Among Stone Giants: The Life of Katherine Routledge and Her Remarkable Expedition to Easter Island

by Jo Anne Van Tilburg

Book Overview

Katherine Routledge is a central figure in the history of Easter Island, one of the world's most remote and mysterious locales. Born to a wealthy and prestigious English Quaker family in 1866,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 074324480X
• ISBN13: 9780743244800
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Jo Anne Van Tilburg
• Length: 351 Pages
• Weight: 1.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Inspirational adventure

This is a fascinating account not only of Katherine Routledge's journey to Easter Island, but her journey through life. For a Victorian woman to graduate from Oxford, live in Africa, organize an expedition to one of the most remote places on earth, and ultimately succumb to schizophrenia is truly a remarkable story. This is a compelling read, full of interesting facts, as well as wonderous parallels. It is a story of determination and frustration, success and failure, love and loss. Great summer read!

Elegant and Compelling!

This book is a MUST READ! It was very informative and well researched. I was impressed by the obvious depth and care the author took to portray her subjects in a fair and impartial light. She explored all her character's strengths and weaknesses equally, and this made for a compelling read. The author obviously had a great deal of empathy for her subject. I would love to see this book made into a movie! The author's beautiful word pictures would translate VERY well to the big screen.I would recommend this wonderful book to anyone who might be planning on traveling to Easter Island or who would like to learn more about this magnificent place!

A Stellar Biography!

This interesting and scholarly biography of Katherine Routledge is compelling and entertaining. Among Stone Giants seems to be an exceptionally well researched biography, and draws extensively on archaeologist JoAnne Van Tilburg's fist hand knowledge of Easter Island, its people and its history. While Katherine Routledge may be relatively unknown to many, this fantastic book truly brings her to life. Van Tilburg is clearly an impartial by empathetic biographer, and the reader is moved to sympathize with Katherine's challenging life struggles. JoAnne Van Tilburg's prose creates a vivid portrait of the Island, its people and Katherine's place there.Perhaps the author's greatest accomplishment is conveying to her reader how vital and extraordinary were Katherine Routledge's contributions to the present day archaeological record of the Island.A MUST READ!

An Incredible Journey

Jo Anne Van Tilburg's AMONG STONE GIANTS took me on an incredible journey. I read many biographies and this one stands up with some of the very best. The depth of her research amazed me. I felt as though I was standing right beside Katherine Routledge as she fought against the contraints of her family and her era to follow her dream to explore Easter Island. I was moved to tears more than once and so sorry when I finished the last page. This is a great read that interweaves archaeology, primitive culture, and feminist energy with wealth, mental illness, and a quest to uncover ancient secrets. Terrific idea for a Mother's or Father's Day gift!

A Story Worth Telling -A Story Worth Reading!

Having been to Easter Island and knowing a little about Katherine Routledge, I was delighted to see that someone had finally written about her fascinating life. She was a remarkable woman whose life was interesting, intriguing, and tragic. Dr. Van Tilburg traces her life as a young child of privilege, growing up surrounded by Quaker ideals in England through her life at Oxford University, her marriage to William Scoresby Routledge and travels to Africa, South America, Easter Island, Mangareva and her final years back in England.This is a biography that has been thoroughly researched; notes are referenced with interviews, Katherine's personal research and letters, Scoresby's papers and the author's endless sleuthing in all parts of the world that Katherine lived or visited. The major part of the book is Katherine's stay on Easter Island. The author interweaves Katherine's personal and academic life with what is scientifically known about Easter Island archaeology and the people who inhabited the island then and now. Her words and thoughts are beautifully crafted and bring Katherine to life in a vivid and passionate manner. I could not put this book down and didn't want it to end. It is a story well told.