What do you think?
Rate this book
A Salt Splashed Cradle
Life and Love in 1830s Scotland When Jimmie Watt brings his new bride home his parents are horrified, because fishermen are expected to marry within their own community, and Belle is an incomer from the town across the water. Belle, an emotionally damaged and beautiful girl, struggles to find acceptance in the village but she is fighting a losing battle, and when Jimmie leaves the fishing village to sail to the Arctic with a whaling ship, she becomes increasingly isolated. With Jimmie gone, Belle falls for the charms of Lachlan, the Laird’s son and embarks on a tempestuous affair with him. When Jimmie returns she struggles with her feelings for him and for Lachlan. The women in the village now regard Belle as a Jezebel who will tempt their men away. A mood of hysteria engulfs them and they turn against Belle, in an attempt to force her out of the village. What will Belle do? And will she survive? This historical saga is set in a Scottish fishing village in the 1830’s and reflects the living conditions and the morals of the ordinary fisher folk of that time. Review quotes “There is some beautiful poetic writing and the complex life of the heroine, Belle, had me gripped from the beginning. Some of the loveliest writing is in the whaling sequences -one can feel the cold - and among the whalers she creates some outstanding characters” – Eileen Ramsay, novelist “A Salt-Splashed Cradle drips with historical accuracy, and even the scenes aboard a whaling ship seem to have been recounted directly from an 1800's whaler, almost as if Chris Longmuir boarded those ships and chopped them free from the arctic ice herself” – Tim Greaton “Chris Longmuir's books so far have been mysterious, suspenseful stories concerned with some of the darker depths of human nature. So it's surprising to learn that this latest is a romance. But fans won't be disappointed. Yes, it's a romance but the murkier motives and actions are still in evidence” – Bill Kirton, crime writer “Beautifully written with deeply enchanting and well drawn protagonists, A Salt Splashed Cradle goes beyond the norms of the historical romance to bring us a story of hardship, love, wanderlust and coming of age. This was a story I did not want to end and I hope the author plans to bring another instalment of Belle's life and loves to us soon” – Karen Bryant Doering Author information Chris Longmuir is an award winning novelist as well as an established writer of short stories and articles.
280 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 23, 2011
1 person is currently reading
15 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 5, 2012
I received a copy of this book free from the ARR program and I really enjoyed reading it. It is the story of a woman, a family and a town long gone in Scottish history. It is however alive in the book. The way the author describes the sea, the land and the feshermans life I felt like I could almost smell the sea air. Unfortunately, it ended in what will probably be the best part. Belle's life as a fishwife in a small fishing village is brought to life, her hopes and dreams made clear. Sometimes the characters change but I think real people are that way, "sometimes evil and other times good, trying to survive. People are not so simple and what things seem to be are not always what they are. I cant wait to read the next book.
August 7, 2025
Awesome Indies Book Awards is pleased to include A SALT SPLASHED CRADLE by CHRIS LONGMUIR in the library of Awesome Indies'
Badge of Approval
recipients.
AIBA Book of the Week: 30 July, 2023: 033/41454
AIBA Book of the Week: 30 July, 2023: 033/41454
March 5, 2020
I met Chris in the craft tent at Glamis Castle Vehicle Extravaganza and after a chat I bought a signed copy of this book.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable read, all the more so because I am gradually exploring Scotland and will be heading to Montrose in a few weeks.
Chris's colourful description of the fisherfolk, especially the women, quickly draws the reader into this close knit community and and encourages empathy for Belle, the outsider, who neither fits in due to her looks and build or her manner and expectations of life. The fear is palpable as she is lured into circumstances which could lead to her downfall when the women turn totally against her. Her saviour comes from the most unexpected source and the novel leaves you wondering what Belle will do next.
The relationships in A Salt Splashed Cradle are complex as they are simple. The reader grapples with the trauma of Belle's daughter Sarah, the strong mother in law and Matriach Annie, as much as with Belle herself. The sea is never far away, with its dangers, both fishing in local waters and further afield as Belle's husband Jimmie heads off to the far north in a whaling ship.
A well crafted novel and a pleasure to read.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable read, all the more so because I am gradually exploring Scotland and will be heading to Montrose in a few weeks.
Chris's colourful description of the fisherfolk, especially the women, quickly draws the reader into this close knit community and and encourages empathy for Belle, the outsider, who neither fits in due to her looks and build or her manner and expectations of life. The fear is palpable as she is lured into circumstances which could lead to her downfall when the women turn totally against her. Her saviour comes from the most unexpected source and the novel leaves you wondering what Belle will do next.
The relationships in A Salt Splashed Cradle are complex as they are simple. The reader grapples with the trauma of Belle's daughter Sarah, the strong mother in law and Matriach Annie, as much as with Belle herself. The sea is never far away, with its dangers, both fishing in local waters and further afield as Belle's husband Jimmie heads off to the far north in a whaling ship.
A well crafted novel and a pleasure to read.
May 14, 2021
I recently moved to Montrose and met Chris Longmuir at the Angus Market, where she was selling her books. I was looking for new material and absolutely loved the idea of reading about the 'past folk' of my new home. I admit that I was looking more for her other works, classic crime and mystery, but I was very pleasantly surprised by Belle's story.
Not usually big on books that deal with romance and love affairs, this story is written so well that I just devoured it. Read 90% in the first day and couldn't wait to finish it.
Not usually big on books that deal with romance and love affairs, this story is written so well that I just devoured it. Read 90% in the first day and couldn't wait to finish it.
January 30, 2023
Belle comes to the fishing village of Craigden heavily pregnant and ready to marry Jimmy. Her family aren’t keen, though it’s the custom to test the viability of the marriage by ensuring the woman can bear children. They don’t like her ways and she has no friends but her brother’s little sister Jeannie. I have to confess I didn’t like her much either. It’s an interesting and well researched historical look at the clannish fishing communities in the 1800s, through the eyes of an outsider.
February 1, 2025
I really loved this book. Chris Longmuir is a fantastic storyteller and beautifully captures life in 19th Century Scotland. The descriptions of the town, clothing, whaling ships, customs… The mental imagery was superb! Cannot wait to read more from this author!
May 11, 2020
Another brilliant book by Chris Longmuir. Highly recommend another great book to add to the others.
September 18, 2025
A great historical saga - builds on tensions in a tight community with a fabulous cast of characters, I can’t wait to dip into the next book and see what happens to Belle and her kids . 5* from me
September 14, 2011
Few writers will ever reach this level of wordcraft...
After reading this amazing story, it comes as no surprise to learn that Chris Longmuir is an award-winning novelist. Her wordsmithing here lies somewhere between prose and poetry, between storytelling and story lifting. You need only consider the unique title "A Salt-Splashed Cradle" to realize she is no ordinary novelist.
Based in 1830's Scotland, this historically convincing tale recounts the hardships and joys of fisher people living on the edge of poverty, under the weight of landowning royalty. Belle is an emotionally damaged but beautiful Invercraig townie who marries young Jimmie Watt, a fisherman who doesn't care that her delicate frame and sensibilities are not suited to the physical demands of fishing life. As Jimmie's absences aboard whaling ships keep him away for seemingly longer and longer periods of time, he leaves behind a family who desperately needs him. And the more he is away from the Craigden, the more Belle and her three children become ostracized not just from her mother-in-law, Annie, and the Watt family, but from the entire village. The results of those simmering hatreds will leave you breathless.
Though Belle's questionable moral decisions lie at the center of this gripping historical drama, the reader is left with diverse emotions for her and all the other complex and memorable characters that populate this unconventional book. Like the best literary works, this story does not loan itself to easy plot predictions but will absolutely immerse you in a place and time you'll not soon forget.
"A Salt-Splashed Cradle" drips with historical accuracy, and even the scenes aboard a whaling ship seem to have been recounted directly from an 1800's whaler, almost as if Chris Longmuir boarded those ships and chopped them free from the arctic ice herself. An awe-inspiring work by an author who has definitely earned her accolades.
Reviewed by "Maine's Other Author"(TM) Tim Greaton
After reading this amazing story, it comes as no surprise to learn that Chris Longmuir is an award-winning novelist. Her wordsmithing here lies somewhere between prose and poetry, between storytelling and story lifting. You need only consider the unique title "A Salt-Splashed Cradle" to realize she is no ordinary novelist.
Based in 1830's Scotland, this historically convincing tale recounts the hardships and joys of fisher people living on the edge of poverty, under the weight of landowning royalty. Belle is an emotionally damaged but beautiful Invercraig townie who marries young Jimmie Watt, a fisherman who doesn't care that her delicate frame and sensibilities are not suited to the physical demands of fishing life. As Jimmie's absences aboard whaling ships keep him away for seemingly longer and longer periods of time, he leaves behind a family who desperately needs him. And the more he is away from the Craigden, the more Belle and her three children become ostracized not just from her mother-in-law, Annie, and the Watt family, but from the entire village. The results of those simmering hatreds will leave you breathless.
Though Belle's questionable moral decisions lie at the center of this gripping historical drama, the reader is left with diverse emotions for her and all the other complex and memorable characters that populate this unconventional book. Like the best literary works, this story does not loan itself to easy plot predictions but will absolutely immerse you in a place and time you'll not soon forget.
"A Salt-Splashed Cradle" drips with historical accuracy, and even the scenes aboard a whaling ship seem to have been recounted directly from an 1800's whaler, almost as if Chris Longmuir boarded those ships and chopped them free from the arctic ice herself. An awe-inspiring work by an author who has definitely earned her accolades.
Reviewed by "Maine's Other Author"(TM) Tim Greaton
November 8, 2016
*Contains mild spoilers
I thought the story was interesting, but I was a bit let down by the execution. It was like I was outside of the story. I wished I could experience the story rather than be told.
By the end of the story, I still didn’t understand some important aspects such as the race of the fisher folk. I thought they were white, and that race was one of the problems they had with Jimmie’s choice of a bride. But I never found an answer. Instead, I got even more confused when the fair-haired twins came along. I kept wondering if Jimmie was blond.
I also wish I knew why the fishermen had to be carried to their boats. The explanation in the novel is ‘so they wouldn’t get their feet wet’, but I didn’t know why they didn’t want wet feet. I assume feet get wet in the course of fishing, so I wondered whether there was some superstition about why their feet shouldn’t get wet before getting on their boats, whether the materials used to make the floors of the boats weren’t supposed to get wet, whether fishermen just wanted to be carried by their women ...
I reread sections of the book in search of answers to these nagging questions but didn't find them.
The author also spent too much of the novel spelling out the events. ‘She smiled weakly at Annie who had been kind to her for a change’. However, I could already see that Annie was being uncharacteristically kind. ‘With a boat of his own Jimmie would be something in the village and she would have more status as the wife of a man who owned his own boat’. This was a great opportunity for the author to show me what status a boat owner and his wife had. Maybe she could have told a story of someone Bella admired or envied for owning a boat (Annie?). Whatever the case, simply stating what would happen if Jimmie bought a boat diminished my enjoyment of the tale.
A Salt Splashed Cradle is not bad, but I feel the author missed an opportunity to create a wonderful reading experience for me.
I received this book free from Awesome Indies Books in exchange for an honest review.
I thought the story was interesting, but I was a bit let down by the execution. It was like I was outside of the story. I wished I could experience the story rather than be told.
By the end of the story, I still didn’t understand some important aspects such as the race of the fisher folk. I thought they were white, and that race was one of the problems they had with Jimmie’s choice of a bride. But I never found an answer. Instead, I got even more confused when the fair-haired twins came along. I kept wondering if Jimmie was blond.
I also wish I knew why the fishermen had to be carried to their boats. The explanation in the novel is ‘so they wouldn’t get their feet wet’, but I didn’t know why they didn’t want wet feet. I assume feet get wet in the course of fishing, so I wondered whether there was some superstition about why their feet shouldn’t get wet before getting on their boats, whether the materials used to make the floors of the boats weren’t supposed to get wet, whether fishermen just wanted to be carried by their women ...
I reread sections of the book in search of answers to these nagging questions but didn't find them.
The author also spent too much of the novel spelling out the events. ‘She smiled weakly at Annie who had been kind to her for a change’. However, I could already see that Annie was being uncharacteristically kind. ‘With a boat of his own Jimmie would be something in the village and she would have more status as the wife of a man who owned his own boat’. This was a great opportunity for the author to show me what status a boat owner and his wife had. Maybe she could have told a story of someone Bella admired or envied for owning a boat (Annie?). Whatever the case, simply stating what would happen if Jimmie bought a boat diminished my enjoyment of the tale.
A Salt Splashed Cradle is not bad, but I feel the author missed an opportunity to create a wonderful reading experience for me.
I received this book free from Awesome Indies Books in exchange for an honest review.
Read
July 29, 2013A beautifully descriptive novel which brings to life the small fishing community in Scotland where Belle has married a fisherman against his mother's wishes, for Belle is from the town and, with her silk gowns, delicate stature and airs and graces, will never fit in to Craigden life!
With a troubled past behind her in Invercraig Belle really wants her marriage to Jimmie to work, despite his mother and despite not being able to truly bond with her daughter but she cannot help wanting more and soon beguiles her husband into going whaling to make enough money to buy his own boat. Belle sees this as the way to make life better for them. However, with Jimmie away, Belle must play - and play she does, into the arms of the Laird's son Lachlan who is himself to marry. Convinced she is in love with Lachlan, Belle is devastated when he leaves her but carries on as if there is nothing untoward when Jimmie returns from the whalers, despite her brother and sister in law having their suspicions about her and she gives birth to twins.
Over the years, Jimmie goes off on more whaling trips trying to earn money for his boat and Belle tries to be a good wife and mother, sadly always falling far below her mother in laws expectations and always disdained by the local women. When Belle decides to become a barmaid at the local tavern she very quickly finds herself even more of an outcast.
This novel does invoke a very real sense of the fishing community and how life would have been, I was particularly fascinated by the tales and customs of the fisher folk. I had sympathy for Belle, knowing her background and how difficult she found it to bond with her children and become a part of that small and tight knit community. The other characters were equally strong and clear to the mind's eye.
My only gripe would be that the story did not end how I would have liked although it did leave an opening for Belle's future happiness - I hope!
With a troubled past behind her in Invercraig Belle really wants her marriage to Jimmie to work, despite his mother and despite not being able to truly bond with her daughter but she cannot help wanting more and soon beguiles her husband into going whaling to make enough money to buy his own boat. Belle sees this as the way to make life better for them. However, with Jimmie away, Belle must play - and play she does, into the arms of the Laird's son Lachlan who is himself to marry. Convinced she is in love with Lachlan, Belle is devastated when he leaves her but carries on as if there is nothing untoward when Jimmie returns from the whalers, despite her brother and sister in law having their suspicions about her and she gives birth to twins.
Over the years, Jimmie goes off on more whaling trips trying to earn money for his boat and Belle tries to be a good wife and mother, sadly always falling far below her mother in laws expectations and always disdained by the local women. When Belle decides to become a barmaid at the local tavern she very quickly finds herself even more of an outcast.
This novel does invoke a very real sense of the fishing community and how life would have been, I was particularly fascinated by the tales and customs of the fisher folk. I had sympathy for Belle, knowing her background and how difficult she found it to bond with her children and become a part of that small and tight knit community. The other characters were equally strong and clear to the mind's eye.
My only gripe would be that the story did not end how I would have liked although it did leave an opening for Belle's future happiness - I hope!
October 11, 2011
The story is set in the 1830s.
Belle is married to Jimmie a fisherman from a family of fishermen. They live in the fishing community in the village of Craigden. Belle is not from a fishing family and her mother in law Annie can not accept her into the family and treats her like an outsider. Belle knows that Annie only tolerates her to please her son. Belle is an attractive girl that catches the eye of most men. After the birth of their first child Belle becomes jealous of the love and affection Jimmie shows to their child. When she catches the eye of the Lairds son Lachlan deep down she knows that nothing romantic could happen between the son of the Laird and a fishermen’s wife can it?
Lachlan knows his father the laird has more time for his horses than he has for him. He knows that nothing he will ever do would please his father. A marriage has been arranged by Lachlan’s parents, he is to marry a girl called Clarinda who he is not attracted to and does not love. Lachlan much prefers girls who are not from his class and wishes he could have been the son of a farmer or fisherman. So he is drawn to Belle.
Jimmie loves his wife Belle and all he wants to do is to save enough money to buy his own boat. Jimmie is even prepared to risk going out further to sea into dangerous waters, whaling instead of fishing. Unaware that while he is away at sea for many months he is creating a big risk at home leaving his wife alone when she is attracted to another man.
Set back in the times of a class divided society that is neither fair to the rich or the poor having to do what is expected of them and not what they would choose to do.
This is a fascinating story, with an incredible cast of characters. This is another spellbinding novel from Chris Longmuir.
Belle is married to Jimmie a fisherman from a family of fishermen. They live in the fishing community in the village of Craigden. Belle is not from a fishing family and her mother in law Annie can not accept her into the family and treats her like an outsider. Belle knows that Annie only tolerates her to please her son. Belle is an attractive girl that catches the eye of most men. After the birth of their first child Belle becomes jealous of the love and affection Jimmie shows to their child. When she catches the eye of the Lairds son Lachlan deep down she knows that nothing romantic could happen between the son of the Laird and a fishermen’s wife can it?
Lachlan knows his father the laird has more time for his horses than he has for him. He knows that nothing he will ever do would please his father. A marriage has been arranged by Lachlan’s parents, he is to marry a girl called Clarinda who he is not attracted to and does not love. Lachlan much prefers girls who are not from his class and wishes he could have been the son of a farmer or fisherman. So he is drawn to Belle.
Jimmie loves his wife Belle and all he wants to do is to save enough money to buy his own boat. Jimmie is even prepared to risk going out further to sea into dangerous waters, whaling instead of fishing. Unaware that while he is away at sea for many months he is creating a big risk at home leaving his wife alone when she is attracted to another man.
Set back in the times of a class divided society that is neither fair to the rich or the poor having to do what is expected of them and not what they would choose to do.
This is a fascinating story, with an incredible cast of characters. This is another spellbinding novel from Chris Longmuir.
June 1, 2011
Chris Longmuir’s books so far have been mysterious, suspenseful stories concerned with some of the darker depths of human nature. So it’s surprising to learn that this latest (although it was apparently written before the others) is a romance. But fans won’t be disappointed. Yes, it’s a romance but the murkier motives and actions are still in evidence.
It’s set in a fishing community on Scotland’s north-east coast in the 19th century and the author’s familiarity with the setting and her research into the customs and attitudes of the time give it genuine authenticity. She’s recreated a time and place in which men and women have their roles, their own moralities and a fierce strength born of living lives dependent on both the sea’s bounty and its cruelties. She writes of its rhythms, of how men and women alike respond to its voice and its demands, and of the hard lives they live beside it.
The characters are varied and complex, none more so than Belle, the dangerous woman at the narrative’s centre. This is no straightforward, old-style heroine. She has strengths, weaknesses, needs and a beguiling mixture of sexual magnetism and insecurity. She belongs to this community and yet is apart from it and, as the threads of the story weave around her, her stature grows and she learns, among other things, how to say no.
A Salt Splashed Cradle carries more than one love story as well as others from which love is missing. Ms Longmuir’s control of her material is as sure here as it is in her dark modern novels and she makes you care about what happens to her people.
It’s set in a fishing community on Scotland’s north-east coast in the 19th century and the author’s familiarity with the setting and her research into the customs and attitudes of the time give it genuine authenticity. She’s recreated a time and place in which men and women have their roles, their own moralities and a fierce strength born of living lives dependent on both the sea’s bounty and its cruelties. She writes of its rhythms, of how men and women alike respond to its voice and its demands, and of the hard lives they live beside it.
The characters are varied and complex, none more so than Belle, the dangerous woman at the narrative’s centre. This is no straightforward, old-style heroine. She has strengths, weaknesses, needs and a beguiling mixture of sexual magnetism and insecurity. She belongs to this community and yet is apart from it and, as the threads of the story weave around her, her stature grows and she learns, among other things, how to say no.
A Salt Splashed Cradle carries more than one love story as well as others from which love is missing. Ms Longmuir’s control of her material is as sure here as it is in her dark modern novels and she makes you care about what happens to her people.
July 23, 2011
If you like full-bodied historical tales, stories that cover a larger scope of time with characters that evolve, you will LOVE ‘A Salt Splashed Cradle’.
Chris Longmuir writes with strength, with knowledge and with an attention to historical accuracy that allows you to feel the heat of the hearth and the icy spray of the sea. Her characters are well-developed with both good points and failings, much like friends you care about but that exasperate you at times.
Her plotting and story line is sure; as a reader we wonder where the story is going but she leads us along the path in steady steps that make it hard to put the book down. We need to know what Belle is going to do, or Jimmie, or various other characters in the book... whether or not we like them.
This is a story of life, not always happy, often sad and tragic, but very real (although fiction). A story well told.
Chris Longmuir writes with strength, with knowledge and with an attention to historical accuracy that allows you to feel the heat of the hearth and the icy spray of the sea. Her characters are well-developed with both good points and failings, much like friends you care about but that exasperate you at times.
Her plotting and story line is sure; as a reader we wonder where the story is going but she leads us along the path in steady steps that make it hard to put the book down. We need to know what Belle is going to do, or Jimmie, or various other characters in the book... whether or not we like them.
This is a story of life, not always happy, often sad and tragic, but very real (although fiction). A story well told.
September 5, 2011
Like Chris's other works, she draws you in to the story from the very beginning. Her characters are real and she makes you care for them. The backdrop of the North Sea and the fishing village clinging to the cliffside are brought to life vividly. You can smell the sea air the narrative is so descriptive.
Looking forward to reading more from this author.
Looking forward to reading more from this author.
July 5, 2012
Loved this book - swept me away to another time and place full of fresh air and the smell of fish!! Well researched, interesting characters and compelling plot. Not typical of Chris Longmuir's portfolio, normally dark crime stories, which I have yet to try, but I will.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews