The Fisherman’s Gift

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

The sea stole him from her. Could it bring him back?

Winter, 1900. A little boy washes up on the beach of a small fishing village in Scotland, barely alive. He bears an uncanny resemblance to teacher Dorothy's son, lost to the sea many years before.

When the village is snowed in, Dorothy agrees to look after the child until he can be returned home. But, as the past rises to meet the present, long-buried secrets in this tight-knit community start to come to light. And Dorothy finds herself thrown together again with the reclusive fisherman Joseph, after years of keeping their distance.

Bursting with tension and tenderness, this is an exquisite love story that delves into the griefs and hopes that can lie behind village gossip.

'A beautiful story of grief, hope and love; of dark snowy nights, the mysteries of the sea and, above all, redemption' Lucy Diamond, Sunday Times bestselling author of Something to Tell You

‘Spectacular... a gift to readers everywhere...a treasure’ Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Left Undone

© Julia Kelly 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Critics Review

A beautiful story of grief, hope and love; of dark snowy nights, the mysteries of the sea and, above all, redemption
Lucy Diamond, Sunday Times bestselling author of SOMETHING TO TELL YOU
Hauntingly beautiful and completely absorbing, this tragic tale of grief, love and longing kept me reading well into the night. A stunning debut that will stay with me for a long time to come.
Rosie Walsh, bestselling author of THE MAN WHO DIDN'T CALL
Spectacular... a gift to readers everywhere...a treasure... I imagine that this novel will be shared and read in the years to come by readers who long for a great story well told. I didn't want it to end.
Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of THE GOOD LEFT UNDONE
Rich in atmosphere and brimming with mystery… a poignant, spellbinding tale of loss and resilience...reminding us that the human heart, like the sea, holds depths we can never fully fathom
Christina Baker Kline, New York Times No. 1 bestselling author
A tender, deeply felt story of a mother’s yearning. The small Victorian Scottish village setting is beautifully evoked. This is a most enjoyable debut.
Rachel Hore, Sunday Times Bestselling Author of THE HIDDEN YEARS
A breathtaking, an exquisitely written, pitch-perfect look at love and shame, what is lost and what is found. Like the sea she describes with haunting eloquence, Julia Kelly’s story surges then ebbs, sweeping the reader along with its powerful currents
Jeanette Walls, New York Times Bestselling author of THE CASTLE
As searing as a winter wind. With perfect pacing and vivid prose, Kelly shows us not just what was but what could have been, and therein lies this book’s real gift.
Rachel Beanland, author of FLORENCE ADLER SWIMS FOREVER and THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE
Characters so authentic they live and breathe well beyond the page....Julia Kelly is a writer of extraordinary talent and I adored this book.
Fíona Scarlett author of BOYS DON'T CRY
A beautifully-written, heartbreaking novel full of wonderful characters - a real gem of a book
Emily Koch, author of WHAT JULY KNEW
Superbly crafted and tender, it’s a brilliant evocation of time, landscape and characters – with twists to keep you gripped to the last page
Woman & Home

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