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The Islander

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John Allen has taken a daring step in researching the diaries of a 19th century young woman, Maximilienne Carpentier, who washed ashore in 1877 on the coast of Denmark babbling utterances about an island, a woman named Emilie, and other bits of minutiae until she died soon after from exposure. She had strapped to her body a diary that survived her long time at sea following a shipwreck and that diary was saved, most people thinking this strange young woman was simply mad. It is much to the credit of John Allen and his wife that after extensive research into the details outlined in the diary that this fascinating story surfaces as a novel based on historic fact.

"The present cannot be slave to the past, for then the future would rise up our master" Maximilienne Carpentier (1855 - 1877).
And so begins the tale of the Carpentier family - mother Agathe, father Pierre and child Maximilienne - who were brought to an island by a shipping captain Claude Besson as a safe refuge for Pierre who had been imprisoned in France for stealing a jug of goat's milk for his infant daughter (shades of Les Miserables). The three make the island a paradise of familial bliss until the death of the mother and the subsequent death of the father that leaves young Maximilienne to grow up knowing her father's history and yet determined to live alone on her island. Captain Besson has continued to bring supplies to the Carpentiers and now comes ashore to meet Maximilienne and bring her the distressing news that she has enemies in the family in France who plot to take her home island.

The remainder of this page-turner story is one of high intrigue with the arrival of the dreaded aunt Camille with her children Victor and Emilie. Maximilienne is forced to struggle for her life and in doing so she discovers the many dark and heinous secrets of the aunt and even of her supposed benefactor Captain Beeson.

How this all works out is a spiraling mystery that proves that fact outdoes fiction anyday! Were this novel just fiction it would probably fall into the pulp category, but with John Allen's adept writing we are transported to another era when family fortunes, class status, piracy, and munitions daring-do were de rigueur. From a dairy of a young woman Allen has fashioned a fine novel that pleads for more information about his fascinating subject. A fine read! Grady Harp, December 2004

The Islander by John M Allen
February 10, 2005

Courtesy of WWW.loveromances.com

Maximilienne Carpentier was an infant when her parents escaped with her to an unknown island in THE ISLANDER, a novel penned by John Allen. The marketing blurbs allude that Ms. Carpentier actually exists, with the story being based on a diary that Mr. Allen discovered on a trip to Denmark. This reviewer did not find any references of Carpentier on the Internet and is wondering if indeed this woman is a work of fiction. Nevertheless, the story of Maximilienne Carpentier, be it fiction or fact, is very fascinating, and will be remembered by this reviewer for quite some time.

THE ISLANDER may remind the reader of classics such as Robinson Crusoe or The Swiss Family Robinson, both of which are stories about survival in an environment that is mostly inhospitable to the average European of that time. THE ISLANDER takes place in the last half of the 1800's, at a time when France is going through political unrest. The three Carpentiers live on an unknown island alone, an island that the reader will discover that by legal rights belongs to Phillipe Carpentier, Maximilienne's father. The three live a comfortable life on that island despite the lack of "modern" conveniences, and have no desire to return to civilization. With the help of supplies that are delivered to them every few months by a mutual friend, Captain Claude Besson, it seems that the Carpentiers have the best of all worlds.

While her parents grew up in France, young Maximilienne does not know what it is like to live outside their tropical island, but her parents do everything they can to prepare their child in case they ever return to civilization. They teach her to read and write, and do their best to teach her about society and what would be expected of her in certain social situations. They also are in contact with the outside world through newspapers that Besson brings to them on his visits, and so Maximilienne is fully aware of the geography of the world, as well as current events and politics.

However, this novel is not only a tale of survival. When Maximilienne is left to fend for herself after the decease of her parents, she finds herself at the mercy of her uncle's shrewd wife, Camille, and seeks help from the kind Captain Besson. Her life soon changes for the worst, and her life now depends on her cunning and instincts.

While the novel is touted as being a true story of a young woman's attempt at survival on an uninhabited island during the 1800's, one may or may not believe that any of these events had come to pass. The author did his research and felt assured that some of the important references in Ms. Carpentier's diary did match up to historical facts, thus validating the diary that this book is based upon. This reviewer was caught up in the story and found she thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is quite possible that Maximilienne Carpentier may not have existed as John Allen thinks she did, but that is not what this reviewer is contesting. The story in itself was worth reading, and was a novel that was well written and well structured. It had all the elements that make a story a readable book. At the same time, the characters were likeable, including the "bad guys", and with the plot being fast paced, it was quite easy to read this book in only a few days. Overall, this reviewer is giving THE ISLANDER four stars.

This story is supposedly the translation of the diary of a woman named Maximilienne Carpentier, a young French woman who washed up on the western Danish coast in 1877. She died shortly after that and her diary, which was attached to her body, was moved from location to location until found in a private maritime museum by the author of this book. The story sounded intriguing and I thought it worthy of investigating, but I decided to read the story before checking on the historical validity of Maximilienne Carpentier.
Maximilienne and her mother and father are the only inhabitants of an island in the Atlantic where the weather is tropical. Their only contact with the outside world is the regular arrival of a ship captained by Claude Besson. Even though they are able to grow and catch their own food, the ship brings other supplies, including clothing and newspapers from France. Her mother dies and then her father grows ill. It is at that point that he tells her that he is a convicted criminal who escaped from the law. His family is wealthy, was deeded the island by Charles VII and to beware of the future.
After he dies, Maximilienne asks Captain Besson to come ashore and he informs her of the dangers from her family, particularly from the ruthless Camille. Unfortunately, she trusts him completely, falling in love with him and they spend the night in coital embrace. He leaves, promising to try to find her birth certificate, so that she can claim her inheritance.
Camille and her children unexpectedly arrive with two thugs, and they beat Maximilienne viciously, to the point where she aborts the child that she now carries. She recovers and develops a plan against Camille and her gang. However, she once again finds herself being too trustworthy and almost loses her life. In the end, Camille's daughter Emilie, who came to Maximilienne's aid, is the only one of Camille's gang or Claude's ship left alive. Emilie and Maximilienne then depart the island on Camille's yacht, only to be caught in a violent storm and shipwrecked.
While some aspects of the story are difficult to believe, they are not serious enough to damage the telling. Allen is a very good writer, I found myself caring about Maximilienne, hoping that she would be able to extricate herself from the traps.
After reading the book, I performed a Google search on the name Maximilienne Carpentier. I had noticed that there was no disclaimer along the lines, "This book is a work of fiction, any resemblance to any persons is simply coincidental." I found nothing definitive regarding her existence, although admittedly the search was rather brief. However, my instinct is that Maximilienne is a fictional creation, as her personal diary could not be published without approval of her estate. Enough names are mentioned in the "diary" so that it should not have been hard to track down her family. In any case, the story is written well enough so the fact of her existence is not necessary to complete it.

The Islander is a riveting piece of historical fiction based upon author John Allen's translation of the diary of Maximilienne Carpentier, a young woman who washed up on a Danish beach in 1877 and died soon thereafter from exposure. None of her rescuers could understand her French tongue, catching only odd references to an island and a woman named Emilie, and none could read the diary which was strapped to the unfortunate young woman's body. John Allen found the diary in a local museum on the coast of Denmark, and he has finally made Carpentier's story available to the public with his interpretation of her private writings. It's an almost unbelievable story, having up to now been dismissed as the ravings of a dying madwoman, but Allen believes the story to be true and the depth of humanity seen in this extraordinary young woman of the nineteenth century is too deep and real to be dismissed.

Maximilienne's story is one of bucolic grace and wonder destroyed by the cruelty of her fellow man. She grew up alongside her father and mother on a remote, uncharted island in the Atlantic, delighting in the natural world around her and thinking nothing of the outside world. The island's only visitor came in the form of Captain Claude Besson, a family friend who brought supplies and stacks of newspapers to her father every few months. At sixteen, her mother dies and then, five years later, her father follows. Before his death, he confesses a shocking secret to his daughter - that he brought his wife and daughter to this island after escaping from prison. He has far darker and more important secrets to confess, as well, but dies before he can tell Maximilienne everything she needs to know. When Captain Besson next returns to the island, she learns more of the story from him, including the startling news that her father's sister-in-law is a vindictive, greedy woman who will attempt to claim the island as her own as soon as her own husband dies. Maximilienne has the original deed to the island, signed by none other than Charles VII of France, but she does not have proof that she is her father's daughter. Besson promises to help secure her birth certificate from France, and the naïve young lady develops a romantic relationship with her would-be hero.

Then, Maximilienne's world comes crashing down around her when her aunt Camille arrives suddenly on the island. What happens then is, if true, one of the vilest acts of violence and inhumanity the world has ever seen. Maximilienne has little choice but to fight for her island when her aunt's party of thugs next returns to set up a permanent residence there. She becomes a murderess, although I don't know of a jury that would ever have convicted her given the facts of her situation, but the awful truths she continues to learn during the continuing ordeal hurt her more than her own guilt for taking others' lives. Only the most remarkable of individuals could overcome the depths of betrayal she endures and continue to fight the good fight to the very end.

The story of Maximilienne's journey from her beloved island to the Danish coast where she was shipwrecked is just the final tragedy to befall this amazing heroine. The circumstances of her death add great mystery to what is already a mystifying story. Allen has attempted to corroborate what he can of the story, using the historical references given in her diary. The life of Maximilienne Carpentier is almost too incredible to be believed, but Allen returns the breath of life into this mysterious heroine with his remarkably natural and fascinating retelling of her story. Certainly, questions and mysteries remain, not the least of which is the actual location of the mysterious island, but the force of Maximilienne's character subsumes most doubts or questions the reader may have as to the veracity of the tale. Whether it be true or not, this is an amazingly moving human drama that cannot help but fascinate the reader.

While The Islander does relate all of the facts recorded in Maximilienne's diary, it is only the first of a series of three books covering this fascinating subject. The sequels, Coming of Age and A Woman of Experience, revolve around the mysterious Emilie, whom, Allen learned, survived the shipwreck that took the life of Maximilienne. I for one cannot wait to learn what additional information Allen will provide in relation to this tragic story of a truly remarkable young heroine.

John Allen has written one of the most compelling works of historical fiction I have seen in a long, long time. "The Islander," the first book in a proposed three-part saga, tells the story of Maximilienne Carpentier. Who is Maximilienne Carpentier? According to the book's introduction, Allen and his wife took a trip to Scandinavia some years ago only to discover Carpentier's diary in a small maritime museum on the coast of Denmark. Intrigued by the basics of the story, further investigation uncovered a mysterious yet intriguing tale. A young French woman washed up on shore after a powerful storm in the year 1877, babbling away in her native tongue about an island and someone named Emilie. Since the locals did not understand French, and Maximilienne was suffering from prolonged exposure to the harsh elements, the Danes wrote off most of what she said to exhaustion and delusion. Carpentier died soon after, and the diary traveled up and down the coastline before coming to rest in the museum. When Allen and his wife translated the document, they discovered numerous references to Charles VII, Emperor Pedro II of Brazil, and other verifiable historical figures. It began to sound as though Carpentier was far from delusional after landing on the coast of Denmark.

The diary begins with bucolic descriptions of life on an unnamed island somewhere between France and French Guiana. Only three people live on the island: Maximilienne, her mother Agathe, and her father Pierre. Their existence is exceedingly tranquil, filled with days of simple labor and mild amusements. Maximilienne spends her time writing, drawing pictures, swimming, playing with turtles in the ocean, and exploring the various caves and rock formations on the island. There is also plenty of work to do, such as fishing, tending the vegetable garden, and repairing the small structure the family calls home. Every few months a ship, helmed by a family friend named Claude Besson, arrives at the island bringing newspapers and critical supplies unavailable in nature. Despite the occasional dangers the family face, such as isolation from civilization and the storms that move through from time to time, all three get along splendidly. Maximilienne loves her mother and father and willingly accepts her life away from France. She's never known anything but her existence on the island and thus never questions her parents about why they live here. After Agathe passes on, daughter and father continue on as before. But when her father suddenly falls ill, he summons Maximilienne to his bedside for an important conference.

Although Pierre expires before finishing his story, his daughter learns some important information about why the family resides on the island. Apparently, Pierre fled France with his family after escaping from prison. Times were rough when Maximilienne was a child, so rough that her father stole some goat milk from a farmer to nourish his child. Alas, the authorities discovered the crime and apprehended Pierre. With the help of Agathe and Claude Besson, Pierre escaped from prison and eluded a large manhunt until the time he could set sail for the island. The Carpentier family has lived away from the homeland ever since. This revelation, that her father is a criminal, deeply shocks Maximilienne. Even more shocking is her encounter with Claude Besson a few months later. The sailor fills in some of the gaps her father failed to discuss, specifically that Pierre is the scion of a wealthy French family involved in the arms industry. Maximilienne's father, Besson relates, wanted nothing to do with the selling of weapons, so his brother Maurice runs the business. Or at least he does on paper since his scheming, depraved wife Camille is the real power behind the throne. In no time at all Camille arrives on the island with a couple of thugs, her son Victor, and her daughter Emilie. What follows is a battle of wits as Maximilienne does whatever it takes to save her home from the evil plans of Camille.

"The Islander" is a book chock full of action, romance, violence, and betrayal. In short, Allen's novel has all the makings of an extraordinarily entertaining read. Although the first part of the book moves slowly as the author fleshes out the daily activities of the Carpentier family, the plot kicks into high gear after Pierre succumbs to his illness. Maximilienne soon learns she can trust no one, and that life on the island has deprived her of the rudimentary social skills necessary in successfully reading other people's emotions and ulterior motivations. On several occasions her ignorance about what makes people tick nearly claims her life. It's to the author's credit that we totally buy into the idea of Maximilienne's initial gullibility and later wisdom. Allen has a way of writing about women that few male authors possess. He captures perfectly--although perhaps I should wait to see what a woman has to say about the book--the emotional turmoil a young woman goes through when facing down a lover turned enemy as well as the mental anguish involved in making the grim decision to take another human being's life.

John Allen can write background, too. His descriptive powers know no bounds when describing the vitality of the island. Maximilienne lives and operates in a world teeming with natural wonders, from the waterfall and fresh water pools on one end of the isle to the rocky crags she scales with remarkable ease. These descriptions seem overdone in the first part of the book, but they come in handy when the action starts firing. You'll know exactly why she's doing what she's doing, and where, thanks to the author's thoroughness early on. I can think of no better compliment than to label "The Islander" a great read. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

If you like magical stories you will like The Islander, by Cynthia Rylant.
In the story Daniel discovers a magical key from a mermaid. It helps him find suffering animals on the island he lives on.
This book showed me that magic is really something to like. I don't like magic a lot because then the book is kind of obvious. But in this book it did not turn out that way. Also if you like Cynthia Rylant you will like this book.