Set in a small village in the Scottish Highlands, a small boy washes ashore during a storm. The village rallies around him to take care of him and find his family. The local school teacher, Dorothy, is chosen to take him into her home.

Dorothy, who had lost a son to the sea, thinks this boy is sent for her. She wavers between reality and her hopefulness to keep him with her permanently. Her grief of the loss of her own son often renders her confused.

As the boy recovers and his family sought, readers will learn Dorothy’s history in the village, where she has known love, loss and a deep sense of guilt. By the story’s end, Dorothy will offer forgiveness and friendship where she withheld it before and will learn the value of a community’s strength.

I loved the story, but at times I found it unbelievably sad. The forgiveness and lasting love was one I won’t soon forget.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to recommend this to readers and give my honest review.

The Fisherman's Gift by Julia R. Kelly is a beautifully written novel that weaves together family secrets, love, and loss with a poignant historical backdrop. Set against the backdrop of the Pacific Northwest, Kelly’s vivid descriptions of the sea and its people create a captivating atmosphere. The characters are deeply relatable, with rich emotional depth that made me feel like I was right there with them, experiencing their joys and heartaches.

What really stood out to me was the author’s ability to bring the past and present together in such a seamless way. The alternating timelines added layers of mystery and reflection, making me want to keep turning pages to uncover the full story.

I’m giving it 4 out of 5 stars. While I loved the overall story and its emotional impact, there were a few moments where the pacing lagged a bit. Despite that, it’s a heartfelt and compelling read that I highly recommend to fans of historical fiction and family sagas.

At the novel's onset, the many characters in the village appear to be caricatures: the bully, the standoffish newcomer, the gossips, the love interest, the kindhearted Minister, and the insightful female grocer. But as the story progresses, these many characters are fleshed out and we see what's going on inside their heads and why they act and interact the way they do. This is a character-driven novel with two timelines: the past, when six-year-old Moses appears to have drowned and the effect this tragedy has on so many of the characters, and the present, when a barely-alive six-year-old boy is found washed ashore. It's a tragedy that turns out to be a mixed-blessing as many of the characters look into themselves and learn from it.

Of note is the author's explanation regarding some of the themes within the story: misunderstandings, forgiveness, the importance of meaningful communication, women's friendships, maternal shame, and the epiphany of being a "Good Enough Mother." Quite the debut novel!

What a great story and truly enjoyable read. I loved it. This is as fictional book set on the coastline of Scotland and the whole time I read it I felt transported to the place and the characters became my friends. The setting is 1900’s in a small fishing village as the winter season begins. Dorothy, a teacher in the village, years ago lost a young son to a storm. His body was never recovered. Suddenly another young boy washes ashore and Dorothy is asked to take him in until his identity is discovered and he can be returned to his family. The story is full of love, loss, small town gossip and so much more. This is a book that made me anxious to read more of her works in the future. Dorothy’s story is one of trying to live in an unaccepting place and grief at the loss of her son. She meets a fisherman and he tries to help befriend the boy and Dorothy.

I wish to thank Net Galley and Simon & Schuster Publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed this advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This historical fiction novel was difficult to read because of the sadness and despair. It overpowers the story and lies heavily upon the reader. The small village of Skerry is a self-contained and closed community, with much judgement and gossip. Grief and lost love overwhelm one woman’s life when she loses her young child to the sea. Years later, during a storm, another boy is seemingly returned.

A story of love, grief set in a small village, a boy is found on the shore by Dorothy, a local teacher, and a woman who knows the heartbreak of loss, as she lost her son.

When the boy is found, Dorothy seems drawn to this boy, he reminds her of the son that she loved, and lost to the sea, and so she is drawn to him, and cares for him. At times it feels as though, to her, that this is her son returned to her.

This story goes back and forth between time, sharing some of Dorothy’s life, as well as how some of the townspeople react to Dorothy and some of the decisions she’s made in her life, as well.


Pub Date: 18 Mar 2025


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Simon & Schuster

A character driven debut that takes a deep dive into difficult topics. 💔

In 1900 a young boy washes ashore in a close knit Scottish fishing village. The young survivor’s sudden appearance brings the past to the surface and the story that unfolds is poignant. The young boy is soon placed under the care of Dorothy the local school teacher and bereaved mother of a son thought drowned many years ago. Taking responsibility for the boy causes Dorothy to take inventory of her emotions and a hard look at the past. The narrative shifts from the current timeline to the past showing pieces of Dorothy’s journey and also that of fellow villagers. Upon her arrival Dorothy wasn’t accepted and was the center of local gossip many times. The locals seem cruel and Dorothy is socially cold so the two don’t mesh well. However, instead of the author making the villagers one dimensional “meanies” she scrapes away the social preening and shows characters who are each struggling to reach toward anything to improve the quality of their lives.

Will these flawed characters ever learn the power of an extended hand or kindness?

A character study of the many facets of forgiveness.

Sadness and growth are thick within these pages, making this a worthwhile debut.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing an Advance Reading Copy for review. All opinions are my own.

The Fisherman's Gift is a debut. The writing is strong.

In a small Scottish fishing village a boy washes up on shore, Dorothy who is the teacher in this town lost her son years ago. This boy reminds Dorothy of her son. Dorothy has to grapple with her emotions of the past and the loss of her son and her love to a fisherman.

The towns people where very mean to Dorothy. The main character was a poor communicator which made her out to be a weak female. This is not my kind of book.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC for my honest opinion.

The Fisherman's Gift is the story of a young boy lost in a storm, and a young boy found in a storm, years apart. Dorothy lives in the small, seaside village of Skerry. A young boy of about 6 years old is pulled from the sea, nearly lifeless, and looking similar to the 6 year old boy that Dorothy lost to the sea several years back. The book takes place between "then" and "now", filling in the details of Dorothy's solitary life in Skerry, and how and why her life came to be the way it is. Once I started the book, I couldn't put it down. I ended up reading it in a day and a half. I enjoyed the plot, the characters and the writing style. The author was able to capture the story really well.
Thank you to the author, Simon and Schuster, and NetGalley for access to this eARC.

The Fisherman’s Tale is beautiful, sad, and highly atmospheric. There is a found child and a missing one, deep misunderstandings, catty gossip, a snowstorm, and a love story. It took me several nights to finish because I wanted it to last and I am still thinking about its particular magic. Reminiscent of Hans Christian Andersen’s dark fairytales and Selkie folklore. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC. Pub Date: March 18, 2025.

#TheFishermansGift
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A dark tragic story filled with loss and love. Beautifully written debut novel. I would add a trigger warning for those who may have lost a child.

Thank you #NetGalley, #Simon&Schuster, #JuliaR.Kelly and #ThrFisherman’sGift for the ebook for my honest review.

I love a story referencing old folklore tales. It's a tragic sorry about a woman losing her child to the sea. .Her story as a teacher coming to the area who isn't welcomed by the small and isolated coastal area makes a lonely existence for her. I enjoyed this story.

A dark, intense story that builds to light and love at the end. Doubts, misunderstandings, envy, and regrets fill this book in many forms. It is a somber story but oh so compelling in the raw emotion in most every scene.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This was an exquisitely beautiful story of the complexities of love and grief
Highly recommend
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review and read this book

The setting: 1900, a small Scottish fishing village. During a storm, a young boy washes up on the shore. The child bears an uncanny resemblance to the teacher Dorothy's son, who was lost to the sea at the same age, many years prior--his body never found, Dorothy, a loner, not particularly liked by the villagers, agrees to the minister's request to look after the child until his origins/parents are found.

For me, a good yarn with well drawn-characters. I was very much engaged in the story especially as I found it an easy read, I could feel the pettiness of the villagers. I could see the hardships winter would bring to the village. I could hear the chatter between Dorothy and her late, abusive mother. And I ached for Dorothy on so many levels.

The chapters are told through the various characters--in particular Dorothy, Joseph, and Agnes, and locations in the village [e.g., the shop around which much village life revolves] and the Manse where the minister and his wife live.

Hope, love, loss, sadness and heartbreak. There are many secrets and much gossip in this small village.

New words: gorse, oakum. ceilidh.

I truly enjoyed this book and heartily recommend.

Solid 4.5.

This is Kelly's debut novel; I look forward to reading more by this author!

A solid debut from Julia R Kelly! I am a bit conflicted because while I don't think there was anything all that groundbreaking, I still liked it. It's a like not a love. I felt like it was a bit lacking in character development, structure, and overall writing. Despite this, I liked how the story came together and the healing that the characters went through. It was quite sad but there was some light at the end of the tunnel. I also liked the setting and the similar vibes to THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS.

I will start off my saying - it’s not the book, it’s me. I know that if I had read this book at a different time, I might have liked this book more. This book deals with a lot - grief (so much grief), cruelty, hate - basically huge darkness … not something I need currently in my life. This story deals with misunderstandings (oh, so many!), lost opportunities, and sadness. Are there good parts - yes, thank goodness, but I found the pacing a bit slow to get to less heavy parts. I may give this book another read later - when my emotional part can deal with heaviness. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

For a debut novel, Ms. Kelly has performed very well, I think she will have a bright future as an author. This is not a fast light read, it is one of those that you wanna find a nice chair, grab a blanket and just enjoy the ride. I found the story had depth, the characters were well vetted and my heart went out to Dorothy and Joseph.
My only con was if you did not pay attention to the heading of the chapter you did not know if you were in the then or now. I got lost several times and would have to backtrack to find out if we were in Dorothy, Moses or the boys timeline. Other than that, I truly loved this story.
I may not agree with Dorothy’s thinking sometimes but with her dysfunctional upbringing I could certainly understand that she knew no better. This is one of those books that you think about well after it is ended.
I found the ending perfect, just perfect, listening to the boots. I received an ARC from Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for my unbiased review – This one comes in with 5 stars.

This was a slow-moving story set in a small fishing village of Scotland in the early 1900s. It’s about Dorothy’s life as a teacher, wife and mother. She loses her young boy and suffers from grief. She also is torn with harmful whispers from the other women.

There is a knitting group at the only store in town where gossip flows. It’s a form of social power and venting emotions with their situations mainly marriage. The women are mean-spirited and petty. However, Dorothy doesn’t want to get trapped in that world exposing unnecessary dramas as others do just for entertainment. She ends up keeping to herself.

My mind kept drifting while reading this book. We are surrounded by a fast pace world with the internet and news so to get inside a book where everything crawls makes it oddly a challenge. Yet, it works for the story where nothing happens quickly. It shows how extremely difficult it is to lose a child and how one is able to cope.

My thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of March 18, 2025.

The Fisherman's Gift is a wonderful story. The setting, Scotland 1900, is very interesting. The people arewell developed. The book overall is riveting.. It's only January but I can't imagine a book I'll love more than this in 2025. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.