Murdo was chilly and prickly. That said, the gradual revelation of the two protagonists' histories and characters is beautifully done. I found Billie's love of sea-swimming -- remarkable for the time, and splendidly evoked -- especially resonant: '...being borne up on the steep peak of an unbroken wave or rolled about in the chilly fizz of a smashed one'.
Billie's Kiss is partly a murder mystery, partly a Gothic romance, and partly a portrayal of an aristocratic family with a plethora of secrets. Lord Hallowhulme, amiable and philanthropic, is surely modelled on Lord Leverhulme. His half-Swedish wife Clara is also cousin to Murdo (there are a lot of doubled relationships in this novel) and grew up with him. Murdo's own past is fraught with loss and deceit, as well as with the exuberant exploits of his youth. Even the children -- Hallowhulme and Clara's offspring, and a boy from the town named Alan -- have distinct and complex personalities. (I became very fond of Alan, who knew what he wanted and was not afraid to ask for it.) And the Betler brothers, Ian drowned and Geordie come to assist Murdo Hesketh, felt like a strong and solid presence throughout the novel: their letters to one another are both lucid and profound.
Thinking again about this novel, I think it'll merit a slower reread some time soon. I feel there's much I'm missing -- not least the connections with Shakespeare's The Tempest that are mentioned, but not discussed, in a couple of reviews.
June 26, 2022
I'm reading and re-reading several of Elizabeth Knox's works and Billie's Kiss is the latest for me. If I've read it before it was many years ago and nothing of it remained for me. It's a dense and tightly woven story and perhaps I tried to skim it the first time round and it didn't imbed itself. This time it drew me in and I found it hard to find fault. Set in the early 29th century, pre WW1 on a remote Scottish island it tells the story of Billie Paxton, a 20 year old woman with a disorder that prevents her from learning to read and often has her processing the world around her in a way that alarms or upsets others, especially in a time where social conventions, especially for women, dictate acceptable interactions. The novel was first published in 2002 and approaching it now it feels ahead of its time - we'd consider Billie neuro-diverse today and have many theories around which spectrums and learning needs apply to her.
Billie, her sister Edith and brother-in-law Henry are about to start a new life on an island called Kissack as Henry has accepted a position as a library cataloguer for the island's benevolent gentry Lord Hallowhulme. Just as their ship docks, Billie leaps ashore and a subsequent explosion sinks it - drowning Edith and her just born baby, and nearly drowning Henry who takes some months to fully recover.
Lord Hallowhulme and his family take Billie and Henry in and the novel explores their growing understanding of his character and the complex dynamics of his family and those "in service" to them. Through all this, his cousin by marriage, Murdo Hesketh, seeks to understand the cause of the explosion and his suspicions first fall on Billie due to her lucky escape.
It's an enthralling read, taking us closer and closer to the truth as we learn more about the personalities involved, their backs stories and agendas. I hope the story will stay with me much longer this time round.
Billie, her sister Edith and brother-in-law Henry are about to start a new life on an island called Kissack as Henry has accepted a position as a library cataloguer for the island's benevolent gentry Lord Hallowhulme. Just as their ship docks, Billie leaps ashore and a subsequent explosion sinks it - drowning Edith and her just born baby, and nearly drowning Henry who takes some months to fully recover.
Lord Hallowhulme and his family take Billie and Henry in and the novel explores their growing understanding of his character and the complex dynamics of his family and those "in service" to them. Through all this, his cousin by marriage, Murdo Hesketh, seeks to understand the cause of the explosion and his suspicions first fall on Billie due to her lucky escape.
It's an enthralling read, taking us closer and closer to the truth as we learn more about the personalities involved, their backs stories and agendas. I hope the story will stay with me much longer this time round.
July 4, 2021
A Woodend Brontes book, and I loved it. Billie is an illiterate (?dyslexic) but smart, observant young woman. She, her pregnant sister and brother-in-law are making their way to Skilling and Kissack (not real places) in the Outer Hebrides, when the boat explodes next to the dock. Edith and baby drown. Billie is taken in by Henry's employer, Hallowhulme. The butler and factotum are suspicious, and it emerges that the boat sinking was deliberate, by Hallowhulme. . It seemed because he wanted to be rid of the man, Murdo (great name) he saw as a rival to his wife's affections, and the father of their son. Turns out he was actually the father of their daughter! But Hallowhulme's plan went badly awry, and 15 people died. On the other hand, he was a great innovator, and determined to create wealth and employment on the island, instead of all the young ones leaving, investing in a cannery, an alginate factory (extracted from seaweed) the first phone connection on the island, the first car. The book is about integrity, class, cleverness and power, and where those things reside. Billie is a determined young woman, who takes control of her situation over and over again.
Read
June 9, 2020I found this to be a compelling read and I really enjoyed the beautiful descriptive language. It reminded me of one of my favourite classics, ‘Jamaican Inn’, for the atmospheric writing, broody characters and dark secrets.
In the spring of 1903 a ship explodes as it docks on the island, drowning many of the passengers and crew in the icy waters of Stolnsay harbour. Young, strawberry-blonde-haired Billie Paxton is among the only survivors. She had been travelling to Stolsnay with her heavily pregnant sister and her sister’s husband who was to be Lord Hallwhulme’s Cataloguer.
Clumsy, illiterate and suddenly alone, Billie will not say why, before the explosion, she jumped from ship to shore, and so falls under the immediate suspicion of her fellow passenger, Murdo Hesketh, and his cousin and employer, Lord Hallowhulme, who owns the island and has controversial plans for improving the lives of its inhabitants.
MB
In the spring of 1903 a ship explodes as it docks on the island, drowning many of the passengers and crew in the icy waters of Stolnsay harbour. Young, strawberry-blonde-haired Billie Paxton is among the only survivors. She had been travelling to Stolsnay with her heavily pregnant sister and her sister’s husband who was to be Lord Hallwhulme’s Cataloguer.
Clumsy, illiterate and suddenly alone, Billie will not say why, before the explosion, she jumped from ship to shore, and so falls under the immediate suspicion of her fellow passenger, Murdo Hesketh, and his cousin and employer, Lord Hallowhulme, who owns the island and has controversial plans for improving the lives of its inhabitants.
MB
August 30, 2021
Read for book club. Beautifully described sense of place and atmosphere. Especially the water and beaches. All the characters were odd and mostly unlikeable though Billie was feisty and unconventional. Very disjointed memories so although I know what happened I’m still not sure what really happened and I what order. But I guess that’s Billie?
Also lots of ideas and research but not sure which ones got developed. And didn’t get the Shakespeare connection as well (my fault - I’m not that familiar with The Tempest). And they let them off? For all those deaths? And poor Edith? And glib use of real events at the end with the rescue and loss of those retuning from war. Wasn’t well received .
Also lots of ideas and research but not sure which ones got developed. And didn’t get the Shakespeare connection as well (my fault - I’m not that familiar with The Tempest). And they let them off? For all those deaths? And poor Edith? And glib use of real events at the end with the rescue and loss of those retuning from war. Wasn’t well received .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2024
What an amazing book.
I live in NZ and I’m ashamed to say that I have never read any of Elizabeth Knox’s books.
If you like short, sparse, quick reads, this book might not for you. It’s a long, dense read but it’s worth the time investment. Such an original story and wonderful characters.
One of the sentences had 54 words in it so it’s not a book for the faint of heart, but if you want a stunning family saga, this could be the book for you.
I live in NZ and I’m ashamed to say that I have never read any of Elizabeth Knox’s books.
If you like short, sparse, quick reads, this book might not for you. It’s a long, dense read but it’s worth the time investment. Such an original story and wonderful characters.
One of the sentences had 54 words in it so it’s not a book for the faint of heart, but if you want a stunning family saga, this could be the book for you.
August 9, 2019
Unlike her Angel and Oxen novels of magic realism, Billie is a straight up gothic romance in the class of Wuthering Heights. I loved it. Her development of character, especially His Lordship - humorously disgusting and tritely murderous - is rich, detailed and nuanced, very believable. The romantic characters , as the genre demands, are less believable, but engrossing, and original.
May 30, 2017
Strange, takes a long time to get into the story. It's told from several people's viewpoint, difficult to follow and what the intentions and opinions are. Would have given 3 stars, but it did keep me up at night wanting to finish it, so upgraded it to 4 stars,
September 10, 2022
The blurb speaks of The Tempest, but this love story made me think more of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Luscious language and some intriguing characterisations did not make this outstanding reading but a worthwhile one.
March 15, 2020
I reas this in 2003? I remember liking it lots and finding it more straightforward than any of Knox's books.
December 4, 2020
Very fragmented writing style, difficult to follow in some places. Could have been a great novel.
April 11, 2025
it was ok, a lot packed in at the end of the story. I enjoyed the journey through Billy's life.
January 6, 2011
Elizabeth Knox lives in New Zealand, and it's a little hard to find her books here, but Ann got me this for Christmas. I loved it, eventually. At first I didn't think it was anything like the other books of hers I've read--Dreamhunter & Dreamquake, which are AWESOME--but actually it kind of is. And it has a terrible title. A young woman (Billie) is traveling with her sister and brother-in-law to an island that I think is in the Orkneys, a UK protectorate, but nearer to Sweden. The ferry they're on capsizes mysteriously at the dock right after Billie jumps off board. So this guy who has been traveling with her suspects her of sabotage--his name is Murdo, unfortunately. Wow, it's hard to summarize this book. You should probably just read the description. What I love about it: the dense, beautiful writing, that reminded me more than a little of Patrick O'Keeffe, who I don't think is on Goodreads. (Patrick? Are you out there?) Here:
"The actors had left a branch of candles lit. maybe they'd intended to come back. Billie closed the lid over the keys and looked at the candle flames, watched them stretch, perhaps like children eager to see, but more like animals up after rest, limbering up, indolent, gaining volume and ferocity--but with no object, no prey in sight."
There's a lot of wonderful descriptions of water, too, and a couple too many deaths, and it's sort of a murder mystery I guess? But it doesn't appear that way until almost the end of the book. It says a lot that I was able to sympathize with the main male characters even though his name was Murdo, and most of the time forget that was his name, even when I was reading it over and over again.
"The actors had left a branch of candles lit. maybe they'd intended to come back. Billie closed the lid over the keys and looked at the candle flames, watched them stretch, perhaps like children eager to see, but more like animals up after rest, limbering up, indolent, gaining volume and ferocity--but with no object, no prey in sight."
There's a lot of wonderful descriptions of water, too, and a couple too many deaths, and it's sort of a murder mystery I guess? But it doesn't appear that way until almost the end of the book. It says a lot that I was able to sympathize with the main male characters even though his name was Murdo, and most of the time forget that was his name, even when I was reading it over and over again.
December 4, 2014
My actual rating is more like 4.5 - definitely more than 4 but I wouldn't say there's no better book under the sun... still, it's among the best.
Anyway.
It is that kind of book that I actually want to keep putting away and aside and read it slowly, so it lasts longer... And I think I know the secret now! I devour those books where the writer takes the time to linger and describe things in delicate details: the people, their thoughts, the actions and movements, the surroundings. I really liked the kind of narrative where not the exact dialogue is given, but a "he asked her if she wanted to go with him and she said yes". That said, there is enough dialogue in the book, I found it balanced.
So why only 4.5?
Because I found the last chapters hurried. Whereas the book was flowing like a slow river until the point where Rory and Murdo accidentally meet Billie, here it blurred. The description was still detailed, but somehow I didn't see it clear, it wasn't unambigious what exactly happened. And what is more, the story lost its focus, the point where it headed. It felt haphazard after then.
I'll search out other books by EK, because I'm sure they must be at least 4* :)
Anyway.
It is that kind of book that I actually want to keep putting away and aside and read it slowly, so it lasts longer... And I think I know the secret now! I devour those books where the writer takes the time to linger and describe things in delicate details: the people, their thoughts, the actions and movements, the surroundings. I really liked the kind of narrative where not the exact dialogue is given, but a "he asked her if she wanted to go with him and she said yes". That said, there is enough dialogue in the book, I found it balanced.
So why only 4.5?
Because I found the last chapters hurried. Whereas the book was flowing like a slow river until the point where Rory and Murdo accidentally meet Billie, here it blurred. The description was still detailed, but somehow I didn't see it clear, it wasn't unambigious what exactly happened. And what is more, the story lost its focus, the point where it headed. It felt haphazard after then.
I'll search out other books by EK, because I'm sure they must be at least 4* :)
January 14, 2008
Booklist says: "Set in Scotland in 1903, Knox's novel begins with an explosion--literally. Billie Paxton is traveling with her pregnant sister, Edith, and Edith's husband, Henry, to Stolnsay, where Henry is to be employed by Lord Hallowhulme as a secretary. After Billie shares an impulsive kiss with Henry on the deck of the ship on which they are traveling, she leaps into the sea. Immediately after she jumps, a bomb goes off, and the ship sinks, killing many of the passengers, including Edith. Lord Hallowhulme takes both Billie and Henry in. Lord Hallowhulme's cousin, the handsome, standoffish Murdo Hesketh, was also aboard the ship and is determined to discover the cause of the explosion. At first, he suspects Billie, leading to animosity between the two but also the rise of an undeniable attraction. Murdo doggedly pursues the mystery of the bomb until he comes to a conclusion that surprises even him. Knox's third novel is both ambitious and accomplished, vividly evoking turn-of-the-century Scotland. Her characters are unique and yet somehow familiar, in the sense that they are reminiscent of famous characters in Victorian literature. Filled with rich language and buoyed by a compelling story, this novel should have a wide appeal."
March 17, 2010
I have become enchanted with Knox's stories, especially their eerie and mysterious moods. "Billie's Kiss" takes place in turn of the century (20th century) Scotland. It is a mystery unveiled through the perspectives of Billie, an innocent and naive young woman, Murdo Hesketh, a morose and passionate man, and Geordie Betler, the observant butler. I didn't figure out "who did it" until the end, so it worked for me!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews