O’Connor’s debut novel is a stunning portrait of life on a pre-World War II Welsh island, but more than that, it is the tale of Manod, a young woman longing for a life larger than the island can provide, while simultaneously fiercely loyal to the island, its history, and her family.

Whale Fall is beautifully written and the island, its folklore, and its people come alive through O’Connor’s mesmerizing prose. You can’t help but root for Manod as she comes to the slow realization that the visitors to her small island home may not have her best interests at heart. Although a quiet story, I absolutely could not put it down, and I wasn’t ready to leave the island so soon.

Many thanks to Pantheon Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

First of all, thanks to Netgalley and Pantheon for letting me read an eARC of Whale Fall by Elizabeth O'Connor. The novel was an amazing read that I was able to get through rather quickly due to the characters and worldbuilding. Both of which had me absorbed and enthralled from the first sentence, as you follow Manod's journey after the arrival of the strangers. I loved how, through their arrival and interaction with them, Manod realized more about herself, her world, and what she was truly capable of. Whale Fall is an easy recommendation for readers who love historical fiction.

I finished this novel in essentially two sittings over the course of two consecutive nights. I couldn’t stop reading. WHALE FALL follows the story of Manod, a young woman living on a remote Welsh island with her family when a dead whale washes onto the shore in 1938. The arrival of the whale is accompanied by that of two English ethnographers, whose motivations, methods, and morality are at first opaque, and then harrowingly apparent.

This novel is striking and succinct, deeply sad yet beautifully written. It’s incredible how much is packed into just over 200 pages, even though it all seems to unfold slowly and organically, with no urgency. I’d absolutely recommend this one. Fingers crossed that O’Connor writes more fiction soon.

This is a beautiful story of self discovery and moving with grief. Taking the dead body of a whale washing up, our main character takes this as a bad omen.

I really enjoyed this book. It was quiet and meditative, very subtle and beautifully constructed. Its handling of the very tricky and complex ideas surrounding someone coming to the notion of moving past their small upbringing was delicately woven.

This is also a deeply English book, but not based in extravagance, but more in the beauty of its simplicity. I wasn’t surprised to learn how this manuscript was the subject of a 10-agency bidding war for publishing. It deserves the love it will inevitably get.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

This is a lovely little book, set on a fictional British Isle before WWII. Two anthropologists arrive on the heels of a beached whale, and spend a couple of months collecting stories and pictures of island life (and embellishing them inaccurately for their own ends). The protagonist is an 18 year old girl whose abilities exceed the opportunities she has on the island, and these two visitors are the spark for her pursuit of other options.

The writing is beautiful - it's especially good considering it's a debut. The descriptions of the natural world, in particular, are vivid and contemplative, giving a really strong sense of place. It's not a very big or fast-moving plot, but the characters and setting leave a lot to reflect on.

This was a beautiful little novel. I was left wanting more. This would be good for the reader wanting a good novel to read by the ocean for the day. Quick and easy. Would definitely recommend it!

Whale Fall first pulled me in because of its unique format of writing. Each scene is broken up into its own few pages, like the whole book is a bunch of short stories (or even poems) of the main character's thoughts. Weirdly enough, this makes you feel like a complete outsider AND like you are right there on the small, harsh island. The characters feel very human and beautifully flawed, and the daily-life plot feels very simple and calm (even through all the main character's turmoil). And despite it feeling simple and unexciting (it's anything but), the poetic writing creates such an atmosphere and deep feeling of the islander's life that you just keep reading.

Really, really enjoyed this book. My main gripe would just simply be that I wanted more. I think it worked well for what it was, but definitely could have been expanded in areas just to bring through some more character depth. Would highly recommend this book.

I'm still getting used to ARC's but the formatting of this seemed a bit off, but I'm sure by release date it'll be touched up.

What a beautiful little book. Living inside Manod’s head for two hundred pages or so is an experience I want to go back and revisit. I know I didn’t get all of the poetry available on my first read (though the longing is heartbreaking and unmissable). It’s a moving account of a young woman on the cusp of adulthood. Born on a Welsh island with a dwindling population, she’s beginning to see possibilities for herself elsewhere, but can’t see how to free herself of her ties to her home. The world is on the cusp of war (it’s 1938), and comes in on the tide in the form of two researchers. The short sections in which the book is written kept me turning the pages, as did the tension between what Manod thinks is happening and what may be the truth as she interacts with these newcomers. The ending is brilliant and perfect. Manod is a character who will stay with me.

I rated the book a 4.75 because I was a little confused at first about who was who in Manod’s family. It took me a while to get my feet, so to speak, in her world. But maybe that’s deliberate. Thank you so much to Pantheon for allowing me to read an advanced copy! I will be looking for O’Connor’s next work with anticipation.

Wow. This is a book that will likely stick with me for a long time. It’s a quiet tale about a young girl living on an isolated island, who realizes she wants more in life when two young writers come to her village. While this seems simple, I really found myself lost in the complexity and the layers of storytelling. I think there’s some really beautiful commentary on people who look down on those who inhabit the places they are only visiting.

I adored Whale Fall. Elizabeth O’Connor’s prose is stunning—I could not put this one down. The depictions of earnest, human emotions and experiences through Manod’s eyes were so descriptive. I could envision the fictional island in Wales the family lived on, could see how Joan might find it beautiful while Manod would find it plain, could feel and understand her longing to see what was beyond the only place she’s ever known. This one was short and succinct but not lacking in anyway. An incredible debut, in my opinion, and I hope Elizabeth O’Connor releases more in the future, because I would love to read more from this author.

Thank you to Pantheon and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Whale Fall is the story of a teenage girl, Manod, whose longing to see the rest of the world conflicts with her loyalty to her homeland and family. The book is set on a remote island off the coast of Wales and is centered around two main events, a dead whale washing ashore and a team of English researchers who have come to write a book about the island’s folklore and traditions.

From the first page I immediately felt like I was transported to the island. The language is simple but not a word goes to waste in building this gloomy yet homely atmosphere. O’Connor uses elements of nature - the rotting whale, migrating birds, mounting storms - to build tension and give you the sense that the land is bracing itself as the world closes in.

And what a profound protagonist - through Manod, I could feel the restlessness of being a young woman unsure of what the world holds but sure that she is ready for it. She noticeably matures throughout the book as she grapples with crossing the boundary to the mainland and into adulthood.

Manod attempts to create her own narrative as the ethnographers construct a literal narrative of her home, which is tinged with the exoticism typical of the documentation of ‘untouched’ foreign lands. O’Connor asks, how much of our understanding of the world is stained with this bias? And who ultimately gets to tell the story?

Overall a stunning read full of dignity, sorrow, and defiant hope. I would recommend this to anyone, but especially to those who enjoyed watching the Banshees of Inisherin last year! There were many similarities in terms of setting, mounting conflict both on and off the island and a strong, restless female character.

A good read, Id recommend this to anyone looking for a casual read that is good at keeping your attention.

poignant debut historical fiction novel which worked extremely well. the entire vibes of it were just?? great. and the sense of isolation. thanks for the arc.

Man vs. Ocean.. but it's really a Man vs. Man story. It's beautifully written and the story is great! It's not a typical read for me and took me longer than usual to finish it. Overall 4 stars!

Good book that is overall well written. Did not grab my attention, perhaps because it does not seem to be plot driven as much as immersive into person and circumstance—this particular book is just not quite a good fit for this reader., although Inwill be looking for future work.

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for an advanced reader copy of this novel.

This was my first Elizabeth O'Connor novel and I have a wonderful time reading it.

This is a short, poetic book about a young woman and her desire for a life outside of her remote Welsh Island.

Only about 50 individuals are hearty enough to rough the conditions and the population declines yearly. Islanders are secluded from news of the world (the time frame is just before WWII) and clothing is decades out of style.

A whale washes up on shore one day and the island folk gather to observe and deal with it in their unique way. Not long after, two ethnographers show up to study the lives of the islanders. Manod, who speaks English, works with the scientists translating the islanders’ Welsh. She is fascinated by the glimpse of life offered her through these two individuals and works out a plan to leave the island for the larger world outside.

The book unfolds through a collection of snapshots, blending Manod's journal entries with the ethnographers' perspectives and transcripts of islanders' folktales and songs.

Despite its subdued nature, the novel possesses a compelling force. It immerses readers in the characters' lives, their challenges, unrealized aspirations, the looming war, and the desolation of their limited choices. Devoting time to this book will undoubtedly be a rewarding experience for many readers.

A quiet but moving story about a girl living on an island rooted in tradition and folklore, and her dreams of moving to the mainland after meeting two writers.

I love quiet little stories like this where there isn’t a heavy amount of plot. This was more of a character study, and the author does a fantastic job at making it feel so real. For a debut novel, this is highly impressive and I found it so engaging despite the lack of action. The main character feels so relatable and the island is beautifully descriptive. Definitely recommend if you’re into slower stories about different ways of life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the ARC.

This was a beautiful book, unlike anything I had read before. Besides the gorgeous prose and the vignette-esque glimpses of these island characters, Whale Fall took me to a place I had never been nor knew existed.

The scenes were harsh yet cozy. The glimpses into the island inhabitants left me wanted more. I loved Manod, and her sharp knowledge—a sense of intellect that obviously outweighed her more "wordly" visitors.