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The Blue Salt Road
An earthly nourris sits and sings
And aye she sings, "Ba lilly wean,
Little ken I my bairn's father,
Far less the land that he staps in.
(Child Ballad, no. 113)
So begins a stunning tale of love, loss and revenge, against a powerful backdrop of adventure on the high seas, and drama on the land. The Blue Salt Road balances passion and loss, love and violence and draws on nature and folklore to weave a stunning modern mythology around a nameless, wild young man.
Passion drew him to a new world, and trickery has kept him there - without his memories, separated from his own people. But as he finds his way in this dangerous new way of life, so he learns that his notions of home, and your people, might not be as fixed as he believed.
Beautifully illustrated by Bonnie Helen Hawkins, this is a stunning and original modern fairytale.
And aye she sings, "Ba lilly wean,
Little ken I my bairn's father,
Far less the land that he staps in.
(Child Ballad, no. 113)
So begins a stunning tale of love, loss and revenge, against a powerful backdrop of adventure on the high seas, and drama on the land. The Blue Salt Road balances passion and loss, love and violence and draws on nature and folklore to weave a stunning modern mythology around a nameless, wild young man.
Passion drew him to a new world, and trickery has kept him there - without his memories, separated from his own people. But as he finds his way in this dangerous new way of life, so he learns that his notions of home, and your people, might not be as fixed as he believed.
Beautifully illustrated by Bonnie Helen Hawkins, this is a stunning and original modern fairytale.
215 pages, Hardcover
First published November 15, 2018
77 people are currently reading
3382 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 346 reviews
February 23, 2020
The Child Ballads have been a source of inspiration in several of Joanne Harris’s books and Blue Salt Road is one of them. It’s a magical, fantasy fairytale of a Selkie (the seal folk) and the land folk which is woven into a stunning tale of love, treachery and the lure of the ocean.
A young man of the Selkie is intrigued by The Folk and so he sheds his seal skin and goes ashore becoming bolder and bolder in his wanderings. In his arrogant curiosity he fails to heed his mother’s warnings. Flora McCraiceann, a young maiden, is dismissive of the island boys and wants more. She wants a Selkie and is determined ‘to bag one’. The Selkie spots her and both throw caution to the wind and whoops, she falls pregnant. She then plans to trap him to the land ......
I love this story which transports you from a gale force day (situation normal UK Feb 2020) to a magical world. The story takes you through a gamut of emotions from both characters. Flora is selfish and treacherous and The Selkie feels despair, anger, pain and dread as Flora’s plan works and he is now land locked and sadly rather lifeless. The story takes us from the northern islands (I had Shetland Isles in my head) to whale-ships and back and along the way you feel The Selkies connection to the creatures he is meant to be helping to hunt. The finale is exciting and the couple reach a compromise for their daughter.
Overall, a really intriguing story from one of my absolute favourite authors. I love the beautiful way she has with prose and she never fails to take me someplace else. This is a story of change, betrayal, forgiveness and love with an additional message of ‘men’ trapped by women’s love. I should also like to compliment artist Bonnie Hawkins whose beautiful illustrations add an additional dimension to the story telling. They are also a magical interpretation.
A young man of the Selkie is intrigued by The Folk and so he sheds his seal skin and goes ashore becoming bolder and bolder in his wanderings. In his arrogant curiosity he fails to heed his mother’s warnings. Flora McCraiceann, a young maiden, is dismissive of the island boys and wants more. She wants a Selkie and is determined ‘to bag one’. The Selkie spots her and both throw caution to the wind and whoops, she falls pregnant. She then plans to trap him to the land ......
I love this story which transports you from a gale force day (situation normal UK Feb 2020) to a magical world. The story takes you through a gamut of emotions from both characters. Flora is selfish and treacherous and The Selkie feels despair, anger, pain and dread as Flora’s plan works and he is now land locked and sadly rather lifeless. The story takes us from the northern islands (I had Shetland Isles in my head) to whale-ships and back and along the way you feel The Selkies connection to the creatures he is meant to be helping to hunt. The finale is exciting and the couple reach a compromise for their daughter.
Overall, a really intriguing story from one of my absolute favourite authors. I love the beautiful way she has with prose and she never fails to take me someplace else. This is a story of change, betrayal, forgiveness and love with an additional message of ‘men’ trapped by women’s love. I should also like to compliment artist Bonnie Hawkins whose beautiful illustrations add an additional dimension to the story telling. They are also a magical interpretation.
May 14, 2019
The Blue Salt Road is where the selkies dwell as kings and queens of the deep. When a young woman named Flora needs to find a husband, she despairs of choosing any of the men on the small island where she lives. They're hardened by work on the whaling ships and unrefined.
But when Flora's grandmother teaches her a secret about mysterious beings called the selkies, she knows her search will soon be over.
"In tears he was summoned, salt as the sea,
In silver was his binding. In blood and betrayal, his calling he found.
In cedar, his salvation." pg 87
Unlike other selkie stories I've read, like Sealskin, the person summoned from the waves is male, not female. I'm sure the fairytale has been told both ways, but it's a nice change from other versions.
Joanne Harris writes interesting and nuanced fantasy in which she takes a look at older stories and puts her own spin on them. If you haven't had a chance, you may want to read her duology about the Norse god, Loki. (The Gospel of Loki and The Testament of Loki)
"This is my story. The story of the land-folk and the seal-folk, and of treachery, and of the call of the ocean." pgs 4-5
There's quite a lot to unpack in the symbols of The Blue Salt Road and the selkie myth. (Warning, spoilers ahead for those unfamiliar with the selkie myth.) In Jungian psychology and dream interpretation, water is a common symbol for the subconscious mind. What floats or comes to the surface is what you're aware of. Swimming about in the depths of the ocean, are the feelings or situations you're perhaps unwilling to confront.
It also speaks to the individual ways that people deal with growing up and choosing a trade or growing old and growing apart from the people and things they used to cherish.
In Joanne Harris' version, there's a family component with the secret passed between mothers and daughters, grandmothers and grandchildren.
"I told you that within the year I should catch myself a prince, and bear him a pretty princeling," she said. "Now I shall be the envy of all the maids on the island, and all the young men who missed their chance will curse their evil fortune." pg 44
These secrets that we carry are unique as well and help create cultures among family groups. Sometimes, the spouses we choose to add to the mix don't adapt well to these cultures and eventually leave, not because there's a loss of love, but because they are never truly accepted into the family group.
All of this is symbolic goodness is packed into a story that is appropriate for young adults to read. There is nothing overly graphic in here, just layers of complexity that a tween might not be able to grasp.
Highly recommended for young adult and adult readers of fantasy fiction and mythology.
But when Flora's grandmother teaches her a secret about mysterious beings called the selkies, she knows her search will soon be over.
"In tears he was summoned, salt as the sea,
In silver was his binding. In blood and betrayal, his calling he found.
In cedar, his salvation." pg 87
Unlike other selkie stories I've read, like Sealskin, the person summoned from the waves is male, not female. I'm sure the fairytale has been told both ways, but it's a nice change from other versions.
Joanne Harris writes interesting and nuanced fantasy in which she takes a look at older stories and puts her own spin on them. If you haven't had a chance, you may want to read her duology about the Norse god, Loki. (The Gospel of Loki and The Testament of Loki)
"This is my story. The story of the land-folk and the seal-folk, and of treachery, and of the call of the ocean." pgs 4-5
There's quite a lot to unpack in the symbols of The Blue Salt Road and the selkie myth. (Warning, spoilers ahead for those unfamiliar with the selkie myth.) In Jungian psychology and dream interpretation, water is a common symbol for the subconscious mind. What floats or comes to the surface is what you're aware of. Swimming about in the depths of the ocean, are the feelings or situations you're perhaps unwilling to confront.
It also speaks to the individual ways that people deal with growing up and choosing a trade or growing old and growing apart from the people and things they used to cherish.
In Joanne Harris' version, there's a family component with the secret passed between mothers and daughters, grandmothers and grandchildren.
"I told you that within the year I should catch myself a prince, and bear him a pretty princeling," she said. "Now I shall be the envy of all the maids on the island, and all the young men who missed their chance will curse their evil fortune." pg 44
These secrets that we carry are unique as well and help create cultures among family groups. Sometimes, the spouses we choose to add to the mix don't adapt well to these cultures and eventually leave, not because there's a loss of love, but because they are never truly accepted into the family group.
All of this is symbolic goodness is packed into a story that is appropriate for young adults to read. There is nothing overly graphic in here, just layers of complexity that a tween might not be able to grasp.
Highly recommended for young adult and adult readers of fantasy fiction and mythology.
November 22, 2018
The line between song and myth is porous, and the Child Ballads have been fertile ground for Joanna M. Harris lately. “The Brown Girl” inspired A Pocketful of Crows, and now “The Great Silkie Of Sule Skerry” offers the starting point for The Blue Salt Road. Harris understand storytelling and the power of the tradition of folk tales, but, like all the best artists, she makes it her own in this rich tale. She takes you there, to the wide strand by the ocean, the poor village, the whaling ships, and into the water itself, to a part of the world where both the Folk and the Selkie live. Although the story centres on one couple, slowly the wider picture emerges of a reality that’s different to anything we imagine at first, yet absolutely believable. Her characters are alive, with their good traits and bad; nothing is painted in black and white, not even love. It’s a very human story, as all the best ones should be, one that ends with beautiful hope, and an unexpected twist. There’s redemption and reclamation between the covers, along with every shade of emotion, and that, along with a lovingly-told story, is what makes it such a compelling read, with magic treading lightly between the words. The luscious illustrations by Bonnie Hawkins complement it all, giving another, powerful dimension to the characters and settings, bringing them vividly alive.
January 21, 2019
Welp, I ate that up. And you say Joanne Harris has written other fantasy/folk books? Lovely. I'll read all of them.
March 24, 2019
You'd think I'd be sick of selkie stories and retold fairytales by now – but just when I think no retelling could surprise me, along comes Joanne Harris. I loved this.
September 5, 2022
I really enjoyed this reimagining of a Selkie story. Selkies look very like seals but can take off there skins and appear human. There are those who think that a Selkie husband would be a desirable idea. If the skin is kept hidden the Selkie forgets their past life...
The writing here is lovely. Lyrical and flowing it takes some inspiration from the Child Ballads as did Pocketful of Crows by Joanne Harris which I loved. I guess this was not quite as good but it was still a very good read. Worth a look for lovers of fantasy and myths.
The writing here is lovely. Lyrical and flowing it takes some inspiration from the Child Ballads as did Pocketful of Crows by Joanne Harris which I loved. I guess this was not quite as good but it was still a very good read. Worth a look for lovers of fantasy and myths.
October 25, 2024
So I really wanted to like this - I enjoy myths/modern myths and this dinky book is so terribly beautiful, a lovely binding littered with charming illustrations. However, it all felt a little preachy and I didn't enjoy the way it portrayed women as scheming, selfish creatures and men as the wayward sex whom hold no responsibility for their actions. I wasn't sure about the message the author was trying to get across and I didn't like a single character in the tale.
For me this was a pretty book that told a terribly depressing tale. It was well written and easy to read but it's not a book I would go back to read again and again.
For me this was a pretty book that told a terribly depressing tale. It was well written and easy to read but it's not a book I would go back to read again and again.
April 16, 2019
* I read this as the Ancient Runes read for the OWLs readathon*
I have to admit that retellings and stories based on folk tales are not my usual pick, but this one was sent to me and it had such beautiful illustrations that I couldn't resist it. The story is a simple one of a love and betrayal, selkies and people of the sea, the Folk and their cunning and more. It's the story that you've probably already imagined, nothing new, but it's beautifully told and has dreamy illustrations to accompany it. I definitely recommend giving it a try. 3.5*s
I have to admit that retellings and stories based on folk tales are not my usual pick, but this one was sent to me and it had such beautiful illustrations that I couldn't resist it. The story is a simple one of a love and betrayal, selkies and people of the sea, the Folk and their cunning and more. It's the story that you've probably already imagined, nothing new, but it's beautifully told and has dreamy illustrations to accompany it. I definitely recommend giving it a try. 3.5*s
October 25, 2020
Stunning, inside and out. A dark retelling of selkie lore, The Blue Salt Road made me smile and teary-eyed in equal measure. Highly recommended.
December 26, 2022
— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: The Blue Salt Road
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Joanne M. Harris
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Fantasy
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 23rd July 2019
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 3/5
Our story begins with a young selkie, a seal that can shed his skin and walk on land as a man. This selkie loves the tantalising taste of danger and walking so close to the Folk on land, who have been slaughtering his clan for years. A passionate love affair ensues between the selkie and a wild, red-haired woman named Flora. Once she finds out that she is with child, she tries to lure the selkie to stay first with passion, and then with trickery.
There is such a whimsical quality to the writing that the fairy tale vibe glows strong. The writing is as beautiful as it is savage. Joanne M Harris (author) does a great job of capturing the setting of both the sea and the land, which bought about a level of realism that the novel may have otherwise lacked.
The imagery provoked from the author's writing is simply fantastic. It wasn't hard to imagine a great wet, wintery, wild land that was as brutal as the ocean.
One thing I loved about this novel is that there are no good guys, and no bad guys. There are only complex folk, mythological beings, and a story that feels like it's been passed down for generations.
The illustrations were delectable, and gave me a good idea of the wild blood that runs through each of the characters, who have their own secrets. They also added to the fairy tale quality that was so prominent in this book.
Unfortunately, I found that my attention wandered at times, and many times I had to read a sentence once or twice to let it sink in.
Other than that, this was a mildly entertaining tale full of fantastical delights and twists enough to make my toes curl with revulsion and pity.
🧚🏻♀️
♡ my bookstagram • my twitter ♡
↑ follow my socials for more bookish content. ↑
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: The Blue Salt Road
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Joanne M. Harris
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Fantasy
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 23rd July 2019
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 3/5
"And thou shalt marry a gunnerman proud,
And a very proud gunner I'm sure he'll be,
And the very first shot that e'er he shoots,
He'll kill both my young son and me."
Our story begins with a young selkie, a seal that can shed his skin and walk on land as a man. This selkie loves the tantalising taste of danger and walking so close to the Folk on land, who have been slaughtering his clan for years. A passionate love affair ensues between the selkie and a wild, red-haired woman named Flora. Once she finds out that she is with child, she tries to lure the selkie to stay first with passion, and then with trickery.
There is such a whimsical quality to the writing that the fairy tale vibe glows strong. The writing is as beautiful as it is savage. Joanne M Harris (author) does a great job of capturing the setting of both the sea and the land, which bought about a level of realism that the novel may have otherwise lacked.
The imagery provoked from the author's writing is simply fantastic. It wasn't hard to imagine a great wet, wintery, wild land that was as brutal as the ocean.
One thing I loved about this novel is that there are no good guys, and no bad guys. There are only complex folk, mythological beings, and a story that feels like it's been passed down for generations.
The illustrations were delectable, and gave me a good idea of the wild blood that runs through each of the characters, who have their own secrets. They also added to the fairy tale quality that was so prominent in this book.
Unfortunately, I found that my attention wandered at times, and many times I had to read a sentence once or twice to let it sink in.
Other than that, this was a mildly entertaining tale full of fantastical delights and twists enough to make my toes curl with revulsion and pity.
🧚🏻♀️
♡ my bookstagram • my twitter ♡
↑ follow my socials for more bookish content. ↑
November 6, 2018
The Blue Salt Road is a fantastic folktale written by Joanne M Harris and beautifully illustrated by Bonnie Helen Hawkins. It's the kind of book to pick up on a blustery autumn day when you're tucked up somewhere nice and warm in front of a fire with a mug of hot chocolate and a few free hours to spend reading - you'll definitely want to finish it in one sitting!
If you're familiar with selkie folktales you'll already know that they can remove their skin and walk on land as humans but that if someone steals their skin then they will be trapped in their human form and unable to return to the sea. Joanne M Harris built her story around this premise and has created a story of curiosity, young love, betrayal and devastation.
The selkies have long known that people of the Folk can't be trusted but one young selkie prince is looking for adventure and starts spending more and more time on land, ignoring the advice of the other selkies and sea creatures. Eventually he meets a young girl and when she falls pregnant desperation leads her to take drastic measures to make sure he marries her. I don't want to go into more detail about the story so you'll just have to read it for yourself but Joanne M Harris did a brilliant job of capturing his confusion about what has happened to him and his yearning for something he can't quite put his finger on.
This is a story that will pull you in and make you feel like you're right there with the characters, you'll feel the salt spray on your lips as he joins his father in law on a whaling ship and you'll feel his horror when he starts to understand just what the Folk are capable of doing to the creatures he used to consider friends. I honestly thought I knew how the story would end but it ended up going in a surprising direction and I really liked that the author was able to surprise me.
Alongside the fantastic writing you have the incredible illustrations from Bonnie Helen Hawkins that really help bring this world even more to life. Honestly I'd love to frame some of these pictures because they really are beautiful and even though I was sent a proof copy from Gollancz in exchange for an honest review I'm definitely going to be buying myself a hardback copy to treasure. I had to include just a couple of the gorgeous illustrations in this review so you can see exactly what I'm talking about:
If you're familiar with selkie folktales you'll already know that they can remove their skin and walk on land as humans but that if someone steals their skin then they will be trapped in their human form and unable to return to the sea. Joanne M Harris built her story around this premise and has created a story of curiosity, young love, betrayal and devastation.
The selkies have long known that people of the Folk can't be trusted but one young selkie prince is looking for adventure and starts spending more and more time on land, ignoring the advice of the other selkies and sea creatures. Eventually he meets a young girl and when she falls pregnant desperation leads her to take drastic measures to make sure he marries her. I don't want to go into more detail about the story so you'll just have to read it for yourself but Joanne M Harris did a brilliant job of capturing his confusion about what has happened to him and his yearning for something he can't quite put his finger on.
This is a story that will pull you in and make you feel like you're right there with the characters, you'll feel the salt spray on your lips as he joins his father in law on a whaling ship and you'll feel his horror when he starts to understand just what the Folk are capable of doing to the creatures he used to consider friends. I honestly thought I knew how the story would end but it ended up going in a surprising direction and I really liked that the author was able to surprise me.
Alongside the fantastic writing you have the incredible illustrations from Bonnie Helen Hawkins that really help bring this world even more to life. Honestly I'd love to frame some of these pictures because they really are beautiful and even though I was sent a proof copy from Gollancz in exchange for an honest review I'm definitely going to be buying myself a hardback copy to treasure. I had to include just a couple of the gorgeous illustrations in this review so you can see exactly what I'm talking about:
February 11, 2019
Joanne M. Harris ' The Blue Salt Road is the story of family, love, betrayal and new chances. It draws from Selkie legends and is set in the arctic waters north of Scotland. A selkie of the Grey Seal Clan falls in love with a young red-headed woman of the island folk. After a while, he wants to leave for warmer waters with winter coming, she wants him to stay and be a father and provider to her child and his. Love becomes betrayal, and both young people must find their true selves in its aftermath.
Tactile and visually attractive, this book has a gorgeous cover and exquisite illustrations by Bonnie Helen Hawkins. The story has a fairy tale feel, a reverse gender version of the Little Mermaid in some ways, and it contains beautiful prose, grand and immersive descriptions, deep emotions, pathos, generational insights, flashes of horror, page-turning suspense and, under it all, a glimpse of hope. I could not but feel for the plight of the selkie and hope for his success in gaining his freedom. And while the young woman (and her mother and grandmother) at first seem hard, motivations become clearer as the story unfolds.
On a larger scale, the books allude to gender roles and perhaps even exploitation between races. The ending explored compromise and new possibilities, though it still left me dissatisfied. Mostly, I wasn't sold on the linking of marriage and naming (specifically christening) to entrapment, and felt the resolution papered over the cracks. Nevertheless, a magnificent modern-day legendary tale that engages all the senses and is well worth reading.
Tactile and visually attractive, this book has a gorgeous cover and exquisite illustrations by Bonnie Helen Hawkins. The story has a fairy tale feel, a reverse gender version of the Little Mermaid in some ways, and it contains beautiful prose, grand and immersive descriptions, deep emotions, pathos, generational insights, flashes of horror, page-turning suspense and, under it all, a glimpse of hope. I could not but feel for the plight of the selkie and hope for his success in gaining his freedom. And while the young woman (and her mother and grandmother) at first seem hard, motivations become clearer as the story unfolds.
On a larger scale, the books allude to gender roles and perhaps even exploitation between races. The ending explored compromise and new possibilities, though it still left me dissatisfied. Mostly, I wasn't sold on the linking of marriage and naming (specifically christening) to entrapment, and felt the resolution papered over the cracks. Nevertheless, a magnificent modern-day legendary tale that engages all the senses and is well worth reading.
April 25, 2019
Yay for fairy tales with nuance and grey characters and no clear line between good and evil. Mistakes are made by everyone. Everyone can be punished or forgiven for those mistakes.
May 15, 2025
As beautiful as the cover and illustrations are, I’m sad to say the actual story didn’t match it for me.
This book was sitting at around a 3 star for me but then the ending really confused and disappointed me.
Let’s start with the writing. I found that a lot of this book is written in a very matter of fact style. “This happened, then this happened, and then this character did this” kind of vibes. It does give it the feel of an old school fairy tale but also made it very difficult for me to connect emotionally to anything that was happening.
My biggest criticism of this book is its muddled messaging. I truly don’t know what the point of this book was. And especially when you have characters doing truly abhorrent things and the way the story lines wrap up… it all made me very uncomfortable and genuinely baffled at what the author wants us to take away from this story.
This one sadly really didn’t work for me.
This book was sitting at around a 3 star for me but then the ending really confused and disappointed me.
Let’s start with the writing. I found that a lot of this book is written in a very matter of fact style. “This happened, then this happened, and then this character did this” kind of vibes. It does give it the feel of an old school fairy tale but also made it very difficult for me to connect emotionally to anything that was happening.
My biggest criticism of this book is its muddled messaging. I truly don’t know what the point of this book was. And especially when you have characters doing truly abhorrent things and the way the story lines wrap up… it all made me very uncomfortable and genuinely baffled at what the author wants us to take away from this story.
This one sadly really didn’t work for me.
November 12, 2019
What a pleasant surprise, I found this book at the library and only picked it up because it was shorts and looked like an easy read.
A book of deceit, betrayal, and misplaced love. I found this story to be quite good considering its topic following a selkie, which I had no idea what it was, and wouldn't typically be the kind of book I would read. That is the beauty of just grabbing a book at the library without researching it first sometimes you'll find a gem in a book that typically you would read. All in all it's a simple book that held my attention well and I really enjoyed it, well done Joanne Harris.
A book of deceit, betrayal, and misplaced love. I found this story to be quite good considering its topic following a selkie, which I had no idea what it was, and wouldn't typically be the kind of book I would read. That is the beauty of just grabbing a book at the library without researching it first sometimes you'll find a gem in a book that typically you would read. All in all it's a simple book that held my attention well and I really enjoyed it, well done Joanne Harris.
March 31, 2019
Based on how much I like myths and the fact that I enjoyed Harris’ previous novels, I thought I would love this little fairytale of a book featuring the Silkies (sea creatures that can shed their skins to live among humans). The author successfully manages to create fascinating imagery through her skillful use of language, however the characters lacked depth and warmth, moreover the moralistic tone towards the end rubbed me the wrong way. Not the author’s best work IMO. 2.5 stars
November 13, 2018
Ever since I started reading Joanne M. Harris’ tales of Norse mythology, I have acquired an insatiable appetite for more. I can’t seem to get enough of her work with myths, lore and folk tales. When I saw that JMH was approaching the mythos of sea in The Blue Salt Road, I had to give it a go. In 8 short volumes (read this in one sitting) Harris delves into the lore behind the Selkie. They are mythical Seals who can shed their sealskins and take on a human form (Therianthropy) which allows them to exist on land to walk amongst The Folk.
The Selkie and The Folk are locked in an never-ending war. The Folk kill the Selkie for their skins to wear and sell and in turn the Selkie take unfortunate sailors lives while they are at sea. The Selkie are warned never to trust The Folk but one curious Selkie goes against the wishes of his elders and falls in love with a young woman. The woman, Flora, becomes pregnant and fears that the wild young Selkie will flee back to sea leaving her to deal with the shame of being abandoned. So she steals the Selkie’s seal skin and locks it away in her Cedar chest and with it, the memory of his old life.
The Selkie, now unknowingly trapped as a human, must provide for his family and sets out to sea on a whale boat to hunt for the natural riches within, including his own kind. The selkie has a fierce attachment to sea that he doesn’t understand, finding the harsh conditions at sea agree with him. As time goes on the Selkie finds he will gladly put himself in harms way to protect the beautiful creatures that reside within his ocean. The crew of the Kraken don’t take these actions lightly and the Selkie begins to fear he may never make it home to his unborn child.
The Blue Salt Road is a tale of discovery, a story of entrapment, an account of terror and a poem of unconditional love. Joanne M. Harris is a wondrous writer who can spin the darkest tale and still leave room for hope. I was captivated by this story. I don’t usually do fairy tales but this one had me hanging on every word. I thought that usually the dark and gritty essence of a fairy tale was implied or hidden between the lines but not here. I was under the inpression that this would be a charming love story but again I was very wrong.
Harris has created a tale that shocks to the core, that drives the reader to the conclusion with haunting yet courageous prose and leaves people like me unsettled by the capabilities of man. Harris has a deep appreciation for nature and that only serves to enrich the story telling. It immersed me fully into the narrative as Harris describes the sea life, the sea itself and the boats that sail on its surface.
The narrative itself was as eerie and dark as it was hopeful and invigorating. I thought the Selkie’s journey was an important one and there are so many meanings and messages within JMH’s writing. Themes like control, family, manipulation, animal cruelty, the wonders of nature, extinction and parenthood are all potent as well as thoughtful. I found it hard to stomach Flora’s actions and her family’s subsequent choices concerning their unborn child but I also understood (to a degree) why she did what she did.
The consequences for the Selkie were vast but his journey out to sea with his father-in-law was as marvellous as it was unsettling and even brutal at times. JMH is such a nuanced writer who can change the tone or atmosphere at a moments notice with precision. Turning horror into relief or wonder into pain. Joanne M Harris did a fantastic job tackling a new (to me) area of mythology and I cannot wait to see what she thinks up next. The Blue Salt Road is a must read for all mythology and folklore lovers.
The Selkie and The Folk are locked in an never-ending war. The Folk kill the Selkie for their skins to wear and sell and in turn the Selkie take unfortunate sailors lives while they are at sea. The Selkie are warned never to trust The Folk but one curious Selkie goes against the wishes of his elders and falls in love with a young woman. The woman, Flora, becomes pregnant and fears that the wild young Selkie will flee back to sea leaving her to deal with the shame of being abandoned. So she steals the Selkie’s seal skin and locks it away in her Cedar chest and with it, the memory of his old life.
The Selkie, now unknowingly trapped as a human, must provide for his family and sets out to sea on a whale boat to hunt for the natural riches within, including his own kind. The selkie has a fierce attachment to sea that he doesn’t understand, finding the harsh conditions at sea agree with him. As time goes on the Selkie finds he will gladly put himself in harms way to protect the beautiful creatures that reside within his ocean. The crew of the Kraken don’t take these actions lightly and the Selkie begins to fear he may never make it home to his unborn child.
The Blue Salt Road is a tale of discovery, a story of entrapment, an account of terror and a poem of unconditional love. Joanne M. Harris is a wondrous writer who can spin the darkest tale and still leave room for hope. I was captivated by this story. I don’t usually do fairy tales but this one had me hanging on every word. I thought that usually the dark and gritty essence of a fairy tale was implied or hidden between the lines but not here. I was under the inpression that this would be a charming love story but again I was very wrong.
Harris has created a tale that shocks to the core, that drives the reader to the conclusion with haunting yet courageous prose and leaves people like me unsettled by the capabilities of man. Harris has a deep appreciation for nature and that only serves to enrich the story telling. It immersed me fully into the narrative as Harris describes the sea life, the sea itself and the boats that sail on its surface.
The narrative itself was as eerie and dark as it was hopeful and invigorating. I thought the Selkie’s journey was an important one and there are so many meanings and messages within JMH’s writing. Themes like control, family, manipulation, animal cruelty, the wonders of nature, extinction and parenthood are all potent as well as thoughtful. I found it hard to stomach Flora’s actions and her family’s subsequent choices concerning their unborn child but I also understood (to a degree) why she did what she did.
The consequences for the Selkie were vast but his journey out to sea with his father-in-law was as marvellous as it was unsettling and even brutal at times. JMH is such a nuanced writer who can change the tone or atmosphere at a moments notice with precision. Turning horror into relief or wonder into pain. Joanne M Harris did a fantastic job tackling a new (to me) area of mythology and I cannot wait to see what she thinks up next. The Blue Salt Road is a must read for all mythology and folklore lovers.
November 28, 2019
The selkie folk live in the seas off a far northern island. The people are wild and passionate and told to be wary of those that live on the land. But one young selkie transforms into a human each night to explore the area and he falls in love with a human woman he meets on the shore. The woman hides his sealskin so he can't return to his own folk and traps him into marriage. This is a retelling of old legends about selkies and the women who take them for husbands. It's wonderfully written and the illustrations are simply gorgeous.
August 18, 2019
This book is about a selkie. Stories about skelties are always a bit sad. Same for this one. The stories I have read were about female selkies, so it was a nice change to now have the point of view from a male selkie. What I liked about the blue salt road was the writing. It's just hte kind of writing you expect and like for a fairytale. Especially the prologue was beautiful. There it's described how sound is a story. I thought that was beautiful. This story is nothing new, but the prose is good and the pictures are beautiful.
August 24, 2019
It’s so nice that Joanne Harris has written these retellings of folklore tales!
‘The Blue Salt Road’ is about the selkie, those creatures that live as seals and then can shed their skins to become humans.
This is a tale of love, family, the sea, and how humans always try to meddle with nature and its creatures.
Very enjoyable!
‘The Blue Salt Road’ is about the selkie, those creatures that live as seals and then can shed their skins to become humans.
This is a tale of love, family, the sea, and how humans always try to meddle with nature and its creatures.
Very enjoyable!
July 12, 2023
“𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢,” 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳. “𝘐𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘵 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥; 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘯." —𝘑𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘴, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘵 𝘙𝘰𝘢𝘥
This was another beautifully told story by @joannechocolat and illustrated by @bonniehelenhawkinsartist
The Blue Salt Road is a stunning tale of love, loss, treachery, revenge, and the call of the ocean. Set upon the high seas, this epic tells the legend of the selkie, and of the trickery and cruelty of human Folk.
Dark, magical, and deep as the open sea, it is a story I will carry with me 💙
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐
This was another beautifully told story by @joannechocolat and illustrated by @bonniehelenhawkinsartist
The Blue Salt Road is a stunning tale of love, loss, treachery, revenge, and the call of the ocean. Set upon the high seas, this epic tells the legend of the selkie, and of the trickery and cruelty of human Folk.
Dark, magical, and deep as the open sea, it is a story I will carry with me 💙
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐
February 22, 2020
This reads like a classic fairy tale. A seal creature visits the land as a man, meets a girl, gets her pregnant, she erases his memory and forces him to marry her. I enjoyed the first half more than the second. Once the main character knew something was up and tried to become his old self again, I kind of lost interest.
May 9, 2024
И картинки!
November 10, 2018
You may have noticed a recent trend of books of myths and legends retold for a modern audience. For example, there’s Neil Gaiman’s Norse Tales, treading similar ground to Joanne’s version of the Asgard-ian myths. I can also think of Stephen Fry’s Mythos, retelling of the Greek myths and Anthony Horowitz’s Legends series which cherry-picked myths for a young adult readership.
There are also those stories that seem to echo old-school fairy stories but in a grown-up setting. The obvious example is the original Grimm’s Fairy Tales, a very different proposition to the ones told to children, but more recently books such as Naomi Novik’s award-winning books Uprooted and Spinning Silver seem perhaps to be more like The Blue Salt Road. Here, after recently telling us tales of Nordic myth and Travelling Folk, Joanne tells us a folklore style story of Scottish fisher-folk.
The Blue Salt Road is inspired by Celtic myth (and the so-called traditional Child Ballads), as a story of humans and selkies. Selkies are seals but, like the folk stories of mermaids, can transform into human form.
In this story of island folk, for many years the humans and the selkie have kept a respectful distance between themselves. Flora McCraiceann, a young maiden of the islands, is determined to better herself and escape her predictable life planned out for her. To do this, she inveigles a selkie to be her boyfriend. Once pregnant, she captures the selkie’s skin he discards on transforming to a human and locks it away in a cedar chest. The legend says that once separated from its skin, the selkie cannot return to seal-form and loses memories of its previous life, instead left as a confused and subdued human.
Flora and the selkie marry, and the selkie tries to make the best of its human life as one of the Folk, though always confused by the attraction of the sea and the call of its creatures.
Before the baby is born, the selkie’s father-in-law, determined to help this strange young man settle into his family life, takes him on the village’s next whaling trip. The hunt is gruesome and distressing. Confused by his thoughts and dreams, the selkie is unable to fulfil his role and kill a whale, and is soon regarded by the rest of the crew as ‘a clocker’, a symbol of bad luck.
Once abandoned by the crew, the selkie discovers the truth about his own past, and returns to the village to revenge his deception and take revenge on those that had trapped him so, as well as take his child away from those who had treated him so badly. The last part of the book tells us what happens and deals with the consequences of the character’s actions.
The Blue Salt Road is the sort of story that you can imagine being passed on from generation to generation. It feels timeless, the sort of tale that you can imagine being told around a campfire in the frozen North, a story passed on through word of mouth to today and that stays memorable ‘in the telling’. The style seems right, in that the language is old style descriptive rather than the modern contemporary language of Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough’s science fiction Petaybee series, which has similar origins.
The Blue Salt Road is a story of a harsh and even brutal lifestyle and is definitely an adult telling of a folk tale, or at least young adult. There is some brief mention of sex and some of the hunting details are quite graphic and not for the faint-hearted. For much of the story the perspective is firmly on the sea creature’s side, with humans often being devious and callous by comparison with the gentle and considerate denizens of the deep.
The illustrations by Bonnie Helen Hawkins (who also did the illustrations for 2017's A Pocketful of Crows) are pencil drawings scattered throughout the novella and are sensitive to the tale. To be frank, in my opinion the story is strong enough to not need them, but I must admit that they do add to the overall feel of the book as a nice physical object. This would make a nice accompanying item to A Pocketful of Crows on a person's bookshelf.
And at just over two hundred pages it’s also a book easily read in one sitting.
In summary, The Blue Salt Road is an old-school folktale of magic, love and betrayal that you can read and enjoy, without it outstaying its welcome. The skill of the writer is that for such a relatively short tale it is engaging and will stay with you after you have finished reading it. And if you don’t come out of it feeling a degree of sympathy for seals and whales, I’ll be surprised….
There are also those stories that seem to echo old-school fairy stories but in a grown-up setting. The obvious example is the original Grimm’s Fairy Tales, a very different proposition to the ones told to children, but more recently books such as Naomi Novik’s award-winning books Uprooted and Spinning Silver seem perhaps to be more like The Blue Salt Road. Here, after recently telling us tales of Nordic myth and Travelling Folk, Joanne tells us a folklore style story of Scottish fisher-folk.
The Blue Salt Road is inspired by Celtic myth (and the so-called traditional Child Ballads), as a story of humans and selkies. Selkies are seals but, like the folk stories of mermaids, can transform into human form.
In this story of island folk, for many years the humans and the selkie have kept a respectful distance between themselves. Flora McCraiceann, a young maiden of the islands, is determined to better herself and escape her predictable life planned out for her. To do this, she inveigles a selkie to be her boyfriend. Once pregnant, she captures the selkie’s skin he discards on transforming to a human and locks it away in a cedar chest. The legend says that once separated from its skin, the selkie cannot return to seal-form and loses memories of its previous life, instead left as a confused and subdued human.
Flora and the selkie marry, and the selkie tries to make the best of its human life as one of the Folk, though always confused by the attraction of the sea and the call of its creatures.
Before the baby is born, the selkie’s father-in-law, determined to help this strange young man settle into his family life, takes him on the village’s next whaling trip. The hunt is gruesome and distressing. Confused by his thoughts and dreams, the selkie is unable to fulfil his role and kill a whale, and is soon regarded by the rest of the crew as ‘a clocker’, a symbol of bad luck.
Once abandoned by the crew, the selkie discovers the truth about his own past, and returns to the village to revenge his deception and take revenge on those that had trapped him so, as well as take his child away from those who had treated him so badly. The last part of the book tells us what happens and deals with the consequences of the character’s actions.
The Blue Salt Road is the sort of story that you can imagine being passed on from generation to generation. It feels timeless, the sort of tale that you can imagine being told around a campfire in the frozen North, a story passed on through word of mouth to today and that stays memorable ‘in the telling’. The style seems right, in that the language is old style descriptive rather than the modern contemporary language of Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough’s science fiction Petaybee series, which has similar origins.
The Blue Salt Road is a story of a harsh and even brutal lifestyle and is definitely an adult telling of a folk tale, or at least young adult. There is some brief mention of sex and some of the hunting details are quite graphic and not for the faint-hearted. For much of the story the perspective is firmly on the sea creature’s side, with humans often being devious and callous by comparison with the gentle and considerate denizens of the deep.
The illustrations by Bonnie Helen Hawkins (who also did the illustrations for 2017's A Pocketful of Crows) are pencil drawings scattered throughout the novella and are sensitive to the tale. To be frank, in my opinion the story is strong enough to not need them, but I must admit that they do add to the overall feel of the book as a nice physical object. This would make a nice accompanying item to A Pocketful of Crows on a person's bookshelf.
And at just over two hundred pages it’s also a book easily read in one sitting.
In summary, The Blue Salt Road is an old-school folktale of magic, love and betrayal that you can read and enjoy, without it outstaying its welcome. The skill of the writer is that for such a relatively short tale it is engaging and will stay with you after you have finished reading it. And if you don’t come out of it feeling a degree of sympathy for seals and whales, I’ll be surprised….
July 28, 2021
This was such a glorious tale it felt so real and was truly transported. This author is the Queen of fairytale originals
January 29, 2021
Read in one sitting. This is the first time I've read a book from a selkies POV and it provided a new perspective on this traditional folklore tale
December 28, 2020
Stories, like traveling folk, never die, but always move on. There are stories everywhere; in the air; the food you eat; in the embers of the fire. And when you go to bed at night, and listen to the wind in the eaves, there are stories under the bed and hiding in the shadows.
Beautifully written, deeply sad. The Blue Salt Road is true to the Scottish folktale, The Grey Selkie of Sule Skerry (Child Ballad 113), which is quoted often throughout the story. It reads like a folktale, though lingers on descriptions of the sea, the Scottish cliffs, the icy sting of winter and the warm melt of spring. Though the writing is flawless, I find that I can't rate it higher than 4 stars because the story is less a blend of bitter and sweet than mostly just straight bitterness and loss. An underlying dread weaves throughout all the story, only for
Beautifully written, deeply sad. The Blue Salt Road is true to the Scottish folktale, The Grey Selkie of Sule Skerry (Child Ballad 113), which is quoted often throughout the story. It reads like a folktale, though lingers on descriptions of the sea, the Scottish cliffs, the icy sting of winter and the warm melt of spring. Though the writing is flawless, I find that I can't rate it higher than 4 stars because the story is less a blend of bitter and sweet than mostly just straight bitterness and loss. An underlying dread weaves throughout all the story, only for
May 24, 2021
Easy read with lots of action. This is a story that was told like a legend. So delightful!
August 23, 2022
Quote:
“The ocean has many voices. It sings in the voice of the pilot whale; the voice of the dolphin; the waves on the beach. It sings in the voice of a thousand birds; it cries in the wind that howls through the rocks upon the distant skerries.”
“The ocean has many voices. It sings in the voice of the pilot whale; the voice of the dolphin; the waves on the beach. It sings in the voice of a thousand birds; it cries in the wind that howls through the rocks upon the distant skerries.”
December 17, 2018
I love these adaptations of the Child Ballads. This one was exquisite and I long for more.
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