On the Island by Tracey Garvis-GravesMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I bought this because of all the great reviews. I guess I'm just not a sweet romance type of person. I enjoyed it, I really did - it kept me reading. I didn't have to sit and finish it all in one sitting, however. Once Anna and T.J. got back to the real world, the story stalled a little for me. Then it picked up, and the ending was sufficiently fulfilling.
I enjoyed their time on the island - the struggles to survive, their triumphs and heartaches. I loved watching T.J. grow and how they began to see each other as more than just survival companions.
Maybe because Anna is so close to my age - I knew what she would do. I knew what she was thinking when they got back to Chicago. I saw it all coming. But it didn't bother me.
The funny thing is- the writing style is very on-the-surface. The reader does not get much insight to what the characters are thinking, even though the chapters switch between Anna's and T.J.'s POV. It's more like reading a narration of the events. So, all the emotion is brought out in dialogue and by the narrator's observations of the other. I really enjoyed their conversations. T.J. is awesome, I just really liked him.
All in all, I enjoyed this one. I didn't love it, I probably won't read it again. But it was a sweet romance.
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When a book makes me cry, when it makes me feel as if something heavy is sitting on my chest or weighing on my mind, when characters make me sit and think about them long after I've finished their story, I have to give that book 5 stars. Given all the excellent reviews for On the Island, I was expecting that I would like this book, that it would be a good read for me as well, but I did not expect to end up caring, or even crying (probably more like actually bawling at times). Just now, after having finished the book, I'm still thinking about Anna and TJ.
ReplyDeleteYou know what happens in this story: a tutor and her young student are stranded all alone on a tropical island, basic premise with a basic theme, but this is more than just an older woman/younger man romance. For that matter, it's more than just a romance. It's a story about survival, about facing life and death, about longing, but most of all, it's about a true love, something deeper and which stretches beyond romance and those strong but maybe superficial feelings of desire and want. These are two characters who actually put the needs of a lover before want and desire.