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Emma Donoghue

Aug 2022 · Hachette Audio · Narrated by Aidan Kelly

About this audiobook

In this beautiful story of adventure and survival from the New York Times bestselling author of Room, three men vow to leave the world behind them as they set out in a small boat for an island their leader has seen in a dream, with only faith to guide them.

In seventh-century Ireland, a scholar and priest called Artt has a dream telling him to leave the sinful world behind. Taking two monks—young Trian and old Cormac—he rows down the river Shannon in search of an isolated spot on which to found a monastery. Drifting out into the Atlantic, the three men find an impossibly steep, bare island inhabited by tens of thousands of birds, and claim it for God. In such a place, what will survival mean?

Ratings and reviews

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I feel that the research Ms Donahue did on the historical aspects of Skellig Michael, and the monastic life which eventually existed there, was fantastic. I am very impressed with MS Donahue's knowledge of Catholic rituals and beliefs, particularly how she is able to work them into her own story, which ends up having a higher moral calling than the practical application of the church rules. This particular story has strong characters, a good plot, and a wonderful ending.

About the author

Born in Dublin in 1969, and now living in Canada, Emma Donoghue writes fiction (novels and short stories, contemporary and historical, most recently The Pull of the Stars), as well as drama for screen and stage. Room, was a New York Times Best Book of 2010 and a finalist for the Man Booker, Commonwealth, and Orange Prizes, selling between two and three million copies in forty languages. Donoghue was nominated for an Academy Award for her 2015 adaptation starring Brie Larson. She co-wrote the screenplay for the film of her 2016 novel The Wonder, starring Florence Pugh, coming from Netflix. For more information, visit www.emmadonoghue.com.