I'm struggling to write just how much I enjoyed this book.

Jane is a nurse in Bath, working with her doctor father, and frequently requested by patients as having some kind of special healing touch; she's unusually tall so stands out from the crowd as she accompanies her patients to the baths. Her father's assistant, Dr Valentine Ross is taken by her charms and sets out to propose to her - little does he know of her passionate love affair with the exotic Julietta...

On the other side of the world, Valentine's brother Edward, a naturalist, is exploring the fauna and flora of Borneo. He finds himself in the company of Sir Ralph Savage, a colonialist building roads and trying to employ the natives in useful occupations - including taking one, Leon, as his lover.

The two stories gradually blend together in a clever and enticing way. The characters are bold, colourful and exciting; the scenery vivid and intricately described; and the narrative proceeds passionately throughout. Couldn't put this down and already recommending it widely! Thank you Rose Tremain!

If you are expecting a simple “beginning, middle and end” story this is probably not for you. Tremain is presenting something closer to real life as she show a panorama of people and families who meet, mix, and pass on. People do not live in isolation. They might seem to make choices in friends and acquaintances, but behind that life might be more random – and have huge impact on a person. Initially centred on Bath, England, in 1865, her characters – male and female, exceptional and ordinary, will take the story backwards and forwards and to places around the world.
The medical Adeane family are comprised of doctor father, Sir William Adeane a successful local physician and father of Jane who is acting as his helper and nurse, thereby developing herself a reputation for healing with those seriously ill. Jane will become a key character tripping other actions which are then followed as stronger storylines, Adeane’s medical colleague is the younger Dr Valentine Ross and he can only be described as somewhat strange. Early in the book he will be seen proposing marriage to Jane, in local “high class” tearooms. These tearooms were set up by Clorinda Morrissey who has travelled over from Ireland, sold a ruby bracelet that is a family heirloom and used the money to fund her project. She too will be a significant character in the book, not least because her sale will eventually trip a family row and another run of story activity in Ireland. One does not choose one’s family, while it gives a form of continuity, life in it might not always be positive. Grudges can run across generations impacting whatever one later wants or tries to achieve.
Jane will reject this proposal of marriage and this will spark two new trajectories to the tale. She will travel to London to stay with her Aunt. She is an unmarried woman, but has built a life as a successful artist. Through her Jane will meet the Ashton family who have an “open” marriage. Julietta – who she sees as the one love of her (mirroring her aunt’s earlier choice of loving but living alone) - will become lovers. Julietta has no intention of changing her lifestyle. Further she advises Jane to marry a suitable man so she can have children. Jane’s initial willingness to then marry Ross allows him to reveal not just his strong views on women’s place in life, but the deeper emotional damage he carries from his early family life. This will result in violence.
Ross, clearly disturbed, will then head out alone to the Far East to search for his missing brother Edmund. Edmund has been in Borneo following his dream job researching plants. But he has fallen into difficulty through illness. He will temporarily end up in the household of Sir Ralph Savage, “the white Rajah of South Sadong Territories”. Sir Ralph has a native aide Leon who is also his lover. Leon who is using the relationship to build his own financial status becomes jealous of the “new” man in the house, this trips a series of actions impacting not just on Edmund and Sir Ralph but on the wider community around them.
So overall this is a fictional panorama of life. People are just getting on with it – and for the women in particular who are expected to live to different standards, values and economic realities this can be exceptionally hard or dangerous. But life is not risk free for men either, especially those of poorer backgrounds. This can often mean increased vulnerability that may, or not, be mitigated by family or close friends. If you want to live life outside the “normal” that adds another layer of difficulty as you have to negotiate your life around wider expectations. But in the real world that too cannot be relied on. Life might just be capricious as to circumstances. The price of a choice is generally unpredictable. Tremain does not dodge these issues in this book, regularly presenting her characters through this spotlight of both risk and inability to cope well (or without damage).
Life is complex, so whether covering so many characters and issues is a strength, or a weakness, of this book will depend on what you require from a “good read”. It has a range of diversity of places of interest; however you might not feel that the historical facts are absolutely secure to the date. Some parts of the overall story seem to meld more seamlessly than others which maybe could be regarded as superfluous. Or maybe this reader has missed the “hidden” message of some of the characters names and should be looking deeper.

Bath 1865 – Clorinda Morrissey, aged 38 and a spinster, has left her home of Dublin to try her fortune in England. After unfulfilling and tedious work in a milliner’s shop, she takes the plunge and sells her only item of value – a ruby necklace family heirloom, and opens a tea room in the bustling spa town. Here she finds her metier and looks to becoming a part of Bath society, exercising her Celtic charms. One day in her tea room, there is a proposal of marriage made by a well-known Bath physician, Valentine Ross, who works for the esteemed doctor Sir William Adeane; Ross asks Adeane’s daughter, Jane who works as a nurse for her father. The proposal is swiftly rejected, which leads to Jane’s abrupt departure from Bath to live with her bohemian Aunt Emmeline in London, while Ross is dejected and depressed. The disruption to and neglect of Dr Adeane’s household leads to Clorinda agreeing, a little reluctantly, to provide some meals for the distracted Dr Adeane. Meanwhile in Borneo, Ross’s brother Edmund, a naturalist is laid low with a severe attack of malaria while collecting specimens. In London, Jane has a surprising sensuous experience that changes her whole perspective on life, while Clorinda’s arrival in Sir William’s house has further personal implications for both of them.
The pace of the novel is managed excellently, as one would expect in a novelist of the calibre of Rose Tremain. The author often has a rather jaundiced view of human motivations and behaviour, allied to a forensic eye for their weaknesses and their shabby motivations; some of the characters in the story (the men mostly) are irredeemably unpleasant. The historical content, particularly the Victorian city of Bath and its spa is excellently delineated, and makes for an intelligent thoughtful story, though elements of the conclusion of the novel, particularly with regard to Jane Adeane, felt a little rushed or contrived.

I thoroughly enjoyed Islands of Mercy, as I have enjoyed every other novel by Rose Tremain. It’s a beautifully-written and crafted page turner. The characters are memorable and realistic, facing terrible predicaments. I felt for passionate and courageous Jane Adeane, the Angel of the Baths. Even the most flawed characters have redeeming features, although I was wary of Dr Valentine Ross with ‘the suggestion of cruelty in his narrow blue eyes’ (great description). I really didn’t want to do anything until I had finished this novel! My own life became secondary to it and I felt as though I was in Bath, Borneo, London and Ireland with the characters. All the settings interested me and are richly described. I loved the ending too. An excellent read! Very highly recommended.

A interesting insight into the options for women in 1865. The pressure to conform and be compliant is very well portrayed by the three women protagonists. The behaviour of the two male doctors provide a good contrast, the father liked the idea of independence in his daughter until it inconvenienced him, her fiancé was totally selfish and histrionic from the start.
The part of the story set in Borneo was a strange addition and unnecessary. It did introduce how destructive the western people and way of life was to the native inhabitants of Borneo but little else.

As ever, Rose Tremain artfully evokes society in bygone times; enabling the reader to envision landscapes, cities and homes as her characters move between them. In 'Islands of Mercy' she stretches this skill further as the novel, set in 1865, spans miles between places as far removed as Bath, Dublin and even Borneo. At once, the reader encounters Jane Adeane and her doctor father working to heal the sick in Bath and Sir Ralph Savage as 'rajah' of his own estate but not necessarily his own passions.

Tremain's descriptive skills shine whether she is describing the rain, "like distant applause", a spider's leg, "like a tiny piece of medieval armour" or an emerald containing "within it the spirit of (an) Irish homeland." Furthermore, I find the listed observations of a scene enable me to sweep my eyes around as if encountering the moment for myself. Be it in the wilds of Borneo;
"To travel a region of the world where the climate alone seemed designed to make men ill, where trees crowded the sky, where ants could swarm from the forest floor into every space occupied by humankind, where leeches could burrow into the body's veins and arteries, was a task so completely beyond his capabilities that he now wondered how it could ever have entered his mind."
or a Dublin kitchen being painted;
"Unwashed crockery stood about in piles. Dirty clothes and bedding lay soaking in tin pails, never washed nor hung out to dry. Behind the chicken wire of the larder door, bread grew a patina of blue mould and potatoes put forth fibrous green shoots, quite as though the overheated air was thickening itself into the earth."

Ultimately though, despite being beautifully written, I did not engage with the characters in this book as much as I have with Tremain's previous historical works. With the exception of Clorinda Morrissey, who has come to Bath to open a tearooms having escaped famine in Ireland, the many central characters are not only deeply flawed but also extremely difficult to take to. Jane and her intended beau Valentine Ross display an egocentricity which is only overshadowed by that of married lesbian socialite Julietta Sims and Ross's foolish and misguided brother Edmund.
I found the link between England and Asia somewhat tenuous and was impatient to see if the storylines ever intertwined in a manner that was meaningful for the characters involved.

Overall, I would recommend this book to experience the writing skill but would steer prospective Tremain readers towards her other previous titles to experience her full talent relating to plot shaping and story-telling.

My thanks to netgalley, the publisher and the author for sharing an advance copy of the book with me in return for my honest opinion.

This my first book by Rose Tremain and it wont be my last. What an amazing story this is and the characters are so real that you feel that you are there with them. Each character had their own story which intermingled with others and you invested in each one. Willing them onto better things. Also theirs stories are set in different places even as far as Borneo which was very interesting. This had me reading into the small hours it was so good. I will certainly be looking for more books by this author now.

I would highly recommend this book. Rose Tremain is one of my favourite authors and I was pleased when I received an ebook from NetGalley.
Islands of Mercy follows four interconnected characters and spans Victorian Bath, to Paris and to the island of Borneo. The book examines the rigidity of Victorian society, especially that of the place of women and what can happen if they wish to live outside of these expectations. In this era, the sexual issues of homosexuality and lesbianism were taboo and Islands of Mercy address these through the main characters. Jane Adeane is struggling emotionally, due to societal pressure to marry a man and her relationship with her female lover. In Borneo, Rajah Sir Ralph Savage is the ‘love’ with his houseboy Leon.
It is a well written story, which draws you into the lives of the characters and is one of those books which are hard to put down

I have read a number of truly excellent novels written by Rose Tremain and also read a few that just didn’t work for me. This, unfortunately, was one of the latter. The book’s description appealed very much, from a setting in a teashop to an exciting sounding location in Borneo. However, the prose felt flat and to my mind the eccentric characters had trouble coming to life. A number of them seemed downright unattractive in their oddity and disregard for others. I enjoyed following Clorinda’s aspirations and some delightful descriptions of the jungle in Borneo but ultimately the novel lacked the narrative drive and personal engagement I enjoy in Tremain's novels.

It is the quality of Rose Tremain’s writing that takes this book beyond the ordinary. Every book she writes involves the reader in the lives of her characters – one begins to imagine that they will appear in the street before us they are so well drawn.
In 'Islands of Mercy' we are treated to a glimpse into the lives and loves of different characters and on the way meet a multitude of people they in turn influence or who are influenced by them. We follow The Angle of Bath, Jane Adeane, the young doctor, Valentine Ross, Clorinda Morrissey – who is determined to make a better life for herself and succeeds and on the other side of the world Sir Ralph Savage. These characters are all on voyages of discovery – desperately looking for their true selves. This cast of characters though is both the book’s strengths but also possibly the book’s weakness. I felt there were at least 2 books here rolled into one and I would have loved more of Clorninda Morrisey and perhaps less of Sir Ralph, where, like other reviewers I felt the book was less successful. There was a whole book in the Irish family saga and Clorinda’s young niece, Aisling.
Thank you to NetGalley and Chatto and Windus.

In the city of Bath, in the year 1865, an extraordinary young woman renowned for her nursing skills is convinced that some other destiny will one day show itself to her. But when she finds herself torn between a dangerous affair with a female lover and the promise of a conventional marriage to an apparently respectable doctor, her desires begin to lead her towards a future she had never imagined. Meanwhile, on the wild island of Borneo, an eccentric British ‘rajah’, Sir Ralph Savage, overflowing with philanthropy but compromised by his passions, sees his schemes relentlessly undermined by his own fragility, by man’s innate greed and by the invasive power of the forest itself. Jane’s quest for an altered life and Sir Ralph’s endeavours become locked together as the story journeys across the globe – from the confines of an English tearoom to the rainforests of a tropical island via the slums of Dublin and the transgressive fancy-dress boutiques of Paris.

One thing I have come to expect from Tremain's novels is to be swept away and this certainly delivered on that part. Although not in the way I thought Part of this read is set in Borneo and I thought I would eagerly anticipate these sections, however it really is only part of the book, very little time is spent there. To be honest, the whole Borneo thread could be cut and the book would not have suffered. The same can be said for Sir Ralph, yes he feeds into the story but was he necessary? No.

The main aspect of the book I enjoyed was the character of Jane. Jane is extremely likeable, very realistic and a true delight to follow. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her and learning about her story. Along the way we see her interactions with other characters and follow her changing relationships but again, they are forgettable and it is Jane that remains in my mind. What I did find interesting was how unlikeable the male characters are. Whilst it is important for the plot, I could not help but feel a reader needs more to root for.

'Islands of Mercy' was an easy, enjoyable read and for the most part I found myself wanting to keep reading. However, towards the end, the pace drops right off and I found it quite a slog to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley and Chatto & Windus for an advance copy.

Wonderful book with four brilliant characters whose lives intertwine in very different ways.
Descriptively set in Bath,London,Dublin and Borneo it delves into Victorian society and investigates the rigid society and especially women’s place and more importantly what can happen if they try to live outside of these confines.
This book investigates sexual issues such as homosexuality and lesbianism which in those days were very taboo .
I cannot recommend it enough brilliant read

Rose Tremain is a master storyteller, and this tale of love and duty, which sends us from the drawing rooms of Bath to the jungle of Borneo, does not disappoint. The characters are woven together in a slow build of backgrounds from the poverty of 19th century Ireland to gentile Bath, and the Raj of the East Indies. A young woman of unusual stature and reputation is brought into the mix, and we are pulled into her world of confusing emotional ties. The scope of this story is truly of its time, we see how the British abroad are perceived by the native Bornean, and also something of the Victorian obsession with nature and science, which led men to venture far from the safety of home. The young woman of Bath will experience the inequalities of her times where women held little value in the world, and she must decide to live a life of subservience or freedom outside society.
I strongly recommend this book, and was torn between rushing through to know the end, and slowly savouring Tremain’s gorgeous writing.

I’ve always enjoyed Rose Tremain’s books but this one less so. The characters are real ... the storyline interesting but it somehow feels contrived...How can a writer fit together abusive relationships..... lesbian love..... and an exotic location Borneo and make a good plot was my question . It doesn’t quite work for me

Rose Tremain never disappoints. A wonderful book that transports you into the life of the characters and the city of Bath. Each character is beautfully painted and the story takes you on a journey through their lives. I will not comment on the plot as everyone should read this book and I would not want to spoil it. Wonderful

I really like the unique writing style of Rose Termain. The story is about Clarinda Morrissey wholeaves her poverty stricken life in Ireland to seek her fortune in Bath. Doctor Ross obsessively in love with Jane; Jane is about to embark on a journey to find out her sexual desire which may lead to her salvation or her damnation ; Sir Ralph Savage created his own paradise and kingdom in the jungles of Borneo writing his own destiny and following it.

The characters are very interestingly woven together and the story extends from Bath to the Jungles which is wonderful and exciting to read.

This book is wonderful!

I sort of enjoyed ‘Islands of Mercy’ by Rose Tremain but was left a bit flat at the end. I don’t know what I was expecting but I was disappointed. The characters didn’t really do it for me and I felt little empathy for them.

This is a very well written book that i just failed to fall in love with and I am not altogether sure why. The author creates settings that are so wildly different and manages to bring them all into full technicolour but she populates each of these settings with deeply flawed characters. Here we have a doctor so upset by a refusal to his proposal of marriage who, when it does come to pass becomes a positive tartar, typical he-man behaviour that just doesn't fit with his initial drawing. His intended has her own secrets and lies but goes against all her will to fit herself into an intended mould - not something I thought she needed to do even in the era it is set. It is positively brimming with LGBT characterisation but all of them almost completely unlikeable. Despite all this there is something about the narrative which keeps you reading and at least one completely realistic characterisation in that of Clarinda - not perfect and knowing it. I found the ending of some characters lines completely unsatisfying.

I though I had read more by this author but apparently not yet I am tempted to read more by her even though this was not as satisfying as it could be

I do wish we could rate with halves as this would be a 3.5 for me

Rose Tremain is one of the few authors whose books I preorder without hesitation . Richly evocative as always Islands of Mercy is set both on the tropical island of Borneo and in contrast the apparently, elegant and cultured city Of Bath. Gradually we see the correlation between themes of sexual entrapment, loss both of love and life and the drive to succeed that can cause them as the characters struggle to find solace and consolation in Islands of Mercy. Lushly written and acerbically insightful Tremain never falters in the depiction of our search for the humanity within and the meaning of existence.

As always with Rose Tremain's writing, this book really packs a punch and examines big themes, moving from Bath to London, Paris and Borneo.  The main story follows protagonist Jane Adeane (known as the Angel of Bath) as she struggles to conform to the expected role of a woman in the late 19th Century. I really enjoyed it, but not quite as much as some of Tremain's previous novels. Still a great read though.