Completely different from her other books, it felt like a mashup of genres with a heavy emphasis on atmospheric in the way that Adrienne Young and Charlotte McConaghey do.

The story is told from the ghost of a girl who has spent centuries “looking over” the island of Scatarie (a real place!) . Her life was cut short but her time is spent over watching the island families and in particular 3 little babies who are all born on Christmas Day.

The story begins here and unfolds as these 3 babies (Hardy, Sam & Mary Alice) grow up. Their lives are dependent on each other in friendship and love while the rest of the island carries on.

It felt completely unique to be watching this trio grow like a Birds Eye view. Feeling like I was the eyes of a ghost, or even more so, the eyes of a reader who gets to meet these characters and watch their lives unfold.

It was full of eerie and life. A time in which the islands hardships were difficult but so too was the world in war around them. There is friendship, love, loss and bizarrely endearing ghost that does much of nothing, except give a calm to the belief that there is life after death.

I adore Lesley Crewe's work and this novel is no exception! It is different from most of her other work but still as well-written and captivating-you won't be disappointed!

this was such an atmospheric read. i dont know whether i felt uneasy, worried, scared. or somehow strangely comforted at times too. this book explored time, place and people around a time in life that for many was impossible. when we add this almost magic element to it its like you are watching it through a mist. waiting to spot the lighthouse. never quite knowing what is real, what might be dreams. or stories of people fighting on other lands. are we waiting for people to come back home, trying to guide them home, or is there something else all together going on.
i never felt like i could grasp this book and yet somehow i did. it was so unique. it was full of surprises as i've never read a book like it and tend to head away from this kind of element of spirit or fantasy or other worldly. but this book did feel other worldy. and in a good way. it took me away to a story, to a land, like when i was a child where i really could let my imagination go anywhere. maybe i took it the wrong way though! those that read this book often may get a completely different tale from it.
im glad i got to read it. im glad i took the chance. its good to mix things up, it really challenges your book reading eyes.

Lesley Crewe wrote this well and was engaged from the first page, it had that element that I was looking for and was engaged with what was happening. The characters had that overall feel that I was wanting and enjoyed the concept and how it uses the historical element in the storyline. I enjoyed how it blends the romance and ghost story together to tell the story and enjoyed how good this was.

I've been a fan of Lesley Crewe for many years. I did not realize she had a new book coming out, but I was thrilled to grab it.

This story is very different from all the previous stories. It is about life on Scaterie, a small island, just off the coast of Cape Breton. It is, in part, narrated by a ghost named Cara. Cara was a young girl when she drowned off the coast of Scaterie, many years ago. The main characters are Mary Alice, Sam and Hardy. By coincidence, they were all born on Christmas Day to different mothers. The three share a special bond because of their birth date.

I'd call this a cozy story. It takes us through the main characters' lives, from childhood to marriage and beyond. There are ups and downs. There is loss. All three have distinct personalities. Their tight friendship hangs on (with a few bumps) throughout. Their family members and other residents of the island pop in and out of the story. There is a very strong sense of community.

Cara, the spirit, speaks up every once in a while to give us her thoughts and opinions. But, she is not intrusive, she hangs in the background as she watches over Sam and Harris and Mary Alice.

The description of the island, the lighthouse, the lay of the land is wonderful. There are times I swear that I could feel the cold, bitter wind blowing in from the ocean. Or the tall grasses gently blowing in the summer breeze.

If there is anything negative to say about this book, it's that I often got some of the minor characters mixed up. The families are large and there are lots of brothers and sisters. But, that did not distract.

There were definitely a few tears (a couple times) towards the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

The writing was beautiful and the story was original being told by the ghost, but there was too much ghost-y melancholy for me.

We drift in a mesmerizing dream-like state through the events and people's lives, observing them, telling their story. I felt sad. I felt stuck and swiftly thrown forward at the same time. I definitely got all the feelings and the historical atmosphere I was supposed to get from such narrative. Still I'm not sure it was the best choice for this book. Maybe some dynamics would help, like the narration being passed to the living from time to time, or the ghost being more active, more involved than just a being fascinated with the moments and people.

The living characters are simultaniously the main ones and fade into the general background of the ghost's story. I wasn't interested enough in their lives. Almost non-existent storyline of the ghost was far more interesting.

I expected the events to go a bit differently, stay more local, more starting point centered, but we were swept everywhere far and flying through time and situations.

All that happened went all too slow and all too fast at the same time. You'll see how it works when you start reading.

So, it was a very atmospheric, beautiful, and historical book, but its mood didn't work for me. Try it out! It's good, so maybe it will work for you!

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Thanks to NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for providing me with this free eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I had absolutely no clue what to expect from this story, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the writing and the sense of no rush. I’d describe this as quite an observational type story in many ways, Cara becoming the narrator and telling the story from above. The descriptions of life on Scatarie, the island, were great and upon googling it, I felt like I’d already seen it! There are a lot of sad times in the story but ultimately it’s a story of love, strength and positivity. I’ll read more by this author, for sure.

Historical fiction with a twist; the narrator is the ghost of a young girl called Cara who drowned off the coast of Scatarie, a remote (real) island in Nova Scotia.

Through Cara’s eyes we follow Mary-Alice, Hardy and Sam, three children born on the same day and experience the highs and lows they go through.

I enjoyed the read, but the first half more when Cara, in such a unique position, had a more ‘active’ role, rather than just as a narrator.

A very enjoyable read.

The only other book I’ve read by Lesley Crewe is The Spoon Stealer which I absolutely loved so I was pleased to receive The Spirit of Scaterie as an ARC (thank you Net Galley). I was absorbed from the first page & enjoyed the originality of the narrator being the ghost of a girl who drowned many years before off the island of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, where the novel is set.

The island is pretty much the main character here and as well as following the lives of three babies all born one Christmas Day we also follow the life - and ultimate demise - of life on a barren and isolated island.

The three main characters of Mary Alice, Harry and Sam became very real to me, along with Annie and Mary. Lesley Crewe’s writing is beautiful & when I later googled photo’s of Cape Breton I’d already seen it in my mind’s eye from her descriptions.

Although a lot happens in the lives of our main characters and a lot of comfort and wisdom can be drawn from the ghost of Cara herself, I was surprised by the slight lack of ‘plot’ or story arc. It really was an observational tale of life on this island.

An easy 5* for me as I felt absorbed by the story and pulled back by the characters.

Lesley Crewe does it again! The Spirit of Scatarie is a non-stop, can’t-put-it-down historical novel that blends history, romance, and ghost story into one unforgettable read. This time, the protagonist is Cara—a spirit whose presence ties past and present together in a tribute to young soldiers and their war brides.

Crewe has a gift for writing women who are stronger than they believe themselves to be, and in this novel she also shines a light on the power of family and community. Part history, part love story, part haunting, The Spirit of Scatarie is a moving and original addition to her body of work. Thank you #NetGalley

Lesley Crewe’s The Spirit of Scatarie is a beautifully rendered celebration of friendship, resilience, and the enduring connection between people and place. At its heart are three unforgettable friends, all born on Christmas Day 1922, whose lives we follow with tender intimacy as they grow into the resilient, complex adults they are destined to become. Their bond is the emotional anchor of the novel, and Crewe’s portrayal of their evolving relationships is the basis of the plot. Narrated by the ghostly presence of Cara, her observations about the dead infuse the narrative with a sense of time passing. Death is simply part of life in a place as wild and unforgiving as Scatarie Island. Though the island lies off Cape Breton, the portrayal of its remote fishing community evokes the spirit of Newfoundland’s coastal villages, capturing a way of life that feels personal to my own ancestry. Thank you to NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this deeply satisfying novel.

The Spirit of Scatarie is an inviting book narrated by the spirit of a 13-year old girl who drowned some two hundred years before. She follows the lives of Mary Alice, Sam, and Hardy, born on the same Christmas day in the 1920's on a small fishing island near Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.. The trio grows as besties in a community where money is scarce and barter is the local currency. What the island's inhabitants lack in financial assets, however, they make up for in concern and inclusivity. Sam eventually goes off to war and brings back to the island that he loves so well an unwitting English bride who struggles with the lack of basics like indoor plumbing . Hardy takes over the lighthouse that's been his home since birth, while impetuous Mary Alice becomes a teacher for the island's children. This is a story of familial love, resilience, and the ability to accept people as they are. A fine tale.

Wonderful

I really like Lesley Crewe's books and this is currently my favourite. It is a historical novel, a romance, and a wonderful evocative story of a lost way of life, set on Scaterie Island, a small island north of Main a Dieu, near Glace Bay, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. No longer inhabited, Scaterie was a small community of mainly fishermen, but as time went on, the fishery changed and people were no longer willing to live without electricity and home comforts. This story is told from the point of view of a ghost who followed the 3 main characters from their birth Christmas 1922 until their death, through the years of hardship, war and love. Wonderful book!

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a time limited e-arc via netgalley with no obligation. This review is optional and my own opinion.

No matter how many books you read a week, a month, a year....make this one of them. I read the first 4 pages and then put it down for a few days. The spirit (Cara) was telling her story and I thought this is just a little to "woo-woo" and descriptive for me. After looking at all the great reviews I picked it back up and I am so glad I did. What did I like about it? I liked that people could have spirits that follow them all their life and become similar to guardian angels. I love that the spirits will push you into a new direction by hijacking your dreams or singing softly in the wind. I want to think that tripping over nothing (which I do often) is because my long dead dog's spirit is running around my legs. It feels good to know that no-one is completely gone. I liked that I have rarely read a book that describes the culture of an island in which families fish for a living, generation after generation. I really felt the lack of electricity, running water, and automobiles that the islanders did without. I loved the community and its closeness that comes from necessity. Besides all that, there was World War II, romance, happiness, tears and humor. I snort-laughed out loud at Jane trying to climb into a boat, while hugely pregnant, with the help of Sam and Bob. I felt a sense of satisfaction when Flossie got her comeuppance. I give many thanks to NetGalley and Vagrant Press for the complementary ARC. This goes in my list of Top 10 books this year.
This review is my opinion and not coerced in any way.

The Spirit of Scatarie is a beautifully written, atmospheric novel told from a truly unique perspective: the ghost of a young Irish girl. Weaving together romance, history, and a touch of the supernatural, the book follows three friends on the remote Scatarie Island through the challenges of the 20th century.
Lesley Crewe masterfully brings the island and its resilient community to life. If you love deep character studies and evocative settings more than fast-paced plot, this is a beautiful and immersive story. It's a moving tribute to a disappearing way of life.

This book was an absolute masterpiece. I originally picked it up based on the description, but when I started reading, it wasn’t at all what I expected, so I put it aside for a while. When I finally came back to it, I was completely unprepared for how gut wrenching and powerful it would be.

It took me through every emotion imaginable. I laughed, I cried (la lot, and by the end I felt both broken and whole in the best possible way. I loved the story, the premise, and especially the idea of spirits watching over us, it was moving and beautifully done. It was the cathartic healing that I didn’t know I needed. I definitely helped me work through some unprocessed grief. It was the book I needed during this particular moment in time and I am forever grateful to it.

The writing was incredible, the story unforgettable, and honestly, this was top tier for me. It left such a mark that I don’t know if I’ll be able to pick up another book for a while. Absolute perfection and I’ve already pre-ordered my physical copy.