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Hawaii The Big Island Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook
By N/A
Buy new: $15.95
Customer Reviews:
- lots of "insider" tips from actual locals
The only thing that kept me from giving this a 5 star rating is the "web review" listings...If I am travelling around with my book, I want that to be the only thing to which I refer without having to take the extra step of going to a computer.
The book has a lot of great insightful observations about what to do and see around the island. Savvy travelers and hospitality folks love the book and rave about it all the time. - great, fast service
A must if travelling to the Big Island; this book is fantastic; fold out maps, tons of great advice. - Always enjoy
I personally have never gone wrong with these guides. My family and I have been visiting the islands for a few decades, and ever since we found these guidebooks, we have used them exclusively. I don't know exactly how many years we've used them, but we've seen a few editions fill our book case.
While some people won't necessarily have the same experiences as the author, all of our trips to recommended areas have resulted in enjoyment.
One thing to note, however, is that these guides were somewhat revolutionary in the extensive, unbiased reporting they provided when they first came out. Now that more people are using them and discovering the 'secrets,' not every place is as private as they once were. The hidden gems are now "revealed," so one might find less traveled paths a little more occupied. However, while there aren't really new spots being pointed out (mostly just reiterations of old editions), they still are pretty spot on in the descriptions and suggestions.
Be sure to check the publisher's website for updates, I mark them in my book to limit unwanted surprises each trip! - Good resource!
This is the second edition of this guide I've purchased. It's excellent for planning and to use on-the-go on the Island. I find it best to back it with the Trip Advisor forums and the Kona forum. Definitely rates an "ono".
Oahu Revealed: The Ultimate Guide to Honolulu, Waikiki & Beyond
By N/A
Buy new: $15.95
Customer Reviews:
- Best Guide Books for Hawaii
All of the island guidebooks by this author are fantastic. I highly recommend them. - The only guide we needed
I bought this book for a trip to Oahu with my girlfriend. It was excellent. It has excellent maps, destination information, tips, history and lots of ideas. It's easy to read and was always spot on for the information we needed - it must be very up to date (our trip was November 2008). I would definitely recommend this book.
One other place I recommend for dinner is Irifune, near the Honolulu zoo, for the Garlic Ahi. Be sure to rent a car when you go to Oahu because Waikiki isn't Hawai'i... - PRICELESS
Get it while you can. THe locals don't want you to know what 's in this book. GREAT opportunities await! We passed the crowded waterfalls and found private ones that we had all to ourselves! THANK YOU! - Lost without it.
We haven't gone on our trip yet but we'd be lost without this book.
Anything and everything you'll ever want to see, do or eat is in here.
The best $15 I spent in a long time. - Don't go to Oahu without it!!
I called this book my Hawaiian "bible." I bought it for a 2 week trip to Oahu to visit my sister. It is hands down the #1 purchase for/during the entire trip!
This book lets you know about places you would NEVER know about otherwise! Places just off the beaten trail that are not marked at all from the road. Several places that we went, even my sister and other locals had never even heard about! I took this book with us every where we went, and it was worth every page! The maps are awesome; I knew the geography of Oahu before we even went, just by studying the maps. They came in handy when we were there, too. My sister had given us a huge detailed map book of Oahu, but I found it way to hard to find anything on it, and kept finding myself refering to my Hawaiian "bible" instead. The maps in this book were all that we needed.
I would gladly pay triple what I paid for this book, and have refered it to many people since I purchased it. Even my boyfriend (who is hard to impress) keeps raving about it to everyone when we tell them about our trip, saying how good it was. We got to see and experience things we never would have without it. I mean it when I say "don't go to Oahu without this book!" You won't be sorry.
The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2007 (Unofficial Guides)
By N/A
Buy new:
$12.91
In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served.
Customer Reviews:
- unofficial guide to disney
I truly believe this book made our vacation the BEST ever!!!! We never shood in line once!!!!!!!!!!! I highly recommend it!!!! - A Must Have!
This book was such a great help! I purchased several other, but this was by far, the most comprehensive and best written! - Indispensible
Traveling to Walt Disney World without reading this book is dangerous. Understanding the many facets and choices to be made is critical and this book provides all necessary info. I have been there many times and always obtain the latest edition of this book with fabulous results. - Truly a must -have!
I bought this book along with the PassPorter, and this book blows the other away by far! The thickness of the book may seem overwhelming, but you only have to read the sections that pertain to you and your trip. The information was extremely helpful, and delivered in an amusing voice. This book was certainly written for any reader - neither over nor under the majority of readers' heads. Also the reviews of rides and dining were just right - not too in-depth but certainly very helpful.
I highly recommend this book for anyone planning a trip to Disney!
NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe
By N/A
Buy new: $29.95
Customer Reviews:
- A well written introduction to stars
I always wanted to own a telescope. This was the year. I talked to people, read reviews, joined online forums...thought I knew what I was doing and bought the thing. First night out I realized - I have absolutely no clue what to look for up there!!! This book is the perfect answer to that question, as well as an extremely good beginner's guide. There is enough detail to give you the sense that you are learning a lot, but not so much detail that you feel overwhelmed and intimidated. My recommendation is buy this book BEFORE you buy a telescope or binocs or any gear whatsoever. Use the book for a while just to learn your way around the sky. They have great suggestions for where to go and how to get there after that. Highly recommended!!! - The Easiest Way to Get Started
I bought this book some years ago, to see if I wanted to try amateur astronomy again. I had been given a department store telescope as a kid, and was discouraged by the fact that you really couldn't observe anything other than the moon with it. This book gave me the confidence to go out and buy a reasonably expensive telescope, and get it up and running with almost no assistance from anyone else. It opened up a wonderful hobby.
I strongly recommend giving this book to anyone with an interest in amateur astronomy. It is the best guide to getting started in something I've ever seen in my life. - Hurry Buy THIS book
If you are a beginner, buy this book immediately. It is probably fabulous for the rest of you, too. :) I am just getting started myself and have spent just a short time with it. I look forward to learning and appreciating it even more. Beginners absolutely need it. Try to read before you get a telescope, but even if you have made a purchase, will be able to help you make best use of it and help you avoid frustration.
This book is first of all beautiful with many color photographs to enhance the comprehensive text. The content is engaging and easy-to-understand.
Buy, enjoy, and have fun. Also, the book is worth the $35.00 price, but Amazon has a great discount. - must have
A must have book for any star gazer.For either the amateur or the professional.
King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking: Delicious Recipes Using Nutritious Whole Grains
By N/A
Buy new:
$23.10
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Customer Reviews:
- Whole Grain Baking At Its Best!
If you are looking for a whole grain baking book that not only makes delicious and healthy recipes for yourself, but also allows you to serve it to others and love it, then look no further. This is the book for you. I have made many recipes from this book and I am always amazed how well they turn out if you follow the directions they recommend. My absolute favorite recipe from this book that I have passed on to others is the Banana Bread. It is amazing and I will never use any other recipe. Hope this helps your decision! - Wow! What a book!
This book has everything you need to convert from plain white flour to luscious whole grains with lots of flavor, vitamins and fiber. Unless you tell your family that you've changed to something healthier, they'll never know. I love it because this book covers breads, desserts, main dishes and everything in between. Well worth the money. - Try the Brownies
There's still a lot of recipes that use regular flour, but there are some gems that are completely whole grain! This book is a good intro to whole grain cooking and the art of soaking grains (some recipes are started the day before). I love it and have made the whole grain cookies and brownies and will be trying several more recipes shortly. - A baker's trusty sidekick!
It's not only an education - it's a sidekick that helps you into new and great baking adventures: whole wheat and yeast breads - the best. - Love this book
Excellent cook book. Very informative and instructional. Great illustrations and tips. I have tried several of the recipes with great results. The chewy chocolate chip cookies are delicious! I wish the table of contents listed the names of the recipes in addition to the categories, but that would be my only criticism of the book. Recommended for those who love to bake.
ORCHID FEVER
By N/A
Buy new: N/A
Customer Reviews:
- Warning! Obsessively good writing from a master . . .
Having no interest in orchids whatsoever, I picked up "Orchid Fever" because I have been smitten with Eric Hansen's lucied and entertaining adventure writings (see previous reviews). This book is well researched and very well salted with Hansen's devastating wit and easygoing demeanor.
We are introduced to the orchid universe via the growers, scientists, show judges, "orchid police", and so-called smugglers who turn out to be not so.
Hansen once more captivates with these loosely linked stories of orchid obsessed people and the absurdities of the power brokers so bent on enforcing horticultural regulations that end up ensnaring the wrong people.
"Orchid Fever" is part expose, part travelogue, part literary journalism, and part horticultural history. This really is investigative writing at its very best, at turns tantalizing and educational. This man has a seriously clever wit which keeps the narrative light and fluid.
Hansen's abilities as a writer are superb: he knows his craft as well as any contemporary non-fiction writer. The seven years of creating this wonderfully woven bunch of stories is very much appreciated. From the first sentence, your attention is requisitioned and not released until the last - the mark of a Big League writer I think.
As always with Eric Hansen, my highest kudos.
Parataxis
The Cloud Reckoner
Extracts: A Field Guide for Iconoclasts
- Heavy breathing among the Paphiopedilae
"I thumbed through the pages ... Immediately I was confronted with centerfolds showing ... moistened, hot-pink lips that pouted in the direction of tautly curved shafts and heavily veined pouches." - from "Bodice Ripper", a chapter in ORCHID FEVER
A porn mag featuring your favorite XXX-rated stars? Um, no. An orchid catalogue, actually, as described by author Eric Hansen in his narrative exploration of the science, business, hobby, and collecting of orchids, ORCHID FEVER. Who knew flower breeding could be so titillating, or so lucrative? Indeed, as of the turn of the last century, orchids generated about $9 billion of worldwide business annually.
With so much money to be made, it's no surprise that the collection of wild orchids and their transport across national boundaries is so fiercely regulated, ostensibly to protect orchid populations in their natural habitats. But, of course, the cynical will recognize that it's all about the fees generated by the obligatory export licenses and certificates. Indeed, much of ORCHID FEVER is about the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), headquartered in Geneva, and its almost Gestapo-like enforcement powers, which, as Eric tells the story, have done virtually nothing to protect free-range orchids and have only increased their demand and value vis-a-vis breeders, hobbyists, and collectors.
Hansen illustrates his subject by traveling the world from California to Borneo to Minnesota to Britain to Germany to Turkey to France to New York and to Holland to interview the field's "horticultural extremists, pioneers, lone rangers, fantasy merchants, flower show flim-flam people, paid informers, rapacious nurserymen, international plant smugglers, pollen thieves, eccentric botanists, corrupt orchid judges, legendary growers, misfits, groupies, and camp followers". Though, as the author states, normal, balanced people are drawn to orchids, he found such only infrequently.
"Behind the cash register (of a neighborhood grocery store) sat a long shelf filled with mass-produced Phalaenopsis hybrids, selling for $19.95; every time I saw them I thought about the California orchid grower who shot and killed his partner and then mutilated the corpse because they couldn't agree on how to breed and sell these supermarket-quality house plants."
Perhaps the most engaging chapter, especially if you like frozen desserts, is "The Fox Testicle Ice Cream", in which Eric journeys to Maras, Turkey, the home of orchid ice cream, salepi dondurma, made from the tubers of the flower genus Orchis. Indeed, the chapter is so informative and interesting that a large segment of it was apparently plagiarized on a website I discovered sponsored by a Turkish-American business alliance. (After I communicated this fact to the author, he replied that it wasn't the first or last time such has happened, and he would pursue getting credit for the entry.)
When I began dating as a teenager in the late sixties, if I really wanted to impress the girl I'd buy a stalk of 5-6 orchids for 3 bucks from an elderly next-door neighbor that grew them. I don't recall that the expenditure ever helped me get lucky, but they sure were impressive in the giving. Nowadays, try buying just one on Mother's Day for less than an hour's pay. After reading Hansen's excellent volume, I better understand the orchid's mystique. - I'd love an update!
I read this with jaw agape most of the time. The main reason for this embarrassing state of affairs was the CITES ridiculousness that crops up again and again. Can people in positions of power REALLY be so stupid? Well, yep, they can, sadly enough for the thousands of plants that are destroyed in the name of "development," illegal to save by conservationists.
But the people Hansen meets are equally worthy of a jaw drop. Their passion--there's truly no other word, unless it is obsession--for their orchids simply astounded me. Wonderfully humorous, enlightening reading.
Now that I've read it nearly a decade after many of the encounters described, I am longing for an update. What's become of the CITES laws? Has common sense prevailed? What about the individual scientists and growers? Are they still as enthralled with their plants? What a terrific book, to leave me hungering for so much more! - Orchid Fever
Easy reading,interesting,and educational.After reading Orchid Fever,I read a comment in Orchids at Home,and having read Orchid Fever,I realized that ugly,just like beauty,is in the eye of the beholder.
My Family and Other Animals (Classic, Nature, Penguin)
By N/A
Buy new: $14.00
Customer Reviews:
- You'll end up reading this one over and over again...
I must say this is one of the most light-hearted, hilarious books I have ever read. The story is of a world that one really may not get to see these days.. Go ahead and buy it.. - I wish I could give it 6 stars!
This book is absolutely, brilliantly funny. The wit and unique characterizations are woven with great descriptions of the animals and plants of Corfu. That Durrell can hold the attention of readers who have no interest in biology simply demonstrates what a fine work this is. Gerald's depiction of a larger-than-life expatriate family on a larger-than-life Greek island is a tremendous celebration of life. The variety of different Greek characters parading through this book rivals the variety of Corfu's flora and fauna. Absolute great read!
- the funny Durrell
Gerald Durrell was not only a naturalist and a gifted writer about his beloved animals, but a loving brother and son whose descriptions of his family and their foibles will keep you laughing all the way through. This is one of those books which I've reread so many times I've lost count, and which I've given to many friends who needed cheering up. Always works, too! - Way better than Croc Hunter
In todays day and age of Steve Erwin and Jeff Corbin who go around hunting for animals, it is easy to forget where it all started. With people like Gerald, and the London zoo. In this book, he collects animals, deals with his demented siblings and his long suffering mother who has to raise four kids and fend off the advances of a really persistent Colonel who gets increasingly vulgar and `grabby' when he drinks. This is a rare story that combines a humorous story with humorous writing and I once caused passengers in a flight to turn around and give me strange looks, so hard was I laughing. - Skeleton of a Plot embellished with tonnes of vocab
My Family and Other Animals is a bare-bones story in terms of plot. The Durrell family goes to Corfu, lives through what could be termed as a soap opera, and leaves. It's humourous, but not particularly challenging.However, the older Gerald Durrell utilises vivid vocabulary over and over when describing the setting and people of Corfu. Fifteen-letter words that paint a crystalline picture are used frequently, relieving the never-ending roller coaster that is the life of the Durrells.
Overall, this is a highly entertaining book that will keep you engaged for the week or so that you will spend reading it every spare second you have.
Queen of the Road: The True Tale of 47 States, 22,000 Miles, 200 Shoes, 2 Cats, 1 Poodle, a Husband, and a Bus with a Will of Its Own
By N/A
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$11.16
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Customer Reviews:
- For those with wanderlust in their hearts
If you have ever thought you would like to "get away from it all" and hit the road - this book is for you. As a travel junkie and travel book author, I especially enjoyed Doreen's story. Although there were times when I thought her husband should have kicked her out the door that kept coming open, in the end she became a loving companion and truly "Queen of the Road". A fun read and will bring back memories of places you have visited in the US or make plans to visit.
- Laugh Out Loud Funny
Is this book funny? Yeah, I guess. Is this book entertaining? Yeah, I guess. Is this book the funniest, most hilarious, entertaining book I have read in many, many years? Absolutely!
Queen of the Road could be my life's story - except that I am not as brave as Doreen Orion. I'm a die-hard hermit and live vicariously through others. When I began reading this book, I started laughing out loud almost immediately...I couldn't put the book down...I had to find out how she got rooked into this cross-country trip, and what happened on it.
Humor is a tricky effect to put into writing - but Doreen captures the hilarity, the weirdness, the unexpectedness, and more in her description of this cross-country trip in a refurbished bus. What fun! What adventure! And, what insight. The hilarity is matched equally by Doreen's realization that there is far more to life than reading insurance claims in the comfort of her bedroom, where her only venture outdoors is to slip out to the mailbox (in her PJs) to get the mail. (OMG! I know she has to be a long-lost, twin sister!)
I'm willing to be patient, waiting for the movie. Julia Roberts, are you listening? The role is perfect for you! - Queen of the Road 'Rules'!!!
What a great story written with such wit and humor! Doreen and Tim along with Miles, Morty and Shula will steal your hearts from the very first page. I bought this book one afternoon late and started reading it during a flight. I could not put it down and when I got home stayed up until almost 2:00AM to finish it. They should make a movie (and) since Doreen also dabbles in screenwriting, she would be the perfect one to adapt it to the big screen. Can't wait for the next adventure!
R. Vaughn - Queen of the Road is Queen of the Written Road
I found this book hysterical. I love Doreen. This chick can tell a story. I love her attitude, the fact that she makes no apologies for who she is, her wit and her relationship with her husband.
Anyone whose nickname for their husband is "Project Nerd" while wearing her Manolo's and eating bonbons, while sipping a martini has to be a character. I would love her as a friend.
Doreen and Tim's relationship is based on mutual respect for each other and accepting and loving each other for the differences as much as their similarities which as far as I can tell is just their profession (the are both psychiatrists).
Her recount of the bus door flying open while Tim was driving made me laugh out loud.
Each chapter begins with a martini recipe and instructions, such as the:
Love Me Bender
2 parts passion fruit liqueur
2 parts champagne
1 part raspberry liqueur
Rest shaker on hip, gyrate, drink. If you can still recall that the love of your life is making
you live on a bus, repeat.
I love her description of Mardi Gras. She writes: Why would I want to scream and beg funny looking people to throw me some gaudy plastic doodads that wouldn't (Thank God) go with a single outfit I own?
And how she goes on to write how cows become steak, deer becomes venison and pigs turn into pork but chicken, rabbit and turkey stay the same. Funny, never thought about it but now I do.
I love how she also goes to her first open coffin wake and compares the body to waxed fruit. This chick is Fun-knee!!
Honestly, there are too many good things to point out in this book. Doreen is a great storyteller I mean really who else could take the story of 2 people traveling cross-country by bus and make it entertaining?
Check out her website for more information on the book, her podcasts, interviews, merchandise and more.
I highly recommend this book and will be passing it to a friend to enjoy.
This is a great stocking stuffer for any reader in your life. - fun book
Honestly I loved this book. I really enjoyed Orion's writing style which is packed full of sarcasm and wit. I found the storyline fun and easy to engage in. The descriptions of the couple's adventures are wonderful and make it easy to imagine. There were a few swear words but nothing too horrendous. I felt a certain kinship to the main character who so loved lounging in her pj's and staying home but found herself completely out of her comfort zone! I often found myself smiling and giggling while reading Queen of the Road.
This is a great book that I would recommend to anyone!
Kauai Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Snorkel, Bike, Paddle, Surf (
By N/A
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$11.53
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Customer Reviews:
- Our Best Kauai Guide
We are what you'd call outdoor enthusiasts. Hiking comes first. This guide never let us down. The Kauai Trailblazer lays it all out simply and effectively. No sugarcoating. For trails or directions to best snorkeling, this was our number one source of information. As for advice that you wish you knew before taking off, it's all inside. They included many safety precautions for the dangerous trails.
Kauai has become our favorite island. You will need this book to explore it all. - PLEASED WITH THIS BOOK!
I'm excited to use this book to plan our hiking and snorkling on Kuaui in January. It seems well organized, with clear and detailed info, and has additional data re: local good eats spots and museums, attractions, etc. - Kauai's Best guide
I'm a big fan of this series and have their Maui and Big Island guides on my shelf. I love Hawaii because it's a place where I can totally relax without having to think about my passport getting lost or communicating in another language. This guide for Kauai is so straighforward and not only contains descriptions of all the beaches and trails but talks about the island's history and that's what was so interesting.
When I arrive I always head for the beach first and starting in the Poipu area was my first choice. Shipwreck Beach was the perfect day one place to recuperate from jetlag.
For plenty of reliable advice and outsanding presentation and pictures, these trailblazers are right on. - Excellent book
We used this book every single day we were in Kaua'i. It has the best info of any guide book for Kaua'i if you are there to do any adventuring. A+. - Good stuff
As much as I like the "revealed" series, this book had more detail (on snorkeling particularly), so it was money well spent.
Anne of the Island (Anne of Green Gables Novels) (Anne of Green Gables Novels) (Anne of Green Gables Novels)
By N/A
Buy new: $25.95
Customer Reviews:
- Anne of the Island -- a cherished favorite!!
The Anne of Green Gables books are my absolute favorites!! There is something unspeakably wonderful about them that makes you return to them again and again. Maybe it is that imaginative, romantic, red-haired (auburn, sorry Anne!) girl named Anne (spelled with an E) ... for me, it is! Every time you open one of the Anne books, you are swept into Anne's world. Some of you that are well acquainted with Anne, dream that you are Anne, and I know from my own feelings that most girls probably dream about playing Anne in a movie.
In the last book, Anne of Avonlea, Marilla tells Anne that she can go to college with Gilbert. The book ended with the veil of girlhood being dropped, and Anne stepped into womanhood. In this book, Anne of the Island, Anne finds herself in a new chapter of her life. She is now at Redmond College in Kingsport. Gilbert Blythe (every girl loves Gilbert, right? I fell in love with him myself!!! J) has earned his way to go to college with Anne. Anne's old friend, Priscilla Grant, comes to Kingsport, and together, Anne and Priscilla settle in their boarding house where Miss Ada and Miss Hannah live. At Old St. Johns cemetery, Anne meets Philippa Gordon. Phil is a sweet, frivolous girl who says that she could never marry a poor man. Oh dear, this review is making me homesick for Anne! J
Anne and her college friends, Phil, Pris, and Stella, settle into Patty's Place with Aunt Jamesina to keep house. At Patty's Place many wonderful adventures take place, including trying to chloroform Rusty, a forlorn cat. One day, Anne took a walk in the park, and on her way a heavy rain was falling. Poor Anne, her umbrella blew out, but... "Pardon me -- may I offer you the shelter of my umbrella?" When Anne looked up, she saw the man of her dreams with all of the qualifications that Anne wanted in a husband -- tall, handsome and distinguished-looking -- dark, melancholy, inscrutable eyes, and a melting, musical, sympathetic voice. His name was Royal Gardner, or Roy for short. Their courtship started. Gilbert had proposed to Anne but Anne rejected him. Anne told Gilbert that she could give him nothing but friendship. Gilbert wanted her love.
At Redmond College, gossip got around that Gilbert and a girl named Christine Stuart were in love. Anne thought that Christine looked a lot like her pretend other self -- Cordelia Fitzgerald. (Any of you girls that have read Anne of Green Gables know what I am talking about). Though Anne did reject Gilbert, she was still upset about Gilbert and Christine. Roy's mother and two sisters came to visit Anne at Patty's Place, though the girls at Patty's Place did not know that they were coming that day. Well, Pris, in a desperate situation, totally lost her head and plunged her newly iced Chocolate Cake under a cushion on the inglenook sofa!
During the end of the book, in the chapter "False Dawn", Roy proposes. Anne opens her lips to say her fateful yes. It never came. Anne at last comes to her senses and realizes that she was swept off her feet by Roy's good looks and knack of paying romantic compliments, but that she could never marry Roy because she did not care enough for him. As Lucy Maud writes, "There is a book of Revelation in everyone's life, as there is in the Bible." Anne met hers when she got home from college -- Gilbert was dying.
I am going to end my review there to get you to read the book! Quite a horrible place to stop, but I do not want to spoil the end.
All of the Anne books are so well written. I think that Lucy Maud Montgomery put a lot of time and effort into them. I am glad that she did. Every girl should read the Anne of Green Gables series, and I assure you that if you do read them, you will LOVE them! I can't find words to express how much I love them! Also, these books wouldn't be good without Gilbert, Diana, and all the rest of those memorable characters. When I get married and have a daughter, I will go and get my well worn but precious set, and hand them to her and say, "Here are the best books that you will ever read. I had this set when I was a little girl, and I loved them, and I still do. Read these, please, and I hope that Anne will be your friend as much as she was mine." - P. Charles
P. S. I hope that my review has been helpful to you.
- Quaint and Sweet
This third installment in the beloved Anne series is one of my favorites. Having just completed two years of teaching in Avonlea, Anne, along with friends Gilbert and Charlie, is ready to leave the Island and make her way to Redmond College. Her four years there offer quaint-seeming insights into college life a hundred years ago. After spending her freshman year in a boarding house, Anne and chums Priscilla, Stella, and Philippa move into a little house called Patty's Place. Even though they are committed to their studies, life is never dull. Anne has no lack of suitors, turning down no fewer than five proposals during the course of the story. And her summers are full of adventure, whether it's back in dear Avonlea or teaching as a country schoolmarm.
I've read Anne of the Island each year I've been in college, and as I finished it this time, I couldn't help but relate to Anne's excitement for the future, mingled with regretful nostalgia about the college life she was leaving behind. College is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Having attended a small Christian university, I relate to Anne's old-fashioned values and the safe, wholesome environment of Redmond.
Montgomery has such a pungent writing voice, alive to the quirks of human nature and the beauties of outdoor nature. She brings spice, optimism, and a touch of cynicism to the story and the characters. Anne's most personal experiences are recounted with poignancy, and are rooted in reality, although they may seem whimsical to modern readers. The ending is sweet and satisfying. I just love Anne, and especially this tale of her college experiences. Don't miss it. - Sup, lolz
Anne of the Island is the third installment of the smash Anne of Green Gables series. The book begins with Anne leaving for college to further her education the second time. When she arrives, she encounters a slew of minor domestic problems, a new group of friends, and Love. All of which she deals with using that famous atypical personality of a "Kindred spirit"
Although the book deals with more serious subject matter than the preceding books, as a reflection upon Anne's growing older, the book starts with the lighthearted catchy fun that made Anne famous in her prequels. Most of this fun is centered on the Anne's encounters with her roommate cats Rusty, Joseph, and Sarah-Cat. Anne's exclamations of fear at being stalked by the docile house cats is classic Anne and delicious fun.
The Book also dives into more serious matter, with Lets be friends-Lets be more than friends-Lets be friends-I hate you-Marry me! Gilbert abandoning his indecisiveness and aggressively courting Anne. Although this relation is of little interest to male readers, it is made a key plot element, most likely because it is attractive to the books target demographic, pre-teen girls. Luckily, most of the content on Anne's romance does nothing to affect other parts of the story much and as a result are harmless to skip when they become drab.
Anne of the Island is a solid installment in the Anne series. Although not equaling or surpassing Anne of Green Gables, "Of the Island" leaves little to be desired besides not having a near constant usage of the word "eh". If you an Anne fan, pick up her third book. Eh.
- i read this over and over again.
this book never gets old. i've had it for so long and now i'm off to college and i still enjoy reading it cover to cover. anne is a great character, one who is easy to love and who explains herself well. the other characters are also quirky. something about this book is very universal, which i think explains why even in this century i still find myself being able to relate to Anne. the plot, while essentially a love story, is not overly sappy. and while most people would probably expect the ending, the twists and turns throughout the novel keep you entertained and engaged. - Delightful
"Anne of the Island" is my favorite Anne book, and the last chapters of my copy are worn and torn because I have read it so many times. I loved it as a young girl, and I loved it again when I read it from my college dorm room (in fact, I think it's time for another rereading!). Plus, of course, a college education makes many of the literary references more relevant than they were at age 11.
Anne fans already know how wonderful are these chapters of Anne's life. This book outlines an important epoch in the series and answers the all important question of whether they will or they won't--a turning point on which the next five books hinge. And since you must start at "Anne of Green Gables" to appreciate any of it, this review cannot convince to you read just book three. It is just one more love letter to "Anne of the Island" added to this review panel.
