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The Secret of Roan Inish
Fiona McConville is a child of the Western Isles whose family left the fishing life and their home on the small islet of Ron Mor for the Scottish mainland when Fiona was six. But city life doesn’t suit Fiona so at age ten she is sent back to her beloved isles to live with her grandparents. There she learns more about her mother’s strange ways with the seals and seabirds; she hears stories of the selkies, mythological creatures that are half seal and half human; and she wonders about her baby brother, Jamie, who disappeared during the island evacuation but whom fishermen claim to have seen. Fiona determines to find Jamie and strikes up a friendship with her older cousin Rory to enlist his help. When her grandparents are suddenly threatened with eviction, Fiona and Rory put their plans into action.
Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry is a magical story of the power of place and family history, interwoven with Scottish folklore. Rosalie K. Fry’s novel was the basis for John Sayles’s classic 1994 film The Secret of Roan Inish.
Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry is a magical story of the power of place and family history, interwoven with Scottish folklore. Rosalie K. Fry’s novel was the basis for John Sayles’s classic 1994 film The Secret of Roan Inish.
89 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1957
About the author
Rosalie K. Fry
35 books19 followersRosalie K. Fry was born on Vancouver Island. She made her home in Swansea, South Wales. During World War II she was stationed in the Orkney Islands, where she was employed as a Cypher Officer in the Women’s Royal Service. She wrote many stories and executed many drawings for a variety of children’s magazines in Great Britain. She was also known as a maker of children’s toys.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
March 11, 2015
Wiki Description: The Secret of Roan Inish is a 1994 American/Irish independent film written and directed by John Sayles.
It is centered on the Irish and Orcadian folklores of selkies—seals that can shed their skins to become human. The story, set on the west coast of Ireland, is about Fiona, a young girl who is sent to live with her grandparents and her cousin Eamon near the island of Roan Inish, where the selkies are rumored to reside. It is a family legend that her younger brother was swept away in his infancy and raised by a selkie. Part of the film takes place in Donegal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4nmC...
January 8, 2016
The movie rates an absolute 5 stars from me.
I hope the book delivers as well!
***
UPDATE:
Wow. #BlownAway
This book is stunningly elegant in it's simplicity.
And, while entirely brilliant in it's own right, I find it also complements the film beautifully (though there are some marked differences between book and film, of course.)
On a (somewhat) unrelated note, I would also highly recommend the recent, wonderful animated film "Song of the Sea", which also uses Selkies as a focal point of the narrative.
I hope the book delivers as well!
***
UPDATE:
Wow. #BlownAway
This book is stunningly elegant in it's simplicity.
And, while entirely brilliant in it's own right, I find it also complements the film beautifully (though there are some marked differences between book and film, of course.)
On a (somewhat) unrelated note, I would also highly recommend the recent, wonderful animated film "Song of the Sea", which also uses Selkies as a focal point of the narrative.
November 17, 2019
Selkies, an island all to yourself, wonderful grandparents, home again, a tragedy from the past thwarted; this book has all a child could wish for, but I am sad that I read it as an adult and not when I was a child. NYRB Children's Classics
April 26, 2008
This is one of my very favorite books. I adored the movie, which I saw before I read the story - and I knew I had to find a copy of the book. Doing so was easier said than done, and after a two year hunt on two continents I paid the most I've ever paid for a book.
The story is different than the movie, not surprisingly, but is really lovely. It was illustrated by Fry, and her little line drawings are enchanting (if you cannot track down a hard-cover of this book, watch the end-credits of the movie, which Sayles ran over some of Fry's original artwork.). I don't know enough about Selkie mythology to know if those bits of the book are "right," but they're not enough of the story for that to matter to me. What matters is Fiona's belief in the importance of family, and faith that hers will be guided back to her.
A very special story.
The story is different than the movie, not surprisingly, but is really lovely. It was illustrated by Fry, and her little line drawings are enchanting (if you cannot track down a hard-cover of this book, watch the end-credits of the movie, which Sayles ran over some of Fry's original artwork.). I don't know enough about Selkie mythology to know if those bits of the book are "right," but they're not enough of the story for that to matter to me. What matters is Fiona's belief in the importance of family, and faith that hers will be guided back to her.
A very special story.
November 27, 2017
Perfect for readers who loved Katie Morag but have since graduated onto the outside adventurous life of Swallows and Amazons, Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry, written and illustrated by Rosalie K. Fry is a tale full of charm about a girl who returns to a Scottish island, determined to uncover the mystery of her missing brother. His disappearance is never spoken of and an unresolved grief hangs in the air, but young Fiona is determined to follow up on the old fishermen’s tales of possible sightings in amongst the seals after whom the island is named.
Although sadness begets this beautiful story, found right at the border between Selkie folklore and all that could be true, Fiona’s innocent and hopeful tale is full of quiet determination. Her adventures and freedom, her time spent independently exploring hidden or forgotten coves and ramshackle ruins, building fires and making camp are enormously appealing and the strongly evocative and authentic setting makes it all too easy to wish, even to believe that this entrancing tale could happen, and maybe it even did.
Touching on themes that are still relevant in the Scottish islands today – depopulation and land ownership by lairds – as well as considering grief and longing, Fry’s tale balances thoughtfulness with utter charm and a dash of the magic of Scottish mythology. Although bursting with an innocence (as viewed through a 21st century lens), Fry doesn’t patronise her readers. Instead this story will be quiet encouragement to readers to feel they can take control of their lives and create the world they want.
Peppered throughout this short novel, with just 10 chapters and 90 pages, are delightful line drawings of seals and seagulls, boats and blackhouses, also by Rosalie Fry. Some of Fry’s illustrations feature in the credits of the 1994 film The Secret of Roan Inish , which is based on the book, but with the location moved to Ireland.
You can read how we made Seaweed soup inspired by this book here: http://www.playingbythebook.net/2017/...
Although sadness begets this beautiful story, found right at the border between Selkie folklore and all that could be true, Fiona’s innocent and hopeful tale is full of quiet determination. Her adventures and freedom, her time spent independently exploring hidden or forgotten coves and ramshackle ruins, building fires and making camp are enormously appealing and the strongly evocative and authentic setting makes it all too easy to wish, even to believe that this entrancing tale could happen, and maybe it even did.
Touching on themes that are still relevant in the Scottish islands today – depopulation and land ownership by lairds – as well as considering grief and longing, Fry’s tale balances thoughtfulness with utter charm and a dash of the magic of Scottish mythology. Although bursting with an innocence (as viewed through a 21st century lens), Fry doesn’t patronise her readers. Instead this story will be quiet encouragement to readers to feel they can take control of their lives and create the world they want.
Peppered throughout this short novel, with just 10 chapters and 90 pages, are delightful line drawings of seals and seagulls, boats and blackhouses, also by Rosalie Fry. Some of Fry’s illustrations feature in the credits of the 1994 film The Secret of Roan Inish , which is based on the book, but with the location moved to Ireland.
You can read how we made Seaweed soup inspired by this book here: http://www.playingbythebook.net/2017/...
September 1, 2019
When young Fiona McConville is sent to stay with her grandparents in the Western Isles of Scotland, she and her cousin Rory become involved in a plan to return the family to their abandoned ancestral home, the Ron Mor Island. Discovering the secret of the seals of Ron Mor Skerry, Fiona helps to resolve a family tragedy involving her long-lost baby brother, Jamie, in the process.
Readers may be more familiar with the adaptation of this short novel, and the film made from it: The Secret of Roan Inish, in which the setting is changed from Scotland to Ireland. But although the movie is well done, I think that this original version is the preferable one. Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry (originally published in the UK as Child of the Western Isles) is imbued with a powerful sense of place, and of the connections between people and the natural world around them. Those who have done some reading about the gradual abandonment of many of the western islands, off both Scotland and Ireland, will recognize many of the themes here. The writing is positively luminous, and Fry's delicate line drawings are a perfect complement to the story.
As a side note, readers interested in learning more about selkies should pick up a copy of Duncan Williamson's Tales of the Seal People: Scottish Folk Tales .
Readers may be more familiar with the adaptation of this short novel, and the film made from it: The Secret of Roan Inish, in which the setting is changed from Scotland to Ireland. But although the movie is well done, I think that this original version is the preferable one. Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry (originally published in the UK as Child of the Western Isles) is imbued with a powerful sense of place, and of the connections between people and the natural world around them. Those who have done some reading about the gradual abandonment of many of the western islands, off both Scotland and Ireland, will recognize many of the themes here. The writing is positively luminous, and Fry's delicate line drawings are a perfect complement to the story.
As a side note, readers interested in learning more about selkies should pick up a copy of Duncan Williamson's Tales of the Seal People: Scottish Folk Tales .
September 9, 2022
Fiona McConville and her family were residents of the Western Isles (Outer Hebrides), when they were forced to move off the island to the city. On the day of the moving, tragedy resulted in the loss of her little brother, Jamie, who was swept out to sea in his cradle. Now, four years later, Fiona returns to the area to visit her grandparents, and in a magical boating excursion involving seals, she ends up back on the island of her birth. As she explores the abandoned cottages, she catches sight of a young boy who is having tea with the seals, and she knows she has found Jamie. Intuitively, she understands that she and her grandparents must return to live on the island in order to be reunited with her little brother. With the help of her older cousin, Rory, she cleans and repairs the cottages, before persuading her grandparents to go back to the island.
This gracefully written story may be familiar to readers from the movie 'The Secret of Roan Inish' , a wonderful film version of the story. My one criticism is that I wish Fry had sacrificed a little of the formal elegance in favour of a more visual, sensory style, but there is enough of the sights and sounds of the islands to make it a fine adventure, and an enjoyable read.
This gracefully written story may be familiar to readers from the movie 'The Secret of Roan Inish' , a wonderful film version of the story. My one criticism is that I wish Fry had sacrificed a little of the formal elegance in favour of a more visual, sensory style, but there is enough of the sights and sounds of the islands to make it a fine adventure, and an enjoyable read.
March 20, 2022
One of those darling children's books in love with its setting, this time the Hebrides. Fry's illustrations are gorgeous, and perfectly capture the clean, windswept isles. Readers who love seals and the ocean will find much to love here! I'm eager to read more by Fry. The edition my library had, a reprint by the New York Review, is really special, and I want to find more by that imprint--they seem to specialize in the lesser-known books by well-known authors like Astrid Lindgren, the Parin D'Aulaires, and T. H. White. If all of the copies are of this quality, it'll be well worth my time.
Caution for sensitive young readers: Fiona watches her baby brother get carried away by the ocean, which could be frightening (it would have freaked me out for sure, as my cousin once told me a scary, probably fictional story of her friend being caught in an undertow and being carried out to sea). You sort of know from the beginning that he is safe and they'll find him again, but take care with sensitive readers, especially ones who already have fears related to water or the ocean. With care, this story might bring reassurance rather than fear.
Caution for sensitive young readers: Fiona watches her baby brother get carried away by the ocean, which could be frightening (it would have freaked me out for sure, as my cousin once told me a scary, probably fictional story of her friend being caught in an undertow and being carried out to sea). You sort of know from the beginning that he is safe and they'll find him again, but take care with sensitive readers, especially ones who already have fears related to water or the ocean. With care, this story might bring reassurance rather than fear.
September 13, 2023
A sweet little magical book. It will find a permanent place on my shelves right with The Secret Garden and Jane’s Country Year.
April 26, 2020
Ok, I guess I have to watch the movie. I had no idea that this inspired a movie; I chose it for a 'Scotland' challenge. I imagine there are big changes, because an awful lot of this is about feelings, and memories, and dreams... and it's very short to make into a hundred or whatever minutes.
It is a tale of the paranormal, a sort of a 'fairy' tale but set contemporary to publication (1959). I found it a bit dissonantly unsatisfying that way. But I'm not the target demographic, and when I was a young girl I would have treasured this.
Fry's pictures are delightful, too.
I will continue to read more by her, now that I've found she's got a few on openlibrary (including this).
Btw, something about it reminded me of another book I treasured when I was young, that I will have to reread soon: The White Ring. I'm pretty sure I can recommend that, as well. Not sure where you can find that, but I have a copy tucked safely away in a box in the back closet....
It is a tale of the paranormal, a sort of a 'fairy' tale but set contemporary to publication (1959). I found it a bit dissonantly unsatisfying that way. But I'm not the target demographic, and when I was a young girl I would have treasured this.
Fry's pictures are delightful, too.
I will continue to read more by her, now that I've found she's got a few on openlibrary (including this).
Btw, something about it reminded me of another book I treasured when I was young, that I will have to reread soon: The White Ring. I'm pretty sure I can recommend that, as well. Not sure where you can find that, but I have a copy tucked safely away in a box in the back closet....
March 4, 2022
This is the sweetest little book. I love everything about it: the setting in the Scottish isles, the characters, the legend, the lovely writing, the adventure, and the simple yet lovely illustrations. I want to take this with me when I next go to the Oregon coast and read it again there. Perhaps I’ll even see the Chieftain!
October 4, 2021
Fiona's family left their ancient home on the Ron Mor Island, and Fiona's little brother, Jamie, was lost. Now Fiona is staying with her grandparents on the Western Islands of Scotland. Fiona is certain that she can find her lost brother, and she befriends a tribe of seals who seem to guide her in her search. The family legends speak of a selkie woman who married into their family many generations ago, and Fiona will have to return to Ron Mor to unravel the past and bring her family together again.
I loved watching the movie "The Secret of Roan Inish" when I was a girl, and I was delighted to find that the book has the same charm and mystery as the movie. The plot is a little simpler in this book, and a few of the characters and a couple of the old legends that were in the movie are not in the book. But the bones of the story are there, and all the beauty of the islands and the history of this rich culture of fishermen are wonderfully described.
I loved the writing style! Each scene has a charm that delighted me. The descriptions of the sea and the seals and the seagulls pulled me into the story, and all the mystery of nature and ancient legends enchanted me. The mystery of Jamie is fascinating!
Fiona is an adorable character. She is such a sweet little girl, and very determined to bring her family together again. She has a fierce personality in a quiet and gentle way. She is small and feminine, but also courageous and hearty. Her grandparents have such strong personalities, and I loved all their dialogue with their Celtic accents.
What an absolute delight! I can't believe I waited this long to read this wonderful classic children's book. A new favorite!
I loved watching the movie "The Secret of Roan Inish" when I was a girl, and I was delighted to find that the book has the same charm and mystery as the movie. The plot is a little simpler in this book, and a few of the characters and a couple of the old legends that were in the movie are not in the book. But the bones of the story are there, and all the beauty of the islands and the history of this rich culture of fishermen are wonderfully described.
I loved the writing style! Each scene has a charm that delighted me. The descriptions of the sea and the seals and the seagulls pulled me into the story, and all the mystery of nature and ancient legends enchanted me. The mystery of Jamie is fascinating!
Fiona is an adorable character. She is such a sweet little girl, and very determined to bring her family together again. She has a fierce personality in a quiet and gentle way. She is small and feminine, but also courageous and hearty. Her grandparents have such strong personalities, and I loved all their dialogue with their Celtic accents.
What an absolute delight! I can't believe I waited this long to read this wonderful classic children's book. A new favorite!
January 25, 2020
What a little slice of magic "Secret of Ron Mor Skerry" turned out to be! It was well worth the hour or two it took me to read.
The Scottish seaside setting feels vividly real. I was not at all surprised to learn that the author Rosalie K. Fry was born on an island (Vancouver Island, as a matter of fact!), and spent most of her life in the Welsh countryside. This book provides many beautiful, tangible images of the natural world, which keeps you anchored in reality, even as the story takes on more of a fairytale quality.
There are so many little gems in here: The baby's cradle made from the timbers of a ship that has sailed the sea ("It will need no rockers, she said. "It will rock on the waves of the sea."), the seashell dinnerware laid out on the old wooden table, ooh--and I loved the passage about Fiona stirring bucket of pitch over a fire for her grandfather, while he worked on the boat:
"She decided that nothing could be much pleasanter than the smell of the bubbling pitch, and the smooth, thick feel of it as she stirred it around and around. She felt like some magician, mixing a magic brew."
I also have to say Rosalie K. Fry's illustrations (simple yet charming) really added to the feeling of the book. The edition I read was so lovely, like the story itself. So I strongly recommend buying the hardcover, "New York Review" edition if you can get it.
The Scottish seaside setting feels vividly real. I was not at all surprised to learn that the author Rosalie K. Fry was born on an island (Vancouver Island, as a matter of fact!), and spent most of her life in the Welsh countryside. This book provides many beautiful, tangible images of the natural world, which keeps you anchored in reality, even as the story takes on more of a fairytale quality.
There are so many little gems in here: The baby's cradle made from the timbers of a ship that has sailed the sea ("It will need no rockers, she said. "It will rock on the waves of the sea."), the seashell dinnerware laid out on the old wooden table, ooh--and I loved the passage about Fiona stirring bucket of pitch over a fire for her grandfather, while he worked on the boat:
"She decided that nothing could be much pleasanter than the smell of the bubbling pitch, and the smooth, thick feel of it as she stirred it around and around. She felt like some magician, mixing a magic brew."
I also have to say Rosalie K. Fry's illustrations (simple yet charming) really added to the feeling of the book. The edition I read was so lovely, like the story itself. So I strongly recommend buying the hardcover, "New York Review" edition if you can get it.
April 14, 2024
Would make a great cozy read aloud for ages 6-8. The movie version, Secret of Roan Irish, is fairly true to the book. Charming and old timey with a relatable feral brother thrown in.
March 27, 2024
I really enjoyed this magical tale of young Fiona, her grandparents, and her brother. It has a folkloric feel to it and I was swept away to the remote Scottish isles and caught up in this wonderful story from start to finish.
July 26, 2019
3.5
Nice little story about the Scottish Isles, a baby washed out to sea, some very amazing seals, hope and wishes fulfilled.
Nice little story about the Scottish Isles, a baby washed out to sea, some very amazing seals, hope and wishes fulfilled.
December 30, 2018
I really love this movie. I had high expectations for this book. While I really did enjoy the read, it did not blow me away like the movie (unfortunately); therefore, I really could only give it 4 our of 5 stars. Standing alone though, I can give a fair assessment through words of how I felt about this book. First, I loved the sea imagery that was used and the feel of the small town Scottish isle. I also related to how this book depicted the connection to the land of where you came. I know that (especially in America) there is this feel of the home land- where is your heritage. This book helps to show that this connectivity/feeling is in us all. The need to get back to the roots. Though the story was short and was meant for children, I do find it a powerful read and boy, does it make me want to be sitting by the sea reading during a storm (in a safe cottage).
March 21, 2013
I loved the novel but I show the movie every year to my students during our traditional literature unit. I leave the subtitles on because the Irish brogue is so authentic and deep. Despite the fact that this is a foreign movie, my 6th graders are invested in the relationships, the missing two year old and the brave young girl. Of course then you have the "selkies", the magical seal people that come to shore to sun themselves and shed their skins.
This story is the very definition of a complex text (both read and viewed). The characters are multi-layered and believable. There is no one good or bad side to the conflict. It is like life, a bit of both.
I highly recommend this novel and movie.
This story is the very definition of a complex text (both read and viewed). The characters are multi-layered and believable. There is no one good or bad side to the conflict. It is like life, a bit of both.
I highly recommend this novel and movie.
April 14, 2016
Fiona goes to live with her grandparents on the coast, close to the island of Ron Mor which her family left. She hopes to find her long-lost brother, Jaime, who diappeared the day they left. She begs her grandfather to tell her all the stories from the island and when she hears the myth of the selkie, she believes Jaime is still alive and being taken care of by seals.
This is a nice story and not too long. I think I like the movie better, but that's probably because I am more used to it. It is a great story about family and love with fantasy thrown in.
This is a nice story and not too long. I think I like the movie better, but that's probably because I am more used to it. It is a great story about family and love with fantasy thrown in.
July 13, 2018
Lovely story - filmed as The Secret of Roan Inish. The author did the illustrations as well. The story is of a little boy lost at sea when his kin move from Ron Mor Isle. But is he lost? He has gone to live with the seals - myth would have it that the seals are also his kin. When his grandparents and his sister are forced by circumstance to return to the isle...well, I'm not going to ruin the story for you. A must enjoyable fairy tale.
June 27, 2019
Loved this children's book set off the coast of Scotland and was the basis for the movie with the altered name of Roan Inish, which was displaced to an island off Ireland (this is not an Irish myth). The selkie myth is mainly Scottish and Scandinavian, so had taken it so I could read it when in Shetland.
This is a poignant reminder that home is more than where you live, but is part of your very being and having to leave means you are never whole again.
Well told and evokes the sea, the wild weather and the wildlife of the coastal area in the North Sea well.
This is a poignant reminder that home is more than where you live, but is part of your very being and having to leave means you are never whole again.
Well told and evokes the sea, the wild weather and the wildlife of the coastal area in the North Sea well.
May 4, 2019
As lovely and cosy as an orange tabby cat, but for something like this to truly shine it needs to dig deeper. This is such an uncomplicated tale, people here are so wondrously good, decent and kind that it's not so thrilling to see them succeed after all. But what a sweet book this is, full of perfect sentences: poetic but not so overly so, which is my kind of thing.
January 11, 2009
It is also very much a simple mythical book. Filled with lovely images that convey the magic surrounding anyone who believes in it. It explores themes of loyalty and commitment to family and following your heart.
Want to read
April 21, 2007What I want to read is the original by Fry, Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry, but it's out of print. The movie was great.
January 20, 2018
The Secret of Roan Inish is one of my favorite movies, and this book was everything I hoped it would be.
November 17, 2018
What a delightful, quick read that made me feel so nostalgic for the sea, little cottages, and Scottish folklore! So charming.
March 12, 2023
I've wanted to read this book since falling in love with the film adaptation, The Secret of Roan Inish, as a teenager. It was pretty scarce and pricey for a while there — I snagged a film tie-in copy with glossy inset photographs on eBay in the early 2000s, but never actually dove in. I'm glad I waited: the NYRB has produced a beautiful edition as part of their children's classics series, and it has been delightful reading this to my son at bedtime.
The film did right by the book's voice, the feel of the illustrations, and overall storyline. However, it also shifted the location from Scotland to Ireland. Selkie folklore is common to both places, but I was startled by the shift, and wondered what nuances were lost (or changed) as a result. Regardless, both are works of art, well worth sharing with the next generation.
The film did right by the book's voice, the feel of the illustrations, and overall storyline. However, it also shifted the location from Scotland to Ireland. Selkie folklore is common to both places, but I was startled by the shift, and wondered what nuances were lost (or changed) as a result. Regardless, both are works of art, well worth sharing with the next generation.
October 30, 2020
This is an absolutely wonderful story. I have always enjoyed the movie The Secret of Roan Inish, so it was very nice to finally read the book that the movie was based on. It is so well written you can imagine being right there on the island with Fiona. What a beautiful story about family and traditions, I look forward to reading this with my grandchildren.
March 7, 2021
I adore this story. This book is the source material for a film that is very close to me and its stunning sea soaked essence is unquestionably found here. Fiona’s innocent gaze of gentle seagull and seal filled Ireland is emotion provoking. Even just reading some of the simple and practical descriptions of her quiet surroundings and her perceptions of home brings tears to my eyes. It relates a digestible story of tragedy reversed through the efforts and hope of the innocent.
Meanwhile, there’s something warmly intimate and sorrowful about the way selkies are illustrated in the book and film. The film even transmutes these fables of their quiet integrity from several sources beyond the novel. While the book, however, touches less on the existence of selkies and more on the mystery of their existence. Just as elephants are hunted for ivory, selkies leave legacies of being unseen and lost to the thickness of the sea. They’re unseen because they’re misunderstood and mystery becomes their only protection.
Some stories have a pieces of my heart; like scattered ashes. This is one of them.
Meanwhile, there’s something warmly intimate and sorrowful about the way selkies are illustrated in the book and film. The film even transmutes these fables of their quiet integrity from several sources beyond the novel. While the book, however, touches less on the existence of selkies and more on the mystery of their existence. Just as elephants are hunted for ivory, selkies leave legacies of being unseen and lost to the thickness of the sea. They’re unseen because they’re misunderstood and mystery becomes their only protection.
Some stories have a pieces of my heart; like scattered ashes. This is one of them.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews