Where books are borrowed, and friendships are forged…
When her beloved grandfather dies, Ana Meštrović buys a catamaran in his memory, which she names Dida Krila – Grandad’s Wings.
For the summer months, it will be transformed into a travelling library, delivering books to children living across the Croatian islands.
Joined by crew members Natali, a young mechanic afraid of her own shadow, and Lloyd, an older widower who needs a fresh start, the newly-formed trio all have their own reasons for needing the
floating library to be a success.
Embarking on an adventure that will change them for good, they each discover that a new chapter is only a boat ride away…
Eva Glyn writes escapist relationship-driven fiction with a kernel of truth at its heart. She loves to travel and finds inspiration in beautiful places and the stories they hide.
Set mainly in Croatia, her contemporary stories are more about friendship than romance, the coming together of people through shared interests, and the opportunity to make fresh starts in their lives. A love of books is a common theme too, so her publisher, One More Chapter, has christened them the Bookish Escapes collection which currently includes The Dubrovnik Book Club, and The Santorini
Writing Retreat, with The Croatian Island Library to be published in January 2026.
In addition Eva has written two Second World War dual timeline romances, An Island of Secrets and The Collaborator’s Daughter, and a new beginnings novel entitled The Olive Grove. All are set in
Croatian, a country she loves.
Although she considers herself Welsh, Eva lives in Cornwall with the man she met and fell in love with more than thirty years ago. She also writes as Jane Cable.
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Twitter: @JaneCable
Giveaway To Win a paperback copy of The Croatian Island Library (Open to UK & Ireland Only)
Win a paperback copy of The Croatian Island Library (Open to UK & Ireland Only)
My thoughts: I love this idea, a floating library that travels between islands across the summer so that children can borrow books during the holiday. And as it’s part of a push to improve language skills with books in English and German as well, it’s intended to help those same children in the future too, as sadly Croatian is only spoken in Croatia, so languages are needed to get ahead if they want to work abroad or in tourism.
The catamaran is crewed by her captain, Ana, who is at something of a crossroads in life and taking the summer to work out her options, and Natali (and the lovely pup Obi) a young woman who doesn’t know if she’ll have anywhere to live after the summer.
And finally, there’s Lloyd, their librarian. He’s a former teacher who lived in Croatia for a while as a young man, before the war. He’s recently widowed and still struggling with grief, having taken this job after his teaching career ended abruptly.
These three lost souls come together for a summer bringing literature to the young people of Croatia’s islands, and will also perhaps, find themselves and their futures along the way.
It’s a really lovely book, and brought some sunshine to my dreary January. I loved the three members of the floating library, and their little canine mascot. I hope you will too.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
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ramblingmads 