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Title details for A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland - Wait list

A Sweet Sting of Salt

A Novel

by Rose Sutherland
Aven Shore
Audiobook
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 8 weeks
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0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 8 weeks
A young woman uncovers a dark secret about her neighbor and his mysterious new wife. Now she’ll have to fight to keep herself—and the woman she loves—safe.
“A modern sapphic updating of the selkie wife folk tale that’s already scoring with readers”—Parade (A Best Romance and Best LGBTQI+ Book of the Year So Far)
“Lush, atmospheric, and threaded with multiple kinds of magic.”—Paste
AN ELLE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
When a sharp cry wakes Jean in the middle of the night during a terrible tempest, she’s convinced it must have been a dream. But when the cry comes again, Jean ventures outside and is shocked by what she discovers—a young woman in labor, drenched to the bone in the bitter cold and able to speak barely a word of English.
Although Jean is the only midwife for miles around, she’s at a loss for who this woman is or where she’s from; Jean can only assume that she must be the new wife of the neighbor up the road, Tobias. And when Tobias does indeed arrive at her cabin in search of his wife, Muirin, Jean’s questions continue to multiply. Why has he kept his wife’s pregnancy a secret? And why does Muirin’s open demeanor change completely the moment she’s in his presence?
Though Jean learned long ago that she should stay out of other people’s business, her growing concern—and growing feelings—for Muirin mean that she can’t simply set her worries aside. But when the answers she finds are more harrowing than she ever could have imagined, she fears she may have endangered herself, Muirin, and the baby. Will she be able to put things right and save the woman she loves before it’s too late, or will someone have to pay for Jean’s actions with their life?

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 9, 2024

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593823057
      • File size: 299934 KB
      • Duration: 10:24:51

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 29, 2024
      Sutherland’s winning debut, set in 1830s coastal Nova Scotia, creates a cozy queer haven in an unforgiving but subtly magical environment. “A spinster midwife at just four and twenty,” Jean Langille sees her solitary life careen in an unexpected direction when she finds a woman in labor on her land in the middle of a stormy night. Jean delivers the baby and learns that the woman, who speaks almost no English, is Muirin, the mysterious wife of a neighboring fisherman. The two quickly become close and Jean resolves to help Muirin escape her troubled marriage. The story’s meticulous attention to detail regarding character and setting is offset by its measured pace, as the reader will have discerned Muirin’s supernatural secret long before ever pragmatic Jean suspects anything out of the ordinary. Still, Jean’s relationships with Muirin and the few other townsfolk she trusts are pleasantly sweet, and the thrilling climax and satisfying resolution are well worth the extended development. Fans of folkloric fantasy should check this out. Agent: Jill Marr, Sandra Dijkstra Literary.

    • Library Journal

      May 31, 2024

      Jean, a midwife in a small town on the coast of 1830s Nova Scotia, is woken by a cry in the night. Outside, she finds a young woman in the throes of labor. Jean delivers the baby and discovers that the young woman, who speaks no English, is Muirin, the wife of Jean's neighbor, Tobias. Tobias soon comes looking for Muirin, prompting Jean to wonder who this woman might be. Why is she so scared, and why did Tobias hide the pregnancy from those around them? Though this is a place where people stay out of each other's business, Jean can't help but untangle the mystery. Aven Shore narrates Jean and Muirin with tenderness, delicately detailing their growing relationship, even as the dangers surrounding Muirin threaten them both. Sutherland debuts with an atmospheric reimagining of the Orkney folk tale, "The Selkie Wife." The audio is compelling and intense, gritty with Tobias's malevolence, yet sweet with the beauty of the two women's passionate connection. The author's note provides historical background as well as insight into the author's inspiration. VERDICT A sensuous queer love story for fans of folklore and fantasy.--Elyssa Everling

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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