Peregrine Island: A Novel
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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781631521515 |
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| Publisher: | She Writes Press |
| Publication date: | 08/02/2016 |
| Pages: | 288 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.90(d) |
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Peregrine Island: A Novel
4.2 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
6 reviews.
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What I liked most about this book was the world it puts you in: at almost every moment you hear, smell and feel the beach and ocean. It's a very atmospheric novel and if you want a story to carry you away to a different place, this is the one for you. I personally love the ocean, and the idea of living on a secluded island by the water, so it really appealed to me. The mystery at the heart of the story was well paced, and the characters themselves were always kept enigmatic enough to make you really wonder what happened in their past to bring them all together to this point in time. It is now the end of summer, but if you want a story that will transport you to a moody, windswept waterfront world full of characters with mysterious pasts...again, this is the one for you.
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Three women inhabit a home on Peregrine Island, a small town on the Connecticut side of the Long Island Sound. The grandmother Winter, daughter Elsie and granddaughter Peda live together but firmly divided by their likes and dislikes, their secrets and their refusal to talk directly about the family history that has divided them, without each realizing that reality. Winter sits every day staring at a painting she deems beautiful, full of characters who mean more to her than her own family. Elsie had disappeared for five years and returned with her daughter Peda, never giving one utterance of her reasons for disappearing or a clue about who her daughter’s father is. An old caretaker and a hidden old man whom others believe is Peda’s invention add mystery and ghost-like ambiance to this lush setting and bittersweet family. Many secrets will become exposed and unraveled depicting how the past so forcefully colors the present.
One day two bedraggled old men and a young, sexy-looking man, Ham, arrive at the house, claiming they’ve been sent by well-known art dealers. They are here to evaluate the painting Winter loves, created by her grandfather, Simon Candor. Winter, a woman who fluctuates between biting direct remarks and being a surrealistic presence, wants to know how these strange men learned about the painting. Ham claims he is a relative of Simon Candor and that the painting really belongs to him. The family is protective in the face of unending questions and comments; the art evaluators seem greedy and ready to do something for their own benefit. Is the painting real or a copy? Are the evaluators really experts or frauds?
To say more would be to spoil a delicious tale of revelation and conflict that flows like the tide of the waters surrounding this island home. Over quite a period of time, we will learn not only who created the painting and what lies behind its frame, but the mystery of a family member who disappeared years ago, the truth about a murder that was never documented, and the truth about present and past relationships that is shocking to all. Truth and honesty will eventually come out but not until the end of a circuitous journey that exposes loyalty, greed, unfaithfulness, selfishness and terror in every single character abiding in these pages.
Peregrine Island… is a carefully plotted and uniquely characterized story that is sure to delight readers of skilled authors. Highly recommended historical/contemporary fiction!!!
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Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (01/18)
Peregrine Island is a private island that has been in the Peregrine family for many generations. In this novel by Diane B. Saxton, the focus is on three of the women in the family: the matriarch Winter, the difficult daughter Elsie, and an imaginative, inquisitive granddaughter named Peda.
Needing a place to live, Elsie moved home to Peregrine Island. She and her mother Winter do not have a strong, loving relationship; Peda is the tie that binds them. When Peda finds a special friend in an elderly, homeless man named Jake and his dog Scarecrow, the women are not too concerned about her interactions with him. They also aren’t concerned about a voice that seems to scream for help every night. Winter’s main focus is on a painting that was passed down from her father. The artist was a friend of the family who is believed to have been murdered. The past rapidly enters into the present when an unusual group of characters show up expressing interest in this painting. Each person has his own selfish reasons for wanting to have a piece of this artwork. The mystery continues when more paintings and writings by the artist are discovered hidden on the back of the canvas. The mystery deepens when the police become involved. The past is going to haunt the future until the secrets of the painting are revealed.
“Peregrine Island” is composed of a cast of eccentric, flawed characters. While none of them are very likeable, they are certainly entertaining! The author does a beautiful job of weaving a storyline around a mysterious piece of art. As I read, I was reminded of the whodunits from the old days, where people would gather in the parlor to go over clues knowing that the guilty party was among them. The grand finale also holds to that style, and was not a disappointment.
I highly recommend “Peregrine Island” by Diane B. Saxton for fans of murder mysteries. It would also make a great selection for a reader’s group. The author’s vivid descriptions and cast of eccentric characters are meant to be discussed and shared among others.
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Reviewed by Trudi LoPreto for Readers' Favorite
Peregrine Island: A Novel by Diane B. Saxton is a snapshot of three generations; Winter, her daughter, Elsie, and granddaughter, Peda. Each has very different ideas and feelings and Diane B. Saxton has written a comprehensive description of them. Winter is the family matriarch, while Elsie is her daughter with a very different set of rules; Peda is a young child and an imaginative dreamer. The story centers on an heirloom picture that has hung in the Long Island Sound seaside house for many years. Winter very often can be found sitting and staring into the artist’s portrait. Elsie is not sure what the attraction really is. But suddenly one summer day there is great interest in this work of art as art experts and the artist’s grandsons come seeking to see and appraise the piece. The visitors quickly cause turmoil in the house and lives are about to change.
I found myself immersed in the story and unable to stop reading until the mystery and secrets were revealed. There are many secrets revealed and surprises I never saw coming. Peregrine Island really has to be read and enjoyed, and a detailed review would only serve to spoil the plot. Saxton has written a very strong and literary novel that quickly drew me in and kept me reading long into the night. Peregrine Island is deep reading in that we really get to know the women in a powerful way. If you enjoy generational family history and interaction, this is a must-read.
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Peregrine Island by Diane B. Saxton is the first book that I have read that upon completing it, I am still unsure as to if I liked it or not..... Peregrine Island gives the reader a LOT to think about. Even after finishing it, it will stay on your mind for some time. I guess a good one word discription of it would be "intense".
In Peregrine Island there are a total of 12 characters within the entire story and the way that Saxton strings them all together will completely amaze you. It is like watching a magician do a magic trick.
I love how Saxton devotes one chapter to a character and their point of view of the story. I think that helps the reader better understand how each character is thinking. And believe me there is a lot of thinking going on.
Although the story and chapters are viewed through the minds of Winter, her daughter Elsie and granddaughter Peda, you will get to know the men in their lives as well.
Saxton centers the entire story around a painting, a painting that has been in Winter's life for as long as she can remember. She stares at the people in the picture for hours every day. She likes to think that she knows the people and how they feel and think. It takes her away from her own life that at times is hard for her to understand and deal with. And the story behind the painter is just as mysterious as the characters in the painting.
For a story that has few characters and is set around one object, a story that has more twists and turns than a rollercoaster, a story that is read through the viewpoint of three people, focuses on the present as well as the past, I can say for sure that you will find it very entertaining as well as riveting. I look forward to what Saxton has in store for us with her next novel.
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