The Brides of Rollrock IslandOn remote Rollrock Island, men go to sea to make their livings—and to catch their wives. The witch Misskaella knows the way of drawing a girl from the heart of a seal, of luring the beauty out of the beast. And for a price a man may buy himself a lovely sea-wife. He may have and hold and keep her. And he will tell himself that he is her master. But from his first look into those wide, questioning, liquid eyes, he will be just as transformed as she. He will be equally ensnared. And the witch will have her true payment. Margo Lanagan weaves an extraordinary tale of desire, despair, and transformation. With devastatingly beautiful prose, she reveals characters capable of unspeakable cruelty, but also unspoken love. |
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Page 3
... wall, and try to pull us off it instead. We would grab together and sit then, making a bigger person's weight that it could not remove. The sea was gray with white dabs of temper all over it; the sky hung full of ragged strips of cloud ...
... wall, and try to pull us off it instead. We would grab together and sit then, making a bigger person's weight that it could not remove. The sea was gray with white dabs of temper all over it; the sky hung full of ragged strips of cloud ...
Page 12
... walls, so different from the flying world outside, the wind and sun. I was tucked in between Tatty and Grassy Ella, behind my towering teacup. And you should have seen Missk with the seals, Mam, down at Crescent! Lorel said across the ...
... walls, so different from the flying world outside, the wind and sun. I was tucked in between Tatty and Grassy Ella, behind my towering teacup. And you should have seen Missk with the seals, Mam, down at Crescent! Lorel said across the ...
Page 14
... wall. Mam and Dad sat on the edge of the strange sideways couch. The pin in Mam's shawl sucked all the light from the room, so that the rest of us must sit in dusk. Her hair, freshly tidied, left her face out in the cold, unsoftened. I ...
... wall. Mam and Dad sat on the edge of the strange sideways couch. The pin in Mam's shawl sucked all the light from the room, so that the rest of us must sit in dusk. Her hair, freshly tidied, left her face out in the cold, unsoftened. I ...
Page 18
... wall. The stones, in the lumpiest part above the gate, looked even more higgledy~piggledy in this slant of light. “The seal head is fallen away that side of the maiden.” Lorel waved to the left and then to the right. “See the skin of it ...
... wall. The stones, in the lumpiest part above the gate, looked even more higgledy~piggledy in this slant of light. “The seal head is fallen away that side of the maiden.” Lorel waved to the left and then to the right. “See the skin of it ...
Page 19
... wall. Lorel laughed dirtily. The circles of the stone bosoms popped out at me, the peck marks of the nipples. My face went hot. Imagine carving such a thing, for all to see! "She doesn't look a very happy maiden," said Tatty, “to be ...
... wall. Lorel laughed dirtily. The circles of the stone bosoms popped out at me, the peck marks of the nipples. My face went hot. Imagine carving such a thing, for all to see! "She doesn't look a very happy maiden," said Tatty, “to be ...
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Aggie Ann Jelly arms babs Bannister beach Billy blanket boat bothy breath Cave Cove Cawdron cliff coat cold Cordlin Crescent Corner curled Dad's dark Dominic Mallett door eyes face fell felt Fisher front girl glad gone Grassy Grinny hair hand head heard held Johnny Baker Kitty knew Knocknee lads laughed lifted lips little prince looked Lorel Mam's MARGO LANAGAN married Missk Misskaella Missus Mister mole mouth Nanny Nase Naseby Neme never night path Potshead Prout pulled pushed Raditch remember rock Rollrock seals seaweed seemed shook shoulder sight skin smell smile Sophie stared stay step stood talk Tatty tell There's thing thought told took town Trudle turned voice walked wall watched wavelets waves weed Whistle Top Wholeman wife Winch wind window witch wives woman