Customer Reviews

Surviving the Island of Grace: A Memoir of Alaska

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Surviving the Island of Grace" by Leslie Leyland Fields opens up a world for the reader that few see in such frank, unyielding literary light. The author's practiced instinct enables her to construct "Grace" out of exceptionally strong stuff. She weaves together the tapestry of her story as a youngster, young woman, wife and mother. These segments of her life take us from her rigorous New England childhood, through post-oil spill Alaska. The sturdy, sure-lined threads of learning, working and growing into marriage are blended skillfully into the workscape of the Alaska setnetter--a form of salmon fishing where the fish come to the net, rather than the net to the fish.
It is all here--and I mean all, the harsh, ugly griminess of living in a remote summer fish camp. There is also love, good fellowship, learning and above all else, faith. Leyland Fields is a person of deep religious conviction. Her faith appears, for the most part, in tasteful doses, even for a non-religious reader such as myself.
There are too many Alaska books by "hit and run" authors, who live up north a few years, then write a book or three. In "Grace" Leyland-Fields engraves all of her two-decades plus Alaska living on every one of its 330 pages. This book's most conspicuous literary achievement is the genuine, ardent authority of the narrator's voice.

I have just finished reading Surviving The Island Of Grace. I savored it really. I can read quickly when I am reading to collect information. But when I read for pleasure, I read very slowly. I stretched this savory meal over a couple of weeks.

The richly textured use of words drew me in, while the occassional terror of life on a wind swept island gripped me. The author is very honest, yet inspiring with her insights.

My wife was chiding me to finish, so that she could pick it up. She couldn't wait. For a few days there have been two bookmarks tracing their way through this rich and intimate memoir of life in a world very different from my own.

Since I am interested in going to Alaska for a vacation, I wanted to read something informative written by a resident. Leslie Fields did just that. In fact, I would love to stop by and see her when I go. This was truly a memoir and not just a bio. She very honestly and affectionately tells her story while leaving a written legacy for her children. I usually read fast, but I took this book on a Caribbean cruise this winter and took the whole two weeks to read it. It was an intereting contrast to where I was at the time. I particularly enjoyed hearing an insider's view of the Valdez oil spill. A very good book!

This author possesses a remarkable combination of the ability to see the beauty and blessing of life with well honed literary skill. I not only loved the book but also her life. It takes more than literary skill to make a difficult life beautiful. Yet the thing I remember the most is her amazing ability to showcase the grace of God without preaching. I find this book well worth 5 stars.

I just returned from a trip to Alaska - 4th trip to Alaska, first trip to Larsen Bay on Kodiak, AK. The first day that my husband and I were out on a fishing trip with our guides from Kodiak Island Resort we passed the islands were the Fields have their homes where they live when they fish. Our boat captain pointed these out and commented about the family working together on the setnets. A day later we happened to go to the cannery to get the weight on a large fish I caught. At the cannery store I bought Surviving the Island of Grace and could barely put it down after I started it. Leslie is an excellent writer. She wove the story of how she grew up into how it prepared her for the life she made with her husband on Harvester Island. I am actually on Amazon tonight looking for something else by her to read.

Once in a while along comes a book worth owning and certainly worth reading. Surviving the Island of Grace is such a book. It is a well written and fascinating true story of a young couple who meet in college, marry and make a life in Alaska, living summers on an island in the Shelikof Straits fishing for salmon. It is a story of hard work and achievement and paints a vivid picture of the beauty of place as well as the hardships and hazards of being out on the water tending the nets. This author opens up her life to the reader in a warm engaging way, sharing her amazing experiences. I couldn't put this book down until the last page at 3:00 in the morning.