The Women of Pearl Island

by Polly Crosby

Overview

"A luminous and beautiful novel that gently lures the reader into a captivating story with a mystery at its heart." – Jennifer Saint, bestselling author of Ariadne

Set on a secluded island off the British coast, The Women of Pearl Island is a moving and evocative story of family secrets, natural wonders and a mystery spanning decades.

When Tartelin answers an ad for a personal assistant, she doesn't know what to expect from her new employer, Marianne, an eccentric elderly woman. Marianne lives on a remote island that her family has owned for generations, and for decades her only companions have been butterflies and tightly held memories of her family.

But there are some memories Marianne would rather forget, such as when the island was commandeered by the British government during WWII. Now, if Marianne can trust Tartelin with her family's story, she might finally be able to face the long-buried secrets of her past that have kept her isolated for far too long.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780778311140
Publisher:	Park Row Books
Publication date:	12/07/2021
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	621,380
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Polly Crosby grew up on the Suffolk coast and now lives in the heart of Norfolk. She won the Curtis Brown Creative's Yesterday Scholarship, which enabled her to finish her debut. She received the Annabel Abbs Scholarship at the University of East Anglia and is currently working on her second novel.

Editorial Reviews

10/04/2021

Crosby (The Book of Hidden Wonders) returns with the languid story of two women, their grief, and the secrets of a remote island off the coast of England. In 2018, two months after 20-year-old Tartelin Brown’s mother dies from cancer, Tartelin answers an ad to assist Marianne Stourbridge with catching butterflies on the fictional island of Dohhalund. Marianne is a salty old amateur lepidopterist, and as Tartelin struggles with watching her first butterfly die in a jar, she meets Jacob Hall, a predictable love interest. The narrative moves back and forth between Tartelin’s present perspective and Marianne’s life as a little girl in the 1920s. While Tartelin explores the island, small mysteries gradually build: were nuclear bombs tested there? What is the real relationship between Marianne and her estranged friend, Nan? As Tartelin grapples with grief over losing her mother and Marianne comes to terms with the past, words from a sea captain’s gravestone—“The sea is made up of unspeakable sadness”—become a thematic refrain. Told in atmospheric, evocative prose, this can be a bit sleepy and slow moving, though it has a hypnotic pull. Those who enjoy subtle mysteries may stick around for the plot’s gradual unfurling. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

"The Women of Pearl Island is a luminous and beautiful novel that gently lures the reader into a captivating story with a mystery at its heart. Polly Crosby expertly weaves together the present and historical strands of the two women who seek solace on a wild, strange island, creating a powerful and haunting atmosphere. The slow unravelling of secrets throughout the novel was utterly absorbing and emotional." – Jennifer Saint, bestselling author of Ariadne

"Like a surreal cabinet of curiosities – haunting, eerie, evocative." – Bridget Collins, author of The Binding

"Polly Crosby whips up a lush, mythical world in this dream-like novel set on a small island . . . But what’s so impressive is the layered richness of Crosby’s imagination, realised beautifully in vivid writing. A book worm’s treat!" – Eve Chase, author of The Glass House

"A beautifully written tale of butterflies, secrets and silk." – Sonia Velton, author of Blackberry and Wild Rose

"Mysterious and suspenseful, The Women of Pearl Island is a story of visceral beauty and the transformations life undergoes to survive. Crosby writes with all the intricate and entrancing artistry of a butterfly's wings." – A. J. Gnuse, author of The Girl in the Walls

"Dreamy image after image, The Unravelling is like a series of beautiful paintings." – Sara Sheridan, author of The Fair Botanists

"Polly Crosby is a skilled storyteller, drawing the reader in with a fascinating tale that spools out across two timelines, leading to a dramatic and satisfying finale. She brings the setting of the island to life with weird and wonderful detail that will keep you enthralled." – Elizabeth Lee, author of Cunning Women

"Utterly transporting. Polly Crosby plunges us into a hauntingly beautiful landscape with complex and compelling characters, luring us in with her original plot and her elegant prose. A wonderful read." – Annabel Abbs, author of Frieda: The Original Lady Chatterley

From the Publisher

11/01/2021

Tartelin, a young art student, takes a job on a desolate, mostly uninhabited island just off the east coast of England after her adoptive mother dies. Tartelin's employer, elderly Marianne Stourbridge, lives on the island in the creaking ruins of her family home, without modern amenities. The island was requisitioned by the British army during World War II, and Marianne has only recently returned to her childhood home after the army's departure. Marianne, a lepidopterist who uses a wheelchair, is convinced that her research will prove conclusively that the army conducted illegal tests during its time on the island. Tartelin's task is to capture butterflies and bring them back to Marianne for dissection and analysis, as well running the house, which is full of overwhelmingly sad memories for Marianne. As Tartelin settles into her job, she meets others on the island, some of whom know Marianne's sad secrets. She also meets another scientist who might alter her future. Growing to love the island, can Tartelin convince Marianne to reveal its secrets? VERDICT Lyrical but sometimes grim, Crosby's (The Book of Hidden Wonders) narrative will satisfy readers who appreciate complex and compelling fiction.—Penelope J. M. Klein, Edinburgh, Scotland

Library Journal

Katherine Press impeccably narrates this majestic yet disquieting story of the 1920s and the year 2018. Listeners follow 20-year-old Tartelin Brown to her new job assisting elderly Marianne Stourbridge on an island off the English Coast. There are few people and no electricity on the gorgeous yet sinister Dohhaland. Gruff, wheelchair-bound Stourbridge wants Brown to be her eyes, ears, and legs and to catch butterflies to put into “killing jars” to research abnormalities. Eventually, Stourbridge reveals that her family lived on the island for generations, earning money from herring, pearls, and silkworms until things went terribly wrong when the island was test bombed by the military. Press’s skill enhances the luminous descriptions of the landscape and the women helping each other to heal, leading to an unanticipated conclusion. S.G.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2022 - AudioFile

Katherine Press impeccably narrates this majestic yet disquieting story of the 1920s and the year 2018. Listeners follow 20-year-old Tartelin Brown to her new job assisting elderly Marianne Stourbridge on an island off the English Coast. There are few people and no electricity on the gorgeous yet sinister Dohhaland. Gruff, wheelchair-bound Stourbridge wants Brown to be her eyes, ears, and legs and to catch butterflies to put into “killing jars” to research abnormalities. Eventually, Stourbridge reveals that her family lived on the island for generations, earning money from herring, pearls, and silkworms until things went terribly wrong when the island was test bombed by the military. Press’s skill enhances the luminous descriptions of the landscape and the women helping each other to heal, leading to an unanticipated conclusion. S.G.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2022 - AudioFile