- Hardcover: 223 pages
- Publisher: Random House (October 1983)
- ISBN-10: 0394533275
- ISBN-13: 978-0394533278
- Product Dimensions: 21.3 x 14.2 x 2.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 454 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,034,550 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
Review
“Quite the most extraordinary story I have ever read.” -- Evening Standard
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
The bizarre truths of a 1930s so called “idyllic” community.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing story - gripping mystery,
By
This review is from: Galapagos Affair (Hardcover)
This is one book that needs, desparately, to be reprinted. It is the most amazing story and quite ably presented by the author. It is the true story of the inhabitants of Floreana, or Charles Island as it was also known in the late 1920's early 1930's. This tiny little island in the Galapagos group, off the coast of Equador was home to a small community of idealists who shifted there to start a new life - and it also became the centre of an odd and unsolved mystery.The start of the book was not entirely satisfactory. If I hadn't been encouraged to continue then I might not have persisted in reading it. The book centres around two German idealists (Dore and Frecerich), who escape from unhappy marriages and make an 'ideal' home on the island where they can live close to the earth and philosophise. Later another German couple and their child (the Wittmers) settle in another part of Floreana. This first half of the book which is their life is interesting but not compelling. It is when the Baroness, a sort of mystic with Imperial intentions, settles on the island with her small entourage of devoted male followers, that things get interesting. From about half way through the book you can see that things on the island are deteriorating towards some kind of disaster. The Baroness seems to be deliberately provoking the others. Food is being stolen, mail tampered with and the Baroness's imperial intentions start to overwhelm them all. The relationships on the island and the final mystery are unravelled by Traherne through thorough reading of books and resources from the various characters involved or who had visited the island. Treherne seems to have done a pretty good job in unravelling the tangle web of concealments about just what might have happened on the island during the drought in the summer of 1934 and it makes wonderful reading. To even reveal the mystery would be to spoil the book as it becomes quite complex with other deaths involved as well. This is very well worth reading - kind of Lord of the Flies for adults and - as with all true stories - the truth is far stranger than fiction.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews) 11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing story - gripping mystery,
By A. Woodley "Patroness, Janeites, the Austen list" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Galapagos Affair (Hardcover)
This is one book that needs, desparately, to be reprinted. It is the most amazing story and quite ably presented by the author. It is the true story of the inhabitants of Floreana, or Charles Island as it was also known in the late 1920's early 1930's. This tiny little island in the Galapagos group, off the coast of Equador was home to a small community of idealists who shifted there to start a new life - and it also became the centre of an odd and unsolved mystery.The start of the book was not entirely satisfactory. If I hadn't been encouraged to continue then I might not have persisted in reading it. The book centres around two German idealists (Dore and Frecerich), who escape from unhappy marriages and make an 'ideal' home on the island where they can live close to the earth and philosophise. Later another German couple and their child (the Wittmers) settle in another part of Floreana. This first half of the book which is their life is interesting but not compelling. It is when the Baroness, a sort of mystic with Imperial intentions, settles on the island with her small entourage of devoted male followers, that things get interesting. From about half way through the book you can see that things on the island are deteriorating towards some kind of disaster. The Baroness seems to be deliberately provoking the others. Food is being stolen, mail tampered with and the Baroness's imperial intentions start to overwhelm them all. The relationships on the island and the final mystery are unravelled by Traherne through thorough reading of books and resources from the various characters involved or who had visited the island. Treherne seems to have done a pretty good job in unravelling the tangle web of concealments about just what might have happened on the island during the drought in the summer of 1934 and it makes wonderful reading. To even reveal the mystery would be to spoil the book as it becomes quite complex with other deaths involved as well. This is very well worth reading - kind of Lord of the Flies for adults and - as with all true stories - the truth is far stranger than fiction. 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent. Leaves the reader wondering what happened,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Galapagos Affair (Hardcover)
This has become my favorite book.I have been fascinated by the Galapagos Islands since I was a little girl, now I'm totally intrigued. I want to thank J. Treherne for bringing to life such a wierd story, truth is stranger than fiction! I pass the book around to all my friends and everyone has a different theory about the strange events. Wonderful!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stranger than Fiction,
By Marian Powell - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Galapagos Affair (Hardcover)
No fiction writer would dare to invent such a story. It's too implausible for a reader of mysteries to believe. However, it's a true story about several odd groups of people who went to live on an island. The story sweeps you along, building to a still unsolved murder or murders. Part of the fun is coming up with your own explanation for what happened. Someone was lying, but who? It's also interesting to find out who of the settlers actually stayed and founded a colony more or less by accident. All in all, a good book to curl up with on a cold winter night by the fire.
|
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
