Customer Reviews

The Secret of Roan Inish/Movie Tie-In

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This is the book that the movie, The Secret of Roan Inish, is based upon. The movie tie-in book contains the text of the original book, which was called The Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry, and pictures from the movie. The movie follows the plot of the original book fairly well, although the location was changed to Ireland and some of the names were altered to reflect the change in location. This book, like the original, takes place in Scotland, and notations under the pictures call the characters by their original names.

Ten-year-old Fiona has been living in a big city ever since her family left the island of Ron Mor about four years earlier to seek new jobs and new opportunities. However, Fiona's health has been poor, and her doctor has advised her to return to the seaside for the healthier atmosphere. The book begins with her journey to stay with her grandparents who still live close to Ron Mor. Fiona's homecoming is tinged with both sadness and hope, as she reflects on the mysterious disappearance of her baby brother the day that her family left the island. Although her brother apparently floated out to sea in his cradle after being left unattended on the beach, Fiona has the feeling that he is still alive somewhere close to the island. She learns that her cousin Rory also believes the local rumors that the boy is still on Ron Mor in the company of the seals that populate the area around the island. Moreover, Rory and other family members share Fiona's longing to return to their old home and their family's traditional way of life as fishermen. Fiona's determination to find her younger brother and bring him and the rest of their family home to the island is touching and emphasizes the importance of family ties. There is also an element of fantasy because of the story that Fiona's grandfather tells about the family's heritage, which helps explain their special connection to the sea and seals around the island. The story is gentle and upbeat, which makes a nice change from a lot of modern children's books. I recommend it for elementary school children, although beginning readers may struggle a bit with the dialogue, which contains some odd expressions and spellings to reflect the Scottish accents of the speakers. I think that the story is just plain magic.

When was growing up this was one of my favorite books. I looked for it for years but had forgotten the title and author. It wasn't until I read a movie review of The Secret of Roan Inish and realized it was that same story that I was able to find it. The review gave me the original title, The Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry, so I was able to find a clothbound copy after many years of fruitless search. The movie changed the name and the locale (Ireland rather than Scotland, why?) but otherwise followed the story reasonably well. I paid more for a used copy of this book than I ever paid for a book in all my life, but it was important to me to own it. I do wish that it would be reprinted for a new generation. I'd give it as a gift to young relatives. The movie tie-in paperback went out of print very quickly, and itself is getting expensive for a good copy.

The movie made me want to read the book. The book made me glad of the purchase, for it was hard to find!

i was so happy to find this book. i have looked and looked for the story that went with the movie. this is a lovely story about loss, growth, love, hope and belief in the impossible. plus it has selkies which... are just the coolest mythical creature. i didn't think the story would be better then the movie (which i love) but it is!

Fry's style is quite readable, diverse, descriptive and active. Her words make the story - although simple - alive and empowering. Fiona is an inspiration for the youth of today - who often lack direction (due to adult irresponsibility).