written & read live on the bookshow by Ro Bennett 30th Oct 2014
In the hotel in Southampton, just before I was due
to go on my cruise, my Kindle died. Fortunately the ship had a library and I got
this book to read. It’s an unusual but charming book, set on the coast of Maine
in the USA.
More than a century ago, lighthouse keeper Linus
Harris left his beloved wife and waded into the ocean with three other men to
reunite with their mermaid lovers. The mysterious Mermaid Mutiny of 1888 has
become legend for the residents of Cradle Harbour, Maine, honoured by the town’s
Mermaid Festival every August, when wind chimes are hung from seaside porches to
drown out the alluring sound of mermaid song.
The novel begins with a letter from the 1800s, then
an extract from the coastal Maine town’s history book, “The Mermaid Mutiny and
More,” and then an email correspondence hinting at a core conflict in the story,
so it immediately pulls you in to the story.
As the book fluctuates between 1888 and the present
day, the story of Linus and Lydia his wife unfolds and intermeshes with the
present day story of Tess Patterson, Tom Grace and his brother Dean. The book
has a good plot, there is suspense, romance, tragedy and mystery as well as
interesting, unexpected developments throughout which make it a real page
turner.
Although it is basically a love story, it also
deals with the issues of infidelity, mental illness, bereavement and grief, life
after the death of loved ones, guilt, parent-child love and the struggle between
responsibility and the longing to follow one’s heart - so plenty to sink your
teeth into. The characters were well drawn and interesting, and there were some
lovely descriptions, so it was easy to relate to the characters and visualise
the location.
It was a pleasant read and I thoroughly enjoyed
it.
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