I must admit I did not finish this one. I will go back and try again but very different to Karen Swans other books

This was such a great historical fiction book. I loved the descriptions of the setting. The characterisation is excellent. The writing is beautiful. Can’t wait for the next book

I was hooked on this story from the beginning. I loved the setting of the scene for how life was for those living on St Kilda
and it’s position at the edge of the world was great. I also liked the main characters, including Effie who has the responsibility for feeding her family as her father cannot work. As the story moves on they are moved off the island a mystery surrounds the last day before they left. I liked the cliffhanger at the end and it sets it up for the next book in the series.

I am so happy with this book in every way. I haven't heard of St Kilda, its history, natural beauty and community before, and I was fascinated by this story. At first I thought that it's a historical fiction with a romantic plot but the last third of the book turns into a mystery, and the ending makes you gasp.

I felt for Effie, and enjoyed the description of her expertise (especially the bird bits). It's so good to read about capable and strong women who are appreciated. Now onto book 2! I can't wait to learn what happens to Mhairi.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an ARC.

Not my favourite Karen Swan, but an interesting premise in another glamorous location. Pace plodded a bit and I only really cared about the children and the MC, the rest of the characters I didn't engage with. Look forward to her next one!

I´m going to keep this short and sweet - this has got to be the best novel to date that I have read by Karen Swan!

Absolutely brilliant in every way possible, Effie is a fantastic character and the ending is to die for......I was convinced I was missing pages!! WHAT A CLIFFHANGER!!

My best advice - read it!!

My thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy in return for an honest review.

This is the first book in the Wild Isle series set on the real island of St Kilda. I have read most of Karen Swan’s Christmas books (Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without her!) so it made a refreshing change to read something different. Effie is the main character and you just can’t help but love her and her wild lifestyle. The book has everything from love, sadness to violence and is wonderfully written, you actually feel like you’re there the descriptions are so good. I’m really looking forward to reading the next book in this series. Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, Macmillan for letting me read and review this book.

Only my second book by this author. Quite a saga of a story. I'm intrigued by St Kilda and it's history which is why I picked this one up. A work of fiction but it brought the history of the island and its evacuation to life. This is the first book in a five book series apparently so more to look forward to. Maybe a little far fetched towards the end - engaged to a Lord and a pet cheetah! But an entertaining story.

A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. The characters are loveable and varied, the plot is one that is engaging and medium paced. I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
The book tells the story of life on St Kilda in the 1930's, hard and isolated and there are undoubtedly some events of cruelty that were difficult to read because such behaviour is unacceptable now. The story goes on to describe the evacuation of the island, and how the islanders began their integration on the mainland. The characters are fictional but credible, and there are twists around the romantic tale that engaged me throughout. This is long novel, full of interest, and I look forward to the second in the series.

The first in the series of books based on the fictional St Kilda. I thoroughly enjoyed and look forward to seeing where the author will take it next.

I will say not the usual story I’ve come to expect from Swan but enjoyable none the less.

Would recommend!

Having read literally every one of Karen Swan's previous books, I was fairly sure I would enjoy this latest offering. I was not wrong.
Ms Swan's new series set on the island of St Kilda is entirely enchanting and I must admit I felt bereft when I came to the last page.
Beautifully written and highly romantic, this was exactly what I needed to get through the cold weather recently. It was a true treat and I can't wait for the second in the series.

This is the first of 3 books set in Scotland during the 1930s and inspired by the true history of the small island community of St Kilda.

Effie Gillies is a free-spirited young woman who falls in love with a handsome stranger who arrives on her island during the summer months. She helps guide him and his father around whilst dealing with the unwanted attention of the island's factor who insists on giving her gifts of books.

The handsome stranger is the heir to the Earl of Dumfries. Lord Sholto is out of Effie's league and yet the two young people fall in love. When Effie and her father have to leave St Kilda, she is offered a job on the Dumfries estate which she accepts but the tensions between her and Lord Sholto remain. And then a body turns up back on St Kilda, the discovery threatening to mar the dreams Effie has for her future life.

This is an engaging book and, as always is the case with Karen Swan, well researched. I learned a lot about the history of St Kilda and the forced evacuation in the 1930s. Effie is a strong and feisty character who refuses to be cowed by circumstances or what is expected of her as a woman.

The ending is not tied up and therefore you will have to read the second book to find out what happens next. I am looking forward to seeing how Effie's story develops.

I received an ARC of this book from Pan Macmillan, in return for an honest appraisal.

I have read nearly every book that Karen Swan has written and I love them all. This book is slightly different to Karen's other stories in that this is a historical fiction but it really is as fantastic, as captivating and as interesting to read. I'd highly recommend it.

I love all Karen Swans books even though this is different from usual I fully embraced it.

Meet Effie living with her father on a remote Scottish island, St Kilda.
They live and work off the land, set in the 1930’s life is tough but it’s what they’ve always known.

Effie meets Lord Sholto and his father who change her perception of life outside of the island and love!
A few months later all the occupants, bar one, are evacuated from the island to live amongst civilisation.
Class differences become apparent, trying to get to grips with modern life and secrets coming out of the woodwork make this a thrilling and unforgettable read.

This book took a little bit of time to get into but I am so glad I stuck with it. This book had so much truth in the story line that you could be reading a historic novel. The only thing that let it down for me was the ending, it left me feeling very let down after the depth of the story. To me there was no conclusion, I amhoping the nest book in the series will continue the story where this book left off.
After I had read this book I looked up the island and was very surprised to read about the evacuation of this island date's, people and where they were sent to it was like reading the book all over again all that was missing was the main characters and their story.

This book is special in that it is almost two books in one. The first part involves the inhabitants still living on St Kilda, and the second gives us a glimpse of the unique positions these women (and men) experience when they are forced to vacate their home and find a new life for themselves on the mainland. Society, culture, relationships, and the structure of classes are all an awakening and a jolt for sure. There is love, loss, friendship, family, changes, mystery, and it is all drawn out beautifully by the author and it all sounds lovely by the impressive narrator and her stunning accent. It really adds to the novel.

This is quite a sad story. Very well written, there are some gasp-worthy moments.

I like the explanation of a different era but no only that its like another world with the residents living on an island.

I cried at more than one point in this book but also smiled in parts too, its like an emotional roller-coaster. I've said in previous reviews that I find it fascinating that someone can make someone cry just through the words they've written, I think it's really impressive.

This book really pulls you in and it's really exciting. It's full of ups and downs and I really like Effies character, she's a fiesty girl with a great spirit

Oh I loved this one so much. Karen Swan is such a go-to author for me and her historicals never disappoint. St Kilda has fascinated me since I read a novel about the island a couple of years ago. This novel is so good at capturing the island before the evacuation and the plot and characters are so enjoyable. It ends on a total cliffhanger though which is a great way to get me to read book 2 although I would happily do that anyway. Five stars.

I adore Karen Swan’s writing, she’s a go-to author for me. She has a wonderful way of describing settings or characters with her writing, you can imagine what the characters go through as if you’re in the book yourself. There were some parts particularly with the dogs which I found quite upsetting. This story is truly beautiful, a tale of forbidden lovers, and totally unlike her other books. I am looking forward to reading what the next instalment has to offer.