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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Damn, now I want to live in a tight-knit socialist community on a tropical island paradise (although by cursing I've already disqualified)!
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This is very much a character driven book which sometimes aren’t for me as I’m often in the mood for more of a page turner that will pull me along, but I really enjoyed getting a glimpse of the lives of these folks who live on an extremely remote island. Parts were funny, parts were sad, but overall it was a light but interesting read.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A reminder to myself to google authors before I request their books on netgalley. I hope Segal has gained some sense since her 2009 article complaining about the "fanatical Islamism [...] tightening its grip on the country."
Aside from that, the book itself is delightful. I spent a few years as a child on a small island with a population of circa 300, and a lot of this book rings true in terms of the unique habits of isolated islanders. I will say, there is a large emphasis on the population having a Portuguese background, while most of the 'non-english' words in the island's unique vocab are a bastardised version of Spanish. It also doesn't quite make enough sense that the population would be fully English-speaking and culturally dependent on England. It's clear that the author is going for the quaint and cozy angle so tries to shy away from what a realistic reason for this would be...
The writing really worked for me, and the characters were delightful although possibly too plentiful. Reading this was an enjoyable experience, truly an escapist palate cleanser and just what I needed at the moment. I do wish the book had more plot, especially to do with what is meant to be the central character's entire reason for going to the island - tortoise research. The book is clearly more of an establishing setup for the rest of the series, as we finish Welcome to Glorious Tuga with no story arcs finished and thus I am left unsatisfied.
I would not recommend monetarily supporting this author, but it would make for a great holiday read if borrowed from your local library. Personally I think I would continue the series, but not in a "reviewer" capacity.
Thank you to the publisher for the digital copy via Netgalley.
Aside from that, the book itself is delightful. I spent a few years as a child on a small island with a population of circa 300, and a lot of this book rings true in terms of the unique habits of isolated islanders. I will say, there is a large emphasis on the population having a Portuguese background, while most of the 'non-english' words in the island's unique vocab are a bastardised version of Spanish. It also doesn't quite make enough sense that the population would be fully English-speaking and culturally dependent on England. It's clear that the author is going for the quaint and cozy angle so tries to shy away from what a realistic reason for this would be...
The writing really worked for me, and the characters were delightful although possibly too plentiful. Reading this was an enjoyable experience, truly an escapist palate cleanser and just what I needed at the moment. I do wish the book had more plot, especially to do with what is meant to be the central character's entire reason for going to the island - tortoise research. The book is clearly more of an establishing setup for the rest of the series, as we finish Welcome to Glorious Tuga with no story arcs finished and thus I am left unsatisfied.
I would not recommend monetarily supporting this author, but it would make for a great holiday read if borrowed from your local library. Personally I think I would continue the series, but not in a "reviewer" capacity.
Thank you to the publisher for the digital copy via Netgalley.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes