Island Apart

Sep 22, 2012 John rated it 3 of 5 stars

Food can be some pretty powerful stuff. We know it can help heal our bodies from injury and illness. Can it also heal relationships?

Claire Doheny is a New York book editor recovering from a serious illness. To help with her recovery, she agrees to house-sit a sprawling estate on Chappaquiddick Island, the famous vacation playground for the New England wealthy. Bustling during the months of July and August, the island is a sleepy fishing village the rest of the year.

Hoping to spend her time regai...more

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Jul 12, 2012 JoAnne Pulcino rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fiction, women-s, romance

ISLAND APART

By Steven Raichlen

ISLAND APART is a magical debut fiction novel about a magical place from the New York Times bestselling author and chef of books such as Planet Barbecue and How to Grill. Who knew a chef could write such a touching love story?

After a serious illness and a traumatic break up book editor, Clair Doheney agrees to house sit a friend’s oceanfront mansion on Chappaquiddick island in Martha’s Vineyard. She has an accident while riding her bicycle, and is rescued by the mys...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Lynn rated it 3 of 5 stars

The break-up of her marriage and a diagnosis of breast cancer send Claire Doheney to Martha's Vineyard to try to figure out how to move on with her life. Her friends have left her alone in their house on Chappaquiddick Island at the end of the summer. She continues her editing work, a biography of an eccentric inventor which is being written by an eccentric writer, and wonders how to fix the broken relationship between herself and her only daughter. Though the tiny island is all but deserted, Cl...more

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Jul 02, 2012 Jeanne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: general-fiction

Island Apart is a love story, cookbook, history lesson, gazetteer, and visit to the psychologist all rolled together. Add a dash of the literary publishing world and read slowly. This isn't a fast-paced book, but I read it in an evening. All the bits of and pieces Raichlen throws in tend to slow down the narrative which follows Claire and the Hermit.

Claire's getting a divorce from a philandering professor. Her daughter's an angry young adult with hair issues. Her mother's an Irish Catholic from...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Patty rated it 5 of 5 stars

Island Apart
By
Steven Raichlen

My " in a nutshell" summary...

Claire goes to Martha's Vineyard to recover from a very serious illness...she meets the Chappaquiddick hermit...entanglements ensue!

My thoughts after reading this book...

Heaven on earth...that describes this one. Who knew the barbecue king...this author...had this kind of story telling in him?
I loved every single lovely sentence. The island descriptions, daily life on the island, the food, the books, the locals...sigh...yum...so pleasura...more

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Jun 10, 2012 Virginia Campbell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, romance, womens-fiction

Author Steven Raichlen offers a delicious slice of the pie that is Martha's Vineyard in "Island Apart". Both touching and tempting, with a poignant romance which celebrates the love of food and the fact that food is love, this book is a treat for the senses. Claire Doheney is a New York book editor whose life implodes with a series of devastating events--just as she learns she has breast cancer, her marriage ends through her husband's infidelity (which also cost him his career), and her relation...more

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Apr 03, 2012 Julie Barrett rated it 5 of 5 stars

ISLAND APART by Steven Raichlen
ISBN: 9780765332387
Story of Ed and Claire. He lives on the island and everything he eats and uses is from the island. Nobody knows much about him as the tale goes on so he's known as the hermit.
Claire and her friend are summering at Sheilas house when Claire informs her that divorce from her husband and police charges against him make her not want to go back to NY. It's agreed she will stay on into the fall months to catch up on her reading for her publishing job...more ISLAND APART by Steven Raichlen
ISBN: 9780765332387
Story of Ed and Claire. He lives on the island and everything he eats and uses is from the island. Nobody knows much about him as the tale goes on so he's known as the hermit.
Claire and her friend are summering at Sheilas house when Claire informs her that divorce from her husband and police charges against him make her not want to go back to NY. It's agreed she will stay on into the fall months to catch up on her reading for her publishing job and travel to Boston for chemo when needed.
Brings back memories of what it's like to live on the island where I grew up. Summer months and the island growing to 5times the population. Love the winter months the most where you get to learn about your neighbors and you barter with one another.
Love to hear of the history lesson as to the first inhabitants to the island.
The hermit travels the island on foot and we discover all the hidden treasures.
He found her on the beach knocked out after a bike accident and carried her miles to the ferry where ambulance was called. After she was better she would make food for him, breads, pies, etc and leave them just past the cemetery, he would arrive and get them and return the empty sack to her mailbox at the post office.
The ingredients used to make their lavish gifts came from the island where they probably were just a few feet from one another as they foraged for the fruits or nuts to make flour. Cooking and combination of what goes into a dish is just outstanding!
What Claire does is what I'd want to do, live on the island year round and read. And add in that Mary knits, I'd like to do that also. And being that it's on an island the smell of the ocean would be super.
Tender sex scenes are very loving and passionate. Like how they spend time investigating the island by car.
They each have secrets and the other finds out in time...
Medical and other studies cited are like a mystery solved.
Love and mysteries, nature scenes and island living got to me, priceless.
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Aug 06, 2012 Meg - A Bookish Affair rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, fiction

4.5. This book is amazing! Let me just give you a little taste of what you're in for with this book:

"We're all wounded in some way," he said. "It's not what you have that makes you beautiful. It's what you've lost and still managed to go on living without."

How perfect is that quote? You may want to read it right now and that's okay. But there's more! This book really has a little bit of something for everyone. There's great characters (the two main characters, Claire and the Hermit, are heartbr...more 4.5. This book is amazing! Let me just give you a little taste of what you're in for with this book:

"We're all wounded in some way," he said. "It's not what you have that makes you beautiful. It's what you've lost and still managed to go on living without."

How perfect is that quote? You may want to read it right now and that's okay. But there's more! This book really has a little bit of something for everyone. There's great characters (the two main characters, Claire and the Hermit, are heartbreaking and wonderful and so real). I really, really loved these characters. They're so tragic in their own way and they come together for something really beautiful. There's food! Claire and the Hermit are both wonderful cooks and make things that make you want to lick the pages just so you might get the tiniest taste of what they're cooking. There's a good love story with a great lesson. There's a mystery! See, there's really a little bit of something for everyone.

There's also a great setting. Chappaquiddick is where it's set, which before this book was only known to me as the place where Ted Kennedy had that car accident which killed a young woman. Fun fact: I have a newspaper front page from when Apollo 11 landed on the moon, which happened to be right around when Kennedy had the accident so there is a story on the same front page about that. Kind of creepy, no? Anyhow, what I love about the setting is that from the way that it is written about, you can tell that the author really knows the place. He does a great job of making it come alive.

Now I loved the story but there were a couple things that I didn't get about the story. I don't want to give anything away (you all still really, really need to read this book). First, why didn't Claire do something besides mope when she found on the big twist? I thought that she would take more action. Why didn't Sylvie try to make amends? Would you really send a letter like that? I didn't fully understand the motivations behind the characters, which took me out of the story a little bit.

That being said, this book is still pretty fabulous. This is the book that you get lost in. It's the one where you make sure you have a ton of time to devote to it because you know that you aren't going to want to stop reading it for awhile.

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Jun 03, 2012 Bonnie Brody rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book really surprised me. I found myself enjoying it a lot despite its being the type of book I don't usually read. It reads like a combination of the best of Nicholas Sparks, Jodi Picoult, Susan Shreve and Elizabeth Berg. it is a love story and a tragedy, a perfect beach or airplane read. It goes fast and catches the reader in its highly emotive telling.

The novel begins, "This is the story of a man who suffered great hurt and came to the island to find safety, seclusion and solace. It's al...more This book really surprised me. I found myself enjoying it a lot despite its being the type of book I don't usually read. It reads like a combination of the best of Nicholas Sparks, Jodi Picoult, Susan Shreve and Elizabeth Berg. it is a love story and a tragedy, a perfect beach or airplane read. It goes fast and catches the reader in its highly emotive telling.

The novel begins, "This is the story of a man who suffered great hurt and came to the island to find safety, seclusion and solace. It's also about a woman who lost nearly everything - only to find herself. This is the story of Claire and the Hermit of Chappaquiddick." The Hermit is a man rarely seen on the island. He never makes eye contact with others and tries to render himself invisible. Claire is a book editor recuperating from a rigorous trial of chemotherapy for breast cancer. Her close friends have a home on the island and loan it to her for the winter to do her editing work.

Claire is editing a biography of Wilhelm Reich, the maker of the Orgone box and the psychoanalyst behind orgone therapy. The novel goes into the story of Wilhelm Reich's life in great detail, too much detail as far as I'm concerned. Claire's husband has just left her. He lost his job at Barnard for having affairs with several students there and is now without work. He is trying to sue Claire for alimony. Claire's husband left her on the same day that she found out she had breast cancer. As the book starts, Claire is finishing up her rounds of chemotherapy for a very voracious cancer. She is trying to gain her strength and heal.

While riding her bike on the island, she gets into an accident and the hermit finds her unconscious on the side of the road. He picks her up and carries her two miles to the ferry so that she can get medical help. She is okay after a few days in the hospital and she wants to thank the hermit. So begins their story. She makes him some food and in return he makes some food for her. They are both fantastic cooks and communicate through their love of cooking. Gradually, they get to meet each other and a love affair ensues.

The story has a lot of information about the history of Martha's Vineyard and Chappaquidick, much more than is necessary. It almost seemed like filler to me. The meat of the story is the relationship between Claire and the hermit. One of them has a huge secret and the secret may be enough to ruin what looks like an idyllic relationship.

Claire is also dealing with her rebellious daughter Molly who has a multitude of piercings, tattoos, and wild hairdos. She brings home one loser boyfriend after another and Claire is at her wit's end about what to do about her daughter.

The story reads well except for many repetitions. Overall, I enjoyed it a lot and found myself almost weepy at times. As a breast cancer survivor, I get very emotional when I read about other women's struggles with this disease. The author does an excellent job portraying Claire's feelings about her body image, her fears and her hopes.

The hermit is a recluse who most likely is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He is a marvelous cook and at one time was a famous New York foodie.

I recommend this book for a good beach or airplane read. It will keep you interested and turning the pages. It has all the necessary ingredients of a tragedy and a good love story.
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Sep 28, 2012 Anne rated it 2 of 5 stars

I wanted to like this book so much more than I actually did. There are enough detailed reviews of the plot that I won't do it again here, I'll just summarize my main issues:

- The author really has an awkward narrative style. It jumps from essentially lecturing about historical facts to a paragraph about the book's protagonists, and back to history again. This could happen for half a dozen paragraphs -- back and forth, with seemingly no correlation between the two. Eventually it would become clea...more I wanted to like this book so much more than I actually did. There are enough detailed reviews of the plot that I won't do it again here, I'll just summarize my main issues:

- The author really has an awkward narrative style. It jumps from essentially lecturing about historical facts to a paragraph about the book's protagonists, and back to history again. This could happen for half a dozen paragraphs -- back and forth, with seemingly no correlation between the two. Eventually it would become clear why he chose this particular spot to insert this historical background but the manner of introducing was so heavy-handed, and the sheer volume of content was overkill. If I wanted to read a biography of Reich I would. Here, I wanted to read a relationship novel.

- The details of Chappaquiddick Island were nice and displayed the author's obvious familiarity with the place, which I suppose was the intent. But honestly, other than a passing mention there was no reason to go into repeated detail of the Ted Kennedy accident. It was really just filler, and had nothing to do with the book at all. It was like a weird kind of name-dropping, for lack of a better way to describe it.

- Other than Claire and the Hermit, NONE of the characters were fleshed-out. The way they were described was so one-note -- Claire's daughter was a rebel, and such a stereotypical one at that; the Reich author was an eccentric; the ex-husband was a philanderer. There was absolutely nothing unexpected about these characters and worse, they had no depth. Really when you get down to it, even Claire and the Hermit were very lightly drawn. Claire battled cancer but we really never saw how she struggled, what she feared, how she hurt. The Hermit was isolated but we never felt his pain, saw his thoughts, understood his seclusion. As many reviewers have noted, the descriptions of food in this book are incredibly detailed. I wish that the same attention had been paid to the characters.

- It honestly just drove me nuts that the Hermit was called that throughout the whole book.

I really wanted to at least give this an "I Liked It", but the ending (which I see some previous reviewers have spoiled) stripped away any chance of that. I don't need all my endings to be happy but I do need some kind of an emotional payoff, and I personally didn't get it. (less)

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May 30, 2012 Kylie rated it 3 of 5 stars

A Goodreads Giveaway.

An interesting first novel from Steven Raichlen. Island Apart is the story of Cancer stricken Claire who moves to Martha's Vineyard to escape the rat race and have time to herself to try and recover from chemotherapy. She meets 'The Hermit' and a surprising friendship is formed. This quickly turns to romance. (And I mean quickly)

I enjoyed reading this novel, with a certainly interesting storyline. The way that the characters interacted was good. I was a little disappointed w...more

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May 14, 2012 Jalynn Patterson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow, who knew that the author of the Barbeque Bible could write a novel. This is Steven Raichlen's first novel. And it was a page turner. I really enjoyed my advanced copy. A short summary of the book:
Claire Doheney,recovering from a serious illness, agrees to house-sit in an oceanfront mansion on Chappaquiddick Island, off Martha's Vineyard. The New York book editor hopes to find solace, strength, and sufficient calm to finish her biography of the iconoclastic psychotherapist, Wilhelm Reich.
The...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Laurel-Rain rated it 4 of 5 stars

"No man is an island..."

The famous quote is a reminder of the connections between people, no matter what their circumstances, and no matter how much they may isolate themselves.

In "Island Apart," Claire, a book editor, stays in the cottage owned by her friends after her husband leaves her. She is already struggling with cancer treatment and needs the time away. Time to heal.

The island of Chappaquiddick seems like the perfect spot.

Meanwhile, a mysterious "hermit" moves around the perimeter of the...more

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Sep 27, 2012 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, just-for-fun

A great beach book. Part love story, part survivor story and just plain good. Claire, a breast cancer survivor recovers on Chappaquiddick Island on Martha's Vinyard where she strikes up an unusual friendship and layer romance with the local hermit. His story slowly unfolds over a series if delicious and sumptuous meals they cook for one another. All is wonderful until Claire accidentally stumbles on the Hermit's story. The narrative is wonderfully detailed and you get a real sense of life on tha...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Peebee rated it 4 of 5 stars

OK, this is the barbecue guy -- I think I own some of his licensed BBQ accessories. I saw the book in the library, and thought "it's like if Bobby Flay decided to write a novel." But it's kind of like chick lit. Imagine a male Elin Hilderbrand. Pretty photo on cover -- check. Massachusetts island -- check. Romance with its twists and turns -- check. So, the description of the meals the couple has in the book are amazing. The food porn is better than the sex they have. Anyway, not terrible, not t...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Marcia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: x2012, fiction, library, local_author, local_setting

Actual Rating: ***1/2
With no disrespect to either author, Island Apart could easily have been mistaken for a Nicholas Sparks novel but with one major difference. Raichlen very skillfully weaves stories of the history and lore of Chappaquiddick Island (yes, that Chappaquiddick) in Martha's Vineyard along with absolutely mouth watering descriptions of food, both procuring and preparing, into this story of a survivor of life woman and a lost recluse of a man. This was an "it caught my eye" library...more

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May 29, 2012 Bob rated it 3 of 5 stars

Well written; I think "poignant" is the word. My problem was, I will never be able to afford any of those wines, and will never have any (ANY!) of the foods the author goes on about, and I hate shellfish. A lot of local history about the vinyard and island (cheers for Raichlen for his pointed comments on the politics involved in Kennedy skating on the death of Mary Jo Kopechne). I felt all the extra stuff, as well done as it was, got in the way of the story and the character development. A very...more

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Jun 22, 2012 Debra rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: food, science

I was quite disappointed in this book. Having read so many people raving about the combination of food and human interest on Chappaquiddick Island, it seemed like a sure winner.

Well, that is why they run horseraces. There is no such thing as a sure winner. Mr. Raichlen's fiction style is awkward, and his characters are undeveloped cardboard. He reserves his best prose for writing lyrically and incessantly about the food that the couple cooks.

To top it off, I didn't even get a good sense of the i...more

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Apr 25, 2013 MountainShelby rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-reviews

New York City book editor Claire Doheny's life is crumbling as she simultaneously tries to survive an ugly, embarrassing divorce and a battle with breast cancer. She retreats to Chappaquiddick Island in Martha's Vineyard to find solace in the barren landscape. There she meets The Hermit, another of life's survivors, but of a completely different kind of battle . . .

If you are willing to suspend disbelief (and at times you will really need to suspend disbelief), Island Apart is a delightful stor...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Mandy rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was intrigued by the premise of this book. And while I enjoyed it I found it a bit difficult to read. It was kind of boring in parts (I enjoy reading about different places and fascinating ppl like Reich but I don`t need to know that much about it!) and the idea of a man living as a hermit with the appearance of a homeless person as a love interest for beautiful, fragile Claire was a bit of a stretch but it works and we buy the story and the ending is just so beautiful and heartbreaking.

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May 26, 2012 London Judge rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book did not shock or surprise me or change my life, but it was a very good beach read and an enjoyable story. The island imagery and life was enough to pull me in, and something I enjoyed throughout the book. Claire and the Hermits relationship was not something that I had ever encountered before and it was an interesting idea that I enjoyed. Although their relationship was childish at times, it was also refreshing and a change of pace from a typical "beachy" romance. Overall a smart roman...more

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Jun 30, 2012 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, adult-book-club, beach, book-club-possibility, summer-bookaday

This book literally just came out this month, and I was fortunate enough to get in from the "new books' shelf at our public library. It was a perfect summer read - it is set on Martha's Vineyard, it talks about amazing food, and their is a romance piece, but not an over the top one. Reading this makes me want to head to Martha's Vineyard asap for some amazing seafood.

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Jun 13, 2012 Jackie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cooking-crafting, pleasure-reading, work-review-related-reading

This is a lovely beach read of a debut novel written by cookbook writer,journalist and television host Steven Raichlen ("The Barbecue Bible", "Planet Barbecue"). It's a love story, a family drama, a mystery, and a ballad to really good food and even better friends. And, for me, a few bittersweet tears for the final pages. If only it had recipes! Still, a great read.

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Jul 07, 2012 Alicia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads

My mom recommended this - she read it in a day and it's hard for her to find a good read. It's exactly what I wanted - an easy read where you connected to the characters and got immersed in Chappaqiiddick. I remembered Martha's Vineyard from where I visited years ago. Sometimes the story was a bit far-fetched and simple but overall, I enjoyed it.

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Aug 24, 2012 Helen rated it 2 of 5 stars

I probably would have enjoyed this book more if I'd read it at the beach.(what isn't more likeable at the beach?) Book mixes serious issues (protagonist is a cancer patient, mixed with sappy romance, book editing and detailed cooking experiences. The author manages to make a happy ending even after the narrator dies.

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Feb 10, 2013 Niki rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, romantic-fiction

This is the first book that I have read by Steven Raichlen and found it entertaining but almost a little to perfect. The story kept my attention but I felt like some of the things happening would never really happen and were to unrealistic to have me believing the story or the characters.

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Nov 24, 2012 Maria Castaño rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of Chappaquiddick island, near Martha's vineyard. I liked the way that the author included cooking in the story. Beautiful story. It really teaches you that we shouldn't judge people so easily. Appearances are deceiving! Beautiful book.

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Aug 04, 2012 Barb rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a quick, very easy beach read but enjoyable - I read it in one sitting. I picked it up because it took place on Chappaquiddick with great descriptions of the island, Claire was a book editor and it was written by Steven Raichlen so the food descriptions were incredible...an appealing combination for me. It was oddly constructed with narration moving among the main characters and at times a third person narrator. Again, a quick, easy read.

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Jun 24, 2012 Jan rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liked it! Not the page-turner we all look for but solid, clear characters and a well-developed story. Not much of a fan of the literary details but a huge fan of good food and cooking skills and an even bigger fan of foraging and making do with the available. I will watch for another book by this author.

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Feb 15, 2013 Kristina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Interesting characters but there could have been so much more development and depth. I love to cook and found the references to food delightful and mouth watering. If he had given as much to the characters as he gave to the food this would have been a much better book.

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