Customer Reviews

Narwhal

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4 star:		(1)
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Storytelling is an art that at it's best holds its audience spellbound. Using ancient Icelandic legends, keen, yet subtle descriptions and the captivating lure of a hero finding his place in the world, Margaret Gill weaves her spell until we are totally shamrocked.

Shamrocked, you say, sounds delightful, and so it is. With today's overwhelming penchant for blasting us out of reality and then shocking us with violence and irreverence, Gill takes an entirely different approach. She eases us into the life of Gray, in just a few short paragraphs, but there we are concussed with the revelation that while major and mysterious loss has befallen him something magical has been bestowed upon him and his island world.

Dialogue that ranges between Gray's modern voice and that of his elder St Hellick island mates adds immensely to bring us also to this small island that could once have been....oh no you don't, for that you must read.

While we fall for our developing hero we too must try to solve the mystery that has engulfed the island after his by-chance discovery while visiting his sanctuary. Runic inscriptions and `Guise dancing amidst the incredible rocks and mystical waters surrounding St Hellicks will keep you reading as though held in a trance.

Books like this are special. They can be read again and again, each time alerting you to something almost subliminal that you missed the first time around. And then of course there's that feeling of being shamrocked!

Having no knowledge what so ever about the narwhal or their tusks,
still I was intrigued from the very first page.
I couldn't put it down; it became a part of me, every free moment I had
turn into a chance to pick up this book again.

It made me want to know more about the Narwhal, and in my research
discovered that, the narwhal, is a whale with a long, twisted tooth, and
swims in Arctic waters. Narwhals can grow to be about 16 feet (4.5 m)
long (not counting the tooth), and weigh about 1.8 tons. Good to know
while reading this book, it helped to envision the tusk Gray came in contact with.

The difference in their speech and the spelling of their words added
a little mystery, pulling you in instantly, coupled with Ms. Gill's excellent style
of storytelling, and tales of myths and legends.
The rollercoaster of emotions in the story ranged from
sadness, curiosity, hopefulness, and relieve.
I found myself holding my breath as I awaited Gray's fate, and taking
sighs of relieve when I discovered he was safe.
This book was captivitating to say the least.

I recommended this book for reading at our local middle school,
after I passed my copy on to my granddaughter.

This is an interesting tale. I liked the way Margaret mixed modern science with ancient runic symbols. Gray is a loney boy with a knack for communicating with the sea life and getting into trouble. He is bullied by the local island boys and his life is turned upside down when his father and brother disappear on a fishing trip. Through all this Gray finds solace in a young girl - the touch of teenage love. And in the end he finds peace within himself and everything turns out alright at the end.
Highly recommend - good book!