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Flither Lass
Flither Lass
It's 1915: conflict comes ashore, and a girl becomes a woman.
The Quick Pitch
In a small Yorkshire coastal fishing village, young Amy Trott, ignored or derided by most of the villagers, is devoted to her father. One stormy day, Amy's life is torn apart when her beloved father is lost at sea. In her denial of events, she searches the sea and shore, convinced that he will return, but instead of her father she finds another refugee from the sea, on who she focuses all of her attentions. The trouble is, it is 1915 and the refugee is German ...
A bigger taste. . .
In a small Yorkshire coastal fishing village, 16-year-old Amy Trott makes a meagre living scouring the shoreline for flithers (limpets) to use as bait on her father's fishing lines. It is an inhospitable world of deep crevices and rock pools, where the fast-flowing tide can so easily trap the unwary in minutes, cutting them off from safety.
Wild and unkempt, she is marginalized by the local community, which treats her as slow-witted, a virtual outcast. In those days, flither girls were seen as the lowest of the low; the hard work they did, toiling in freezing conditions, scaling cliff faces, wading out to sea and braving the treacherous currents, went largely unappreciated and undervalued. Amy braves the ferocious conditions without question or complaint; it is all she has ever known.
One stormy day, her life is torn apart when her beloved father is lost at sea. In her denial of events, she searches the sea and shore, convinced that he will return, but instead of her father she finds another refugee washed ashore. Facing a life-threatening decision, she can either leave him there to perish and save her own life, or she can try to save both herself and this mysterious man. But in doing so, she risks being cut off and suffering a cruel death in the freezing water of the North Sea. The trouble is, it is 1915 and the refugee is German ...
Thus begins a story that combines family conflict, adventure, war and romance, in which we witness Amy's rite of passage as we share her secret while she focuses all her attentions on this illicit friend. The conflict that came ashore turns a girl into a woman.
This story gives a glimpse of life during the First World War from a different perspective.
Includes links for the following:
High-resolution map
Further reading
Interview with the author
Reading Group Guide
Use the LOOK INSIDE feature to view book contents and don't forget you can download a sample of Flither Lass to your Kindle for free.
It's 1915: conflict comes ashore, and a girl becomes a woman.
The Quick Pitch
In a small Yorkshire coastal fishing village, young Amy Trott, ignored or derided by most of the villagers, is devoted to her father. One stormy day, Amy's life is torn apart when her beloved father is lost at sea. In her denial of events, she searches the sea and shore, convinced that he will return, but instead of her father she finds another refugee from the sea, on who she focuses all of her attentions. The trouble is, it is 1915 and the refugee is German ...
A bigger taste. . .
In a small Yorkshire coastal fishing village, 16-year-old Amy Trott makes a meagre living scouring the shoreline for flithers (limpets) to use as bait on her father's fishing lines. It is an inhospitable world of deep crevices and rock pools, where the fast-flowing tide can so easily trap the unwary in minutes, cutting them off from safety.
Wild and unkempt, she is marginalized by the local community, which treats her as slow-witted, a virtual outcast. In those days, flither girls were seen as the lowest of the low; the hard work they did, toiling in freezing conditions, scaling cliff faces, wading out to sea and braving the treacherous currents, went largely unappreciated and undervalued. Amy braves the ferocious conditions without question or complaint; it is all she has ever known.
One stormy day, her life is torn apart when her beloved father is lost at sea. In her denial of events, she searches the sea and shore, convinced that he will return, but instead of her father she finds another refugee washed ashore. Facing a life-threatening decision, she can either leave him there to perish and save her own life, or she can try to save both herself and this mysterious man. But in doing so, she risks being cut off and suffering a cruel death in the freezing water of the North Sea. The trouble is, it is 1915 and the refugee is German ...
Thus begins a story that combines family conflict, adventure, war and romance, in which we witness Amy's rite of passage as we share her secret while she focuses all her attentions on this illicit friend. The conflict that came ashore turns a girl into a woman.
This story gives a glimpse of life during the First World War from a different perspective.
Includes links for the following:
High-resolution map
Further reading
Interview with the author
Reading Group Guide
Use the LOOK INSIDE feature to view book contents and don't forget you can download a sample of Flither Lass to your Kindle for free.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2014
5 people want to read
About the author
Graham Higson
10 books14 followersGRAHAM HIGSON lives in an outlying Pennine village and shares this blustery environment with a growing collection of books, a workshop piled high with offcuts of oak, his understanding wife and one mean mortgage. His two grown-up children are among his best friends.
Having written professionally for over 40 years (when he was at school, he says)), Oak Seer: A Supernatural Mystery was the first of his published novels, followed by Flither Lass, his historical novel set during WW1, and his How Much For a Little Screw? series of fictionalised memoirs
He lists his hobbies as swimming, reading, watching lots of screen drama, helping to republish the novels of Leo Walmsley, and searching for that elusive moment of self-discovery.
Having written professionally for over 40 years (when he was at school, he says)), Oak Seer: A Supernatural Mystery was the first of his published novels, followed by Flither Lass, his historical novel set during WW1, and his How Much For a Little Screw? series of fictionalised memoirs
He lists his hobbies as swimming, reading, watching lots of screen drama, helping to republish the novels of Leo Walmsley, and searching for that elusive moment of self-discovery.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 9, 2014
I have read a pre-publication review copy of this book and can certainly recommend it as a great read. Taking place in 1915 the story is influenced by WW1 but not in the usual form - no trench warfare. Set in a small coastal village there is a tight-knit community but not one that loves and adores each other. The well drawn characters provide plenty of tension, interest and emotion as the tale unfolds. Having spent time with these people I would really like to know what the future brought for them and hope that the author gives me and his other readers that opportunity.
April 2, 2014
An atmospheric tale of a girl who its a bit different. Surrounded by a mixture characters - some friendly and some downright hostile - she finds herself in the tricky situation of rescuing a German during the First World War. This doesn't faze Amy as she looks after Hugo and slowly discovers what's going on around her.
Fast paced with an engaging end, Flither Lass is a story that will stick with you for a long while.
Fast paced with an engaging end, Flither Lass is a story that will stick with you for a long while.
April 30, 2014
What a great read !!!!!
This is a wonderful book. I was given a copy to beta read before publication and have to say what a privilege it was to be able to enjoy this book and be one of the first to read it. It has a good dramatic beginning, it held my interest immediately and on the first day of reading I was wanting to read on but it was 1am! Reading well into the small hours soon became a habit with this particular book, it was that good! The book is set around the time of the First World War, 1915, and is set in a small fishing village. The main character , Amy Trott, skanes limpets for fishing bait and her father is a fisherman. One night, her father is lost at sea and there is no hope for him. Amy, however, keeps on believing that one day he will return. It's a beautiful story, intriguing and engaging, makes really interesting and informative reading-I really enjoyed it and learned a lot about many things I had not read about before. There were many aspects to this story-suspense, excitement building, clues unravelling, some really powerful chapters, real 'edge-of-your-seat' stuff. I couldn't put it down. The stand-out chapter for me was chapter fifteen-the pinnacle of the book. Wow- what a chapter-I was cringing while reading this! So powerful and gripping, a cracking read. There were a few unexpected happenings and some great writing which really gets to your emotions where the man on the bus is telling about his son. Beautifully written. There were even a couple of spots of humour in there as well-eg. I loved Amy's confusion between heartache and arse-ache! and I never heard them called 'pipes' before!! I just had to keep on reading until I finished and what a great reading experience it was. I love the presentation of this book too. I really like the cover, I don't know what the name of the technique is but I like the mix of black and white photo with the yellow. Really like the calligraphy style font. I like the chapter titles, yet they don't give too much away about the action. I like the bold black type for these and I like how Graham has done the first four words of each chapter in capitals, keeping it exactly the same every time. I like consistency and everything well presented. I also like the 'Day 1' 'Day 2' journal/diary style. What a great idea having the map at the front of the book and to have a link to the high resolution map-I did look at that too. I liked the idea of having a glossary at the end-obviously, being from Yorkshire myself, I didn't need it but I never thought of readers from other areas wondering what some Yorkshire words meant. An author's note too, very interesting. All excellent presentation, everything spot on. I like how the author has included a few drawings again (he also did this in his first novel Oak Seer)- My particular favourite is the one of the girl climbing the cliffs. (or Amy? I don't know if he did this as a random drawing a while ago and it was appropriate for the book or if he did it specially for the book). Anyway, I really enjoyed reading this book, what a great achievement. Hope it all goes really well. Looking forward to more writing from Graham Higson- I'm sure I will enjoy that too.
This is a wonderful book. I was given a copy to beta read before publication and have to say what a privilege it was to be able to enjoy this book and be one of the first to read it. It has a good dramatic beginning, it held my interest immediately and on the first day of reading I was wanting to read on but it was 1am! Reading well into the small hours soon became a habit with this particular book, it was that good! The book is set around the time of the First World War, 1915, and is set in a small fishing village. The main character , Amy Trott, skanes limpets for fishing bait and her father is a fisherman. One night, her father is lost at sea and there is no hope for him. Amy, however, keeps on believing that one day he will return. It's a beautiful story, intriguing and engaging, makes really interesting and informative reading-I really enjoyed it and learned a lot about many things I had not read about before. There were many aspects to this story-suspense, excitement building, clues unravelling, some really powerful chapters, real 'edge-of-your-seat' stuff. I couldn't put it down. The stand-out chapter for me was chapter fifteen-the pinnacle of the book. Wow- what a chapter-I was cringing while reading this! So powerful and gripping, a cracking read. There were a few unexpected happenings and some great writing which really gets to your emotions where the man on the bus is telling about his son. Beautifully written. There were even a couple of spots of humour in there as well-eg. I loved Amy's confusion between heartache and arse-ache! and I never heard them called 'pipes' before!! I just had to keep on reading until I finished and what a great reading experience it was. I love the presentation of this book too. I really like the cover, I don't know what the name of the technique is but I like the mix of black and white photo with the yellow. Really like the calligraphy style font. I like the chapter titles, yet they don't give too much away about the action. I like the bold black type for these and I like how Graham has done the first four words of each chapter in capitals, keeping it exactly the same every time. I like consistency and everything well presented. I also like the 'Day 1' 'Day 2' journal/diary style. What a great idea having the map at the front of the book and to have a link to the high resolution map-I did look at that too. I liked the idea of having a glossary at the end-obviously, being from Yorkshire myself, I didn't need it but I never thought of readers from other areas wondering what some Yorkshire words meant. An author's note too, very interesting. All excellent presentation, everything spot on. I like how the author has included a few drawings again (he also did this in his first novel Oak Seer)- My particular favourite is the one of the girl climbing the cliffs. (or Amy? I don't know if he did this as a random drawing a while ago and it was appropriate for the book or if he did it specially for the book). Anyway, I really enjoyed reading this book, what a great achievement. Hope it all goes really well. Looking forward to more writing from Graham Higson- I'm sure I will enjoy that too.
June 8, 2014
I am going to begin with the things I do not love. I don’t love anything World war related, I don’t love historical fictions and I don’t love it when children get’s abused in all forms.
However I did love everything Flither Lass had to offer. It had all the above that I didn’t love and I loved this novel. It follows Sixteen year Amy Trott and is set in 1915 World war I. She lives in a small fisherman village and her father, like with all daughters, is her entire world, where her mother is the evil one that abuses her.
Amy’s entire world is turned around when her father got lost at sea. Then she rescues a German soldier and hide him from everyone while she nurses him back to health.
This story toys with ones emotions, you laugh, you cry, you really feel compassion and Graham Higson has done it again. I read Oak Seer and fell in love with his writing, so without thinking about looking at what his second novel was about, I obviously wanted to read another of his stories and grab the opportunity.
All I can say is that you will fall in love with Graham’s writing, the way he describe things and the way his words speak into your soul and stay with you. His stories are beautiful written and you would really miss out on something truly amazing if you don’t get a copy of his work, especially Flither Lass soon.
However I did love everything Flither Lass had to offer. It had all the above that I didn’t love and I loved this novel. It follows Sixteen year Amy Trott and is set in 1915 World war I. She lives in a small fisherman village and her father, like with all daughters, is her entire world, where her mother is the evil one that abuses her.
Amy’s entire world is turned around when her father got lost at sea. Then she rescues a German soldier and hide him from everyone while she nurses him back to health.
This story toys with ones emotions, you laugh, you cry, you really feel compassion and Graham Higson has done it again. I read Oak Seer and fell in love with his writing, so without thinking about looking at what his second novel was about, I obviously wanted to read another of his stories and grab the opportunity.
All I can say is that you will fall in love with Graham’s writing, the way he describe things and the way his words speak into your soul and stay with you. His stories are beautiful written and you would really miss out on something truly amazing if you don’t get a copy of his work, especially Flither Lass soon.
June 15, 2014
Incredibly atmospheric. The further I got into the book the more I became convinced the story would not end well, I couldn’t see how it could be otherwise. Without giving anything away I will just say that when the ending came I thought ‘How apt. Perfect.’
The wildness, of characters and setting, is consistent from start to finish. The bone-chilling cold of the sea and terrible weather wafted out of the pages and into my bones. I had to put the heating on. The language was like a pop-up picture book opening up scene after scene. The dialogue of these illiterate and mostly ignorant fishing folk did its job in revealing their characters to me. Higson is a helluva story teller.
The story? It follows a few days in the life of Amy Trott, a 15 year old living in a poor fishing village on the wild UK Yorkshire coast. Everyone ekes a precarious living looking out for themselves. There’s no room for caring about neighbours. Anyone thought to be even a little different is treated harshly and Amy is that little bit different, thought to be simple. Her only protector is her father. There are two young men who also have soft spots for her but neither knows how to show it and don’t have the courage anyway. Amy collects flithers, limpets, from the rocky shore for her fisherman father to use as bait on his lines. It’s back-breaking dangerous work. The year is 1915 and paranoia regarding the Germans abounds. So when Amy finds one washed up on the rocks her life becomes very precarious indeed.
This is the story of people struggling to exist and find their place in that existence. Wrap your hands around a hot coffee or chocolate and let Graham Higson immerse you in Amy’s life.
The wildness, of characters and setting, is consistent from start to finish. The bone-chilling cold of the sea and terrible weather wafted out of the pages and into my bones. I had to put the heating on. The language was like a pop-up picture book opening up scene after scene. The dialogue of these illiterate and mostly ignorant fishing folk did its job in revealing their characters to me. Higson is a helluva story teller.
The story? It follows a few days in the life of Amy Trott, a 15 year old living in a poor fishing village on the wild UK Yorkshire coast. Everyone ekes a precarious living looking out for themselves. There’s no room for caring about neighbours. Anyone thought to be even a little different is treated harshly and Amy is that little bit different, thought to be simple. Her only protector is her father. There are two young men who also have soft spots for her but neither knows how to show it and don’t have the courage anyway. Amy collects flithers, limpets, from the rocky shore for her fisherman father to use as bait on his lines. It’s back-breaking dangerous work. The year is 1915 and paranoia regarding the Germans abounds. So when Amy finds one washed up on the rocks her life becomes very precarious indeed.
This is the story of people struggling to exist and find their place in that existence. Wrap your hands around a hot coffee or chocolate and let Graham Higson immerse you in Amy’s life.
May 13, 2014
Just finished Greg Higson’s Flither Lass and realy enjoyed it. It’s set in an English fishing village at the beginning of the First World War. As the English gear up for combat, German U boats are scouting England’s coast and young men are coping with the prospect of dying on a foreign battlefield. Sixteen-year-old Amy Trott, the novel’s main character, is oblivious to all this. Grindingly poor, scorned by the villagers, berated and beaten by her mother, Amy’s whole world is her Dad and her flithers-whelks she pries from the sea-swept rocks so her fisherman father can use them for bait. Amy’s narrow world disintegrates when her dad is lost at sea. Devastated by the disappearance of the only person who seems to care about her, Amy rescues a German mapmaker from the ocean, hides him in a cave and nurses him back to health. Readers who cherish idyllic ideas about English village life will have those notions challenged by Higson’s gritty portrayal of Amy’s struggles. I love historical novels so this story of an incident that may have changed the course of the war fascinated me.
June 11, 2015
A beautifully written historical novel set in the early days of WW1. The setting descriptions and dialogue written in local dialect help to give the book a wonderful sense of place as the reader is pulled along through this traumatic episode in the life of the 'Flither Lass'. With an ending that was impossible for me to predict, this makes a pretty perfect read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Graham Higson and am looking forward to reading more by this talented author.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews