Customer Reviews

Easter Island

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This is a superlative book on many levels. The inquiry into many mysteries surrounding Easter Island is extremely fascinating and thoroughly researched. Scientific issues are discussed in a compelling way that makes the reader understand and enjoy each new revelation, almost like a mystery being solved on C.S.I. At the same time, the two female protagonists are beautifully presented, and although seperated by several generations, their stories become interwoven in the issues that they struggle with in their inner and external lives. As a psychologist I found the description of Alice, the autist and possibly brain-damaged sister of Elsa, as well as their relationship to each other, remarkably and authentically presented. The issues related to women at different ages struggling to become respected scientific researchers are extremely well portrayed. Vanderbes's ability to interweave a myrid of topics- interpersonal, geographical, scientific and historical, is truly amazing.

I don't understand the poor reviews of this incredible and vital novel. The characters were very compelling, their stories poignant, but even more the history, the scientific research, the mystery of Easter Island itself would have been enough to hold my attention. But then I am not put off by the science, and instead relish it. I wish more books of fiction were this well thought out and included this much science. After reading WOMEN IN THE FIELD there's a whole goldmine of future novels like this one. The way the two stories finally mesh was a sad but satisfying ending. Wonderful, I look forward to more.

This is a curious and unpredictable novel that could almost be true, for all the Easter Island studies that are its bedrock. It begins with the threads of 3 lives, and deftly spins them into a compelling tale. The first thread is German battleship Admiral von Spee, whose fleet of 8 ships is trying to avoid capture by Allied forces. The second thread is Elsa, a young woman left penniless upon the death of her father, whose plans for the future require caring for her younger sister who suffers from a form of retardation called amentia. And the third is Greer, a dedicated pollen research analyst. How these disparate lives join across space and time at Easter Island is quite a masterful combination of science and storytelling. The barren landscape and mystery of the tumbled statues are investigated and described, and come to symbolize an ancient and unknown culture with parallels to the future hopes and hidden pasts of the various players. The writing is enchanting, with humor, vivid imagery, and poetic expression. The scientific foundation is central to the story, and essential to the characters. This exceptional story will leave you wishing for a plane ticket and your own research grant.

As a fan of anthropology, history, and tales of "exotic" places, I found this to be a great read, with enough suspense and complexity to keep me turning pages, as well as an abundance of fascinating scientific and historical information. I was in constant thrall of Vanderbese's storytelling ability and the amount of research she obviously did for this project.

I only wish I'd been as captivated by the two main characters themselves, Elsa and Greer. Vanderbese works very hard in her prose to try to help us know who they are -- lots of careful psychological explanations for why they act and feel certain ways -- and yet they still don't quite feel like real, fleshed out people to me.

But this wouldn't keep me from recommending the book highly to anyone -- it's a transporting, cinematic, engrossing story, elegantly told.

Not usually a fan of historical fiction, I found this book to be exciting and mysterious. It's a fascinating look at a strange island that gives you details and facts without letting the story get bogged down in them. It also examines the values of feminism without feeling preachy or forced, by drawing you into the unique lives of the sisters and Greer. I'd recommend it to almost anyone as an easy and enjoyable read.

Browsing at the library, picked this book for it's cover, and was surprisingly carried away from the start. Really fun, smart, engaging novel. The story is imaginative, the characters interesting and likable, and the narrative absorbing. Definitely a vacation read especially if you're going somewhere new.

I loved this book! It is thoughtful and intelligent, yet totally captivating. Beautifully written, it skillfully blends the perfect balance of history and science with intriguing stories of the two heroines. On finishing the book, I was driven to read more about Easter Island, the moai, rongorongo, Katherine Routledge and Vice Admiral Graf von Spee. I hope the author is planning to write a second novel -- I shall look forward to it.

I've read many well reviewed books of late, but few have been as riveting as this one. Remarkably well crafted, it should appeal to the scholar, romantic, scientist, historian...I just enjoyed it immensely. I do suspect that it will appeal more to the female reader than the male, but I found it thoroughly enjoyable. I have seen some critics find its ending more than an acceptable leap...I found, instead, that its ending was earned - and delightful. A lovely read - I couldn't put it down.

The many layers of fiction and fact interwoven in this hard-to-define debut impressed me, but it's also a book that may have tried just a little too hard to squeeze everything in.

The title of the book is what immediately pulled me in, but what unfolded between the pages was often less than remarkable. I really wanted to love this book with all of its rich history and impressive science, but the plot and characters seemed flat and uninspiring. The parallel stories with 60 years of separation between protagonists Elsa Beazley and Greer Faraday was a potentially interesting storytelling device that exposed some of the struggles of the women of their respective eras. But I felt the two stories were in conflict with one another being more of a distraction than a means of decoding some of the island's mysterious past. I almost felt like the two stories could have been expanded into two books rather than allowing character development to languish under a heap of heavy-handed fact finding within such a limited narrative space.

There were elements of the book that were compelling such as Greer Farraday's struggles with her identity. Her unfortunate PhD dissertation debacle shed light on the inequities of the sexes during the 60s and 70s and the illusions that often accompany a less than perfect marriage. Her arrival on Easter Island seemed like an opportunity for self redemption. But instead of capitalizing on the complexities of the human psyche, we are often sidelined by exhaustive (though authentic sounding) scientific jargon. I think the book would have been more emotionally riveting if we had been given more opportunity to connect with the Rapa Nui people, the visitors, and the culture surrounding the mysterious beauty of the island. My favorite scenes were those that touched on the mundane such as the descriptions of the islanders, the food and drink, the accommodations and other basic amenities that sustained village life. For me, this is part of what is fascinating about Easter Island and how such a remote region of the world, with it's depleted vegetation and omnipresent Moai statues continues to sustain a culture and inspire tourists and scientists to explore its isolated geography. With that said, the author is to be admired for exploring Easter Island and all of its ongoing inscrutablility utilizing a format that is entertaining and potentially educating.

3.5 stars -- not bad, but it could have been great.

Wow, this was just an outstanding novel in every way. The writing was beautiful, the two stories perfectly blended together into a cohesive and perfectly constructed whole. I passed it along to my husband after I finished it and he also thought it was terrific. Honestly, I can't say enough good things about this book. Loved it!!