Like many readers, when I finished The Last Summer, the first novel of the Wild Isles series, I was left with so many questions. It was a painful cliffhanger because I had to wait for the next book… And then it came, The Stolen Hours, and it was worth the wait.
The book takes us back to the same timeframe as the previous one, the time just before and during the evacuation of St Kilda, 1929-1930. The first book had focussed on the story of Effie Gillies, one of three friends. This one is the story of Mhairi McKinnon. Living on St Kilda was tough and Mhairi’s family could not sustain everyone so it was necessary for Mhairi to get married and arrangements were made to marry her to a farmer on the neighbour island of Harris. This does not quite go according to plan and through this story we return to some details of the first book with the story of Effie and the death of the factor. Enough said, it is complicated and although we learn quite a lot of new facts about what happened and we make more assumptions, we realise at the end of the book that it is definitely not the end of the story.
I really enjoyed the story of Mhairi. But more than that, I find the story about St Kilda fascinating. The life on the island was so harsh and yet, people were attached to it and the evacuation was such a difficult time for all of them. Karen Swan is writing beautifully about the island, the scenery, the climate, the sea, the people and how their lives are so difficult and so simple at the same time. There is again a lot of background research behind this book, where we learn a bit about crofting, whaling and the condition of women on the islands at that time.
And I find myself back to where I was last time…waiting for the next book. This is definitely a powerful series. When I close the book, it is still with me.
Valerie is reading 