book data
51 ratings, 4.31 average rating, 21 reviews
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published
July 25th 2006
(first published 1942)
by Overlook Press
binding
Paperback, 1024 pages
url
isbn
1585678252
(isbn13: 9781585678259)
description
Austin Tappan Wright left the world a wholly unsuspected legacy. After he died in a tragic accident, relatively young, among this distinguished legal ...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 113)
Read in August, 1999
recommends it for:
anyone
It's a slow book, Islandia, but it is such a fiercely imagined world, with so many insights into human nature, that you feel like you're learning secrets about life as you read. My dad bugged me to read it for years, and I finally did on a rickety train crossing mountains in Corsica, which looked not terribly different from my picture of Islandia.
It's a utopian novel written for private use in the early part of the last century. After the author died, his daughter pared it down from the th...more
It's a utopian novel written for private use in the early part of the last century. After the author died, his daughter pared it down from the th...more
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Read in January, 1971
recommends it for:
anyone
I read this book when I was in high school, and have read it again many times since. It has entranced me each time.
It was written in the 30's by Austin Tappan Wright, a Boston lawyer, purely for his own entertainment. After his untimely death, it was turned into a publishable novel by his daughter, and became a bestseller in the mid-40s.
It describes the adventures of John Lang, who befriended a foreigner from a strange land while an undergraduate at Harvard, and later became the Amer...more
It was written in the 30's by Austin Tappan Wright, a Boston lawyer, purely for his own entertainment. After his untimely death, it was turned into a publishable novel by his daughter, and became a bestseller in the mid-40s.
It describes the adventures of John Lang, who befriended a foreigner from a strange land while an undergraduate at Harvard, and later became the Amer...more
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Read in April, 2008
Re-read recently for the 4th-5th time, this is probably one of my favorite 10-20 books ever. It's a long (1000 pages), rambling, extremely detailed examination of the culture, politics, philosophy and geography of a Utopian country on a mythical sub-continent in the first decade of the 20th century. The plot concerns a young American appointed consul to this self-isolated country whose travels there cause him to reexamine everything he believes. There's just enough action and romance to move thi...more
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Read in January, 2003
Islandia was a fascinating book. Everytime I look at a map, I expect to find Islandia somewhere. The author did an excellent job of creating a country and a culture. He also threw in some commentaries on politics and society that I enjoyed. I don't think this book is for everyone, it can be a little tedious at times. I think that anyone who has ever studied/lived abroad may be able to enjoy this book more than people who haven't been exposed on a large scale to other cultures, mostly becaus...more
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Read in May, 2004
recommends it for:
Anyone
This is one of my favorite books, because it's long and rich. I like long books because there's more time for character development. The story centers around one mans journey to the mythological (though highly believable) continent of Islandia, a utopian society. It's set in the early 1900's, and I'm not going to lie to you, it takes a LONG time to get into the novel. But I promise the payoff is worth it. I was very sad when I finally finished (a few months after I'd started), because I fel...more
First read this book in high school - have re-read it numerous times since. Each time I get something different from it, noticing other details or paying more attention to particular parts of the story. It's a wonderful visit to a place that I wish was real. The questions facing Islandians over how to co-exist with modern nations but still maintain their own identity and way of life are still pertinent as the world shrinks ever smaller.
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Read in October, 2008
recommends it for:
INTJs
I enjoyed this book. It is definitely long and slow-moving, but it really took me into the author's world/philosophy. This is a utopian novel, such as Plato's Republic. The people in Islandia are logical, strong, loyal, and far-sighted. The society is stable. The people have (and take) time to reflect. It was a very pleasant place to immerse myself in.
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This book runs in my family. I think I will always be reading it. It is just such a feat of imagination, a complete world. I heard somewhere that Tappan-Wright had hundreds and hundreds of extra pages that his children had to edit out of the published edition...(I'll write a more complete review when I get through this time.)
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Read in January, 2007
I really loved this book, but it is quite a long read, so be ready!
It is a great story that comments on the idea of big countries trying to colonize smaller countries that have a different way of organizing themselves and living. It shows you the value of keeping traditions alive.
It is a great story that comments on the idea of big countries trying to colonize smaller countries that have a different way of organizing themselves and living. It shows you the value of keeping traditions alive.
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Read in May, 2007
Fantastic. The world this guy created in his head is incredibly detailed. For his wife to them go back and flesh those notes out into a story like this is great. Totally absorbing. But my god is this a long book!
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Read in January, 2003
recommended to Cgault1 by:
my husband
A utopian novel set in a fictional world - one that enthralled me. I wouldn't mind living there. Great characters, much insite into social and political conditions, a great read.
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Read in April, 2000
I actually have a hard cover edition of this 1942 version of Utopia. It's a nice lazy, summer read... reminiscent of Francis Bacon's House of Solomon at times with a sexy twist.
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I love this book so much and have reread it many times. At a certain point in my life it was my emotional Shangri-la - a place of enchanted escape.
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Read in January, 1974
One of my all time favorite books ... I re-read it now & again. Always interested to hear if anyone else has ever come across it!
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I hadn't forgotten how much I loved this book... but so happy I made myself revisit Wright's genius.
*
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2 comments
I tried reading Islandia about 15-18 years ago but just couldn't get through it.
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I did like it, but I think it needs a reread before I completely understand it...
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Suffers from relentless stodginess of style.
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fantasy (on 8 people's shelves)
currently-reading (on 5 people's shelves)
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bought-in-2007 (on 1 person's shelf)
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