Author: Ellie O’Neill
ISBN: 9781925030013
RRP: $29.99
Ellie O’Neill is back with her second modern Irish folktale and I loved it.
Maeve O’Brien is an apprentice lawyer in the independent Dublin legal firm Holmes and Friedman, she is 27 and quite the modern lass. Maeve is technologically obsessed and just as obsessed with appearances.
Life is all a little crumbly for Maeve with rumoured redundancies at work and the dust not yet settled from the biggest fight she’s ever had with her bestie, a fight that leaves her living back home with Mam.
Maeve’s boss Harry Holmes has a special job he needs done and he selects Maeve for her tenacity, and her single status that leaves her able to set off on travel commitments at the drop of a hat. Maeve isn’t given much information, just that she needs to collect the signature of a man on documents for the sale of land to build a bridge.
The bridge build is enough to excite Maeve as it reminds her of a time that she worked building sites and construction during college, the tomboy turned in her steel caps and swapped them for stilettos in her final year of college.
Since switching her steel caps for stilettos she has also found an unhealthy obsession with selfies, sometimes taking up to half an hour to capture the perfect shot (ugh who has time for that) and religiously following her likes creeping up and her social life on social media. At 27 she’s obsessed with her appearance, botox being the backbone of her bestie brawl, and drowning in debt.
Escaping Dublin couldn’t come at a better time. This little job could be the cement building block for her career and how hard could it be to get an old man’s signature.
Hy Brasil is almost a completely new world for Maeve, there are no cars, no traffic lights, no fast food and very little in the way of a social life. The best thing that can be said about her island accommodations is that they are dry. High fashion, high maintenance Maeve is being put up in a tin caravan in the middle of a muddy field, and she’s pretty sure she’s not going to like it.
The Enchanted Island takes a, possibly slightly exaggerated, look at the quest for beauty and the perfect appearance, but at what cost. We see how Maeve has lost herself behind the online shopping, credit card debt, botox, designer clothes and quest for the perfect selfie. In Dublin the only time she could be seen naturally was in the dead of night. In Hy Brasil the need to primp and preen seems a little shallow, who will appreciate it – surely not the sheep.
Maeve soon discovers that there’s more to Hy Brasil than meets the eye. The simple signature is anything but, the wind howls like a banshee and the older generation are fit but far from friendly. No-one seems willing to talk about the strangeness but Maeve finds herself more and more intrigued.
Irish folklore is deftly woven into a modern tale of progress and romance. Hy Brasil is an island steeped in history, centuries of history, and the elder islanders have been a part of that history for generations.
The Enchanted Island is an authentic and enjoyable follow-up to O’Neill’s stellar debut Reluctantly Charmed. I was invested in Maeve’s journey and wanted to see where this trip would take her. The history of the island was engaging and I was always wanting to get to the bottom of the mystery, and wondering if Maeve would ever get all of the answers.
There is a strong sense of romance on The Enchanted Island, and a few different romances to follow. Maeve’s romance builds slowly until it becomes encompassing, it was believably written and drew you in until you had to know how she was going to cope because this was all so new for her.
An interesting meld of old world Irish folklore and the modern world, with progress trying to push its way in and upset the balance. It really is quite a reflection on a lot of what is happening across the world today. Definitely worth the read and I will be interested to hear what our readers have to say.
A little bit mystery, a little bit suspense, a little bit folklore and a little bit romance makes for a massive story steeped in history at the same time as modern technology.
30 of our lucky readers will also be reading The Enchanted Island so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments below.
The Enchanted Island is book #63 for The Australian Women Writer’s Challenge 2015.
Ellie O’Neill can be found on Facebook, Twitter and her Website.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
Maeve O’Brien is a 2nd year Apprentice Solicitor who is a total social media junkie and also a shopaholic. Without permission she uses her best friends credit card, is kicked out of the apartment they share and is forced to move back in with her mother. A recession in Ireland is putting at risk the job security of everyone and Maeve is worried about being made redundant. When called into the office of Harry Holmes, one of the 2 managing partners of the firm, she thought that was what was going to happen, however instead he told her he had a job for her. He wanted her to go to Hy Brasil, a remote island off the west coast of Ireland, where an old friend of his wanted to build a bridge to connect the island with the mainland. She was to get the signature of an elderly resident Sean Fitzpatrick, to sell his house to enable the bridge to proceed. By getting that signature her job would be secure and Maeve thought it was going to be very easy, but it turns out to be quite a lot harder.
Maeve was met on the island by Dan ‘the old friend’ of the partner and taken to her ‘basic accommodation’, which turned out to be a caravan that looked like a giant green bowling ball made out of tin, but she didn’t mind it as she thought she would only be staying for a short time.
Maeve found most of the residents of the island, especially the older ones, to be quite hostile to her and Sean, the man whose signature she needed, was being very elusive. She very quickly realised that her assignment, which seemed simple enough, was not going to be an easy one.
Maeve cannot get past a feeling that the islanders are hiding something, strange things seem to happen and no-one will explain anything. There is something very unusual about the island, its old people seem to have immense strength, have no illnesses and live to an old age.
Maeve initially missed the busy, hectic and fun filled social life in Dublin and craved cars, nightclubs, bright lights and noise, but the longer she was on the island the more she began to re-evaluate what she wanted in her life and not care about her appearance.
The novel is well written, quite an entertaining read with suspense, myth and romance as well as a surprising but believable finish.
Thank you Beauty & Lace and Simon & Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read this novel.
What a great review !
The Enchanted Island is a must read over the Christmas Break.. I liked how this book was written with themes and language from today’s era mixed in with history and events of mythical Irish history.
I loved the little map of the Island and kept looking back at it when a new place was introduced in the book.
Wow ! did not expect this ending. Well written Ellie O’Neill.
Looking forward to reading other titles of hers.
I have just finished reading The Enchanted Island, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
In the beginning of the book, Maeve is just a bit of a mess, and comes across as rather shallow.
The way she treats her nearest and dearest isn’t nice at all. Without giving too much away, it is comforting to know that by the end of the book, she changes her ways.
Some characters were more appealing than others. Killian didn’t seem a strong enough character for the storyline; I wanted more from him, as he had the potential to be a bigger part of the story than he ended up being.
I must say that I did find it a bit hard to believe that Maeve would change her ways so instantly once she got on the island, but it didn’t take away from what is a really good story. This would make a great Christmas gift, or a great summer read. I am going to check out ‘Reluctantly Charmed’ by Ellie, as I really enjoy her writing style.
I would recommend this book because it is really charming, funny, and enjoyable. Thanks to Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to review.
What a fun read this was. It was written in a light hearted, witty, fun way and was very easy to read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Maeve is sent by her boss to an island to get the signature of a man who will sell his land to enable a bridge to be built from the island to the mainland. Easy, eh? A quick flit over to the island, sign, home again. Done in a couple of days, right? And getting the signature will ensure Maeve’s job in a workplace where people are being let go.
Of course, things don’t go according to plan. City based Maeve has to do a LOT of adjusting to life on the island, where there aren’t even any cars! Lots of sheep though, and MUD. Designer clothes just don’t fit in here.And the 2 day job is taking much longer than expected, as the man needed to sign is proving to be hard to find.
During her time on the island, Maeve discovers what she CAN do without, and who she doesn’t need in her life. As her stay lengthens, she finds herself questioning her previous existance and looks hard at the things she has done. And Maeve grows up.
The book is very modern, with up to date phone & social media being a necessary part of Maeve’s daily life. This is a delightful story that kept me amused and involved from start to finish. Heaps of laugh out loud moments, and a feel good end to the book. Thanks for selecting me to review it.
Thank you so much to Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to review this book. This was a really intruiguing read from start to finish. I did feel it dragged on a bit in the beginning, I dont think it needn’t have been 400 plus pages but once it took off, particularly when Maeve arrives at Hy Brasil it became really interesting. This book is a real page turner and I loved how its a bit different from your usual general fiction novel with so many genres rolled into one ie. drama, romance, suspense, mystery etc. I liked seeing Maeve mature and grow after her time on the island and I found the love stories and romances between John and Cathy and Maeve and Killian in particular quite mesmerising. Also what was quite gripping was how far the islanders would go to protect their piece of paradise. As for the ending I was neither disappointed nor pleased. I would have liked for the relationships Maeve has with namely Killian, her Mam and Sasha to have been explored more deeply upon arriving back in Dublin. Overall, however I feel this is a worthwhile well written book that I recommend.
Ellie O’Neil brings us an enchanting tale that draws you in from the start to finish. It is filled with witty, unique and funny characters that are hard to forget.
Maeve O’Brien has a life that is a bit of a mess in Dublin, but one day her employer offers her a desirable job on a remote island “Hy Brasil”, that could make her a fully-fledged lawyer. Maeve is quite excited about the change and opportunity and is feeling like things are looking on the up side of life.
When she arrives on the island the reception Maeve receives is quite unwelcoming, surrounded by mystery, as if something may want her gone.
Maeve has to track down a person named Sean Fitzpatrick and his signature is required on paperwork she had brought from her employer that could change the island. But something’s in the air, some kind of mysterious protective force.
Maeve stays quite determined on the island despite it being a little hard, but of course does miss her some parts of her old life back in Dublin.
I must mention there’s an islander with gorgeous green eyes who Maeve starts to take quite an interest in as well.
It might be a little hard on the island for Maeve but it can also be very unique and appealing at the same time.
This book will take you to a very special and unique place that draws in the reader from the very start to the very finish.
I must express I found this a very enjoyable novel to read Thank you Beauty & Lace for the fantastic opportunity to read and review this enchanting book by Ellie O’Neil.
Ellie O’Neill’s sophomore novel, The Enchanted Island shares a few things in common with Marian Keyes’ work. The two writers are both Irish and they pen engaging chick literature that is easy to read and fun to immerse yourself in. The Enchanted Island also manages to combine some quirky Irish magic and humour into its oddball, verdant mix.
The book is a first person narrative starring Maeve O’Brien. She’s a modern woman and trainee lawyer who can often be found posting on social media, getting Botox and posing for selfies. She’s a little vapid and self-obsessed but she’s also very real. I think there’s a little bit of Maeve in all of us.
O’Brien’s workplace is a battleground and the threat of redundancy is looming. She’s also committed a terrible act, she’s stolen her friend’s credit card in order to pay for her beauty treatments. So when the opportunity arises to go to the remote and mysterious island of Hy Brasil (a real place found to the West of Ireland), Maeve jumps at the chance because all she really needs to do is get a certain man’s signature.
But all is not as it seems on this particular island. The inhabitants are resistant to change and Sean Fitzpatrick (the man Maeve needs to meet in order to sign a contract) is proving elusive. This novel is like Hy Brasil itself, there is more to it than meets the eye. It will remind readers of what it’s like to get back to basics and to appreciate the simpler things in life. The lead character goes through a huge transformation and certainly becomes more likeable as one gets deeper into the story.
In all, The Enchanted Island is an engaging and beautiful tale with a dark undercurrent. It’s also a humble story that will resonate with readers because the island is resplendent and cloaked in an infectious and seductive mystery. In short, this is one whimsical, modern romance and love letter to Ireland. Recommended.
I was fortunate enough to receive this book for review 🙂 It was an easy read but also one of those that I kept saying to myself, one more chapter before bed. The main character Maeve is initially quite self absorbed and lacking direction in life before a work trip to the island. The island is lacking in the consumeristic life that she is used to which bothers her at first, it’s very quirky but has a charm about it.
Finally coming to understand that the perfect selfie is not the be all and end all, her trip to the island ends up being one of personal growth instead of solely a business trip. The island romance was a nice touch without taking over the storyline.
I enjoyed the book, an easy read but still interesting. Had me wanting some of the islands seaweed too 😉 I even left my phone at home today and I didn’t feel stressed about it. Might have to do that more often. Thanks for the opportunity!
With a background in Architecture which she left behind after her father’s death Maeve O’Brien joins a solicitor’s firm and is in her second year apprenticeship. With a life in total meltdown due to maxed out credit cards, poor decisions both with friendships and love her life is spiralling out of control. When offered a chance to finalise a contract on the remote island of Hy Brasil she jumps at the chance. What follows is an amazing adventure full of friendly and not so friendly characters, dark mysteries and haunting tales of the past.
A fun novel full to the brim with incredible characters and events. Amazingly not everyone is as they seem and the slow unwinding of each individual tale is both fun and very cleverly done. Even though these characters were interesting it was the island itself that held me spellbound – almost as if its powers leapt from the pages to draw me in.
Brilliant story that was well written and I would thoroughly recommend it be read
I thoroughly enjoyed The Enchanted Island.
We start with Maeve being very interested in outer appearances, then having to get away from the city. At around that time she gets offered a job getting a signature for her law firm from someone on a remote Irish island.
What follows is a transformation in her outlook, and many island mysteries – nothing is as it appears and people aren’t what they appear to be. She meets Killian who is her love interest. I would have liked their story to develop a bit more, but loved her interactions with other locals, both good and not so good.
I’m glad we got the answers to many mysteries, but there was enough left to make you wonder about the island, Hy Brasil.
Would definitely recommend.