A great real tale related by and extraodinary mind.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
I am Ecuadorian ( Quito ) and I have heard some of versions of this history, even by the most prominent Ecuadorian newspaper, but nothing compares as the certanty of Mr. John Treherne, book.This book gives you an oportunity as break, you Imagine Global crisis of 1929, Nazi Germany, lots of pain and hatred everywherebut at the end, love make a miracle in real life again.By other hand, if you have heard of a place on earth where: is a treassured by nature and "fauna", yes that is Galapagos Island where you can find: amazing nature ( mountains and sea ), and sea lions swiming trought your legs, yes that is Galapos At Ecuador!! Mi pais!!
Stranger than Fiction
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
No fiction writer would dare to invent such a story. It's too implausible for a reader of mysteries to believe. However, it's a true story about several odd groups of people who went to live on an island. The story sweeps you along, building to a still unsolved murder or murders. Part of the fun is coming up with your own explanation for what happened. Someone was lying, but who? It's also interesting to find out who of the settlers actually stayed and founded a colony more or less by accident. All in all, a good book to curl up with on a cold winter night by the fire.
Amazing story - gripping mystery
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
This is one book that needs, desparately, to be reprinted. It is the most amazing story and quite ably presented by the author. It is the true story of the inhabitants of Floreana, or Charles Island as it was also known in the late 1920's early 1930's. This tiny little island in the Galapagos group, off the coast of Equador was home to a small community of idealists who shifted there to start a new life - and it also became the centre of an odd and unsolved mystery.The start of the book was not entirely satisfactory. If I hadn't been encouraged to continue then I might not have persisted in reading it. The book centres around two German idealists (Dore and Frecerich), who escape from unhappy marriages and make an 'ideal' home on the island where they can live close to the earth and philosophise. Later another German couple and their child (the Wittmers) settle in another part of Floreana. This first half of the book which is their life is interesting but not compelling. It is when the Baroness, a sort of mystic with Imperial intentions, settles on the island with her small entourage of devoted male followers, that things get interesting. From about half way through the book you can see that things on the island are deteriorating towards some kind of disaster. The Baroness seems to be deliberately provoking the others. Food is being stolen, mail tampered with and the Baroness's imperial intentions start to overwhelm them all.The relationships on the island and the final mystery are unravelled by Traherne through thorough reading of books and resources from the various characters involved or who had visited the island. Treherne seems to have done a pretty good job in unravelling the tangle web of concealments about just what might have happened on the island during the drought in the summer of 1934 and it makes wonderful reading.To even reveal the mystery would be to spoil the book as it becomes quite complex with other deaths involved as well. This is very well worth reading - kind of Lord of the Flies for adults and - as with all true stories - the truth is far stranger than fiction.
Excellent. Leaves the reader wondering what happened
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
This has become my favorite book.I have been fascinated by the Galapagos Islands since I was a little girl, now I'm totally intrigued. I want to thank J. Treherne for bringing to life such a wierd story, truth is stranger than fiction! I pass the book around to all my friends and everyone has a different theory about the strange events. Wonderful!
ThriftBooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. We personally assess every book's quality and offer rare, out-of-print treasures. We deliver the joy of reading in recyclable packaging with free standard shipping on US orders over $15. ThriftBooks.com. Read more. Spend less.