Islands of Mercy: A captivating historical escape for summer 2021 from the bestselling author of The Gustav Sonata
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- Create Date：2021-09-05 08:50:59
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Rose Tremain
- ISBN：1529112273
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Summary
'Gives Hilary Mantel a run for her money' Sunday Express
'Triumphant， and beautifully told。。。one of the best novelists writing today' Sara Collins， Guardian
All must gamble with their fate。 But not all can win。。。
In the city of Bath， in the year 1865 Jane Adeane， renowned for her restorative 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。。。
Discover the ultimate summer read for fans of Maggie O'Farrell and Sarah Waters。
'A hell of a read - so emotionally sophisticated， so deft with shade and light， more absorbing than most fiction I've read this year' Sunday Times
'Subtle， illuminating and captivating' Mail on Sunday
'Tremain has long been one of our most accomplished novelists， and here is further confirmation' Observer
'Triumphant， and beautifully told。。。one of the best novelists writing today' Sara Collins， Guardian
All must gamble with their fate。 But not all can win。。。
In the city of Bath， in the year 1865 Jane Adeane， renowned for her restorative 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。。。
Discover the ultimate summer read for fans of Maggie O'Farrell and Sarah Waters。
'A hell of a read - so emotionally sophisticated， so deft with shade and light， more absorbing than most fiction I've read this year' Sunday Times
'Subtle， illuminating and captivating' Mail on Sunday
'Tremain has long been one of our most accomplished novelists， and here is further confirmation' Observer
Reviews
S
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pass。 i basically could not stand anyone。 i read it， but thank god for katie mcgrath narrating tho。
Jude Hayland
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If I hadn’t known this was by Rose Tremain， I would probably have abandoned it - my score is really 2。5 as I found it curious， somehow elements of plot rather randomly fused together。 I would really have liked more about Clorinda and her tea shop！
Ann
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Ideaal boek om op een miezerige zondag te lezen。 Het verhaal leest vlot， zit goed in elkaar en je wordt helemaal opgeslorpt in de wereld van Jane， Sir William， Julietta， Mr Ross。 Ik vind het beter geschreven en in elkaar steken dan de Sarah Waters van deze wereld。 Aanrader！
katie ♛
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valentine ross （derogatory）
fugitive_words
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Islands of Mercy is a story of vibrant locations and colourful characters。 Set in 1860s Bath and Borneo， with some snippets of London， Paris， and Dublin， Rose Tremain captures the spirit of the times with ease。 I enjoyed the character development of Jane and the heartfelt sections about motherhood， art， and love。 The other plot， though， in Borneo， despite its interesting look into colonial and naturalists’ endeavours， was a little less exciting to me。 Perhaps this would have worked better as mor Islands of Mercy is a story of vibrant locations and colourful characters。 Set in 1860s Bath and Borneo， with some snippets of London， Paris， and Dublin， Rose Tremain captures the spirit of the times with ease。 I enjoyed the character development of Jane and the heartfelt sections about motherhood， art， and love。 The other plot， though， in Borneo， despite its interesting look into colonial and naturalists’ endeavours， was a little less exciting to me。 Perhaps this would have worked better as more of a subplot， or in a tv-series， as it often felt like a distraction from the main plot， left behind on an unnecessary cliffhanger。 The end of the novel is wonderfully hopeful and comforting， though it only comes after a rather late climax （which makes the middle of the novel a little stagnant）。 All in all， however， a pleasant summer read with an engaging story neatly tied up in the end。 （3。5）Also will say that Tremain manages to keep the representation of men quite balanced， despite the heavy dose of Dr Valentine Ross， who is selfish and mean。 [TWs: miscarriage， illness， some violence] 。。。more
Sheila Pritchard
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Well written so it drew me in。 But I was disappointed that it featured so much illicit sex graphically described and and some cruelty。 None of this was hinted at in the initial blurb。
Lesley 129
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One of the things I like about Rose Tremain’s writing is that it can be read on many levels and this novel is no exception。 Women overcoming the restrictions of the society of the time （Clorinda， Jane， Emmaline etc。） Men seeking to explore other societies in order to find a place to be true to their own natures （Edmund， The Raja）; the reaction of the Victorian privileged white male when his societal expectations are denied him （Valentine）。 In a wider sense the novel looks at the places where kin One of the things I like about Rose Tremain’s writing is that it can be read on many levels and this novel is no exception。 Women overcoming the restrictions of the society of the time （Clorinda， Jane， Emmaline etc。） Men seeking to explore other societies in order to find a place to be true to their own natures （Edmund， The Raja）; the reaction of the Victorian privileged white male when his societal expectations are denied him （Valentine）。 In a wider sense the novel looks at the places where kindness and love can be found， for Jane the Island is her aunt’s house， for Clorinda the tea room， for Edmund and the Raja a literal Island on the other side of the world。 In all cases it is the journey to these physical and emotional islands that help them to be true to themselves and be kind to others。 Valentine’s ultimate journey comes to the only conclusion available to him and is，for me， an act of self-knowledge。Whilst this novel does not for me equal ‘Music and Silence’， which has long been my favourite Tremain novel， it is evocative and thought provoking in a similar way。 。。。more
Sian
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Loved this book。 Rose Tremain writes beautiful stories and this is no exception
Sue Smith
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Always enjoy Rose Tremain’s novels; well written male and female characters 。 Very well read audiobook
Lady Fancifull
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Desire， purpose and all kinds of love: Rose Tremain’s sumptuous Bath and Borneo novelWhat a wonderful writer Tremain is。 “In that crowded city， she had worked for a haberdasher and presided over the slow death of her mother， after which she discovered in herself an unexpected yearning to leave Ireland and see the world”So begins this story of a multiplicity of characters whose lives connect， sometimes intensely， sometimes like billiard balls striking each other once and spinning apart。 I find， a Desire， purpose and all kinds of love: Rose Tremain’s sumptuous Bath and Borneo novelWhat a wonderful writer Tremain is。 “In that crowded city， she had worked for a haberdasher and presided over the slow death of her mother， after which she discovered in herself an unexpected yearning to leave Ireland and see the world”So begins this story of a multiplicity of characters whose lives connect， sometimes intensely， sometimes like billiard balls striking each other once and spinning apart。 I find， almost always， that the rhythms and choices in Tremain’s writing almost always have me sighing in pleasure， ready to surrender my imagination to her well created world， her fascinating， quirky characters， and her fabulous narratives。The central character in this one， is not the one who opens this book – and also closes it， sweetly， bringing conviviality， joy and comfort to those of less sunny mien。 Clorinda Morrissey’s destiny lies in a tea shop， where along with her famed Victoria sponges and Assam tea， she brings happiness to those around herPrimarily this is the story of Jane Adeane， nurse daughter of an eminent Victorian surgeon In 1860’s Bath。 Sir William Adeane Jane is revered as “The Angel of The Baths” A tall。 striking woman， she has the ability to soothe pain， and comfort the ill and the dying – and those who flock to Bath for their health， to take the waters。 Jane feels she somehow has another destiny or purpose， but does not quite know what that is。Dr Valentine Ross， fellow physician in the Adeane practice， is the lesser favoured son of his family。 Nonetheless， he adores his brother Edmund， a man of sunny disposition， fascinated by the natural world， who dreams of doing something wonderful and scientifically revolutionary， like his hero， Alfred Russel Wallace。 To that end， Edmund has crossed the world to study the flora and fauna of the Malay Peninsula。 He has not been heard of for some time。Emmeline Adeane， Jane’s beloved Aunt， who lives in London， is another with a mission， an artist and sculptor， absolutely outside conventional societyAnd then there is the literary publisher Ashton Sims， and his stunningly beautiful and free spirited wife Juliette。So many people， so many with visions and dreams of greater destinies， of various kindsThis is a veritable feast as light and also as sustaining as Clorinda’s cakes and savoury pies。Highly， highly recommended。 。。。more
Sofie
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Dnf。 Proof that wlw cant make every book interesting
Sue Chaplin
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I think this is my fourth Tremain book and I was looking forward to it。 I was even more excited to discover that a part of the story was set in Borneo with a character who wanted to follow in his hero's footsteps and be a collector as I had， coincidentally， also started reading Wallace's book， the hero in question。 However I found the book disappointing but I am not sure if I can put my finger on why but I just did not engage with it as much as I thought I would。I did not feel any satisfaction a I think this is my fourth Tremain book and I was looking forward to it。 I was even more excited to discover that a part of the story was set in Borneo with a character who wanted to follow in his hero's footsteps and be a collector as I had， coincidentally， also started reading Wallace's book， the hero in question。 However I found the book disappointing but I am not sure if I can put my finger on why but I just did not engage with it as much as I thought I would。I did not feel any satisfaction at the end of the part of the story set in Borneo and it made me question quite why it was there。 I found Clorinda the most enjoyable character along with the main protagonist's Aunt Emmeline but Clorinda's rescue mission to Dublin left me with questions about how exactly her young niece go back to Dublin after their break at the grandfather's house on the coast despite what felt like a satisfactory conclusion to that part of the story。 May be the problem was too many threads to the story？ 。。。more
Dani
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finally finished this :（（ i feel like this story is all about choices we make in life from clorinda to jane to valentine ross to leon it was a slow start but rose tremain’s writing combined with katie mcgrath’s soothing voice is just chef’s kiss
Colin Macdonald
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ho hum
Mary
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Didn't really enjoy this book。 Not sure why not！ 2 or 3 different stories running in parallel。 Clorinda Morrissey arrives in Bath from Dublin。 Sells a ruby necklace that has come down her family and sets up a tea shop。 Is a great success。 Dr Valentine Ross has a younger brother， Edmund Ross who's out in Borneo exploring the wild life。 Dr Ross works with Jane Adeane's father。 Jane， who is incredibly tall， is known as the Angel of the Baths because she seems to have an amazing gift to heal/help p Didn't really enjoy this book。 Not sure why not！ 2 or 3 different stories running in parallel。 Clorinda Morrissey arrives in Bath from Dublin。 Sells a ruby necklace that has come down her family and sets up a tea shop。 Is a great success。 Dr Valentine Ross has a younger brother， Edmund Ross who's out in Borneo exploring the wild life。 Dr Ross works with Jane Adeane's father。 Jane， who is incredibly tall， is known as the Angel of the Baths because she seems to have an amazing gift to heal/help people。 Valentine proposes to her in Mrs Morrissey's tea shop。 She refuses him and leaves for London to sta with her spinster aunt Emmeline （sister to her father William）。 She lives quite a Bohemian lifestyle in Chelsea and is an artist。 She paints Jane's portrait and introduces her to Julietta， a most beautiful woman who is married and has 1 little son。 They become lovers。 Edmund Ross is recovering from Malaria and is taken in by Sir Ralph Savage， self-styled Rajah of the South Sadong Territories。 His lover is a local man， Leon。 Edmund wanders off on his own one day and dies in the jungle。 Sir William's housekeeper leaves because， without Jane there， no-0ne is in charge of ordring the food etc。 Clorinda ends up making pies for the 2 doctors and Sir William falls in love with her and marries her。 There just seemed to be too many strands to the story。 Was very disappointed because it was nothing like as good as other books I've read by Rose Tremain。 。。。more
ximena
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Finally had the opportunity to read this book and what an experience reading it and listening the audiobook with Katie McGrath voice。。。 everything I needed so beautiful。
Charlie Beaumont
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This， for me， is a wonderful novel， set in the mid 19th century， with fascinating characters and intriguing relationships， all of which makes for a great read。 The body is viewed and explored in so many ways， health， sickness， physical difference， neglect， sexual frustration and sexual fulfilment， and of course death。 The reader learns about a range of locations， Bath， London， Paris， Ireland （Dublin and the countryside）， a ship travelling to the Far East and Australia， and the jungle of Borneo。 This， for me， is a wonderful novel， set in the mid 19th century， with fascinating characters and intriguing relationships， all of which makes for a great read。 The body is viewed and explored in so many ways， health， sickness， physical difference， neglect， sexual frustration and sexual fulfilment， and of course death。 The reader learns about a range of locations， Bath， London， Paris， Ireland （Dublin and the countryside）， a ship travelling to the Far East and Australia， and the jungle of Borneo。 It is highly sensuous and the reader I believe is drawn into the many worlds presented。 I am very grateful to Rose Tremain for yet more wonderful experiences resulting from her writing。 Great to see that the novel was dedicated to her life partner。 。。。more
Amy Andrews
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I was significantly less interested in the Borneo based sections， felt like a different novel entirely。 Not one that I wouldn't want to read necessarily， I was getting some Poisonwood Bible energy， but the Ireland/Bath stuff was just more engaging for me personally。 Strong！ I was significantly less interested in the Borneo based sections， felt like a different novel entirely。 Not one that I wouldn't want to read necessarily， I was getting some Poisonwood Bible energy， but the Ireland/Bath stuff was just more engaging for me personally。 Strong！ 。。。more
Lisa
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Not rated as I did not finish。 My copy was due to be returned to the library when I was only about halfway through， but I did not bother renewing it as I was very underwhelmed by the story， which is a pity， as I have enjoyed Tremain's other novels， especially The Road， which is one of my favourite novels。 I just felt that that different storylines emerging in the story were rather disparate and led for a rather dislocated read。 Not rated as I did not finish。 My copy was due to be returned to the library when I was only about halfway through， but I did not bother renewing it as I was very underwhelmed by the story， which is a pity， as I have enjoyed Tremain's other novels， especially The Road， which is one of my favourite novels。 I just felt that that different storylines emerging in the story were rather disparate and led for a rather dislocated read。 。。。more
Trigger Warning Database
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Trigger & Content WarningsRacismDomestic violenceSuicideMiscarriageGraphic surgeryBlood & gore depiction
Kat
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Absolutely heartbreaking at times， but beautifully narrated by Katie McGrath
Lara
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I momentarily did not finish this book， because Jane and Julietta were the only characters of interest to me。 All the men in this book seemed somewhat flat， at least they did nothing for me。 I even guess that the women were portrayed stronger and more developed because of the story/message of the book？ This is not to say that the book was bad in any way， but that it didn‘t do it for me personally。 I have many other books I would rather be reading on my TBR pile， but I wish future readers fun wit I momentarily did not finish this book， because Jane and Julietta were the only characters of interest to me。 All the men in this book seemed somewhat flat， at least they did nothing for me。 I even guess that the women were portrayed stronger and more developed because of the story/message of the book？ This is not to say that the book was bad in any way， but that it didn‘t do it for me personally。 I have many other books I would rather be reading on my TBR pile， but I wish future readers fun with this， because the language is definitely beautiful。 。。。more
Heather
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Each of the individual stories was interesting， but I didn't find the connections between them or their resolutions entirely satisfying。 Each of the individual stories was interesting， but I didn't find the connections between them or their resolutions entirely satisfying。 。。。more
Hilary
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One thing you can say about Rose Tremain - her books are unpredictable。 This one reminded me of a Lucian Freud painting。 You have to admire the artistry but are somewhat repelled by the grotesque details。 All life is here depicted unflinchingly - sexual gratification， decay and death abound。 The main theme seemed to me to be about the frustrations of life， the well made plans gone wrong， and left me feeling faintly nauseated and disturbed。
Doris
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I listened to the audiobook for this one and loved it！ Katie McGrath narrating it was the reason why I picked it up in the first place。The book has beautiful writing and I really enjoyed the storylines with Jane， Julietta， Emmeline and Clorinda。 I don’t really know what to make of the Borneo storyline， to me it just didn’t really add anything to the book even if there was a connection to the other at the end （but I also couldn’t care less about Valentine Ross）。
eezia
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rose tremains writing is so good！！ i h8 valentine ross with a passion fuck him
Felicity
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I decided to read this after just coming back from Bath！I have always enjoyed Rose Tremain's novels and this was another excellent and well written work。This book is set during Victorian times in the 1860s and is narrated by 5 different characters。 One is Jane Adearn， a young woman who is called the angel of the Baths as she usually manages to cure her father's patients but she feels there is more to life and decides to go to her Aunt Emmeline in London。 Another is Valentine Ross who works with I decided to read this after just coming back from Bath！I have always enjoyed Rose Tremain's novels and this was another excellent and well written work。This book is set during Victorian times in the 1860s and is narrated by 5 different characters。 One is Jane Adearn， a young woman who is called the angel of the Baths as she usually manages to cure her father's patients but she feels there is more to life and decides to go to her Aunt Emmeline in London。 Another is Valentine Ross who works with Jane's father and has feelings for Jane。 Next， his brother Edmund who is in Borneo hoping to discover new species of animals to bring back to the queen。 Also in Borneo is Sir Ralph Savage who is a respected Rajah who is trying to build a road and make life better for his subjects。 Finally we have Clorinda Morrisey who comes to Bath from Ireland with nothing bad a Ruby Necklace。Tremain does an excellent job interweaving all of these characters into a plot set in two different countries。 I found it easy to read and loved the strong female characters and Jane's discovery of her desire。 I found the chapters with the male characters less enticing but still enjoyed them。 Tremain manages to cover a variety of themes from: Adultery， Marriage， Families， domestic violence， love of the Arts and sexuality。 I enjoyed reading about society in the Victorian era and loved the supporting cast of characters too。An intriguing book which I raced through which has plenty of heartbreak in as well as love。 。。。more
Martin
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with the proverbial 1/2。More than competent writing by this accomplished author which leaves the reader keen to see how it ends。
Aggie
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Well， what can I say， another gem by Rose Tremain！A page turner that just kept on giving。 The quality of her writing reeled you into the life of Jane Adeane （ central character） and her family， all very different people who’s character adds variety and interest within the story。Couldn’t put this book down and read it in a few sittings。
Carol Randall
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