Play Book Tag discussion

Whale Fall is a quiet and thoughtful book set on a remote Welsh island in 1938. I liked the protagonist, Manod, an 18 year old girl who has been taking care of her younger sister since their mother died. The audio is wonderful, with songs and special features that enriched the story. I usually increase the playback speed of audios, but I kept this one at 1.0 to appreciate the language. I do wish that I had a kindle or book handy to see the spelling of names and other terms, but I’m finding them in other reviews. I was wondering why she called her father Todd or Tad, until I saw Robin’s note that Tad = Dad.

The book is partly a slice of life story about what it was like to live on a secluded island during this time period. The slow pace won’t be for everyone, but the short length makes it less risky to try it for yourself. Manod’s life becomes more interesting when two university researchers come to the island with plans to write about the island’s people. They are impressed by her English skills and ask her to become their secretary and translator. I was amused by the evidence of how their preconceived notions about island life affected their research. I was reminded of other stories about anthropologists (such as Euphoria with a character inspired by Margaret Mead). The researchers encourage Manod to consider going to college on the mainland, and they affect her in both positive and negative ways.

A whale is beached on the island early in the story. This event was not treated the way it might be in North America by Inuit or other indigenous tribes, or by some modern day coastal towns. I was disappointed by this, but that was because of my own preconceived ideas about island life. The whale is nevertheless important to the story as it parallels what is happening to the island. The author’s afterword is interesting. This is a fictitious island, but she discusses what happened with many other islands in the region during this time period. Thanks to Robin and Joy for bringing this book to our attention.

I'm so glad that several people have read/listened to this book. I must have picked it because of the Welsh connection. My husband has Welsh ancestry and can even speak it. I have studied a little. In fact we will both be at a language and culture school in Wales at the end of July/first part of August, along with our son and 2 of my sisters-in-law. They have a talent show that includes recitation in English or Welsh and I would like to read a section from this book for it.

Robin P wrote: "I'm so glad that several people have read/listened to this book. I must have picked it because of the Welsh connection. My husband has Welsh ancestry and can even speak it. I have studied a little...."

That sounds like an amazing experience, even more so because you’re doing it as a family. Just in case the audio narration isn’t a good model, you can practice in front of native speakers to refine your pronunciation. Good luck with the talent show!