Published: Dec. 28, 2012
Words: 24,975 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781301748426

Short description

Jack is a proper young man of the Victorian era, but he smells like a fish. One night, on a visit to his father at the Eddystone Lighthouse, Jack meets his mother. She's a mermaid. She sends Jack on a quest to find his brothers, a porpoise and a porgie fish. Along the way, he falls in love, battles carnival hucksters, and is scolded by a porpoise... and that's before he meets the other mermaids.

Extended description

Jack is a proper young man of the Victorian era. He studies accountancy, lives with his maiden aunt, and smells like a fish. The fishy smell drives girls away faster than they can be introduced.

One night, Jack visits his lighthouse-keeper father on the Eddystone rocks. There, he meets his mother for the first time since he was a baby. She's a mermaid. Jack's mother sends him on a quest to find his two lost brothers, a porpoise and a porgie fish.

Jack's quest transforms him from lonely boy to glamorous merman. Along the way, he falls in love, battles carnival hucksters, and is scolded by a porpoise... and that's before he meets the mermaids.

Tags

humor, novella, mermaids, mermen

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Reviews

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Review by: Laura Matheson on Jan. 01, 2013 :
Amelia Smith's novella, Eddystone Light, begins with a conversation in which Jack's father implores him to “marry a land girl. A nice land-girl.” And thus the reader gains insight into Jack's life, his connections to the sea, and his desire for “respectability” above all else. But respectability doesn't come easily to Jack. Not quite part his Aunt Ermintrude's respectable land-society, Jack isn't entirely comfortable at the lighthouse with his father, either. Caught between two worlds, Jack must ultimately decide which one he wants to be part of, a decision that doesn't come lightly.

As the novel begins, Jack promises, if only to appease his father, to marry a “nice land-girl.” But he also discovers more about his mother, about whom he knows very little. From there, the reader follows Jack through a series of adventures (or perhaps misadventures) as he learns more about his mother and her people. Along the way, Jack begins to realize the true depth of his relationship with the sea.

Smith's novella provides an interesting perspective on and expansion of an early 20th century folk song. It is an enjoyable afternoon's read, complete with several interesting and somewhat quirky characters.
(reviewed within a week of purchase)

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