Migrations
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
‘An extraordinary novel… as beautiful and as wrenching as anything I’ve ever read.’ Emily St John Mandel
‘This novel is enchanting, but not in some safe, fairytale sense. Charlotte McConaghy has harnessed the rough magic that sears our souls. I recommend The Last Migration with my whole heart.’ Geraldine Brooks
For readers of Station Eleven and Everything I Never Told You, a debut novel set on the brink of catastrophe, as a young woman chases the world’s last birds – and her own final chance for redemption.
A dark past. An impossible journey. The will to survive.
How far you would you go for love? Franny Stone is determined to go to the end of the earth, following the last of the Arctic terns on what may be their final migration to Antarctica.
As animal populations plummet and commercial fishing faces prohibition, Franny talks her way onto one of the few remaining boats heading south. But as she and the eccentric crew travel further from shore and safety, the dark secrets of Franny’s life begin to unspool. A daughter’s yearning search for her mother. An impulsive, passionate marriage. A shocking crime. Haunted by love and violence, Franny must confront what she is really running towards – and from.
Previously published as The Last Migration, this is a wild, gripping and deeply moving novel from a brilliant young writer. From the west coast of Ireland to Australia and remote Greenland, through crashing Atlantic swells to the bottom of the world, this is an ode to the wild places and creatures now threatened, and an epic story of the possibility of hope against all odds.
‘Transporting’ (New York Times) · ‘Hopeful’ (Washington Post) · ‘Powerful’ (Los Angeles Times) · ‘Thrilling’ (TIME) · ‘Tantalizingly beautiful’ (Elle) · ‘Suspenseful’ (Vogue) · ‘Aching and poignant’ (Guardian)
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Young adult novelist McConaghy (the Chronicles of Kaya series) makes her adult debut with the clunky chronicle of Franny Stone, a troubled woman who follows a flock of endangered Arctic terns on what is believed to be their final migration home. Franny's mother, who vanished when Franny was seven, warned her that women in their family are unable to resist the urge to wander. While working at a university in Galway, she meets ornithologist Niall Lynch, who immediately declares they'll spend their lives together, and they implausibly marry. Unfortunately, Franny's overwhelming desire to travel, her sorrow over their stillborn daughter, and a sleepwalking episode in which she chokes Niall drive a wedge in their marriage. Niall had always longed to track the terns, and Franny does so by convincing a fishing boat captain that she can help him find fish in exchange for transportation. Despite the ragtag crew's initial distrust of Franny, she becomes part of the team. McConaghy divulges more about Franny's dark past as she writes Niall letters and reflects on their relationship, as well as the true nature of her quest. While McConaghy's plot is engaging, her writing can be a heavy-handed distraction ("out flies my soul, sucked through my pores"). Lovers of ornithology and intense drama will find what they need in this uneven tale.
Customer Reviews
Compelling ...
This story is heart wrenching and beautiful in equal measure. A love story that is steeped in tolerance, endurance and a deep understanding of the flawed nature of the human condition. Great read.
Phenomenal…
Beautifully written powerful frightening and disturbing.
Losing everything, finding something
A story of losing everything then finding enough to keep going, set in a speculative near future on a fishing vessel en route from Greenland to Antarctica. Heroine Franny Stone's restlessness and recklessness sweep her from one absolute end of the earth to the other - but does her tragic past chase her or does she chase it?