The Lost Lights of St Kilda

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There is a strong story line through out but, for me, the highlight was the incredible descriptions of life on St Kilda. I could hear the waves and the howling gales. I could see the small bothies and I could smell the fulmar oil in the lamps. Every now and then you get a book which you can’t put down but also don’t want to finish as you know that the next thing you read will probably be a disappointment.

This was an atmospheric novel set partly on a remote Scottish Island and partly in World War Two France.
Chrissie lives on the Island of St Killda which is incredibly isolated and poor: the dwindling number of residents live off the land and rely on boats from the mainland which come infrequently with supplies and post. Sometimes in the Winter the Island is completely cut off.
The story is told from Chrissie’s point of view as she explains to her daughter Rachel Ann about her background. Rachel is keen to find out who her father is- she has never known him.
Chrissie and Rachel Anne now live on the mainland after the Island was evacuated so Rachel feels a desperate need to learn about where she has come from.
Fred is a soldier who has escaped from a prisoner of war camp and he is making his way across France with the help of many brave French citizens who hide him and arrange guides to get him into Spain. The thought of his lost love keeps him going and the wonderful Summer he spent on St Kilda as a student with his best friend Archie, However he has not spoken to Archie for years and this becomes a central aspect of the novel.
The book switches between Fred’s account of his escape and Chrissie’s story to her daughter.
This is a romantic novel which also examines the way of life on a remote Scottish Island in the 1920s. It has been really well researched and evoked this way of life with some wonderful descriptions. The cliff climbing to trap the birds for winter food was beautifully written.
The part set in France reminded me of a book I read many years ago- Fair Stood The Wind For France by HE Bates although the romance aspect is based in Scotland. This part is nail biting as Fred tries to evade the Nazis and make it back home.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and recommend for readers who enjoy historical romance novels with wonderful descriptive language,
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

My perfect book, it ticked so many boxes for me. This book is a love story and it is set on a remote Scottish island. It is full of the history of an island people and their struggle to survive. It is a beautifully crafted tale that is so believable. I know I will now have to visit St Kilda and immerse myself in the old stories. This novel may not be a true story but it is backed up by the history. I feel such a sadness when communities are lost. I must read more novels by this author as this has left such an impression on me. There are two words that describe this book the best and that is beautiful and isolation. It will be easy to loose yourself here.

I would like to thank netgalley Atlantic books corvus for the opportunity to have read the lost lights of St. kilda before publication.
Having read the other works of Elisabeth Gifford I was excited as I love her books as they have soul dignity but above all they are mesmerising she is a wonderful storyteller.
St kilda has intrigued me for many years and I think this book epitomizes what life was really like for chrissie her family and the many St. kildans, this beautifully written book was really outstanding iam quite speechless I never wanted it to end a life of sheer determination there love of god keeping them going at times.
I really can't praise this OUTSTANDING book enough and I can honestly say it's the best book I've read in 2019

A gorgeous sweeping love story set on a remote Scottish island.
I knew I would enjoy reading this novel because who doesn’t love a good historical romance?!
But what really grabbed me was the relationship between Chrissie and her beloved island of St Kilda. The remote Scottish island felt like it’s own character. The descriptions of the wild winters and the isolation which eventually doomed the inhabitants of the island in the 1920s was utterly gripping.
This novel covers a truly fascinating period of Scottish history, beautifully written and well researched by the author.

Highly recommended!

(Many thanks to Corvus for the ARC)

I have read an Elisabeth Gifford book before and loved it, so couldn't wait to read this one; it didn't disappoint! It is full of beautiful descriptions that really make this book so atmospheric. I loved all the parts which made this feel very real - the mentions of Gaelic and the descriptions of the harsh winds etc. It really made it feel as though the author has researched this well and it painted a beautiful picture.

The opening was quite graphic with the mentions of fingernails being taken off etc but it just meant that I was immersed right away wondering what would happen.

It is a compelling love story, I couldn't help but want Fred to be happy and for it all to work out for him. There were lots of twists and turns of emotions whilst reading this which is an ode to the author. It takes a lot of talent to really immerse a reader like this.

I loved this story and miss it now I've finished it!

A wonderful, historical epic romance between the characters of Chrissie and Fred. This page-turning story spans decades and charts their thwarted love following the evacuation of St Kilda in 1930. The descriptions of the rugged, remote Scottish landscapes add to the sense of romance and have made me want to visit to see what I have conjured up in my imagination for myself. Thank you for the advance review copy of this fabulous, escapist love story. It will linger strongly in my mind long after turning the last page.

A beautiful, lyrical tale of romance, war and life on the remote islands of St Kilda. I loved the descriptions of the harsh life of the last remaining residents of the Scottish outpost with its Fulmars and Kittiwakes and struggles to provide the basics of food and existence. Chrissie is an island girl with a deep faith and a love of her simple way of life that has existed for centuries unchanged. The Laird's son, Archie, visits for a summer when she is a girl and they form a simple, childish bond. Years later, Archie and his friend Fred revisit to complete a University dissertation on the geology of the island. Slowly romance blossoms but events take over and the tale is told from 13 years later, taking us to the Second World War in Europe and revisiting the final days of the St Kilda community. A love story, interwoven with historical fact, engaging and beautifully descriptive.

I loved this book although it took me a few chapters to get into it. But once that happened I didn’t want to put it down. My first book by the author but I now want to read more. A love story entwined with life on a remote Scottish island which I found very thought provoking and sad realising just how those folk lived. Their lives were lived in poverty but at the same time rich in human relationships. So I hope you enjoy reading about 2 young lives in a remote island during WW2. Thanks Elizabeth Gifford and NetGalley.

I loved this book, the descriptions of the small island of St Kilda and the way the people who lived on this island was wonderful. I could almost smell the grass, feel the wind and here the sheep it was so vivid in my mind. This was a dual time line which jumped from 1922 or earlier and onto 1940 and onwards. It wasn’t at all confusing and I was carried along with this story from beginning to end.
I felt sad when I finished it and I feel that this fantastic book will stay with me for a long time.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Firstly I have to say how much I love this cover especially after reading the book as it captures the story so perfectly.
The story unfolds in two very different locations. One in Europe through the second world war in 1940, as Fred Lawson has made a daring escape from his captors, as he focuses on the time that he met a young Chrissie, who lived on St. Kilda. His goal is to finally get back to her. The other location is that of St. Kilda which was the furthermost of the Hebridean Islands, being 100 miles off the Scottish coast.
Fred Lawson had gone to the Island in 1927 with the Laird's son Archie MacLeod where he has a summer job and meets Chrissie a young Islander, where friendship soon turns to a much deeper relationship. The story is told through Fred while he is making his way through dangerous territory, while Chrissie is telling her story to her daughter.
The vivid descriptions of St. Kilda and its inhabitants tell of harsh life on an unforgiving land where tragedy struck so many families but also of a community that looked after their other. There wasn't any discrimination of age where the steep slopes lead to the cliff face and claimed regular lives. The bitterly cold winds and harsh winters that made the residents reliant on the ships that called on them in winter, when they could get through. In 1930 the residents had to be evacuated as life there become unsustainable and an era ended.
A truly captivating story of love set in an unforgettable location beautifully brought back to life by this outstanding author. Thoroughly enjoyable.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.