Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
310th out of 644 books
—
291 voters
Hippolyte's Island: An Illustrated Novel
In search of a new adventure, Hippolyte Webb, quixotic spirit, modern-day explorer, and natural historian, sets his sights on the Auroras, a group of tiny islands in the middle of the South Atlantic. His destination wouldn't be so unusual, except that these islands were last spotted almost two hundred years ago. Equipped with a centuries-old map, an inadequate sailboat, an...more
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
July 1st 2001
by Chronicle Books
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
312)
Hippolyte's Island tells the story of the eccentric Hippolyte Webb. Having been a traveler all his life, Hippolyte becomes restless for someplace new, someplace he hasn't seen before. Being a collector of old maps and atlases, he discovers three barely noticeable dots in the middle of the southern Atlantic. The Aurora Islands. They appear on no modern maps, and all geological authorities deny their existence. It is as if they have disappeared off the face of the earth. Hippolyte makes it his que...more
This book has been sitting on my shelf for almost a decade now- a practically ancient recommendation from my dad who lauded its brilliance for several months before becoming distracted by other, more important books. Maybe it’s because he built it up too much, but having finally read it, I’m not quite sure that I agree with his assessment.
Hippolyte Webb, our protagonist, is a scattered bibliophile and self-centered world traveller who claims to have re-discovered a set of islands that had virtua...more
Hippolyte Webb, our protagonist, is a scattered bibliophile and self-centered world traveller who claims to have re-discovered a set of islands that had virtua...more
What a nice stumbled upon book. I not sure you will say that after being introduced to Hippolyte Webb but then this is an ODD little book (illustrated) about a really ODD little man. The story begins just as confusing as it's main character, but that's a lot of it's charm. The man and his tale are like quicksilver - hard to pin down. But are they? They story quickly turns into a fanasty most, if not all, of us dream of. Discovery of lost lands and heroic deeds of Hippolyte. The heroic deeds are...more
An illustrated novel recommended to me by Mary Coffield. It's an unusual book. An amateur explorer & map collector sets off in search of a group of islands that appear on 18th- & early 19th-century maps (here lovingly reproduced), but then not on later maps. He finds them under mysterious circumstances. In the last half of the book he works with an editor at a book publisher to convince her that his account is truthful. She keeps asking for more details, then objects when he includes too...more
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK ON AN E-READER.
I wanted to like this book very much.
Unfortunately, there were a few things that kept me from enjoying what is an excellent concept. I love books that incorporate images into the text, and I also love when novels blend letters and journal entries into the storytelling. I did not, however, find the main character engaging, and the kindle formatting kept me from appreciating all of the visual elements.
I don't regret reading this book, but I won't be reading it...more
I wanted to like this book very much.
Unfortunately, there were a few things that kept me from enjoying what is an excellent concept. I love books that incorporate images into the text, and I also love when novels blend letters and journal entries into the storytelling. I did not, however, find the main character engaging, and the kindle formatting kept me from appreciating all of the visual elements.
I don't regret reading this book, but I won't be reading it...more
I began reading this book because it was said to be a mystery. I thought of murder and mayhem; but not so. It is still a mystery of a trip to find three lost islands (The Auroras). Hippolyte plans and sets out on a fantastic voyage, but also lavishly illustrates her tale with drawings, calculations, photographs and research. This book is also about the trials of trying to get a book published.
While I'm always up for a good sailing book, the sailing's only the first half. Much of the rest of the book hinges on whether we can trust the reported experiences of the main character, and this lends a dimension to the reading I found quite intellectually stimulating. Another I'd highly recommend...
The first 100+ pages were absolutely brutal, and I seriously contemplating just giving up. I stumbled upon this on my friend's bookshelf and had no idea what to expect...and was sorely disappointed to find out that it was becoming a book about being on a boat in the middle of the ocean, and finding a very boring group of islands. But then at about page 115, something kind of cool and puzzling occurs. Then it becomes a book about publishing a book about the island, and it gets pretty funny at tha...more
Interesting story, especially if you like maps, stories of exploration, etc. part historical fiction, part adventure story, part travelogue. Great illustrations which enhance the experience. I loved the contrast between Hippolytes' self-description and how others perceive him.
Very interesting illustrated (!) story told in semi-epistolary style about one man's supposed rediscovery of some South Atlantic islands. I was fascinated by the cartography, geography, biology and the descriptions of sailing and the publishing business.
Barbara Hodgson has a way of weaving surprises into very good stories. She also adds artistic elements such as photos and pictures to enhance the reading experience.
It was a nice adventure story. The writing styles and the interactive elements made me feel very much like a discoverer of the story. It was good fun.
For fans of the Griffin and Sabine books who have a longer attention span.
It was very slow moving and a bit dull.
Really different!
This is a beautifully illustrated work of fiction. Too bad the author got a little sloppy with the story at the end. Fun to read.
Wonderful story, though the story can be a challenge to follow. I just took it off the shelf to re-read.
Those last couple chapters - an audible "aww." This was wonderful.
I loved the maps and inserts in this book.
May 11, 2013
Hannah
marked it as to-read
May 07, 2013
Nicole Botherway
marked it as to-read
May 04, 2013
Pamela
marked it as to-read
Apr 11, 2013
Kim
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
May 22, 2009 11:40am
May 22, 2009 05:33pm