Hippolyte's Island: An Illustrated Novel

by Barbara Hodgson

Book Overview

In search of a new adventure, Hippolyte Webb, quixotic spirit, modern-day explorer, and natural historian, sets his sights on the Auroras, a group of tiny islands in the middle of the South Atlantic. His destination wouldn't be so unusual, except that these islands were last spotted almost two hundred years ago. Equipped with a centuries-old map, an inadequate sailboat, and an advance payment for a book about his quest, Hippolyte embarks on an unforgettable...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811828921
• ISBN13: 9780811828925
• Release Date: July 2001
• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 1.0" x 1.0"

Customer Reviews

Hippolyte's Island

I am very pleased with this purchase. My book arrived very soon after I ordered - much more quickly than I was expecting it to. It was in great condition, as described at the time of purchase. I enjoy Barabara Hodgson's work very much, and this book is a welcome addition to my library

Both fresh and interesting

I love this book because it is unique. The premise is interesting, the illustrations are sophisticated and the writing is fresh and humorous. If you're looking for something different, try Hippolyte's Island.

A breath of fresh air

Illustrating a novel with foldout maps, collages of flora and photos of penguins might seem like a gimmick, but in the case of "Hippolyte's Island" they add to the delight of the book. Hippolyte Webb is a travel writer, and a sometime explorer and naturalist, a man who seeks adventure and manages to do it without having a telephone. He's at home in his leaking Vancouver apartment (he labels all the water stains as if they were exotic lands) wondering what to do next. He reads about the Auroras, a trio of islands near the Falklands which some people say exist and others say do not. He'll go find out! And he does.Little does Hippolyte know that journeying into the south Atlantic looking for elusive islands after too few sailing lessons will only be the beginning of the adventure. He has a buyer for the story of his travels, which means that he must work with his publisher. Not having a phone, fax, or computer, he arrives, disheveled, jolly, and accompanied by strangely shaped and smelling bags and crates, to take up residence in the conference room at Rumor Press. Lighthearted, intelligent, and fun, "Hippolyte's Island" raises questions about what is real and what isn't, and why should we care? Barbara Hodgson's writing is bright and delectable, and this novel is a winner all around. The graphic element is informative as well as fun, and adds to the overall charm of the story. Lovers of literary fiction should treat themselves to this one.

Now you see it; now you don't

I'm a "slow" reader who likes to take her time savoring the use of language and ideas, so I figured this book would take me a while to finish. I was surprised when I finished it in two days!This novel with intriguing graphics caught my attention. The graphics are outstanding, and the collage of handwritten notes on sailing and wildlife with photos, watercolors, and drawings gives more information than a verbal description and adds depth and interest to an already interesting book.The fictional travel adventure is appealing and traveling to a mysterious place that may or may not exist sparked my curiousity. Once I started reading, I wanted to keep reading because the personality of the main character, Hippolyte Webb, was quirky and he was a man of many extreme talents as well as someone with ideosyncrasies and annoying habits. The main thing that bothered me was his sailing solo for days across the ocean with no previous experience as a sailor other than a basic learn-to-sail course. This was pretty unbelievable, although I found humor in it. Of course, a disappearing island is also unbelievable, but that was a given when I decided to read the book and part of what appealed to me in the first place.

If you would like to escape this world for a few hours,

(and who among us would not, right now), this might be your ticket out. Ostensibly the illustrated story of Hippolyte Webb's search for an island which has disappeared from the maps, it is also a tribute to the spirit of adventure, the power of imagination, and the stick-to-it-iveness which sometimes makes dreams come true. Webb, the former owner of a travel magazine and voyager to remote and unlikely places, is also a collector of antique maps and atlases. Seeing the Aurora Islands halfway between the Falklands and South Georgia Island on old maps from the 18th century, but missing from later maps, he decides to try to find them, using equipment from the period. Hodgson's writing is lighthearted and often very funny, making what must have been a tremendous amount of research seem perfectly natural to an iconoclast like Hippolyte, with his eclectic interests and resistance to convention. Her collages of drawings, maps, charts, and letters from Hippolyte, written on an old typewriter, are so much fun that I pored over them, looking at every detail, and I had to work hard to restrain myself from rushing ahead to see what new delights were waiting just a few pages ahead. And Hippolyte himself is an irresistible character--truly romantic and a little flaky, to be sure, but conscientious and concerned enough with the details of his journey that even the most pedantic among us will empathize. Sailors, naturalists, archaeologists, geographers, engineers, historians accustomed to research using primary sources, and others grounded in the reality of the here and now should find the book a delightful escape. Those whose spirit of adventure sometimes propels them out of this world and into that of dreams, imagination, and new possibilities will find it positively magical. And those who dabble in writing and drawing and wish we had more talent will be positively green-eyed at Hodgson's ability to do both so well. Mary Whipple