What do you think?
Rate this book
Sea, Sky, Islands: Three stories
In this trilogy of stories about life in the San Juan Islands, a teacher fantasizes about her favorite author to ease her loneliness, an islander finds love with a precariously sober alcoholic, and a young couple has to make sacrifices to keep their dreams afloat – but all find strength and inspiration in the sea, sky, and islands.
- GenresShort Stories
56 pages, Paperback
Published January 11, 2019
About the author
Alice K. Boatwright
12 books186 followersAlice K. Boatwright is the author of award-winning mysteries and literary fiction. Her mysteries about the skeptical American Ellie Kent, who marries a handsome English vicar and moves to his Cotswold village, have generated an enthusiastic following. The stories draw on the author's own experiences as an ex-pat living in an English village – as well as her longstanding love of English culture, literature, and history.
The first book in the series, UNDER AN ENGLISH HEAVEN, won 2016 Mystery & Mayhem Grand Prize for best mystery; and WHAT CHILD IS THIS? (Book 2) has become a popular Christmas read. IN THE LIFE EVER AFTER (Book 3) was published in January 2024.
In August 2019, a new edition of Alice's first book, COLLATERAL DAMAGE, was released by Standing Stone Books in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. Winner of the 2013 bronze medal for literary fiction from the Independent Publisher Book Awards, COLLATERAL DAMAGE is three novellas about this divisive era told from the perspective of those who fought, those who resisted, and the family and friends caught in the crossfire between them.
Alice is also the author of a chapbook of stories about the San Juan islands, SEA, SKY, ISLANDS; and, in 2022, she established Firefly Ink Books to publish stories that families and friends can read together. The first book, MRS. POTTS FINDS THANKSGIVING, was released in August 2022.
After 10 years of living in England and France, Alice now makes her home in the Pacific Northwest, where she is active in the writing community as a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and PEN America. She is also the convenor for the North America chapter of the UK’s Crime Writers Association.
To keep up Alice’s latest activities, sign up for her newsletter at http://eepurl.com/cER4Cj
You can follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/aliceboatwright; Instagram at www.instagram.com/alicek.boatwright/ or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/alice.boatwr...
The first book in the series, UNDER AN ENGLISH HEAVEN, won 2016 Mystery & Mayhem Grand Prize for best mystery; and WHAT CHILD IS THIS? (Book 2) has become a popular Christmas read. IN THE LIFE EVER AFTER (Book 3) was published in January 2024.
In August 2019, a new edition of Alice's first book, COLLATERAL DAMAGE, was released by Standing Stone Books in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. Winner of the 2013 bronze medal for literary fiction from the Independent Publisher Book Awards, COLLATERAL DAMAGE is three novellas about this divisive era told from the perspective of those who fought, those who resisted, and the family and friends caught in the crossfire between them.
Alice is also the author of a chapbook of stories about the San Juan islands, SEA, SKY, ISLANDS; and, in 2022, she established Firefly Ink Books to publish stories that families and friends can read together. The first book, MRS. POTTS FINDS THANKSGIVING, was released in August 2022.
After 10 years of living in England and France, Alice now makes her home in the Pacific Northwest, where she is active in the writing community as a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and PEN America. She is also the convenor for the North America chapter of the UK’s Crime Writers Association.
To keep up Alice’s latest activities, sign up for her newsletter at http://eepurl.com/cER4Cj
You can follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/aliceboatwright; Instagram at www.instagram.com/alicek.boatwright/ or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/alice.boatwr...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 13, 2019
Sea, Sky, Islands: Three Stories
By Alice K. Boatwright
Contains spoilers
Sea, Sky, Islands is a slim volume of short stories by Alice K. Boatwright that will leave you wishing she had included more in this collection of spare, poignant tales. The three stories are all set in the San Juan Islands of the Pacific Northwest—an apt metaphor for the isolation of the characters—and offer a close examination of men and women in various stages of their relationship. Each story is a gem.
Also the author of the Ellie Kent Mystery series, Boatwright begins the collection with the story “Between the East and Tomorrow,” in which she weaves the story around the preeminent short story writer of the late 20th century, Raymond Carver. A writer generally invokes another writer when he or she wishes to invite comparison. And this story of isolation and a love devolving into loneliness holds up well to such lofty comparisons. The language is spare and ordinary, yet heartbreaking. “’Nothing’s changed,’ he insisted. All she need to do was make up her mind to be happy and they’d be fine. Janet had tried, but loneliness was like a stitch in her side that never went away.”
It’s my favorite story in the collection. “Between the East and Tomorrow” perfectly captures that ache of when a relationship has ended but isn’t over yet: two people going through the motions, each as isolated as their island retreat. “She stood in the doorway, looking at Tom and wondered if he too were secretly somewhere else; suspended between the life they had once had and the future.”
The middle story in the collection, “Life Sentences,” explores the relationship between two recovering alcoholics. Jack Hillyer, an island native, has never been curious about what life is like across the waters of his island home—until he meets Patti at an AA meeting. Now he’s working to make a big sale so he can take her on a vacation to Hawaii. While the end comes as no surprise, it doesn’t make it any less painful—for Jack or for the reader. “And even though he was shocked, he had to admit he had always known this day would come. He had just hoped every day to put it off one day more.”
The last story in the collection, “Divas,” is a brief tribute to the endurance needed for a couple to navigate the “impatience and resentments” of staying together. Remaining committed to each other comes at a cost, but the sacrifices they make leads the narrator to ruminate, “This has been a season of ‘even withouts’—when expectations have shrunk like melting ice. It doesn’t matter. Everything is all right.”
Allow yourself to escape to the islands with the three beautiful, sad, and hopeful stories contained within Sea, Sky, Islands.
By Alice K. Boatwright
Contains spoilers
Sea, Sky, Islands is a slim volume of short stories by Alice K. Boatwright that will leave you wishing she had included more in this collection of spare, poignant tales. The three stories are all set in the San Juan Islands of the Pacific Northwest—an apt metaphor for the isolation of the characters—and offer a close examination of men and women in various stages of their relationship. Each story is a gem.
Also the author of the Ellie Kent Mystery series, Boatwright begins the collection with the story “Between the East and Tomorrow,” in which she weaves the story around the preeminent short story writer of the late 20th century, Raymond Carver. A writer generally invokes another writer when he or she wishes to invite comparison. And this story of isolation and a love devolving into loneliness holds up well to such lofty comparisons. The language is spare and ordinary, yet heartbreaking. “’Nothing’s changed,’ he insisted. All she need to do was make up her mind to be happy and they’d be fine. Janet had tried, but loneliness was like a stitch in her side that never went away.”
It’s my favorite story in the collection. “Between the East and Tomorrow” perfectly captures that ache of when a relationship has ended but isn’t over yet: two people going through the motions, each as isolated as their island retreat. “She stood in the doorway, looking at Tom and wondered if he too were secretly somewhere else; suspended between the life they had once had and the future.”
The middle story in the collection, “Life Sentences,” explores the relationship between two recovering alcoholics. Jack Hillyer, an island native, has never been curious about what life is like across the waters of his island home—until he meets Patti at an AA meeting. Now he’s working to make a big sale so he can take her on a vacation to Hawaii. While the end comes as no surprise, it doesn’t make it any less painful—for Jack or for the reader. “And even though he was shocked, he had to admit he had always known this day would come. He had just hoped every day to put it off one day more.”
The last story in the collection, “Divas,” is a brief tribute to the endurance needed for a couple to navigate the “impatience and resentments” of staying together. Remaining committed to each other comes at a cost, but the sacrifices they make leads the narrator to ruminate, “This has been a season of ‘even withouts’—when expectations have shrunk like melting ice. It doesn’t matter. Everything is all right.”
Allow yourself to escape to the islands with the three beautiful, sad, and hopeful stories contained within Sea, Sky, Islands.
November 1, 2020
Sea, Sky, Islands is a gorgeously-written collection of short stories about relationship. One relationship is ending, one is over, and one is struggling to stay strong. Taken together, the three stories are universal and heart-breaking, made all the more poignant by the deep connection of emotions to a beautiful and memorable sense of place.
Alice Boatwright has made sure that we care about these characters and what they are going through. She heightens our emotional experience through seamless metaphor and evocative descriptions of the isolation and stark beauty of the San Juan Islands of the Pacific Northwest.
In each story, the reader is carried through the painful emotions of loneliness and sadness to hope. Tom and Janet’s relationship is “suspended between the life they once had and the future.” Yet, like Raymond Carver, Janet is determined to find her way out of her own sad story and see herself as a lucky woman. Jack and Patti’s relationship has ended somewhat unexpectedly, yet he remembers that she was “the wave that carried him to shore… Who knew what might happen next. The day wasn’t over yet.” And, in the final story, the main character says: “This has been a season of ‘even withouts’ – when expectations have shrunk like melting ice.” Nonetheless, she shouts into the darkness, “Wee-ooo!” echoing the strength and danger of the whales—and her awe for them.
I loved all three stories.
Alice Boatwright has made sure that we care about these characters and what they are going through. She heightens our emotional experience through seamless metaphor and evocative descriptions of the isolation and stark beauty of the San Juan Islands of the Pacific Northwest.
In each story, the reader is carried through the painful emotions of loneliness and sadness to hope. Tom and Janet’s relationship is “suspended between the life they once had and the future.” Yet, like Raymond Carver, Janet is determined to find her way out of her own sad story and see herself as a lucky woman. Jack and Patti’s relationship has ended somewhat unexpectedly, yet he remembers that she was “the wave that carried him to shore… Who knew what might happen next. The day wasn’t over yet.” And, in the final story, the main character says: “This has been a season of ‘even withouts’ – when expectations have shrunk like melting ice.” Nonetheless, she shouts into the darkness, “Wee-ooo!” echoing the strength and danger of the whales—and her awe for them.
I loved all three stories.
November 10, 2023
SEA, SKY, ISLANDS: THREE STORIES by Alice Boatwright
Like three charms on a bracelet, each story is unique and unto itself yet together they enhance the scope of the collection.
No word is wasted, each contributes to creating images and credible interactions. An example from each story:
“Between the East and Tomorrow”
“Long shadows had begun to creep across the lawn and layers of islands were darkening from green to black. She shivered at the thought of the long evening ahead, and the stitch of loneliness tightened under her ribs as if someone were pulling on a thread getting ready to knot it off.”
“Life Sentences”
“He turned off the lights inside and went out to the porch. The butterfly chair creaked and protested mournfully as he sat down – how much heavier weight than she had been. It was a dark night, overcast with no stars or moon, not even any shadows.“
“Divas”
“From the outside, the voice of Maria Callas rises over the quiet singing of the chorus like the moon coming up over the trees. I can see the black shape of John’s boat, and it reminds me of the orca whales that live in these northern waters. I imagine them drawn up by the sound of the music, arching their backs as they swim by.”
My motto: any chance you have to hear or read Alice Boatwright—grab it!
Kizzie Jones, Author
February 4, 2019
These are beautifully written short stories that all take place in the San Juan Islands off the state of Washington. In one, a college professor drives through the town Raymond Carver lived before having a strained vacation with her partner; in another, a real estate agent tries to sell a summer home as he contemplates his latest romance; and in the third, a woman and her husband try to make their artistic dreams come true while still paying the rent. All three stories evoke the setting so sharply and poignantly. It feels as though the "sea, sky, and islands" are characters themselves. The stories are profound without being overly dramatic. I highly recommend it.
April 13, 2019
Three short stories by Alice Boatwright are a highly-anticipated event for anyone familiar with her other work. They will know that the writing is elegant and precise while capturing the human experience with wit and compassion. The stories are set in the Northwest and each captures the sense of time and place vividly.
For those who are unfamiliar with Boatwright's work in her brilliant Ellie Kent novels or in her poignant Vietnam War related novellae, Collateral Damage, there is a wonderful treat in store.
For those who are unfamiliar with Boatwright's work in her brilliant Ellie Kent novels or in her poignant Vietnam War related novellae, Collateral Damage, there is a wonderful treat in store.
January 3, 2025
I don't usually read short stories because they always leave me wanting more - these were not an exception to that. But I enjoyed this author's others books and the cover drew me in for my first book of the year. These three stories are beautifully written and I loved the setting of the San Juan Islands.
December 14, 2021
I really liked these! I think anyone who has lived on a Puget Sound island (or peninsula, or really anywhere that has ferries) could relate. I certainly did. And I liked that the stories all capture the vibe of the place while all being quite different. Wonderful collection.
September 6, 2021
These were lovely short stories. I don't normally like short stories but I really enjoyed these.
January 27, 2024
Searching
Such a thought provoking book with each story bringing forth a mixture of love, longing, loneliness and peace. I would recommend to thoughtful readers,
Such a thought provoking book with each story bringing forth a mixture of love, longing, loneliness and peace. I would recommend to thoughtful readers,
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews