The Island of Real....
580870
an old friend, knowing what a Rascals fan I am, gave me this CD as a gift, and what a gift it is. I was not familiar with their work on this CD or on Peaceful World as I'd lost track of them after Eddie Brigati left the group.  Their music is timeless....Lucky Day is great....don't know how many Rascals fans are out there but definitely a great addition to your collection.
1022733
The different stages of destruction on our planet awe inspiring. A very good real!!! And very believable. A page turner that can not be out down!! Loved it!!
3301766
Music reflects the mood of the people it represents.. this CD tells the story.. nothing really new.. joy, sadness, heartbreak and hope.. The CD fits the bill and brings the listner to a place that may be far away, yet vivid in the minds eye. It is music of a land full of life.. and all its encounters! One may not understand every word.. but should be able to understand the feelings.. In my opinion.. a good representation of music of this island that has roots made form a number of transplants. Hope you enjoy and have, perhaps, a glass of Nero d'Avola, or your favorite beverage as you listen to music from a 'special' island!
4727324
"Left At The Mango Tree" finds the extraordinary in the ordinary by insisting that we pay attention to the seemingly simple routines which suffuse our lives. This compelling novel captures the unfolding of daily life on a stunning tropical island that readers will wish was real. Family secrets, magical realism, neighborly competition, and vanishing pineapples are woven together in a delightful and unpredictable fashion. Prepare to be enchanted, entertained, and desirous of a sequel.
3136974
I am a CULINARIA series fan.  I own this book, plus the other CULINARIA entries on Spain, France, USA,Germany and, most recently, Italy.  I am of Cuban origin, grew up in Puerto Rico, and have visited almost all the Caribbean islands at one time or another (I think I am only missing Haiti and Antigua!). I was simply amazed by the whirlwind tour through the Caribbean that the editor(Ms. Parkinson) takes us; it is a veritable travelogue of the multitude of foods and cultures of the Caribbean islands.
However, I was sometimes puzzled by her choices.  For example, she chose not to hightlight the Puerto Rican rum industry (enormous and world-renowned) while she focused on the peppermint candy production(?) on the island.  Generally, her whole treatment of the food history, industry and recipes of the bigger islands (Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico) is...well, skimpy.
Although I understand that the food and cultures of the smaller islands are usually not served well by compilation books such as this one, I felt that the book need to delve deeper, be more comprehensive and fair to all the islands. After all, the Caribbean islands have more in common with each other than they are dissimilar.
However, I believe that the book is a wonderful travel guide through the beautiful island worlds of the deep blue and warmth of the Caribbean!  Not the strongest addition to the CULINARIA series, but still worth the trouble of obtaining and enjoying!
4005596
one of the best books. I even visited the island this past week where it all took place.  That made it all come to life.  I just wish I had been able to meet the author.  I did meet one of his former students that was attending the school while he was there.  She was at the restaurant where our boat docked on the island.
997509
This is one of my favorite's. If you would like to give a listen to what the local people on the island listen to, this is the one for you. Many of the artist in this band went on to successful solo careers.
2472998
EZ has written a fictional account of the first two voyages to the new world. The actual characters are entwined with the fictional ones. The premise of the story is an observation of a Jewish man who was at sea for the first time. He watches how the Spaniards behave and knows immediately that he could be a success. The second voyage his sister comes aboard as a man and their intention is to be free and clear of the Spanish so they can start their own business. Third is an excellent read for the genre..... ER
1435519
These islands and the expectations of the people who visit them have not  changed since "Don't Stop the Carnival". This is refreshing, fast  moving, and a modern update of that tale.  In this instance, the backdrop  is the British Virgin Islands, and since the author is British and has  worked in the industry which he writes about, truly believable, and fun to  read. The additional mystery subplot adds to the whole and explains the  book's racy cover.  This is a must for anyone now living in these  islands, planning a visit, and especially if you plan to charter a sailboat  in the area. I hope the Mr. Putley will write the next book.
421639
Although this documentary is produced and presented with the greatest care and imagination for gorgeous, dramatic, arresting effect. it is the subject, these isolated islands with an ecosystem and a wild life collection completely unlike any other on earth that is cause for the wonder and enjoyment of watching. A superior documentary.
77719
I think you really have to be a Lost fanatic to appreciate the game.  And I am.  With that said, this game was awesome.  It may be alittle low on replay value, but Lost fans will love being able to free roam the island; from the beach and the hatch, to the Hydra station and the Flame station.  You also get to see parts of the island not shown on the tv show.  Oh, and the end is so shocking, you'll have to watch it again.
710951
The description of life on the island was so fascinating.  The families are depicted as such unusual inhabitants, yet they became very real. Comparing the changes in the two different time periods is interesting. All in all Mother Nature seems to dominate the story.
1952225
A good read, well written.  I'd love to visit the island (which is the basis of the story) one day.
4221228
An Island Away was all it was cracked up to be: an exploration of a side of Aruba that tourists rarely see.  I really got to know the main characters and the scenes were straight out of my childhood since I, too, was born and grew up in the shadow of the Lago oil refinery.

Who would have thought that the story of a prostitute, a couple of chollers, and a couple of hard partiers would be so compelling?
182717
With the realism of a documentary film maker,
  Oonya Kempadoo chronicles the lives of two
  economically challenged Tobagonian brothers ,
  Cliff and Ossi. Fascination with a well off
  couple living on the island , soon reels the
  older of the two brothers , Cliff , into a
  maze of sex , deceit and chaos.

  The accurate dialect and vivid descriptions
  used by the author , mentally transport the
  reader to the tiny island of Tobago.
3882879
But Islands can only exist If we have loved in them.
-Derek Walcott

This book slowly creeps up on the reader. To say that I thoroughly enjoyed it would be an understatement. The setting of this book is on an island off the coast of Italy - Castellamare. It is like a little world in and of itself. It is where a cafe called The House at the Edge of Night where the community gathers to gossip and share their histories.

Amedeo Esposito was raised an orphan and finally finds a sense of family with his mentor, the doctor who treated him while he was in an orphanage. He, himself, decides to become a doctor and obtains a job on the mysterious and remote island of Castellamare. It is there where he meets not one but two women. One whom he marries and one whom he has an affair with. On a fateful night two babies are born on the island and his life it thrown into turmoil. In a small town, on a small island, indiscretions are hard to keep secret.

Even thought his marriage is troubled by his indiscretion, His wife, Pina, gives birth to their 3 boys and one daughter. This man's life and the lives of his children are told (as are the lives of others who live on the island). What also works is Amedeo's love of stories and his love of telling stories. He collects, writes and tells his stories from when he was a boy until he is an adult. His stories are the stories he has been told. He likes to collect them in his notebook which is handed down to his children.

There is not a lot of action in this book. It is not a typical page turner. It is like a "sleeper" hit movie that comes out of nowhere and wins the heart it's audience. This book is quiet with a nice moving pace. The story is told about the four generations of this man's family but it is his initial story which really shined for me and sucked me in. Love and care went into the writing of this book and I felt it as I read and grew to loved the story myself.
4668122
Andrew Alexander, widowed, young, very wealthy recluse in a large manor house, on a remot island off the coast of Scotland, ownd a necklace, the Highland Ruby, that has not so secret powers of making the women that wear it helpless to resist the most lascivious advances of the man that puts it around her neck.
Our heroine, Charlotte, a young, and, of course, beutifull and sexually active writed for a magazine finally gets th OK from our reclusive Mr. Alexander to come and visit and do a photo shoot and an interview. The island is remote, has no cars very few phones and from the look of it no horses either meaning that the few townsfolk and the mansion of Alexanders is routinely cut off because of the mud, rain and fog.
Charlotte, although engaged to be married has no problems playing the voyeursneaking a peek at the goings on of Nancy and Kenneth, the inn keepers and young Justine after the bar finally closes. Must be the fresh ocean air that keeps the libidos of the townsfolk at a perfect pitch through most of the story. Our heronine has little problem in jumping in or on, or perhaps is it in and on, the only pastime on this remote island and finds that necklace or not she get up close and personal with Alexander on her first meeting.
Since our two protagonists only did what comes naturally to Bill and Monica I wnat to clarify that it wasn't sex that they had  .... HMMMMMMM ... yeah right!
I enjoyed the book it was very very light reading  ....