Faraway [Paperback]

Lucy Irvine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2001

With her three sons, Lucy Irvine went to live for a year on remote Pigeon Island in the Solomons. The invitation had come from an intrepid 80 year-old, Diana Hepworth, who in 1947 set sail from England to find a faraway paradise where she and her husband Tom could raise a family.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Here, finally, is the follow-up to Irvine's tremendously popular Castaway (1984), which described what happened after she answered an ad saying, "writer seeks 'wife' for year on tropical island." Her latest adventure also began with an intriguing invitation. Diana Hepworth, an 80-year-old woman, invited the Castaway author to house-sit for her for a year on (predictably enough) a remote island. So off Irvine went, with her three sons in tow, to Pigeon Island. Readers familiar with the author's previous work will be on familiar ground here, as Irvine describes the joys and hardships of "roughing it" on an isolated island. (Some parts of the story are a little surreal--picture the author trying to submit newspaper articles by e-mail, using a solar-powered dial-up connection.) Some readers may consider the book too similar to Castaway, but those willing to stick it out will be rewarded with a rich, detailed, often moving story that stands perfectly well on its own and tickles the wanderer's imagination in all of us. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“A rich, detailed, often moving story that stands perfectly well on its own and tickles the wanderer’s imagination in all of us.” -- BOOKLIST

“Another astonishing tale.” -- CONDE NAST TRAVELER

“Irvine’s integrity, fine prose, brilliant powers of observation, and sheer pluck make Faraway my nomination for travel book of the year.” -- Val Hennessy, DAILY MAIL

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 446 pages
• Publisher: Transworld Publishers (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0552146803
• ISBN-13: 978-0552146807
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,069,605 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #30 in Books > Travel > Australia & South Pacific > South Pacific

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The constant troubles of living in paradise, October 28, 2007

By 

J. Klerks (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Faraway (Paperback)

Faraway is a biography about Tom and Diana Hepworth who after WWII decided to trade the UK for a paradise in the sun, i.e. Pigeon Island in a remote province of the Solomon Islands. This story is mainly based on the diaries of Tom Hepworth and written by Lucy Irvine, who spend a year in the island for research and had an earlier island living experience as written down in Castaway. The story learns that living in a tropical paradise is actually very hard labour to keep it up. Besides practical and distance related problems, troubles with the locals and local traditions are continues problems to be dealt with. In case of the Hepworths, a stiff upper lip, working hard and unquestioned love for each other and sticking to all that is what keeps the dream going, but at a price. As this way of life was dream of choice for Tom and especially Diana, it wasn't for their children. The way the daughter's mental condition is being dealt with, as in: it'll be alright as long as we put our minds to it, is a bit of a metaphor for the story as a whole.

As commissioned by Diana Hepworth, the book was meant as a realization of a never fulfilled ambition of Tom Hepworth to write a book about the life and times of their dream. The Hepworth story is alternated by Irvine's own account of living on Pigeon Island together with her sons. This enlivens the book with an extra storyline, plus it allows Irvine to take a more personal (and needed) look at the Hepworth story. Because of this, despite everyone having their problems, you can't help having a lot of respect for all involved, especially Diana. Although the book focuses a lot on family relations and emotions, it's a very well written book that ought to be ranked high in Pacific literature.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very engrossing, June 20, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Faraway (Paperback)

Lucy Irvine is enlisted by the strong-willed Diana Hepworth, who has been living on Pigeon Island for the past 40 years, to live for one year on Pigeon Island and write her story.
Lucy, not one to be pushed around herself, takes her three sons to the island and records Diane and Tom's story of sailing around the world for ten years and then settling on Pigeon island to raise a family in paradise.
The book is a combination of Lucy's year on Pigeon Island with the Hepworth's experiences there. She pulls no punches, presenting the bad with the good. Photos are included of the family, the local islanders and Lucy and her sons. It's a fascinating story and very compelling reading. Her dreamy descriptions of the warm water and sun made me long for the sea. I was under the book's spell until I could finish it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Read!, January 30, 2002

By 

"amber29" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faraway (Paperback)

Having had the experience of 3 weeks on Pigeon Island in 1996, I read the book with fascination. It certainly brought memories back. I wish I could have added my stories for background information. I found the book very real and very sympathetic to the individual personalities. I can also vouch for "Lucy getting it right". Well done.