The Haven: Book 1

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Brilliantly realized, utterly transporting ... Donoghue’s detailing of the island’s rugged geography and the methodical subsistence work of its dogged new stewards is masterful, almost hypnotic, but it’s the author’s quietly devastating depiction of the conflict between faith and survival, obedience and self-preservation, that powers this extraordinary novel.’ - lithub.com (starred review) If you are a prisoner attending an educational course such as NVQ, Open University, A Level, etc., and would like help in purchasing specific course literature, we may be able to help. Trian is the youngest and has been at the monastery since he was thirteen. Always hungry and always clumsy, Trian is the first to volunteer. Cormac has been a convert for fifteen years since the death of his wife and children from the plague. He suffered with the illness but was spared. And Artt is the elusive stranger, scholar, priest who will become their Prior. Haven by Emma Donoghue was an irresistable and atomospheric novel set in the seventh century southwestern medieval Ireland off the coast of County Kerry. There two jagged islands are seen, the larger Skellig Michael with monks living there since 1044. And this a remarkable tale of three monks who first embark to the island led by a larger-than-life charasmatic leader and a scholar and a priest, Brother Artt. There is a lot of symbolism in this book first represented by the three monks, as in the the trinity. And such an integral part of this story is Ireland's history of early monastic settlements as evidenced by the beautiful Book of Kells housed in Trinity College in Dublin.

When you get to your holiday home it will be sealed – break the seal and you will find your keys inside. It is these three men that embark on this perilous journey on the River Shannon to find their haven as they leave all they hold dear behind only leaving room for the sacred sacraments as well as vellum and the quills to write the gospels. It may be a stretch but when one thinks that the Book of Kells was created over 1200 years ago and considered a masterpiece of medieval art, one must pause as it was this period of time that so many remote monastaries throughout Ireland sprang up. There is a lot of scripture and beautiful psalms and hymns to lull one to their journey, but, alas it is not without peril on so many levels. It is through this journey with these three men that this character-driven novel slowly unfolds in a crescendo as it all begins to come together. But it leaves one with so many questions: what is faith? and, whom does one trust?The questions she poses are compelling: Does a didactic knowledge of the Bible and a vow of obedience and extreme sacrifice justify a holier-than-thou attitude? Is nature God’s holiest language and are its glorious beings, its birds and plants, our sisters and brothers? Or have we been truly awarded domination over all of it and if so, at what cost? Should monks be as humble as slaves, even when their own survival is severely threatened and every core of their being cries out against what is being demanded? Your Haven holiday includes accommodation, restaurants, takeaways and arcades, as well as a Play Pass which allows you entry to our entertainment venues and pools, as well as theability to book activities. In fulfilment of his vision, Artt settles upon an unlikely pair of missionaries. Cormac is well past his prime, a grizzled brawler who found Christ only after a plague claimed his family and a rival clan his patch of land. Trian, meanwhile, is a mere youth, “ungainly and odd” by his own rueful admission. Neither is much of a true believer, but both are sufficiently awed to accept their new calling without a murmur. It helps, too, that they have little notion of just what that calling will entail. Wherever you live, PLEASE support your local indie bookstore by buying from them either directly or through an indie-friendly hub such as bookshop.org or hive.co.uk.

Haven Hideaway holidays give our guests the chance to escape to the great British coast at a pace that suits them.​ Use your Haven accommodation as a base to enjoy the local area to its fullest - enjoy local walks and explore nearby towns, villages and attractions.

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Please note, guests who have booked a Haven Hideaway holidaywill nothave access to pools, entertainment venues or activities during their break.

Thank you to Hachette Audio, Little, Brown & Company, and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own. Donoghue wrings unlikely psychodrama from such everyday chores of monastic life as copying a manuscript ... rest assured that the devastating denouement amply repays the reader's patience' - Daily Mail After their supplies run out, they use the birds and their eggs for food, then the oil and the bodies of the birds for fuel, and then are reduced to eating raw fish and seaweed. Cormac pleads to return to shore for supplies, but is told they will never leave, never return to the pollution of human society. God will provide, Artt tells them. Margaret Skea, Interview/Feature, 'A Deceptively Simple Story: Confinement, Family and the Environment in Emma Donoghue’s Haven,' https://historicalnovelsociety.org/a-deceptively-simple-story-confinement-family-and-the-environment-in-emma-donoghues-haven/

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A gripping yarn: a Christian Castaway 2000; a Lord God Almighty of the Flies. Slowly, skilfully Donoghue builds a sense of brooding intensity ... what elevates her book above a theological thriller is the way she links Artt’s arrogance with the contemporary plundering of the Earth’s resources.' - The Big Issue Speaking of the book, it is hard for me to rate. The writing is beautiful, and the descriptions are vivid and so well done. Everything takes place in a slow fashion. I am not a slow build/slow book fan but this one worked as I imagined their days full of toil, building, and transcribing must have felt. Plus, this is not an action book. It's a book about the men, their faith, their days, and their survival. Written in an admirably plain and lucid style, Haven is slow but ultimately moving in its revelation of friendship and human decency.' - Sunday Times Prior Artt has had a dream of an island in the southwest. He knows only that. And the vow of blind obedience will be at the core of it all. The gifts of fortitude and knowledge will suffer under the extremes of obedience. And the deemed weakest of the links may be the strongest. Kim Honey, 'How a 21st-century Feminist Inhabits the Minds and Lives of Sixth-Century Monks in Haven,' https://www.everythingzoomer.com/zed-book-club/2022/09/28/how-a-21st-century-feminist-inhabits-the-minds-and-lives-of-sixth-century-monks-in-haven/