Boy from the Sea

This story is one of loss, grief and of happiness found. Dorothy’s son went missing at an early age. She has been grieving for him since. One wintery day in the small town in Scotland where she lives a young boy about the same age as her missing son washed up on shore and was found by the fisherman with whom Dorothy had an affair and who was also rumored to be connected to her son’s disappearance.

Dorothy soon thought of the young boy as her son, although she wondered from where he came and how it came about that he was found by the fisherman.

The book was a bit mysterious, and a bit thought provoking. I enjoyed reading it.

I was given a free copy of the book to read and review. The review is my own.

This story was so well done and I really enjoyed it. I enjoy reading from this author and I'm looking forward to the next book. The plot was really well explored and I enjoyed the overall story. The characters were great and I was able to dive myself into this book. It was well done and I highly recommend. This book was so good.

This book was sad and challenging, touching on the struggles of motherhood and self-blame. While the author effectively conveys how grief and guilt affect the characters, I found most of the women unlikable, mean and petty. Their lives could have improved with kindness and communication. Although the ending hinted at change, I wished for kindness earlier, which impacted my overall enjoyment of the story.

This was a very interesting book. About a small fishing village in nineteen Hundreds in scotland It starts out.
When the little boy washed ashore from a shipwrecked. They bring it to dorothy who raises the little Boy.
Until they can find out the people who. Can take care of H I m The story about Dorothy single and mary's williams. They had a Boy name moses. It's also a love triangle between dorothy and joseph who is Fishing M e n. The story is told and all different perspectives.From minister and the shopkeeper to Jean. A g n e s who is a arc tender in the local pub. She wants to have a child , but she keeps losing. Dorothy also had her hair with joseph. Dorothy's Husband leaves Her. There's a lot of twist and turns in this book and I'll find out what happens to Moses, and it's all tied in this book to the little boy who is washed asure..

I really loved this book, though I can't say I "enjoyed" it—I felt a deep sense of melancholy right from the start that was an odd mix of sadness and fear. The story took me through a breadth of emotions, actually, as the various members of the town show their capacity for cruelty and kindness tested. Despite the fact that I spent most of the reading waiting for the other shoe to drop, it was a compelling and beautifully told story.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and give my honest opinion about Julia Kelly's novel

While I was expecting to love this book set in Scotland, it did not grab me. The novel was told in different timelines for the main character, Dorothy. As the character's in the novel all said, Dorothy was prim, proper, high and mighty with a stick "up her arse." While Dorothy endured many hardships I felt her to be most unsympathetic.

Julia R. Kelly’s debut novel, The Fisherman's Gift, is a haunting and lyrical exploration of grief, resilience, and the enduring power of love. Set in the isolated Scottish fishing village of Skerry in the winter of 1900, the story begins when a young boy washes ashore during a storm, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Dorothy’s son, who was lost to the sea years earlier. As the village becomes snowbound, Dorothy agrees to care for the mysterious child, blurring the lines between hope and reality.

Kelly masterfully weaves a narrative that alternates between past and present, unraveling long-buried secrets and rekindling a poignant love story between Dorothy and Joseph, the reclusive fisherman who found the boy. The novel delves into the complexities of a tight-knit community, where gossip and suspicion often mask deeper truths. The atmospheric setting, with its storm-lashed shores and snow-covered landscapes, serves as a powerful backdrop to the emotional turmoil of the characters.

I enjoyed evocative prose and emotional depth of The Fisherman's Gift. Although the story is heartbreaking at times, I feel that it is a beautifully written debut novel that demonstrates how silence, secrets, and lies can bring so much pain into people's lives, but also how learning to let go is always possible.

The Fisherman's Gift is a poignant and spellbinding tale that captures the ache of a mother’s grief and the healing that can come from confronting old wounds. Kelly's debut promises a bright future, marking her as a compelling new voice in historical fiction.

Thanks to Simon Books for my copy of The Fisherman's Gift by Julia R. Kelly.

I really enjoyed this book set in a 1900s Scottish fishing village. When a young boy mysteriously washes up on shore it causes buried secrets to come to light in this small community.

The writing pulled me in and it has a beautiful sadness to it.

"The Fisherman's Gift" by Julia R Kelly is a beautiful debut novel about love and loss in a fishing village in Scotland. Kelly creates wonderful imagery of the pressures of the sea and community in the village in Skerry. Recommended. Looking forward to more by this author.

This is a beautiful, moving and satisfying novel by one of my favorites, Julia R. Kelly. It's the kind of story that, if you've ever loved a child, or longed for a child, will grab you by the throat and not let go. There's power in Kelly's prose, and I recommend that you just surrender to it. It's time well-spent and I loved it so much I picked up the hardcover the first time I spied it on the shelf. Thank you to the publisher for the gift of this ARC.

Scotland, 1900, and a severe winter storm is brewing and rolling into the small seaside village of Skerry. The next morning Joseph, a solitary fisherman, discovers an eight-year-old boy washed onto the beach, barely alive. He carries the limp boy, one shoe missing, up the hill to the minister’s house. With a collective gasp, Dorothy and other villagers watch and remember from the window of Mrs. Brown’s shop. The sea took Dorothy’s son many years before, leaving one shoe behind. A miracle, a gift – Moses has been returned to her. Dorothy feels herself unravel as her common-sense battles with her desperate desire.

Dorothy’s memories go back to her younger life and arrival in Skerry as the schoolteacher. She is an emotionally damaged woman by a harsh, critical mother; and Dorothy finds it impossible to form friendships and fit into village life, so of course, the villagers view her as cold and aloof. More memories of the past are revealed through Joseph and many of the villagers. Joseph’s heart is captured by her; but when she finds herself warming to him, she pulls away and enters a loveless marriage with William. Her precious Moses is born. The current events of the winter of 1900 also unfold through the character’s various perspectives. Dorothy is asked to care for the mysterious little boy while the minister searches for his home and family.

This lovely, atmospheric novel is full of rich descriptions of the weather which plays a strong role in the lives of the villagers and the story’s events. There is a theme of letting go – of grief, of the past, of a loved one – and opening to life’s possibilities. Characters so real and events so heartbreaking are woven in to tell a story that leaves the reader wanting to stay in Skerry when the last page is turned.
**Editors' Choice ** --The Historical Novels Review, May 2025

The Fisherman's Gift by Julia R Kelly; not what I was expecting it to be from the blurb, but I enjoyed this somewhat.

The Fisherman’s Gift is an intriguing and emotional, character driven story about the effects secrets have on a small Scottish village. This book is told in alternating points of view and timelines, so this book kept me wanting to read to find out more. A small boy washes up on shore. This boy has many similarities to a boy who vanished years ago. This sets in motion the discovery and reckoning of years of secrets. A strong debut novel, and I will read any future books this author publishes!

Using the two-timeline approach, this is a historical fiction story that takes place on the north coast of Scotland in the early 1900s. While the story covers the culture and lives of the people living in this small fishing village, especially during the isolating winters, it is really a wonderful character-driven piece of literary fiction that explores so many aspects of relationships and grief. Dorothy is an outsider who moves to the village to work as the school teacher and makes decisions based on pressure from the villagers and her desire to fit in. Unfortunately, the results of miscommunications and poor decisions on the part of several people have long term effects on several lives. Two critical events are central to the life altering impacts. The first is the loss of Dorothy’s young son, presumably drowned in the sea in the past timeline. The second occurs in the “current” timeline, when Joseph the fisherman discovers a small boy, barely alive washed ashore who has an uncanny resemblance to Dorothy’s lost son. As Dorothy and Joseph both struggle with unresolved grief, a search for the boy’s family is launched and both incidents prove to have bigger impacts on several other people in the small town. The character development in this book is excellent. The author’s gifted writing gives readers glimpses into many of the characters’ lives and subtly reveals their secrets and motivations in a heartwarming manner. I really enjoyed the ending of the book - the conclusion was vague and open but hopeful. An excellent read and would make great book club discussion.

This book is an absolute treasure. The setting is a small fishing village in Scotland at the turn of the 20th centurt. During a brutal winter storm, a young boy washes up on the beach. His presence is haunting and mysterious not only because he cannot speak but also because he is very similar to another boy who disappeared many years ago.

This presence creates a sense of turmoil in this close knit community bound by tradition and superstitions. Who is this boy? Is there a purpose in his sudden appearance or is just an eerie coincidence?

The novel boasts an outstanding cast of characters, each meticulously crafted with depth and nuance.

Kelly's writing is flawless, weaving a narrative that seamlessly shifts between past and present. The dual timelines enrich the story, revealing secrets and motivations that deepen the emotional impact.

This book combines a rich setting, complex and multifaceted characters, exquisite writing and a poignant story that lingers in the mind long after the final page. And it's a debut novel! Unbelievable.

A masterful novel that blends mystery, emotion, and the haunting beauty of a remote Scottish fishing village. A chain of events happen that unearth long buried secrets and rekindle old connections. The characters are deeply human and relatable.
Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a dual timeline story that takes place on the coast. It is heartbreaking and hopeful all at the same time. I was a little frustrated with the main character's decisions at times, but it fit with the era. Women could only do so much. I loved that the mood of the book fit the weather of the village. Kind of dark and drear and damp and cold. You could become completely immersed. A little long, but definitely recommend.

Set in 1900 Skerry – a small Scottish fishing village, where a child’s arrival, washed up at shore, shakes this tight-knit community.

Dorothy takes the temporary care of the child. Despite the resemblance, she knows it can’t be her child lost to waters years earlier, same age as this boy now.

The story goes back in time, and at first, is narrated between two women. Dorothy when she comes to this tiny village as a teacher and how she is mocked by other women for no reason and how isolated she feels. And Agnes, who has her eyes on Joseph, but Joseph has his eyes on the newcomer.

The past narrative of Dorothy and Joseph reveals touchingly the story of Moses, Dorothy’s son, and who the father is. The present narrative uncovers the story of the mysterious boy.

There is much more to the storyline, uncovering human relationships, how we assume things, instead of asking questions. How those assumptions can lead to wrong decisions, lasting lifetime. There is also mother’s grief of losing a child. The backstories are poignantly woven, touching on human emotions.

As the story progresses, it moves to other people’s narrative and it continues to switch between present and past time. It may sound overwhelming with different points of view and two timelines but it’s not. It’s very clearly narrated.

The storyline is absorbing. The prose is splendid. The chapters are short, making the pages flip quickly.

It might sound as a sad story in its entirety but there is something heart-warming about discovering oneself, finding the way through grief, opening oneself once again to others. And what one receives in return when becoming vulnerable, can bring rewards one may not have even imagined.

Itn 1900 Skerry,, a small Scottish fishing village, there is a bad storm. During the storm, a young boy washes up on the shore. He bears an uncanny resemblance to teacher Dorothy’s son, lost to the sea at the same age many years before, his body never found. The village is soon snowed in, and Dorothy agrees to look after the child until they can uncover the mystery of his origins. But over time, the lines between reality and desperate hope start to blur as the boy reminds Dorothy more and more of her own lost child. The boy’s arrival also finally forces Dorothy to face the truth about her love affair with Joseph, the fisherman who found the boy on the shore and who has been the subject of whispers connecting him to the drowning of Dorothy’s son years earlier. As the past rises to meet the present, long-buried secrets are unearthed within this tight-knit community, and the child’s arrival becomes a catalyst for something far greater than any of them could imagine.

I read the author's previous work so knew what a good writer she was and this book was no exception. She describes the coast of Scotland in a way that makes you want to go there, and her characterizations add to the story. Emotions run high as the search for the mother progresses. Will the boy's mother be found or will Dorothy keep him? Also, what about Joseph? These questions kept me reading into the night to find the answers. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read another outstanding book by Julia Kelly.

A small boy is found on the shore of a small fishing village and a local teacher discovers him and finds herself taking care of him. This book is filled with the emotions of heartbreak, love, and grief. The author does a great job characterizing the townspeople in the Scottish village - this story is one that will stay with you for a while.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC.