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Island on the Edge of the World
by Deborah RodriguezHaiti. A poor country rich in courage, strength and love. As these four women are about to discover.Charlie, the rootless daughter of American missionaries, now working as a hairdresser in Northern California. But the repercussions of a traumatic childhood far from home have left her struggling for her way in life.Bea, Charlie's eccentric grandmother, who is convinced a reunion with her estranged mother will help Charlie heal.Lizbeth, a Texas widow who has never strayed too far from home. She is on a daunting journey into the unknown, searching for the grandchild she never knew existed.And Senzey, a young Haitian mother dealing with a lifetime of love and loss, who shows them the true meaning of bravery. Together they venture through the teeming, colorful streets of Port-au-Prince, into the worlds of do-gooders doing more harm than good, Vodou practitioners, artists, activists, and everyday Haitian men and women determined to survive against all odds.For Charlie, Bea, Lizbeth and Senzey, life will never be the same again . . .
Island People: The Caribbean and the World
by Joshua Jelly-SchapiroA masterwork of travel literature and of history: voyaging from Cuba to Jamaica, Puerto Rico to Trinidad, Haiti to Barbados, and islands in between, Joshua Jelly-Schapiro offers a kaleidoscopic portrait of each society, its culture and politics, connecting this region's common heritage to its fierce grip on the world's imagination. From the moment Columbus gazed out from the Santa María's deck in 1492 at what he mistook for an island off Asia, the Caribbean has been subjected to the misunderstandings and fantasies of outsiders. Running roughshod over the place, they have viewed these islands and their inhabitants as exotic allure to be consumed or conquered. The Caribbean stood at the center of the transatlantic slave trade for more than three hundred years, with societies shaped by mass migrations and forced labor. But its people, scattered across a vast archipelago and separated by the languages of their colonizers, have nonetheless together helped make the modern world--its politics, religion, economics, music, and culture. Jelly-Schapiro gives a sweeping account of how these islands' inhabitants have searched and fought for better lives. With wit and erudition, he chronicles this "place where globalization began," and introduces us to its forty million people who continue to decisively shape our world.From the Hardcover edition.
Island Possessed
by Katherine DunhamJust as surely as Haiti is "possessed" by the gods and spirits of vaudun (voodoo), the island "possessed" Katherine Dunham when she first went there in 1936 to study dance and ritual. In this book, Dunham reveals how her anthropological research, her work in dance, and her fascination for the people and cults of Haiti worked their spell, catapulting her into experiences that she was often lucky to survive. Here Dunham tells how the island came to be possessed by the demons of voodoo and other cults imported from various parts of Africa, as well as by the deep class divisions, particularly between blacks and mulattos, and the political hatred still very much in evidence today. Full of the flare and suspense of immersion in a strange and enchanting culture,Island Possessedis also a pioneering work in the anthropology of dance and a fascinating document on Haitian politics and voodoo.
Island Practice: Cobblestone Rash, Underground Tom, and Other Adventures of a Nantucket Doctor
by Pam BelluckIf you need an appendectomy, he can do it with a stone scalpel he carved himself. If you have a condition nobody can diagnose--"creeping eruption" perhaps--he can identify what it is, and treat it. A baby with toe-tourniquet syndrome, a human leg that's washed ashore, a horse with Lyme disease, a narcoleptic falling face-first in the street, a hermit living underground--hardly anything is off-limits for Dr. Timothy J. Lepore. This is the spirited, true story of a colorful, contrarian doctor on the world-famous island of Nantucket. Thirty miles out to sea, in a strikingly offbeat place known for wealthy summer people but also home to independent-minded, idiosyncratic year-rounders, Lepore holds the life of the island, often quite literally, in his hands. He's surgeon, medical examiner, football team doctor, tick expert, unofficial psychologist, accidental homicide detective, occasional veterinarian. When crisis strikes, he's deeply involved. He's treated Jimmy Buffett, Chris Matthews, and various Kennedy relatives, but he makes house calls for anyone and lets people pay him nothing--or anything: oatmeal raisin cookies, a weather-beaten .44 Magnum, a picture of a Nepalese shaman. Lepore can be controversial and contradictory, espousing conservative views while performing abortions and giving patients marijuana cookies. He has unusual hobbies: he's a gun fanatic, roadkill collector, and concocter of pastimes like knitting dog-hair sweaters. Ultimately, Island Practice is about a doctor utterly essential to a community at a time when medicine is increasingly money-driven and impersonal. Can he remain a maverick even as a healthcare chain subsumes his hospital? Every community has--or, some would say, needs--a Doctor Lepore, and his island's drive to retain individuality in a cookie-cutter world is echoed across the country.
An Island Princess Starts a Scandal
by Adriana Herrera'[A] sumptuous and historically rich romance. . . Empowering and exhilarating' Kirkus (starred review)USA TODAY bestselling author Adriana Herrera returns with a new historical romance novel, following A Caribbean Heiress in ParisOne last summer.For Manuela del Carmen Caceres Galvan, the invitation to show her paintings at the 1889 Exposition Universelle came at the perfect time. Soon to be trapped in a loveless marriage, Manuela has given herself one last summer of freedom - in Paris, with her two best friends.One scandalous encounter.Cora Kempf Bristol, Duchess of Sundridge, is known for her ruthlessness in business. It's not money she chases, but power. When she sees the opportunity to secure her position among her rivals, she does not hesitate. How difficult could it be to convince the mercurial Miss Caceres Galvan to part with a parcel of land she's sworn never to sell?One life-changing bargain.Tempted by Cora's offer, Manuela proposes a trade: her beloved land for a summer with the duchess in her corner of Paris. A taste of the wild, carefree world that will soon be out of her reach. What follows thrills and terrifies Cora, igniting desires the duchess long thought dead. As they fill their days indulging in a shared passion for the arts and their nights with dark and delicious deeds, the happiness that seemed impossible moves within reach . . . though claiming it could cause the greatest scandal Paris has seen in decades.Why readers love A Caribbean Heiress in Paris . . .'A Caribbean Heiress in Paris is a triumph!' Sarah MacLean'Historical romance at its very best - fresh, lush and full of steam!' Sophie Jordan'Ferociously feminist and sensual, with a dreamily diverse cast. A Caribbean Heiress in Paris is a dazzling historical romance' Helen Hoang'A breath of fresh air featuring everything I love about historical romance' Martha Waters'A lush, vivid romance, highly recommended' Evie Dunmore'A pure delight from start to finish . . . this peek into the glittering world of the Belle Époque will leave you breathless' Joanna Shupe'Lush settings, rich characters, and that familiar feeling of West Indies's allure will steal your heart' Vanessa Riley'The historical romance of my dreams' Eva Leigh
An Island Princess Starts a Scandal (Las Leonas #2)
by Adriana HerreraAn Entertainment Weekly "Best Romance Novels of Spring 2023" Pick!"Adriana Herrera is once again here to upend any outdated notions of historical romance." —Entertainment Weekly"Adriana Herrera is a fun, frothy, feminist voice in historical romance." —New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLeanOne last summer. For Manuela del Carmen Caceres Galvan, the invitation to show her paintings at the 1889 Exposition Universelle came at the perfect time. Soon to be trapped in a loveless marriage, Manuela has given herself one last summer of freedom—in Paris, with her two best friends. One scandalous encounter. Cora Kempf Bristol, Duchess of Sundridge, is known for her ruthlessness in business. It's not money she chases, but power. When she sees the opportunity to secure her position among her rivals, she does not hesitate. How difficult could it be to convince the mercurial Miss Caceres Galvan to part with a parcel of land she&’s sworn never to sell?One life-changing bargain.Tempted by Cora&’s offer, Manuela proposes a trade: her beloved land for a summer with the duchess in her corner of Paris. A taste of the wild, carefree world that will soon be out of her reach. What follows thrills and terrifies Cora, igniting desires the duchess long thought dead. As they fill their days indulging in a shared passion for the arts and their nights with dark and delicious deeds, the happiness that seemed impossible moves within reach…though claiming it would cause the greatest scandal Paris has seen in decades."More of this, please!" —New York Times Book Review, on A Caribbean Heiress in Paris"Adriana Herrera has created something extraordinary. A Caribbean Heiress in Paris is a radiant feat full of intrigue and romance." —Zoraida Córdova, award-winning author of The Inheritance of Orquídea DivinaLas LeonasBook 1: A Caribbean Heiress in ParisBook 2: An Island Princess Starts a Scandal
Island Queen: A Novel
by Vanessa Riley“Riveting and transformative, evocative and immersive...by turns vibrant and bold and wise, discovering Dorothy’s story is a singular pleasure.”--The New York TimesA remarkable, sweeping historical novel based on the incredible true life story of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, a free Black woman who rose from slavery to become one of the wealthiest and most powerful landowners in the colonial West Indies. Born into slavery on the tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat, Doll bought her freedom—and that of her sister and her mother—from her Irish planter father and built a legacy of wealth and power as an entrepreneur, merchant, hotelier, and planter that extended from the marketplaces and sugar plantations of Dominica and Barbados to a glittering luxury hotel in Demerara on the South American continent.Vanessa Riley’s novel brings Doll to vivid life as she rises above the harsh realities of slavery and colonialism by working the system and leveraging the competing attentions of the men in her life: a restless shipping merchant, Joseph Thomas; a wealthy planter hiding a secret, John Coseveldt Cells; and a roguish naval captain who will later become King William IV of England.From the bustling port cities of the West Indies to the forbidding drawing rooms of London’s elite, Island Queen is a sweeping epic of an adventurer and a survivor who answered to no one but herself as she rose to power and autonomy against all odds, defying rigid eighteenth-century morality and the oppression of women as well as people of color. It is an unforgettable portrait of a true larger-than-life woman who made her mark on history.
Island Queens and Mission Wives
by Jennifer ThigpenIn the late eighteenth century, Hawai'i's ruling elite employed sophisticated methods for resisting foreign intrusion. By the mid-nineteenth century, however, American missionaries had gained a foothold in the islands. Jennifer Thigpen explains this important shift by focusing on two groups of women: missionary wives and high-ranking Hawaiian women. Examining the enduring and personal exchange between these groups, Thigpen argues that women's relationships became vital to building and maintaining the diplomatic and political alliances that ultimately shaped the islands' political future. Male missionaries' early attempts to Christianize the Hawaiian people were based on racial and gender ideologies brought with them from the mainland, and they did not comprehend the authority of Hawaiian chiefly women in social, political, cultural, and religious matters. It was not until missionary wives and powerful Hawaiian women developed relationships shaped by Hawaiian values and traditions--which situated Americans as guests of their beneficent hosts--that missionaries successfully introduced Christian religious and cultural values.Incisively written and meticulously researched, Thigpen's book sheds new light on American and Hawaiian women's relationships, illustrating how they ultimately provided a foundation for American power in the Pacific and hastened the colonization of the Hawaiian nation.
The Island Race: Englishness, Empire and Gender in the Eighteenth Century
by Kathleen WilsonRooted in a period of vigorous exploration and colonialism, The Island Race: Englishness, empire and gender in the eighteenth century is an innovative study of the issues of nation, gender and identity. Wilson bases her analysis on a wide range of case studies drawn both from Britain and across the Atlantic and Pacific worlds. Creating a colourful and original colonial landscape, she considers topics such as: * sodomy* theatre* masculinity* the symbolism of Britannia * the role of women in war. Wilson shows the far-reaching implications that colonial power and expansion had upon the English people's sense of self, and argues that the vaunted singularity of English culture was in fact constituted by the bodies, practices and exchanges of peoples across the globe. Theoretically rigorous and highly readable, The Island Race will become a seminal text for understanding the pressing issues that it confronts.
Island Refuge: Britain and Refugees from the Third Reich 1933 - 1939
by A. J. ShermanThe acrimonious debate over the British policy toward refugees from the Nazi regime has scarcely died down even now, some forty years later. bitter charges of indifference and lack of feeling are still leveled at politicians and civil servants, and the assertion made that Great Britain's record on refugee matters is shabby and unworthy of her liberal traditions. It has now become possible to investigate the truth of these charges and to analyse the reaction tin Britain to refugees from the Third Reich throughout the eventful years preceding the outbreak of war. Based on Government and private papers only recently released for public scrutiny, this book is the first authoritative study of the British response to a refugee crisis which posed many highly emotional and contentious issues in both domestic and foreign policy, and proved na acute irritant in Anglo-American relations. There were no simple answers, no obvious or rapid solutions in a world which frequently seemed to have no room for refugees and but scant sympathy for their plight. Harassed by conflicting pressures form home and abroad, all too aware that greater generosity to refugees from Nazism might well inspire imitative mass expulsions from Eastern Europe, Whitehall officials struggled to maintain an older British tradition of political asylm while still avoiding, at a time of massive unemployment, a sudden large-scale influx of aliens. Initial caution, insensitivity and confusion gave way after the Anschluss to a greater awareness of the critical need, and ultimately to a large-scale modification, under the sheer pressure of refugee numbers, of polices which had virtually hardened into constitutional doctrine. Britain's record concerning refugees from the Third Reich was a mixed one. Far less welcoming at first than a number of countries, but ultimately more generous than many, including the United States, Britain did grant asylum to a significantly large number of refugees in the crowded months before the outbreak of hostilities. The reasons for the dramatic turnabout in British refugee policy emerge clearly from this dispassionate and carefully documented study. Inland Refuge sheds definite light on a largely unexplored and still highly controversial episode in twentieth-century history. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1973.
Island Refuge: Britain and Refugees from the Third Reich 1933-1939
by A.J. ShermanThe acrimonious debate over British policy towards refugees from the Nazi régime has scarcely died down even now, some 60 years later. Bitter charges of indifference and lack of feeling are still levelled at politicians and civil servants, and the assertion is made that Great Britain's record on refugee matters is shabby and unworthy of its liberal traditions. Island Refuge is the definitive account of a largely unexplored and still highly controversial episode in twentieth-century history. This reprinted edition contains a new preface discussing historiographical developments since the first edition.
Island Reich: The atmospheric WWII thriller perfect for fans of Simon Scarrow and Robert Harris
by Jack GrimwoodAN UNLIKELY SPY. A FORMER KING. THE FATE OF A NATION IN THEIR HANDS.The gripping WWII thriller from the award-winning author of Nightfall Berlin, perfect for fans of Simon Scarrow'Intricately plotted, rip-roaring World War Two adventure - proper heroes, proper villains and grounded in real history' IAN RANKIN'Fact and fiction merge in a rip-roaring yarn that is totally credible. Excellent' SUN_________July, 1940. The Nazis launch their invasion of Britain - starting with the Channel Islands . . .And soldier turned safecracker Bill O'Hagan gets an offer: hang for his crimes, or serve his country.The mission - land on occupied Alderney, impersonate a local, steal the invasion plans, escape. He almost believes they're not lying to him.In Portugal, the former King, Edward, Duke of Windsor, receives an altogether different proposal from Germany: ease the invasion and he'll get his throne back. But Edward will not readily betray his country . . .An embittered former king. An unreformed thief.And a secret upon which the fates of nations lie . . ._________'Fact and fiction merge in a rip-roaring yarn that is totally credible. Excellent' SUN'Triumphant . . . The synthesis of real and fictitious characters is handled with panache by the talented Grimwood' FINANCIAL TIMES'Top notch . . . the suspense never wavers' CRIMETIME'Grimwood matches Robert Harris, Joseph Kanon, Ken Follett and John le Carré thrill for thrill in this breath-taking WWII story of atmospheric suspense, daring espionage and political intrigue' GLASGOW LIFE 'Highly entertaining . . . There are complications, twists and turns of plot in abundance. Every bit as credible or satisfying as James Bond' SCOTSMAN
The Island Remains
by Evelyn RaineyInvaders come and go, but the island remains. When Germans occupy the English Channel Island Helierhou during WWII, Delamair befriends the general and does what she can to make life better for all involved. But when the general is replaced, she discovers the new colonel, Karl von Kruppstieg, expects more from her than she has ever given anyone. He believes he owns the island - and her. In the background, Captain Luther Sizemore waits and finally teaches her that love and intimacy are more precious than even life itself. While the Heliers and their occupiers grapple in a world conquered by darkness, they find hope in friendship, family and faith, for - when the darkness passes - these things remain.
Island Songs
by Alex Wheatle**As featured on BBC2's INSIDE CULTURE with Mary Beard** "Alex Wheatle is the real deal; he writes with heart and authenticity" Kit De Waal"Island Songs grabs your heart, not with pity but with wonder that such beauty can come from such a life" Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Independent"Alex Wheatle writes from a place of honesty and passion" Steve McQueen, director of Small AxeShe wondered what kind of world she had brought her two daughters into, the arduous cycle of rural Jamaican life. No chance for them to set off upon adventures and see the outside world.But sisters Jenny and Hortense Rodney, descendants of the fierce Maroon people, do get to see the outside world, and Island Songs is their story. Growing up in rural Claremont, working amid the hustle and bustle, lawn parties and houses of joy in Trenchtown, the two sisters take a chance and move to England with their husbands, that far-off land of riches, where they settle down to motherhood among the jazz cafés and bleak streets of Brixton.A hauntingly beautifully written evocation of twentieth-century Jamaica, its history and traditions, Island Songs is an epic of love, laughter and sorely tested family loyalties. Many stories are told, but many more secrets are never revealed.By the author of Brixton Rock, East of Acre Lane and Homeboys, and several bestselling, prizewinning novels for younger readers
Island Stories: An Unconventional History of Britain
by David ReynoldsThis history of Britain set in a global context for our times offers a new perspective on how the rise and fall of an empire shaped modern European politics.When the British voted to leave the European Union in 2016, the country's future was thrown into doubt. So, too, was its past. The story of British history is no longer a triumphalist narrative of expanding global empire, nor one of ever-closer integration with Europe. What is it now?In Island Stories, historian David Reynolds offers a multi-faceted new account of the last millennium to make sense of Britain's turbulent present. With sharp analysis and vivid human detail, he examines how fears of decline have shaped national identity, probes Britain's changing relations with Europe, considers the creation and erosion of the "United Kingdom," and reassesses the rise and fall of the British Empire. Island Stories is essential reading for anyone interested in global history and politics in the era of Brexit.
The Island Swimmer: Escape with Lorraine Kelly’s feel-good first novel about facing your past and finding yourself
by Lorraine Kelly'A must read. Loved it and a beautiful ending' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review'Written with compassion and empathy, a cuddle in a book' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review'Wow! It is a very long time since I have enjoyed a book so much. This gripped me from the start' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review------Escape with this feel-good and big-hearted debut novel from broadcaster Lorraine Kelly. If you love Maeve Binchy, you'll love The Island Swimmer.Once the tide turns, you can't hold it back...When Evie's father falls desperately ill, she finally returns to the family home on Orkney and the wild landscape she left as a teenager, swearing never to return. Not everyone is happy at her arrival, particularly her estranged sister Liv, their relationship broken after a childhood trauma. As Evie clears out her father's neglected house to prepare it for sale, lonely Evie finds herself drawn to a group of cold-water swimmers led by her old friend Freya, who find calmness beneath the waves. Together they help Evie face up to the mistakes in her past, unlocking a treasure of truths that will reverberate through the community, and shake her family to its core.------'Gorgeous debut novel' Marian Keyes'Warm and wise...a Scottish Maeve Binchy' Veronica Henry'Like getting a warm hug on a freezing cold day' Jane Fallon
The Island Swimmer: The perfect feel-good book for Mother’s Day
by Lorraine Kelly'A must read. Loved it and a beautiful ending' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review'Written with compassion and empathy, a cuddle in a book' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review'Wow! It is a very long time since I have enjoyed a book so much. This gripped me from the start' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review------Escape with this feel-good and big-hearted debut novel from broadcaster Lorraine Kelly. If you love Maeve Binchy, you'll love The Island Swimmer.Once the tide turns, you can't hold it back...When Evie's father falls desperately ill, she finally returns to the family home on Orkney and the wild landscape she left as a teenager, swearing never to return. Not everyone is happy at her arrival, particularly her estranged sister Liv, their relationship broken after a childhood trauma. As Evie clears out her father's neglected house to prepare it for sale, lonely Evie finds herself drawn to a group of cold-water swimmers led by her old friend Freya, who find calmness beneath the waves. Together they help Evie face up to the mistakes in her past, unlocking a treasure of truths that will reverberate through the community, and shake her family to its core.------'Gorgeous debut novel' Marian Keyes'Warm and wise...a Scottish Maeve Binchy' Veronica Henry'Like getting a warm hug on a freezing cold day' Jane Fallon'So warm and engaging. A total treat' Beth O'Leary
The Island that Disappeared: Old Providence And The Making Of The Western World
by Tom FeilingThe lost history of the Mayflower's sister ship and the doomed rival Puritan Colony it hoped to establish in the Caribbean.The Island that Disappeared tells, for the first time, the story of the passengers aboard the Mayflower's sister ship (the Seaflower) who in 1630 founded a rival puritan colony on an isolated Caribbean island called Providence--so small it doesn't appear on most maps. Chaos ensued, and the great experiment failed. One-hundred years later the disaster repeated itself.Travelling to the island today, Tom Feiling finds a new mix of puritans and pirates that make Providence a symbol of how the Western world took shape.
Island Thinking: Suffolk Stories of Landscape, Militarisation and Identity
by Sophia DavisIsland Thinking is a cultural historical and geographical study of Englishness in a key period of cultural transformation in mid-twentieth century Britain as the empire shrank back to its insular core. The book uses a highly regional focus to investigate the imaginative appeal of islands and boundedness, interweaving twentieth-century histories of militarisation, countryside, nature conservation and national heritage to create a thickly textured picture of landscape and history. Referred to as an ‘island within an island’, Suffolk's corner of England provides fascinating stories displaying a preoccupation with vulnerability and threat, refuge and safety. The book explores the portrayal of the region in mid-century rural writing that ‘rediscovered’ the countryside, as well as the area’s extensive militarisation during the Second World War. It examines various enclosures, from the wartime radar project to ‘make Britain an island again’ to the postwar establishment of secluded nature reserves protecting British birds.
Island Victory: The Battle Of Kwajalein Atoll
by Lt.-Col. Samuel L. A. MarshallAn on-the-spot history of a fight in the Pacific during World War II, Island Victory was the first battle history written by—then Lieutenant-Colonel—S. L. A. Marshall, a veteran of World War I who would serve in Korea and Vietnam and become a brigadier general in the process. After the Seventh Infantry Division drove across Kwajalein Atoll in the first days of February 1944, successfully wresting control of the strategic southern tip from the Japanese, Marshall was charged with producing an accurate and comprehensive account of the fight. His solution: bring the front-line soldiers together at once and interview them as a group, tapping the collective memory of a platoon fresh from battle.In this book, readers get a rare, first-hand sense of all the emotions that soldiers in combat experience. Numerous maps and photographs help us visualize precisely what took place. A compelling work of military history, and the first book of its kind, Island Victory is itself an important chapter in the history of how military exploits are described and recorded.—Print Ed.
Island War
by Patricia Reilly GiffA boy and girl must survive on their own on a remote Japanese-occupied island during World War II. Fans of Hatchet and Julie of the Wolves will be riveted by the story of 11-year-old Izzy and 14-year-old Matt who are left alone on an Alaskan island when the Japanese army takes the rest of the Americans prisoner. Now that Izzy's ornithologist mother, Matt's father, and the other villages have been evacuated to camps in Japan, Izzy and Matt become the only Americans left on the island. They must rely on themselves to hide from the Japanese soldiers, keep their dog for giving them away, survive the harsh winter and Allied bombing raids. A thrilling novel of kids with grit and ingenuity.
The Island Wife (Isle of Mull Trilogy #1)
by Jessica StirlingOn the beautiful island of Mull off Scotland's wild west coast, Vassie Campbell has scraped a precarious living by raising cattle on a small parcel of land that lies close to the sprawling estate of Fetternish. Her daughters, Innis, Biddy, and fey young sister Aileen, have known no other life than that of the farm. In the year of 1878, however, the arrival of the Baverstock brothers, the new owners of Fetternish, brings unwelcome change to the remote community. So do their wily manservant, Willy Naismith, and handsome young shepherd Michael Tarrant. Red-haired and sensual, Biddy is the first to attract Michael's attention as well as catching the eye of wealthy newcomer Austin Baverstock. But it is Innis, plain and solemn, who finally rebels against her sister's domination and the wishes of her fisherman father, and sets out to capture Michael for herself. Michael Tarrant is not all he seems, though, and the sisters' rivalry in love exposes a terrible secret that leads to heartache and tragedy and changes the lives of all around them forever. This is book #1 in Jessica Stirling's the Isle of Mull trilogy, rich with emotion and filled with details about life in the Scottish Hebrides islands at the end of the nineteenth century. If you enjoy historic fiction, family sagas, character-driven plots or romance, Look for #2 The Wind From the Hills and #3 The Strawberry Season, in the Bookshare collection.
Island Zombie: Iceland Writings
by Roni HornAn evocative chronicle of the power of solitude in the natural worldI’m often asked, but have no idea why I chose Iceland, why I first started going, why I still go. In truth I believe Iceland chose me.—from the introductionContemporary artist Roni Horn first visited Iceland in 1975 at the age of nineteen, and since then, the island’s treeless expanse has had an enduring hold on Horn’s creative work. Through a series of remarkable and poetic reflections, vignettes, episodes, and illustrated essays, Island Zombie distills the artist’s lifelong experience of Iceland’s natural environment. Together, these pieces offer an unforgettable exploration of the indefinable and inescapable force of remote, elemental places, and provide a sustained look at how an island and its atmosphere can take possession of the innermost self.Island Zombie is a meditation on being present. It vividly conveys Horn’s experiences, from the deeply profound to the joyful and absurd. Through powerful evocations of the changing weather and other natural phenomena—the violence of the wind, the often aggressive birds, the imposing influence of glaciers, and the ubiquitous presence of water in all its variety—we come to understand the author’s abiding need for Iceland, a place uniquely essential to Horn’s creative and spiritual life. The dramatic surroundings provoke examinations of self-sufficiency and isolation, and these ruminations summon a range of cultural companions, including El Greco, Emily Dickinson, Judy Garland, Wallace Stevens, Edgar Allan Poe, William Morris, and Rachel Carson. While brilliantly portraying nature’s sublime energy, Horn also confronts issues of consumption, destruction, and loss, as the industrial and man-made encroach on Icelandic wilderness.Filled with musings on a secluded region that perpetually encourages a sense of discovery, Island Zombie illuminates a wild and beautiful Iceland that remains essential and new.
The Islander: Complete and Unabridged
by Tomas O'Crohan Garry Bannister David SowbyThis superb account of life on the Great Blasket Island off the west coast of Kerry, written as the nineteenth century draws to its close and the dawn of a new era trespasses on the lives of its small community, is both a shocking and captivating read. Here is the first complete translation of Tomas O'Crohan's autobiography An tOileánach, first published in 1929. This edition is based on Professor Sean O Coileain's definitive 2002 Irish language edition. It contains many passages omitted from the previous English language translation by Robin Flower from the 1930s, some of which were thought too earthy for the times. Tomas O'Crohan, a fisherman who, at around the age of forty, has taught himself to read and write in his own native tongue, depicts in unaffected, vivid language a very unforgiving landscape of human experience. The Islander reflects life as it was on the Blaskets, raw, real and extremely challenging.
The Islanders
by Christopher PriestA stunning literary SF novel from the multiple award winning Christopher Priest. A tale of murder, artistic rivalry and literary trickery; a Chinese puzzle of a novel where nothing is quite what it seems; a narrator whose agenda is artful and subtle; a narrative that pulls you in and plays an elegant game with you. The Dream Archipelago is a vast network of islands. The names of the islands are different depending on who you talk to, their very locations seem to twist and shift. Some islands have been sculpted into vast musical instruments, others are home to lethal creatures, others the playground for high society. Hot winds blow across the archipelago and a war fought between two distant continents is played out across its waters. THE ISLANDERS serves both as an untrustworthy but enticing guide to the islands, an intriguing, multi-layered tale of a murder and the suspect legacy of its appealing but definitely untrustworthy narrator.