A review by staghunters
This Other Eden by Paul Harding

adventurous challenging emotional informative sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Wonderfully written, though it requires focus to really get all the nitty-gritty details. Harding carves a sad story out with his prose, but doesn't shy away from putting down how these things possibly could have happened in real-life counterparts. There are characters that wrestle with their internalized prejudice and discriminatory attitudes, and others that don't bat an eye at self-reflection in the face of obvious inhumane acts. 
The Honeys, Larks, and other residence of the island are a wild but loving bunch. A close-knit group that wants the best for each other through their simple ways. The book doesn't say this way of life is inherently better, but the people are happy enough despite the hardship they face in their daily life in the environment they have chosen as their home. 
Ethan Honey's section clings as a tragedy that happens all too often in other historical novels or romances, yet here meets the end it has because of the exact time and place it is set in. The glimpses at a future exhibition give hope. But that is all that Apple Island leaves behind, save for small shards hidden deep in the dirt.
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