The Sea House

Product Information

There is the Reverend Ferguson, living in the late 19th century, who represents the English presence in Scotland while dramatizing the struggle to reconcile community mythologies with the cold, hard facts of science. Charles Arrowby, leading light of England’s theatrical set, retires from glittering London to an isolated home by the sea. He plans to write a memoir about his great love affair with Clement Makin, his mentor, both professionally and personally, and amuse himself with Lizzie, an actress he has strung along for many years. None of his plans work out, and his memoir evolves into a riveting chronicle of the strange events and unexpected visitors-some real, some spectral-that disrupt his world and shake his oversized ego to its very core. An intriguing and atmospheric novel set in the Hebrides Islands of Scotland, the narrative moves between the contemporary story of Ruth and her husband Michael, and the islands in the 1860s when crofters are being forced to emigrate and science and religion are in conflict.

In the words of Despereaux's mother, who after much labor gives birth to only one live mouseling, this book was "Such the disappointment!" At its close, this well-made, gentle novel offers a concrete illusion of simplicity - or, as VS Pritchett described the desired quality of a short story, "something glimpsed from the corner of the eye, in passing". Here, the vision is of a clear and fragile presence, and as with all the best works of fiction, it lingers. The ocean view study at Sea House makes holiday working a pleasure rather than a chore. With its own balcony, indulge in lingering coffee breaks out in the balmy air.

The Sea House is a short walk from all the amenities of the village including shops, restaurants, bars, and pubs. It is also a stone’s throw from the beach and harbour on which many hours can be spent watching the world and boats go by. At the same time, Ferguson, enraptured by the evolutionary theories of Charles Darwin, is trying to prove that, somehow, a subset of humans might have evolved from seals – giving rise to the many folk tales and "sightings" of "seal folk" in the islands. His attempts turn into an all-consuming obsession: he stays up late at night, reading and eventually ruining his health. Abbott & Abbott are delighted to offer this superb two bedroom, luxury, seafront garden apartment, in one of Cooden's most prestigious areas. The main living room is tastefully furnished and decorated. It enjoys lovely sea views and has an open fireplace. For home entertainment, there is a flat screen tv and dvd player.

Sublime [and] profound . . . She takes great care to imbue the house, the sea, the surroundings—everything—with depth and significance . . . exhilarating.”—Sam Jordison, The Guardian, “Booker club” Winner of the prestigious Booker Prize—a tale of the strange obsessions that haunt a playwright as he composes his memoirs Ruth is determined to find out more about the baby and the trail soon leads to Reverend Alexander Ferguson who was a previous inhabitant of the house and also had a keen interest in mermaids. The story is divided into chapters narrated by Moira, the Reverend’s maid, Alexander and Ruth all battling their own demons. The narrative is delivered in two main time frames: the present day and 1953. And reflecting the particular sense that any novel is a kind of letter - to the reader, to the past and future, to oneself - Freud also uses epistolary interludes to great effect, so that there is a constant, sotto voce conversation occurring between the different points in history and between the overlapping lives of her characters. In 1860, Alexander Ferguson, a newly ordained vicar and amateur evolutionary scientist, takes up his new parish, a poor, isolated patch on the remote Scottish island of Harris. He hopes to uncover the truth behind the legend of the selkies—mermaids or seal people who have been sighted off the north of Scotland for centuries. He has a more personal motive, too; family legend states that Alexander is descended from seal men. As he struggles to be the good pastor he was called to be, his maid Moira faces the terrible eviction of her family by Lord Marstone, whose family owns the island. Their time on the island will irrevocably change the course of both their lives, but the white house on the edge of the dunes keeps its silence long after they are gone.

Overview

There are a number of worthwhile day trips that can be enjoyed from The Sea House. These include nearby Aranmore Island, the Dunlewey Lakeside Centre, the Fintown Railway and the magnificent Glenveagh National Park. An Idyllic Coastal Retreat

As with Gaglow (1997), which similarly recovered episodes of her family's past, her measured, elegant approach is perfectly suited to her material. The story, the multiple plot-lines, are enigmatic, often fragmentary, and arranged in a gradual, musing style. It is tempting to describe this as "painterly", but, by that, I do not mean her father Lucian Freud's intimate terrorising in oil, but rather the patient restraint of the Victorian watercolourist, where colour, allowed to dry and sharpen, then shines through in lucid, floating layers.Situated in the heart of the historic harbour area of the quaint North Northumberland coastal village of Seahouses, The Sea House is a newly converted and beautifully furnished holiday cottage offering accommodation for up to 6 guests in the form of 2 king size beds and 1 twin room. Private parking for one car and on street parking for another. There's a lot to like in this novel, the author does an especially nice job of showing the beauty of the landscape. The story takes place on South Harris Island, which is one of the Hebrides Islands off the west coast of Scotland. I'm not a traveler but Elizabeth Gifford's descriptions made me want to see the islands myself. While reading I frequently searched the internet for images of the areas that she was describing, the photos were always gorgeous. The ‘piece de resistance’ is the stunning bedroom on the second floor where you can feast your eyes on the nearby sea, not just from the window but also from the free-standing bath and super king-size bed. This luxurious room also has a walk-in shower. You may never want to leave!

I really enjoyed this story. I liked how the story was set both in the past as well as the present. I was fascinated by the stories from the past, and what had happened in the time that Reverend Alexander Ferguson was on the island. The apartment has a generous size master bedroom with fully fitted and built in "his and her" closets, and a plush en suite bathroom. There is also a further excellent size guest bedroom, and a main bathroom. Every so often the gaslights in the wall sconces gave an almost imperceptible flutter, minute winds troubling the gas flame as if each globe contained its own climate.” When Ruth and Michael move into the Sea House in the Hebrides they are finally realising their dream of opening a guest house and settling into their new home when the macabre discovery of a skeleton of a baby, legs fused like a mermaid, is found buried under the floor boards and disturbs Ruth’s peace of mind. The Sea House has recently undergone a significant renovation to be your true home-from-home, with all the added luxuries you’d expect. Everything from underfloor heated Amtico flooring, a wood (gas) burning stove fireplace, Loaf furniture throughout, hand-crafted ash doors, complete Grand Designs-style garden makeover to the best of kitchen appliances.When I was wee, my Nana, from Lewis, used to tell me stories of Selkies and seal people. My Grandpa, a sea captain, told me stories of mermaids. These tales have always fascinated me, and along with my mum's stories of her childhood holidays spent on Lewis have coloured some of my own writing, so this book was right up my street. The Sea House offers an escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life. The property can sleep 10 in the main house and 2 in a separate studio. There are four bedrooms, four bathrooms (two en suite), open-plan kitchen/dining/sitting room, pantry, TV/media room, utility, plus an extra sitting room on the first floor. It offers unrivalled views of the channel and, None of this is discussed in the story. Gifford writes her big history small, personalizing it. It is enough the reader know that a good and harmless people were uprooted and that the part of the culture they represented was destroyed in the process. Reverend Ferguson believes Selkies exist, existed at one time, or evolved into early generations of the home population. He is trying to prove this through the dictates of scientific investigation, that rare man of the cloth with one foot firmly planted in the empirical world - a Spinozan, reconciling faith and fact. Furnished in bespoke, locally-designed furniture, the master bedroom is the pièce de résistance of Sea House. Rise from the super king bed, head onto the private balcony and watch the surfers catch the first waves of the day. The majestic en-suite will add a touch of luxury to your morning routine, with a huge bathtub, shower and steam cubicle. A further two bedrooms and family bathroom are located just across the hall.