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Finn Silverweed has never felt he fits into the fishing community of Laggandall Bay. The uneasy truce between the fishermen and the patrolling navy subs is echoed by the tensions between Finn and his businessman father, who presumes his son will follow in his footsteps. With a comet hanging like an omen over the bay, Finn starts to hear strange noises in his head - noises that draw him to the sea. But a disaster is coming that will threaten to sweep away not only Finn but his town as well...
- GenresYoung AdultTeen
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
About the author
Julie Bertagna
19 books114 followersJulie Bertagna was born in Ayrshire and grew up near Glasgow, where she now lives with her family. After a degree in English Language and Literature, she was the editor of a small magazine, a teacher and a freelance journalist. She has written many critically-acclaimed, award-winning novels for teenagers and younger readers. She speaks in schools, libraries and at book festivals across the UK.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 23, 2015
Four and a half stars.
Finn Silverweed walks into the sea one night under a comet-filled sky and isn't sure why. He's only just dragged out safely from Laggandall Bay - his life turning strange when he starts to hear a wild, tumultuous soundtrack in his head that causes him to spin out of control.
He doesn't want to join his dad who works at the nearby naval base, as the fitter in charge of the electric fence. He's more at home with the protesters from the peace camp than he is with the military presence. His life is full of conflicts: he's friends with Ebbie from the peace camp; with Robin, the son of a naval commander; with Granny Sand, an old widow who collects 'sea gifts' with him. In fact, he gets on with almost everyone except his own father.
Finn loves to take his boat to a corrie cove out to sea - but the bay is a dangerous place. Subs from the naval base are apt to surface without warning. His uncle Murray is adamant that he take extreme care ... but the more his head misbehaves, the greater his desire to escape becomes.
As always with Julie Bertagna's books, there are compelling evocations of ancient ways and long-lost ideas: doom eager, being in the thrall of something that's pulling you towards an undefined doom; disaster, from the Italian for 'malevolent astral influence'; needfire, a fire to banish evil; kickshaws, from French quelque chose, a peculiar something or other.
Myth and mystery lurk just below the surface of this story, hiding out of sight, like the deadly subs in the Laggandall Bay. Darkly compelling, it ends on a note of high hope.
Finn Silverweed walks into the sea one night under a comet-filled sky and isn't sure why. He's only just dragged out safely from Laggandall Bay - his life turning strange when he starts to hear a wild, tumultuous soundtrack in his head that causes him to spin out of control.
He doesn't want to join his dad who works at the nearby naval base, as the fitter in charge of the electric fence. He's more at home with the protesters from the peace camp than he is with the military presence. His life is full of conflicts: he's friends with Ebbie from the peace camp; with Robin, the son of a naval commander; with Granny Sand, an old widow who collects 'sea gifts' with him. In fact, he gets on with almost everyone except his own father.
Finn loves to take his boat to a corrie cove out to sea - but the bay is a dangerous place. Subs from the naval base are apt to surface without warning. His uncle Murray is adamant that he take extreme care ... but the more his head misbehaves, the greater his desire to escape becomes.
As always with Julie Bertagna's books, there are compelling evocations of ancient ways and long-lost ideas: doom eager, being in the thrall of something that's pulling you towards an undefined doom; disaster, from the Italian for 'malevolent astral influence'; needfire, a fire to banish evil; kickshaws, from French quelque chose, a peculiar something or other.
Myth and mystery lurk just below the surface of this story, hiding out of sight, like the deadly subs in the Laggandall Bay. Darkly compelling, it ends on a note of high hope.
March 21, 2020
A great read for young adults. I love the themes explored, and the imagery used throughout. It’s a thought-provoking book that I would’ve loved when I was younger.
September 26, 2007
Beautiful, lyrical writing about the sea, loss and the connections between us all. Bertagna is reliable for a transporting read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews