How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
It's an extraordinary place, Edward has decided, and he wonders if it's the sort of place he'd like to retire to one day. Maybe not. It might be a bit too simple, too quiet, even for his taste.
There's always something a little odd about remote places, he thinks. That sense that things happen differently. That's all it is, though earlier that day, a man began to cut the hay in the meadow, not with a tractor and swather, but with a scythe, as if this were 1911, not 2011.
And then there's the sun being up when it should be in bed. That would really mess with his sleep, and presumably it means in the winter it's perpetually dark, in return. That, he knows, he would not like. (2.3.6-8)
Edward, like Eric, admires Blessed Island, but also sees the creepiness that's right in front of his face. Sure, it's lovely there, but it's a bit backward, too. The image of the man swinging the scythe in the fields reminds us of the Grim Reaper coming to collect the dead. And the whole sunshine thing is clearly messed up. The normal cycles of time are a little off at this place.
Quote #8
If he had been God (though he's very glad he's not) and he were designing an island, Blessed is just what he would have drawn. It has two large natural harbors, one at each end of the island, and many other smaller ones around its shoreline. It has a high ridge of hills to the west, a lower one to the east, between them is a valley, which flattens out into the meadow where they are digging—a natural safe haven, and one that the Vikings used in the wintertime. (2.4.6)
Here's a lovely bit of description and foreshadowing. When Melle and Eirik's father returns from his Viking journey in the 10th century, the whole village pulls the boats onto the very meadow that Edward is digging on.
Quote #9
"What do you mean by 'my war'? The enemy…"
"The enemy? There are two sides fighting in this war, are there not? But yes, though we said we will not take part, we have your enemy on our soil anyway. They should not be here, but there are reports of them all along the coast. And they hunt for the enemy soldiers. For airmen whose airplanes have crashed. Just like you. And they will come looking for you, and then your war will come here, to Blest Island." (3.6.31-32)
Obviously, the folks on Blessed Island are pacifists—if the island is part of Sweden, then it would have been officially neutral throughout World War II. Erik recognizes one truth, though: The islanders might not want any part of the conflict, but they can't keep the war and the outside world out completely.