Island of The World [Kindle Edition]

Michael D. O'Brien (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"You will not want to put this book down until you finish it, and you will continue to live in it even after you close its covers. This story will change you. It will make you a wiser, better person. Is there any greater, rarer success we can hope for in a mere book than that?"
-Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., Boston College. Author, The Philosophy of Tolkien

"It is difficult to know where to turn for noble enough analogies in speaking of this book. Michael O'Brien has achieved both a seriousness and a delicacy, that is not to be taken lightly. I wonder whether we are going to find Mr. O'Brien's name taking its place along with those of Mauriac and Bernanos before too long?"
-Thomas Howard, author, Dove Descending: A Journey into T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets

"In Michael O'Brien's new novel we feel the mystery and theology palpitating on every page without ever feeling that the deeper meaning is obstructing the momentum of the plot. The genius of O'Brien is that he does not wear his theological heart on his sleeve but lets its pulse provide the unobtrusive rhythm to which the story dances. This is storytelling at its most sublime"
-Joseph Pearce, author, Literary Converts

"Michael O'Brien's novels always have haunting plots. St. Augustine wrote, -You touched me, and I burned for your peace.' Something burning is found here. Young Josip is told that the Odyssey was written about a man who longed to return home. What is our home, in this island in the world? O'Brien's words touch us deeply in this work, by lives that seek in their very living that peace for which those who were created to live first in this island of the world are finally destined. 'In eternity we will know fully.' Such are O'Brien's words, such are Augustine's words."
-James V. Schall, S.J., Georegetown University. Author, The Order of Things

Product Description

Island of the World is the story of a child born in 1933 into the turbulent world of the Balkans and tracing his life into the third millennium. The central character is Josip Lasta, the son of an impoverished school teacher in a remote village high in the mountains of the Bosnian interior. As the novel begins, World War II is underway and the entire region of Yugoslavia is torn by conflicting factions: German and Italian occupying armies, and the rebel forces that resist them-the fascist Ustashe, Serb nationalist Chetniks, and Communist Partisans. As events gather momentum, hell breaks loose, and the young and the innocent are caught in the path of great evils. Their only remaining strength is their religious faith and their families.

For more than a century, the confused and highly inflammatory history of former Yugoslavia has been the subject of numerous books, many of them rife with revisionist history and propaganda. The peoples of the Balkans live on the border of three worlds: the Islamic, the orthodox Slavic East, and Catholic Europe, and as such they stand in the path of major world conflicts that are not only geo-political but fundamentally spiritual. This novel cuts to the core question: how does a person retain his identity, indeed his humanity, in absolutely dehumanizing situations?

In the life of the central character, the author demonstrates that this will demand suffering and sacrifice, heroism and even holiness. When he is twelve years old, his entire world is destroyed, and so begins a lifelong Odyssey to find again the faith which the blows of evil have shattered. The plot takes the reader through Josip's youth, his young manhood, life under the Communist regime, hope and loss and unexpected blessings, the growth of his creative powers as a poet, and the ultimate test of his life. Ultimately this novel is about the crucifixion of a soul-and resurrection.

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 1008 KB
• Print Length: 860 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1586172166
• Publisher: Ignatius Press (June 19, 2009)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B002FSTJC0
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,936 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Island of the World, January 21, 2008

By 

S. M. Norris (Rochester, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Island of the World (Hardcover)

Michael D. O'Brien is truly a gifted writer. During the last several weeks that I spent reading this phenomonal book I felt like I was in the skin of the main character, Josip Lasta. I have rarely, if ever, been so emotionally involved in reading and had to keep telling myself, "it's only a book". I shed so many tears I had to put the book away for a time and told myself to "forgadbout it" (an expression of one of his many characters in the book).

Mr. O'Brien's descriptions of the agony and the rising of Josip Lasta are unparalleld in any book I've ever read and shows profound insight into the inner workings of his character's mind, body and spirit. This book deserves to be #1 on every bestseller list. I intend to gift several friends with a copy and to tell all the readers I know to read it.

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another phenomenal read !!, February 27, 2008

By 

VRegina "VRegina" (New England) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Island of the World (Hardcover)

Michael D. O'Brien challenged, moved and amazed me with this lyrical and harrowing novel. I wept many times, remembering the "fields of heaven" where he grew up, and the horror he grew into through the terror of war and despotism. The spiritual passages and poetry lifted me above this world toward the infinite. You will never forget the characters and places, the injustice, the love, the faith, and the sheer majesty of this story played out against the history of the Croatian people. Every time I think Mr. O'Brien cannot possible top himself in print, he does;- his talent that he shares so liberally with others elevates and deepens one's view of life, and stretches your mind and spirit to the shattering point. An experience not to be missed or taken on lightly.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Powerful Read, June 17, 2008

By 

J. D. MacGregor (Cincinnati, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Island of the World (Hardcover)

I wasn't sure what to expect from this large novel, but I didn't expect something that made me look at my own life a little closer.

O'Brien does a perfect job drawing the reader into the life of his characters. I found myself identifying with Josip Lasta even though we have very little in common. Throughout the entire novel, I couldn't wait to find out what happens to Josip next. I had to keep reading to find out if he finally achieves and keeps happiness.

The tales of life under a series of totalitarian regimes made me feel grateful for my freedoms, and reminded me to be more active in preserving them. Josip's grappling with faith was inspiring, and caused me to ponder my own spirituality at length. I tried--as best I could from a novel--to learn from how Josip interacted with the people in his life. All of it put together left me thinking, and wishing I could go right back into the book and recapture the joy of first discovery.

I highly recommend this book if you enjoy thought provoking, deep stories where the true meaning may take a bit of consideration to unearth.