"the People of The Sea"

This is an account of how the pleasures of the seaside were discovered in the Western World. Based on the premiss that how we see the landscape over time is shaped not just by nature but also by the cultural baggage we bring to it, this book argues that with few exceptions, people living before the 18th century knew nothing of the attractions of the coast.

Stealing into forbidden territory, sixteen-year-old Cyrus LongBones discovers that his small island is in fact a giant, fossilized turtle shell. With his village’s obsession of working the earth, the skeleton collapses in on itself, killing Cyrus’ brother and destroying his village.