Man is an
Island
A novel by Tim Hayton
A huge thank you to all who attended the launch, and the readings and music, and made the week's events (including the first full-scale exhibition of paintings by Rachel Gadsden for six years) such a great success. If you would like further information about either, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Scroll to the bottom of the page for phone and email.
"A tour de force!"
Elly Wright
"A tapestry ... of a special island world ... narrative threads weave together stories each of which is perfect in itself."
Peter Honour
Man is an Island
Grandfather and grandson "cast ashore" on the beautiful Isle of Man.
Having 'gone off somewhere', his mother and father have sent James Henry Dubbeldam to live with his grandparents on their smallholding on the northwest coast of the Isle of Man. Not convinced the arrangement will end happily, but thinking of each other, they make the most of it, until, almost without noticing, they grow to love and care for each other. Man is an Island is about a makeshift family, the cast that shares their Island paradise - old friends and neighbours, the milkman, a German biker, John Spain - and the life-affirming impact of a young boy's sojourn.
Wow...what a wonderful and beautifully written book, I loved it all, the descriptions of the island, the birds, the animals, the people, all wonderful. The relationship between Henry and his grandfather was truly magical. Where his parents had gone and how it could have affected him was transformed into a wonderful twosome and the ending was simply understated and deeply moving.
Barbara T
I have no words to congratulate you for writing...such a treasure copy of Man is an Island.
Nalini P
I have now read (Man is and Island) twice. It is a delight...the beautiful descriptions of scenery (and) conversations...thought provoking emotions and reminiscences. A really beautiful book that I will treasure and read again many times.
Gordon M
The characters were so well drawn...(I felt) engrossed in this...island community...the rivalry and love of its inhabitants...the feelings of a young boy cast adrift...loved the cover (and the) depiction of a wild and remote house on the island.
Sue van der P
I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading your book. I cannot attempt to write a review, but I can say that I am very pleased that I have given it to friends as a present. You have managed to capture island life with beautiful descriptions of wildlife. As the book goes on you are drawn into the life of the main characters...poignant and entertaining...a little masterpiece...beautifully enhanced by artwork.
Maggie W
Hi Elly, I am really enjoying Man is an Island and wondered if you can let Tim know what a treat it is to read. It is such an immersive, evocative book. I'm entranced and intrigued by the emerging narrative and the compelling characters...I am completely hooked. The chapter about the sheep in the snowdrift is absolutely stunning, striking and heart rending.
Nicolette J
Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading (Man is an Island). It was narratively beautiful and throughout the read I felt totally enveloped by (the) superb descriptions of everything to do with nature - the weather, the flora and the wildlife. ...the drawings are exquisite. ...tears at the end...
Maria M
I really enjoyed (this) book!
Zoe G
I found myself completely drawn into (Man is an Island)...(the) unique mix of beautifully observed outdoors, the brutality of country life, the naivete of youth...gloriously lyrical...beguiling, compelling and enchanting.
John S
'Man is an Island' is an absolute treasure... I absolutely adore it.
Naomi D
Chapters
The Sheepdog
"...She cocked her fallen ear and edged down through the wet stems closer to the lane and lay down in the grass again and waited..."
Birds of Prey
"…Presently, a movement, a lazy flapping movement…compelled him to look down…"
A story that starts out by being about Jars of Marmalade
"…a ewe and a yearling…broke free…and for a long moment stood shivering with cold and fright…"
The Ruin
"…But no matter how often he came to the ruin alone, he found it silent and frightening..."
Tea with Polly and Eunice
"...flowerbeds crammed full of spring colours spilling onto what room had been left for the pathway..."
Fire
"…the wagtail skipping in front of the barrow took flight…"
May, Henry, the Dog and the Bee-eater
"…a dazzling rainbow-coloured bee-eater came to nest in the claypit…"
The Story of the Dub
"...the marshy reed-covered ground…seemed suddenly to shake and loosen with a violent and confused drumming…"
The Mystery of the Missing Cows
"…in another moment, each of the bright fragments had taken on its own entire shape…"
Tattoo
"…Then at last the gannet rose up from the water and flew away south…"
Shotgun
"…Daad was smitten completely by the whole business of clouds…"
The Agricultural Show
"…happy calling voices…"
The Indian Summer
"…In places, they came upon countless pairs of empty tellins…"
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BIO
Tim Hayton
Tim Hayton is a writer, who has lived most of his adult life in South London with his artist wife, Rachel.
He has maintained strong links with the Isle of Man since childhood: it is home to most of his living relatives, and he visits often, to say the least. On occasion, he and Rachel have attempted to move to the Island; and although sadly they have not succeeded, it is only to be hoped that before it is too late they will be able to spend much more time there.
Art commissions and exhibitions have drawn Rachel and Tim to many distant locations; and, if called upon to choose his most memorable, Tim would suggest that the sights and sounds of the Omo Valley in Southern Ethiopia take a whole lot of beating but, even so, come nowhere near to those of the beautiful Isle of Man.
Bowing out at the end of the movie Bladerunner, Rutger Hauer talks of what he’ll miss, things no ordinary mortal would believe, C–Beams dancing in the dark, attack-ships on fire at the edge of a lonely planet, but Tim says this is only because he has never had the pleasure of watching the sun setting from one of those stunning deserted beaches on the west coast of the Island.
To change pace and unwind, Tim sails, these days mainly on East Coast rivers. He reads classical and contemporary fiction and is a film-lover and theatregoer, fringe performances in the main. Hardly surprisingly perhaps, Shakespeare is an inspiration. He recalls a mistake he made on one occasion, reading the whole of Othello in a single sitting in the dead of night alone, and consequently being chilled through and through. Better for it to have been A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
…and the quaint mazes on the wanton green,
For lack of tread are indistinguishable…