Book Review – The Chronicles of Iona: Exile by Paula de Fougerolles

When I picked up The Chronicles of Iona: Exile by Paula de Fougerolles, it was with high expectations. The reviews online, given that the book was almost a decade old, were promising. And having read The Chronicles of Iona: Exile, I can confirm that all of those reviews were indeed true.

Set in the sixth century, The Chronicles of Iona: Exile, is a tale of Saint Columba, and Aedan mac Gabran, a Scottish warlord. Columba’s tale is one before his saint hood and Aedan starts off as a lost soul, looking for that missing something to give meaning to his life. Together Columba and Aedan’s journey is one filled with adventure, miracles and a lot of good fun for the reader.

Fun is perhaps the wrong adjective to describe the reading experience. It was thrilling, and colourful. The text takes the reader back thousands of years and renders that time with striking clarity. The characters are even more humane than the legends they now are. Perhaps that makes it all the more interesting.

The Chronicles of Iona: Exile is the first of three installments and was a very worthy read. As someone who did not know of Saint Columba, or Iona, the narration, the maps, and the rest of it (glossary etc) proved to be very informative. As a historical account, The Chronicles of Iona: Exile proved to be enthralling.

Absolutely loved it. Even readers who do no prefer historical reads will no doubt enjoy The Chronicles of Iona: Exile.