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Set on the cusp of World War One, and in the 1970s, EASTER ISLAND tells the passionate, heart-breaking and ultimately redemptive story of two remarkable women. Elsa, an Edwardian Englishwoman, is forced by circumstance to leave the man she loves and agree to a marriage of convenience. The marriage enables her to fulfil her great dream: to visit Easter Island and to study its mysterious history. But as Elsa becomes bewitched by the island and engrossed in her work, she fails to notice that her beloved sister Alice is becoming caught up in desires of her own, that will threaten not only their work, but also their lives. Sixty years later, Dr Greer Faraday, recently widowed, makes her own journey to the island. Born into a different time and country, Greer nevertheless shares Else's passion for this strange and haunting place. Troubled by unhappy secrets, Greer takes solace in her work, making an island of herself. But as the two women's stories begin to entwine and passions are played out, both Greer and Else must struggle against what society expects of them, and what fate has planned...… (more)
User reviews
It seemed that perhaps a smoother transition might have been possible. Perhaps it could
have been. But as I read more deeply into the pages I found myself wondering about the characters in the other time. I was
Elsa and her sister Alice drew me in, and left me feeling grateful to live in a time when a woman could make her own choices more easily. A time when a woman could provide a living for herself and her family. They had to depend on a man, a relative stranger, for their means to survive.
Decades later things had changed...but perhaps not as much as it would seem. Women could indeed work for a living, provide for themselves and seek more and higher education. Women were able to aspire to the same heights as any man, but they were still vulnerable in many ways.
Greer's education had become her obsession, her life. On her journey she met a man who seemed to be the very one to teach her, encourage her and help her in her quest to become the best in her field of botany. When she lost him to death, the second time she had lost him, it seems, she determined to carry on and follow her own dream. This dream took her to Easter Island. The Island of mysteries, as well as great beauty.
There the lives of Elsa and Greer not only intersect, but come together in unimaginable ways. This story has it all. There is science, mystery, passion and more. I found it to be a fantastic read, one that I will recommend many times.
I enjoyed Easter Island. The author does a good job of telling two tales at once, despite the fact that these women are very different and have only the loosest connection--their time on the island--to weave the novel together. The stories were rich and the author did a good job of focusing on the characters instead of simply allowing them "to be" on the island. Her use of a real historical event, the start of WWI, to tie the two stories together was also clever. I was a bit disappointed with the conclusion of the book, but overall I enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to fans of literary fiction.
I liked the story a great deal but the ending was not plausible. But, I enjoyed it despite the unlikely ending.
I hope Jennifer Vanderbes writes more books.
A really good, multiply stranded narrative with a time shift element set predominantly on Easter Island. Lots of technical detail, but not so much as to become unbearable, I found. The sections set in 1912-15 read a bit like A.S. Byatt’s “The Children’s
Portrays the native islanders as intelligent and modern (a contrast to Thor Heyerdahl's book, read long
Vanderbes includes an ending note detailing her sources of information, for those portions which are factual or historical. I see her dedication to her parents & brothers...wonder how much her clear portrayal of a caretaker's attitude toward a different child/sibling was from personal experience/observation. It certainly was helpful in my own self-awareness about how much I want to control what happens to my son & his responses.
I loved this book, identified with the responsibility of caring for a family member with (what seems to be) autism and with the interest in exploring botany/science. And always appreciate having my home state sneak into a novel. You probably have to have an interest in science, or at least anthropology, to fully enjoy it. The botanical jokes Sven made cracked me up. I did note questions I had about how she portrayed some aspects of Greer's university years, but that was based on my own limited experience at a different time than Vanderbes'.
In alternating chapters, we first meet a 1912 group,setting off for anthropological research. Professor Edward Beazley is making arrangements for the marathon journey, accompanied by his
We move on to the 70s/80s and scientist Greer Faraday, newly widowed, seeking forgetfulness in her work, who arrives to study the history of the island from its pollen deposits.
And lastly we read of von Spee, admiral of the German Scharnhorst, who finds himself at the outbreak of WW1 alone in distant waters, the target of enemy navies...
How these three separate narratives come together (I didn't see it coming!) makes for a jolly good read. In the process the reader learns a lot about the history, ecology and life of this distant outpost.