Very unusual story, which interweaves three separate narratives, concerning the mysterious isle of Rapa Nui.
In alternating chapters, we first meet a 1912 group,setting off for anthropological research. Professor Edward Beazley is making arrangements for the marathon journey, accompanied by his young wife, Elsa and her mentally challenged sister Alice. For Elsa, this marriage has been a matter of prudence rather than love: the need to find a husband willing to accept the care of a dependent sibling. Elsa has resolutely turned her back on a previous love, to do the responsible thing...

We move on to the 70s/80s and scientist Greer Faraday, newly widowed, seeking forgetfulness in her work, who arrives to study the history of the island from its pollen deposits.

And lastly we read of von Spee, admiral of the German Scharnhorst, who finds himself at the outbreak of WW1 alone in distant waters, the target of enemy navies...

How these three separate narratives come together (I didn't see it coming!) makes for a jolly good read. In the process the reader learns a lot about the history, ecology and life of this distant outpost. ( )

Definitely enjoyed Strangers at the Feast more, but this novel, which tells the stories of three groups of people who come upon Easter Island during various time periods, is interesting, but it takes too long to see the connections among the stories. The information is fascinating -- and the book well-researched -- but the stories fell a bit flat for me. ( )

Separate timelines/lives which relate to actions in the others, well identified so I had no confusion, follow the lives of Elsa, Greer, and Vice Admiral Von Spee each of whom visits Easter Island.
Portrays the native islanders as intelligent and modern (a contrast to Thor Heyerdahl's book, read long ago, of which I don't remember anything about the natives & so assumed they were all extinct).
Vanderbes includes an ending note detailing her sources of information, for those portions which are factual or historical. I see her dedication to her parents & brothers...wonder how much her clear portrayal of a caretaker's attitude toward a different child/sibling was from personal experience/observation. It certainly was helpful in my own self-awareness about how much I want to control what happens to my son & his responses.

I loved this book, identified with the responsibility of caring for a family member with (what seems to be) autism and with the interest in exploring botany/science. And always appreciate having my home state sneak into a novel. You probably have to have an interest in science, or at least anthropology, to fully enjoy it. The botanical jokes Sven made cracked me up. I did note questions I had about how she portrayed some aspects of Greer's university years, but that was based on my own limited experience at a different time than Vanderbes'. ( )

The first few pages threw up a red flag for me as a soap opera theme began this novel. But it quickly became an interesting novel, based on obvious research, in which several chronological time periods were addressed from one chapter to the next. Vanderbes does a fine job of handling the different eras and weaving them into a story that ends with introspection and unanswered questions. Recommended for anyone interested in the mysteries of Easter Island and the scientific treatment of its secrets. ( )

WONDERFUL - intriguing on many levels - full of interesting science, and interesting characters, and clever coincidences. ( )

Aide memoire:Excellent novel. There are 2 strands. One: Elsa Beazley and her husband and her sister do field work on island in 1914. Two: Dr. Greer Farraday on island early 1970's. Gives latest thinking on history, events and natives. ( )

I just recently re-read this for a book group. I remembered liking it the first time I read it, but not much more about it. Now it's fresh in my head, I don't love it, but I don't dislike it either. It is well written, for the most part. Three intersecting stories compliment each other nicely and come together very neatly in the end. The characters are engaging and their personal journeys bring the reader in. The abruptness of the transitions from one time line to another often struck me as harsh and were a little frustrating. Overall though, it is a very interesting read. ( )

(26 January 2012 – Oxfam, Stratford)

A really good, multiply stranded narrative with a time shift element set predominantly on Easter Island. Lots of technical detail, but not so much as to become unbearable, I found. The sections set in 1912-15 read a bit like A.S. Byatt’s “The Children’s Book” and the inclusion of Alice, the heroine’s mentally handicapped sister, was carefully and well done. I disagree with other reviewers who didn’t like the “romance” or the ending – I actually found little romance in there, and many more complex and troubling relationships, and the ending was fine: you do expect some links or parallels in multi-time narratives and those that were there were not too clunky or obvious. An intelligent, and one could even say feminist, novel, with good, strong unusual women characters and an unusual setting. ( )

This historical fiction story was very different -- starting with the locale, the Easter Islands. I can't imagine moving from England to the Easter Islands and saying goodbye to family/friends for years. The remotest part of the world, yet much of the description of the voyage was skipped over as the story was not about that. The story was about a young woman who wanted a fresh start -- new husband (old), father dead, and lots of debts. Plus she has a mentally handicapped sister to care for.

I liked the story a great deal but the ending was not plausible. But, I enjoyed it despite the unlikely ending.

I hope Jennifer Vanderbes writes more books. ( )

Easter Island is the story of two women--Elsa, a young woman forced into a marriage after the death of her father and Greer, a young scientist who is recovering from the death of her husband and his attack on her scientific work. Both women come to Easter Island hoping the mysteries of this most remote island will help them to find their true selves. Each woman becomes engrossed with island life, while discovering truths about herself.

I enjoyed Easter Island. The author does a good job of telling two tales at once, despite the fact that these women are very different and have only the loosest connection--their time on the island--to weave the novel together. The stories were rich and the author did a good job of focusing on the characters instead of simply allowing them "to be" on the island. Her use of a real historical event, the start of WWI, to tie the two stories together was also clever. I was a bit disappointed with the conclusion of the book, but overall I enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to fans of literary fiction. ( )

Excellent! For me this was a very interesting read. It was historically significant in tracing the evolution of the island itself as well as shedding light on the fate of the German admiral von Spee and his fleet at the outbreak of World War I. To tell the truth, I had never even thought about Easter Island before. The story begins in 1912. Elsa, a young woman, whose father has recently died, is set to marry her father's colleague, an anthropologist. She begins by writing a letter to her love, Max, explaining why she must marry another. Edward, her father's colleague, has agreed to take care of her and her sister, Allie, who is mentally handicapped. Shortly after their marriage, Edward announces that he is taking them on an anthropological expedition. With her sister's parrot in tow, they set out together on the journey of a lifetime, taking two years to reach Easter Island. We have one plot line unfolding in the early part of the 20th century and a second in the 1960's-1970's. In the modern day story we meet a doctoral candidate at the University of Wisconsin, Greer Sandor, a botanist. She falls in love with her professor, they marry and she gets involved in supporting his quest for finding the original angiosperm while writing her doctoral thesis. There is betrayal and there are some great twists of fate. I would rather not give too much away. I woke up this morning with one of the best "Aha!" moments I've had after reading a book.

The Locals Call It Rapa Nui

A solitary land mass with its closest neighbor over 1,200 miles away, Easter Island is famously known for its moai statues – monolithic figures erected throughout the island. Along with the rongorongo – a series of undeciphered written tablets found in the caves of Easter Island – the moai remain in imaginations worldwide for the mysterious nature behind their creation. Perhaps obviously but nevertheless in need of stating, this famed island provides a backdrop for Jennifer Vanderbes novel of the same name.

Island Studies

Easter Island navigates parallel stories told in different eras. In one narrative, Elsa Beazely sails to this island with her sister, Alice, and her husband, Edward, an anthropologist. Elsa’s relationship with Edward is one defined more by convenience since he provides ample security and allows Elsa to care for her sister who suffers from a mental condition. While on Easter Island, Edward studies the moai attempting to answer the curious question of how they were formed, transported, and erected around the 18-mile-wide island. During this time, Elsa attempts to translate the rongorongo with the help of the island’s native inhabitants.

In the parallel storyline, Dr. Greer Farraday travels to Easter Island officially to study island botany but mostly to escape her crumbling life stateside. Still mourning the loss of her husband, Greer dives into her work attempting to understand how such a lonely island accumulated its plants and how its plant life transformed over the centuries.

With both narratives, the central theme surrounds the desire to explore, learn, and simultaneously escape the civilized world. Both Elsa and Greer regret the poor outcomes of their lives.

Vanderbes writes,

“I’ve thought the world would still be entirely unmapped were it not for the impetus of a broken heart” (8).

Mysterious Island, Mysterious Narrative

However, I found Easter Island insufficient on the whole. Although the narratives build toward each other as the story moves, I found myself indifferent to Elsa’s part. Whenever a Greer chapter would end, I frustratingly read a chapter about Elsa awaiting further unveilings in Greer’s storyline. Moreover, I found the conclusions of both stories to be incomplete. I needed to make assumptions about the storyline because the conclusions were not sharply stated. Sometimes when a book includes two separate stories, I hope for the two stories to tie nicely at the end.

Additionally, Vanderbes writes some extremely technical passages on the subject of botany. While a part of me finds the subject intriguing, its addition in a novel is somewhat odd.

On the whole, Easter Island is a moderately entertaining novel. Like its namesake, the novel remains a mystery. The careful descriptions of the island kept me entertained as I struggled through the dual narratives and technical botanist language. I recommend this novel for those interested in Easter Island.

Originally published at http://wherepenmeetspaper.blogspot.com/ ( )

Three intersecting stories about European and American visitors to Easter Island; parallel plots involving betrayal, research into the statues and the island language. Very engrossing. ( )

At first I found myself a bit disconcerted by the leaps from one time period to another.
It seemed that perhaps a smoother transition might have been possible. Perhaps it could
have been. But as I read more deeply into the pages I found myself wondering about the characters in the other time. I was anxious for the transitions that would allow me to see how each of the characters fared.

Elsa and her sister Alice drew me in, and left me feeling grateful to live in a time when a woman could make her own choices more easily. A time when a woman could provide a living for herself and her family. They had to depend on a man, a relative stranger, for their means to survive.

Decades later things had changed...but perhaps not as much as it would seem. Women could indeed work for a living, provide for themselves and seek more and higher education. Women were able to aspire to the same heights as any man, but they were still vulnerable in many ways.

Greer's education had become her obsession, her life. On her journey she met a man who seemed to be the very one to teach her, encourage her and help her in her quest to become the best in her field of botany. When she lost him to death, the second time she had lost him, it seems, she determined to carry on and follow her own dream. This dream took her to Easter Island. The Island of mysteries, as well as great beauty.

There the lives of Elsa and Greer not only intersect, but come together in unimaginable ways. This story has it all. There is science, mystery, passion and more. I found it to be a fantastic read, one that I will recommend many times. ( )

This is a fascinating story, beautifully written. Both main characters are betrayed by people they love and trust, and both story lines - although set in different times - take place on Easter island and link together very cleverly. Also brilliantly mixed in are interesting historical facts, scientific research and ecology of the island. I never expected to learn so much from this book, especially in such an entertaininng style. An impressive read. ( )

En skönlitterär bok för alla som är intresserade av vetenskap och Påskön. ( )

Very satisfying read. Extremely well constructed story with parallel storylines fitting together nicely. Clearly very well researched. I'm not typically a reader of "women's books" or "chick lit" (I positively HATE that term...), and this was definitely a cut well above that genre. ( )

A really good read. There are 3 stories set at 3 different times. I learned a lot about the characters as weel as the history of Easter Island, the German Navy and pollen. Each story was interesting in and of itself, but the tying together at the end made it great. ( )

The island history and science of tracking plant migrations was more interesting to me than the routine soap-opera plot. ( )