Song of the Selkies [Paperback]

Cathie Dunsford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 11, 2001

Cowrie and Sasha turn detectives to discover the truth behind Morrigan and the song of the selkies.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An enthralling and easy to read mystery, unfolding nicely as relationships are made, and truths come out." -- Annie Lindsay, The Press

About the Author

Cathie Dunsford is a writer, teacher and publishing consultant. She has written four previous novels, and she is also the editor of numerous anthologies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Spinifex Press (May 11, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1876756098
• ISBN-13: 978-1876756093
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,992,974 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting, July 12, 2001

By 

Chrissy (New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Song of the Selkies (Paperback)

As with all the other Cowrie books I found myself totally entranced from start to finish - it would be wonderful to think that millions of people would read this book and want to find "a new plane of existence where communication between all beings is possible". There is so much to be said for being more understanding of other cultures and creatures, and working together to preserve and protect all the living things on the planet, and making sure that those things which have already passed beyond preserving, remain alive through such wonderful talkstory and books. This is a book that begs to be revisited after the initial thirst to drink in the whole story without stopping, to enjoy all the subtle nuances missed the first time around. It is a haunting and beautiful book, which can stand proudly next to its three sisters.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars read song of the selkies and enter another world of magic, March 15, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Song of the Selkies (Paperback)

this is a fantastic book- reminded me of roan inish- it would make a brilliant movie. i read the amazon reviews and think the man who dished it had some issues of his own - he does not understand the clever way the author reworks the selkie mythology which clearly she knows well, so that the seal women are empowered again instead of the men stealing their skins. decide for yourself...i have read it three time and could not put the book down- it is a magic read that i will never forget and i have shared it with freinds who think the same. morrigan is wonderful and i love her energy. right on, song of the selkies. i cannot wait for the sequels.

caitlin

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Song of The Selkies is Stunning, June 8, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Song of the Selkies (Paperback)

The novel begins at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where other artists, storytellers from around the world have come to share stories, legends, visions. Sasha from Iceland tells a haunting Inuit creation story of a girl rejected by her community, clamouring onto a lifeboat only to have her fingers slashed off. She drowns and her fingers become the sea animals and her body the great mother sea goddess. Indigenous storytellers compare creation stories and find commonalities: "Maybe it is in ancient storytelling that our shared roots can be found, where a common thread for the future lies, and all the stories require some form of sacrifice to achieve change." (195) After the festival, to continue the spirit, Ellen from the Orkney Islands invites some of the storytellers to join her in Orkney. The group that assembles are dynamic, political feminists: Cowrie from the previous Cowrie novels, a Maori activist and academic; Sasha from Iceland with Canadian Inuit roots; DK and Uretsete, indigenous women from Great Turtle Island (North America) and Cowrie's former students; and Monique, West Indian German. Only one woman, Camilla, who joins because she thinks she will be enjoying a free seaside B & B, doesn't seem to quite fit the group. She is English with a capital 'E', Christian and quite uptight. Then there is mysterious Ellen herself whose name suddenly changes to Morrigan as they arrive by ferry on the islands. Already on the way to Orkney we meet the seals Sandy and Fiona who keenly watch the 'Nofin' new arrivals. Morrigan has told them it is time to share the knowledge, that this day would arrive. But Sandy "is thinking about the consequences of too many Orcadian secrets being let loose on those who may not be ready to hear them.

Song of the Selkies, could easily be classified as a mystery à la Agatha Christie. Suspense is built up with classic attention to detail. First Cowrie discovers an oily sealskin in a trunk in one of Morrigan's derilict sheds. Then a body is hauled out of the water. Suddenly Morrigan disappears only to be found nights later in a smoky shed cooing to a wounded seal like a lover. Morrigan herself adds to the mystery: "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to bring these Nofins back to Orkney afterall?" (27) Nofins? Why is she talking like this? Short of donning tweed, Cowrie turns detective, determined to find out what is behind Morrigan's erratic behaviour. Also in good detective genre, some mysteries are solved along the way, just enough to bait us to solve the next one. Morrigan's nightly disappearances get explained: she fishes by night. But why is her boat still in the harbour when she is supposed to be out? And what about the seals that appear at crucial moments? Or the people who disappear, are 'taken by the sea' only to reappear in underwater scenes as selkie--seal folk?

Song of the Selkies is based on legends about seals that transition from human to seal and back again. Throughout the story, Cowrie and her the group of storytellers try to rationalize the legend. Perhaps Inuit fishers in sealskin kayaks made it to Orkney shores and were confused for beings half person, half seal. Some believe that selkies have the ability to shed their skins (a kayaker getting out of the boat?) and so lead a double life, on land or sea. "Folk around here are divided into the believers and non-believers" (36) Morrigan tells them. DK, who feels that anyone believing these stories must be "one sausage short of a barbecue," (55) is encouraged by Sasha to think more symbolically. Perhaps the shed skin, often stolen and hidden by men, represented women needing their freedom. (55) It is the number of different stories and their accumulation which slowly woos the reader into believing.