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Between the mountain and the sea: memories of a childhood on Tristan da Cunha, the world's loneliest inhabited island
In the 1950s Gill Kimber's parents took their young family to Tristan da Cunha, the loneliest inhabited island in the world. Living with Tristan's unique islanders, they experienced ratting days, big heaps, a destructive gale, a royal visit and the drama of lost boats. It was an extraordinary childhood.
216 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 8, 2020
Beautiful, beautiful book!
One day I accidentally learned about Tristan da Cunha, called the loneliest island in the world, and I immediately wanted to know more about it. I read its history and articles about how people arrived and lived there but still felt like I needed to know more from someone who actually was there. Since I will most likely not have enough time to go there myself anytime soon, I looked for a book and couldn't have been happier as I stumbled upon Gill Kimber's "Between The Mountain And The Sea".
Gill Kimber accomplishes three tasks at a time: to inform you about Tristanians' way of living in the 1950s, to entertain you with short stories about her and her family as they were there and to reflect about life in general at the end of each chapter. Not only does she answer main questions such as how to get there or what they work on, but also tackles issues such as their vocabulary, their idea of social interaction and their spirituality. She conveys all these subjects with the help of short stories narrated from the point of view of herself as a child and using dialogues, which makes it very easy to read.
I think she did a great job reproducing the views of much younger version of herself. The way she laughed, the way she cried, the way she played, the way she tried to understand the world around her really reminded me of my own younger self. She looks at the world with a great deal of curiosity and innocence, just like children do, and I think that's something difficult to remember and to write about once you become an adult. Through the book you can really imagine very well what it would have been like to be a child during that time on the island, which was exactly what I was looking for.
I particularly liked the bits at the end of each chapter, in which she comments on the narrated events with her brother, who often has a different perception of the same stories. These dialogues are a reflection not only on the story itself and how it has influenced their own lives, but also a kind of moral in which the reader can also think about the world, society and nature back then and nowadays.
To sum up, we're talking about a book that manages to both inform and entertain the reader, leaving him/her with a good feeling at the end. I am really happy to have found it and I'm sure I'll reread it in the future.
One day I accidentally learned about Tristan da Cunha, called the loneliest island in the world, and I immediately wanted to know more about it. I read its history and articles about how people arrived and lived there but still felt like I needed to know more from someone who actually was there. Since I will most likely not have enough time to go there myself anytime soon, I looked for a book and couldn't have been happier as I stumbled upon Gill Kimber's "Between The Mountain And The Sea".
Gill Kimber accomplishes three tasks at a time: to inform you about Tristanians' way of living in the 1950s, to entertain you with short stories about her and her family as they were there and to reflect about life in general at the end of each chapter. Not only does she answer main questions such as how to get there or what they work on, but also tackles issues such as their vocabulary, their idea of social interaction and their spirituality. She conveys all these subjects with the help of short stories narrated from the point of view of herself as a child and using dialogues, which makes it very easy to read.
I think she did a great job reproducing the views of much younger version of herself. The way she laughed, the way she cried, the way she played, the way she tried to understand the world around her really reminded me of my own younger self. She looks at the world with a great deal of curiosity and innocence, just like children do, and I think that's something difficult to remember and to write about once you become an adult. Through the book you can really imagine very well what it would have been like to be a child during that time on the island, which was exactly what I was looking for.
I particularly liked the bits at the end of each chapter, in which she comments on the narrated events with her brother, who often has a different perception of the same stories. These dialogues are a reflection not only on the story itself and how it has influenced their own lives, but also a kind of moral in which the reader can also think about the world, society and nature back then and nowadays.
To sum up, we're talking about a book that manages to both inform and entertain the reader, leaving him/her with a good feeling at the end. I am really happy to have found it and I'm sure I'll reread it in the future.
August 7, 2023
Just learned of this remote (the most remote) island (Tristan da Cunha) and immediately became obsessed
-Author recounts her childhood years spent there with her family as a pastor’s daughter in the 50s
-Fond reminiscence of a unique island and culture
-Relaxing low-stakes read, cozy
-Kindle Unlimited!
-Author recounts her childhood years spent there with her family as a pastor’s daughter in the 50s
-Fond reminiscence of a unique island and culture
-Relaxing low-stakes read, cozy
-Kindle Unlimited!
July 28, 2025
This was a sweet read. I really enjoyed learning more about life on Tristan da Cunha, the world's remotest inhabited island.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews