This is a strange but beautifully written novel. Elizabeth Knox,
author of the awardwinning The Vintner's Luck, bases her plot
loosely on Shakespeare's The Tempest, which she transports into an
Edwardian setting. The resulting storyline follows the trials and
tribulations of Wilhemina (Billie) Paxton. Billie arrives on
Scottish island of Stolnsay in a dramatic fashion - she leaps from
the Gustav Edda, the boat which has brought her and her family to
the island, just moments before it explodes in the port. This
immediately creates suspicion in the eyes of the islanders and
fellow survivors, particularly the imposing and oddly compelling
Murdo Hesketh. Following the death of her sister, Billie is left on
her own on the island. She is illiterate and highly impulsive and
has difficulty fitting into the hierarchical society of the
island-dwellers, although her striking looks and pinkish hair soon
attract attention from the male section of the community. Knox
tells the story of how Billie copes on Stolnsay and how the
islanders learn to think differently of her and she of them. She
combines many genres of storytelling - this is a mystery story (who
did sink the boat?), an adventure and a thriller as the action hots
up towards the end of the novel. But ultimately it should perhaps
be classed as a love story, as the title suggests. Knox is a
fascinating author. She defines her characters by how they relate
to each other as much as by how they see themselves and she doesn't
let readers judge them by their appearance. Her style is unusual
and involving, and she effortlessly handles the many slips between
past and present. Highly recommended. (Kirkus UK)
With an Edwardian twist on The Tempest, and all the surprising, earthy and magical qualities of The Vintner's Luck, Knox's irresistible new novel is set on the remote, divided Scottish island of Kissack and Killing, one half of which looks historically and geographically towards Catholic Ireland, the other towards the Protestant north and Scandinavia. In the spring of 1903 a ship explodes as it docks on the island, drowning many of the passengers and crew in the icy waters of Stolnsay harbour. Young, strawberry-blond-haired Billie Paxton is among the only survivors. Clumsy, illiterate and suddenly alone, Billie will not say why, before the explosion, she jumped from ship to shore, and so falls under the immediate suspicion of her fellow passenger, Murdo Hesketh and his cousin and employer, Lord Hallowhulme, who owns the island - and has controversial plans for improving the lives of its inhabitants.
Gloriously inventive and vividly atmospheric, Billie's Kiss conjures up a way of life hurtling towards a brave new world, in an enchanting novel that combines a strange, sexy love story with an Edwardian mystery, bringing together murder and eugenics, progress, prejudice and the loss of innocence.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
bundle available
(1)
