39571220From Goodreads: “Charlotte Runcie has always felt pulled to the sea, lured by its soothing, calming qualities but also enlivened and inspired by its salty wildness. When she loses her beloved grandmother, and becomes pregnant with her first child, she feels its pull even more intensely.

In Salt On Your Tongue Charlotte explores what the sea means to us, and particularly what it has meant to women through the ages. This book is a walk on the beach with Turner, with Shakespeare, with the Romantic Poets and shanty-singers. It’s an ode to our oceans – to the sailors who brave their treacherous waters, to the women who lost their loved ones to the waves, to the creatures that dwell in their depths, to beach trawlers, swimmers, seabirds and mermaids. In mesmerising prose, Charlotte Runcie shows how the sea has inspired, fascinated and terrified us, and how she herself fell in love with the deep blue. Navigating through ancient Greek myths, poetry, shipwrecks and Scottish folk tales, Salt On Your Tongue is about how the wild untameable waves can help us understand what it means to be human.”

My Review

Having always lived on the island of Jersey,  surrounded by the sea, I was instantly attracted to this book. I love the sound of the sea day or night, whatever the weather, so was keen to read Charlotte Runcie’s thoughts about Women and the Sea.

From the eye-catching cover, to the beautiful retelling of seafaring adventurers, this book had me wanting to know more about the superstitions and folk tales in this book. I particularly enjoyed the story of the Fair Maid Tresses and the Selkies, something I remember my Scottish aunty telling me about many years ago. The author’s chapter about sea glass was fascinating and made me want to go out and start looking for it on the beach near home.

As well tales from the sea, I really enjoyed the author’s journey through her pregnancy to motherhood. It brought back the fond and not so fond memories of my own pregnancy journey, making me smile, grimace and cheer the author on.

This is a book that I read with Post-it notes at the ready to mark all the beautiful and fascinating passages throughout.

If you’re fascinated by tales of the sea, it’s superstitions and it’s secrets you’ll definitely enjoy this book.

Thanks so much to Canongate Books for my beautiful advanced copy.

Salt On Your Tongue by Charlotte Runcie is available to buy now.