Swim the Moon

by Paul Brandon

A haunting tale of love, music, and magic on the stormy coast of Scotland.

After the loss of his wife, Scottish fiddle player Richard Brennan moves to Australia to escape the ghosts of his former life. Six years later, he returns for his father's funeral and decides to remain in his father's desolate cottage in the north of Scotland, gathering together the threads of his former life, scratching out a living playing music.

Then Richard meets Ailish, the enigmatic young woman who's ethereal singing haunts the bay by moonlight.

As their relationship builds, the secrets of his family's past are brought to light, one by one, leaving them to confront a history that is both terrifying and fantastic-a legacy that may well cost Richard his soul.

Genres: Fantasy, Fairy Tales

384 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a modern retelling of the Gaelic selkie myth. The main character, Richard Brennan, is a good, likable guy who is an accomplished violinist concentrative on the folk music of the insular Celtic remnant. He was born and raised in Scotland, his family cursed by the selkies. He falls in love with Ailish his selkie who falls in love with him in turn. From there it is a romance.

I read this with the expectation that it would be about the selkie myth. It is, but not until the last 40 or so pages. The story before is interesting and after is rather ordinary for this myth. The best part of the novel was the author's descriptive abilities. He evoked a strong sense of mood and music and place. It takes place largely on the monaidhean of the extreme northwest of Scotland, a place rich in Gaelic Celtic history and myths. The author serves these well.

6 of 10 stars

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great descriptions of Scotland and the sea. A beautiful story with a bit of a the danger of myth.

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay so here's the thing, this book was so beautifully written. you felt like you were there, living through every moment, you could hear the music. you were drawn into it and couldn't stop.
BUT
then the author started writing the female character, as almost every male fantasy author writes women. and i was so disappointed.
i was gonna rate it 4/5 because the plot was so good and the story was beautiful, but like i literally cannot get past how most of the female characters were written. :-(

[Brenda Clift · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was thinking of giving this 2 stars but I finished it so that counts for something. I stopped and started this story several times. I love stories with a background folklore/folktale, but this was not one of them despite the selkies. Aside from the trouble I had wrapping my head around someone living in a hole in the side of a hill and then wondering why they were depressed and going mad......For me there were just too many things that I struggled to merge with the contemporary setting. No surprise that he committed suicide in the end (no matter how you try to phrase it).

[Sylvia McIvers · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Angst. Oh, the angst.
Not much by way of spoilers, if you read the back-cover blurb.

Our Hero pines for his lost wife, can't connect with his current lover, and then falls for a beautiful mysterious woman who may or not be magical.

The best parts of the book:
His sister, who seems to have her head on straight.
His musical gigs, which do not get nearly enough page time, considering he is this awesome fiddler.

[Tatiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

In high school, I loved this book profusely. Another reviewer described it as atmospheric, which is just the word I've been wanting all these years. Unfortunately, though, nostalgia was not enough to save this novel, written with more than one too many adjectives and play-by-play details. I got lost in the middle, trudging my way through the minutiae, wondering where the magic I once cherished had gone. The one redeeming quality of this second read through was the chance to notice the hints building up to a known ending.

[Joelle]

I enjoyed the choice of mythical creatures - I dont think there are that many book about Selkies (would welcome suggestions)[return][return]I could see the plot coming, though, and I cannot help to think that more could have been made of the story. There is a nice tie in with the distant past and some great descriptions of traditional song and music, makes me want to listen to some, but somehow it fell a little flat for me. Still, a nice summer read.

[Melanti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book.

It was wonderfully atmospheric. You could practically hear the sound of the sea and the sound of rain hitting the windows.

And it gave me a craving for good celtic music!

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the mythological aspect of this book, and the sense of place that the author created. I was completely captive until the end of it.

[Albert Sachteleben · Rating 5 out of 5]

possibly one of the most gripping books i have ever read.