07-02-2009, 09:35 AM
This was a little different to the ones I've been reading of late and I had never read any by Isabelle Holland before.
Here's the story: a young girl (Barbara, 18) is invited to teach children on a small Caribbean island owned by her family, now in the hands of her older half-brother (Jonathan). She had moved to the States at the age of 8, when her parents divorced. Prior to this, she was locked in her room when a fire broke out and she was left disfigured. She blamed her half-brother for the injury because he had locked her in. She reluctantly accepts due to pressure from her mother, who had reasons of her own for wanting Barbara at the island. When she arrives, there is tension on the island due to the threat of a revolution. I won't spoil the story by revealing too much.
Not a bad story once it got going. I was a bit annoyed at the beginning because our heroine acted and sounded like one of those rebellious youths without an ounce of sense. However, once you get into it, you understand why the author made her like that. It made it easier to understand how the heroine matures a bit. She was childish and she was made to understand that she was being childish. So, all in all, it was a pretty good story. Definitely above average, though I can't say it was spectacular. Possibly because I had guessed all the mysteries and I didn't feel I was supposed to.
Here's the story: a young girl (Barbara, 18) is invited to teach children on a small Caribbean island owned by her family, now in the hands of her older half-brother (Jonathan). She had moved to the States at the age of 8, when her parents divorced. Prior to this, she was locked in her room when a fire broke out and she was left disfigured. She blamed her half-brother for the injury because he had locked her in. She reluctantly accepts due to pressure from her mother, who had reasons of her own for wanting Barbara at the island. When she arrives, there is tension on the island due to the threat of a revolution. I won't spoil the story by revealing too much.
Not a bad story once it got going. I was a bit annoyed at the beginning because our heroine acted and sounded like one of those rebellious youths without an ounce of sense. However, once you get into it, you understand why the author made her like that. It made it easier to understand how the heroine matures a bit. She was childish and she was made to understand that she was being childish. So, all in all, it was a pretty good story. Definitely above average, though I can't say it was spectacular. Possibly because I had guessed all the mysteries and I didn't feel I was supposed to.