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Mad Days of Me #2
Finding Eivissa
The second book in the Mad Days of Me trilogy.
Astray on an unfamiliar island following his unconventional escape from Barcelona, without shelter and abandoned by his companions, an unlikely relationship becomes Rudy's only hope to settle down. Plunged into a world of uncontested authority, former lovers, and a past as perverted as his own, struggling to reconcile with his own mistakes, hope proves to be exhausting to hold on to.
This is a story of human spirit in the face of the impossible. This is a story of perseverance, and the power of dreaming. It is a story of hope.
Astray on an unfamiliar island following his unconventional escape from Barcelona, without shelter and abandoned by his companions, an unlikely relationship becomes Rudy's only hope to settle down. Plunged into a world of uncontested authority, former lovers, and a past as perverted as his own, struggling to reconcile with his own mistakes, hope proves to be exhausting to hold on to.
This is a story of human spirit in the face of the impossible. This is a story of perseverance, and the power of dreaming. It is a story of hope.
267 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 2013
1 person is currently reading
178 people want to read
About the author
Henry Martin
90 books154 followers
Henry Martin used to write fiction and poetry, which predominately deals with the often-overlooked aspects of humanity.
He is the author of three novels: Escaping Barcelona, Finding Eivissa, and Eluding Reality; a short story collection, Coffee, Cigarettes, and Murderous Thoughts; and a poetry collection, The Silence Before Dawn. His most recent published project is a collection of Photostories in five volumes under the KSHM Project umbrella, for which he collaborated with Australian photographer Karl Strand, combining one of a kind images with short stories and vignettes.
He is currently not working on any new writing, and does not anticipate any new writing in the future.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 29, 2014
4.5 stars
Une vie extraodinaire.
For anyone who read my review of Escaping Barcelona, it’s obvious that I’m pretty damn’ fond of Mr. Martin’s work. In a sense, I’m more critical of it than of other books I review, as this trilogy is literary fiction, and I hold it to high standard. But that also means that I don’t quibble over details, for the character of Rudy is a beautifully wrought, not-entirely reliable narrator, and that finds me sliding over things that others might pick apart as “contradictory”, so used to pop fiction that carefully etches characters, explaining all so there is no need to examine subtext.
How is he unreliable? There are dozens of examples. Here are a couple: “After Barcelona, I no longer have hopes . . .” This is patently untrue, as his continuing struggle forward is indicative of hope. Also, “Something inside me broke and I don’t know how to fix it” indicates that he wants fixing, and still seeks it. These musings are broken with moments of joy; exhilaration. And admiration of the world is rapidly followed by: “. . . the world is rotten. Rotten inside and out, all around me.”
Contradictory? Not even a little. Just very human.
Perhaps I lack the intellectual experience to be an adequate reviewer of this work. Do I like Henry Miller, as Rudy does [I’m told a couple of times]? I guess. Have I done my time with Camus and Kafka? Sure; who hasn’t? But in this second book of the Mad Days of Me trilogy, I can taste but not see literary influences that have informed Mr. Martin’s writing, and I apologise if my interpretations are shallow by dint of hard reference.
So, with that, I dive into the deep end of my shallowness: one thing stood out for me was the imagery of seagulls – the constant and carefree scavenger; the beast. They fly into and over scenes in a manner that might be accidental . . . but I don’t think so. Mr. Martin is far too adept to have unintended imagery in his work. They tend to precipitate a change, a shift in Rudy’s situation and/or perceptions. Rudy sees the seagulls as the ferry approaches land; later, he observes them from his vantage of the beach: “At least the seagulls are not pretending to be anything else.” Is he a seagull? Wants to be one? He has – metaphorically – lived on carrion. Been carrion. “. . . looking for the next heat current to take them high up in the sky.” Rudy is waiting, too. And later, he speaks enviously of their effortless lives. They are unhampered, as Rudy wishes to be.
Or does he?
“For the first time in years, I feel at ease, perhaps dangerously so.” Is this cynicism or percipience? As he seeks simplicity, is he doing his own complicating? Drawn to people like Dominica, who will both right and upset his applecart, does he create his own drama? His own trauma?
I began by liking – even admiring – the character of Dominica. Her powers of forgiveness; her generosity to Rudy; to her ex. But she unwound, annoying me and, in the final analysis, left me scorning her. She is too fractured for Rudy and, ultimately for me, does not evoke empathy.
Misanthropy and philanthropy hold hands through the novel, following Rudy wherever he goes. As if he’s caught between Kierkegaard and Hegel – the fresh start of a generation swinging on a pendulum – he in one moment is grooving to nature and man, then despising the cruelty he sees and experiences, and then back again. He is a rollercoaster in search of a flat highway; he is an adventurer exhausted by the hills.
In a handful of breaths, he is caught in fanciful horror of past battles and the violence man perpetrates on man, then is caught in human timelessness [the old woman under the carob tree]. On seeing the poor side of Eivissa, he decries the penury. And then describes the poor in noble terms [I’m reminded of Gray’s Elegy: “Let not Ambition mock their useful toil / Their homely joys, and destiny obscure”]; then, in another spin, observes them as “real”. Warped beauty.
What a romantic soul he is! For a moment, he forgets starvation, crudity, and the dirty, unkempt life of man outside civilised circumstances. He sees “a certain peace soaring from these streets” – as he sees the seagulls soar. Rudy seeks peace, but he’ll never find it from without. He’s a grass-is-greener sort. Wherever he stands, he can see the upside of somewhere else.
Ah, Rudy. Poverty still haunts him; he seeks reasons.
We get some backstory on him; specifically, his mommy issues. How his mother’s mascara ran when she cried, and she told him mothers cried black tears of pain caused by bad children. The moment is poignant . . . and yet the author does not linger. Merely stabs you and moves along.
It’s revealed that he hasn’t seen his parents in years – I had the idea that he had left home not long before going to Barcelona, and now I wonder: how old was he when he left home? And yet he still clings to a sweetness, a naivety, that is heart wrenching in light of all he’s experienced. And later, he is envious of Dominica’s relationship with her mother: “. . . years since I held my own mother’s hand, since we talked.” He mourns this, despite his mother’s obvious cruelty.
[There is no convenient place for my standard note on formal style, so I tuck it in here: there is some glitchiness, but not much. Hyphens look like en dashes. A couple malapropisms. Half-a-star worth? Maybe.]
I will be reading the last of the trilogy, Eluding Reality, in the coming days. Partly because I need it to be over; I need to know what becomes of this character who invades and occupies my thoughts. And partly because – like Rudy and for Rudy – I hope. My hope harkens back again to Gray – that ultimately, Rudy’s sweetness will not be wasted on the desert air.
For my random thoughts on writing, visit my blog on Goodreads.
Une vie extraodinaire.
For anyone who read my review of Escaping Barcelona, it’s obvious that I’m pretty damn’ fond of Mr. Martin’s work. In a sense, I’m more critical of it than of other books I review, as this trilogy is literary fiction, and I hold it to high standard. But that also means that I don’t quibble over details, for the character of Rudy is a beautifully wrought, not-entirely reliable narrator, and that finds me sliding over things that others might pick apart as “contradictory”, so used to pop fiction that carefully etches characters, explaining all so there is no need to examine subtext.
How is he unreliable? There are dozens of examples. Here are a couple: “After Barcelona, I no longer have hopes . . .” This is patently untrue, as his continuing struggle forward is indicative of hope. Also, “Something inside me broke and I don’t know how to fix it” indicates that he wants fixing, and still seeks it. These musings are broken with moments of joy; exhilaration. And admiration of the world is rapidly followed by: “. . . the world is rotten. Rotten inside and out, all around me.”
Contradictory? Not even a little. Just very human.
Perhaps I lack the intellectual experience to be an adequate reviewer of this work. Do I like Henry Miller, as Rudy does [I’m told a couple of times]? I guess. Have I done my time with Camus and Kafka? Sure; who hasn’t? But in this second book of the Mad Days of Me trilogy, I can taste but not see literary influences that have informed Mr. Martin’s writing, and I apologise if my interpretations are shallow by dint of hard reference.
So, with that, I dive into the deep end of my shallowness: one thing stood out for me was the imagery of seagulls – the constant and carefree scavenger; the beast. They fly into and over scenes in a manner that might be accidental . . . but I don’t think so. Mr. Martin is far too adept to have unintended imagery in his work. They tend to precipitate a change, a shift in Rudy’s situation and/or perceptions. Rudy sees the seagulls as the ferry approaches land; later, he observes them from his vantage of the beach: “At least the seagulls are not pretending to be anything else.” Is he a seagull? Wants to be one? He has – metaphorically – lived on carrion. Been carrion. “. . . looking for the next heat current to take them high up in the sky.” Rudy is waiting, too. And later, he speaks enviously of their effortless lives. They are unhampered, as Rudy wishes to be.
Or does he?
“For the first time in years, I feel at ease, perhaps dangerously so.” Is this cynicism or percipience? As he seeks simplicity, is he doing his own complicating? Drawn to people like Dominica, who will both right and upset his applecart, does he create his own drama? His own trauma?
I began by liking – even admiring – the character of Dominica. Her powers of forgiveness; her generosity to Rudy; to her ex. But she unwound, annoying me and, in the final analysis, left me scorning her. She is too fractured for Rudy and, ultimately for me, does not evoke empathy.
Misanthropy and philanthropy hold hands through the novel, following Rudy wherever he goes. As if he’s caught between Kierkegaard and Hegel – the fresh start of a generation swinging on a pendulum – he in one moment is grooving to nature and man, then despising the cruelty he sees and experiences, and then back again. He is a rollercoaster in search of a flat highway; he is an adventurer exhausted by the hills.
In a handful of breaths, he is caught in fanciful horror of past battles and the violence man perpetrates on man, then is caught in human timelessness [the old woman under the carob tree]. On seeing the poor side of Eivissa, he decries the penury. And then describes the poor in noble terms [I’m reminded of Gray’s Elegy: “Let not Ambition mock their useful toil / Their homely joys, and destiny obscure”]; then, in another spin, observes them as “real”. Warped beauty.
What a romantic soul he is! For a moment, he forgets starvation, crudity, and the dirty, unkempt life of man outside civilised circumstances. He sees “a certain peace soaring from these streets” – as he sees the seagulls soar. Rudy seeks peace, but he’ll never find it from without. He’s a grass-is-greener sort. Wherever he stands, he can see the upside of somewhere else.
Ah, Rudy. Poverty still haunts him; he seeks reasons.
We get some backstory on him; specifically, his mommy issues. How his mother’s mascara ran when she cried, and she told him mothers cried black tears of pain caused by bad children. The moment is poignant . . . and yet the author does not linger. Merely stabs you and moves along.
It’s revealed that he hasn’t seen his parents in years – I had the idea that he had left home not long before going to Barcelona, and now I wonder: how old was he when he left home? And yet he still clings to a sweetness, a naivety, that is heart wrenching in light of all he’s experienced. And later, he is envious of Dominica’s relationship with her mother: “. . . years since I held my own mother’s hand, since we talked.” He mourns this, despite his mother’s obvious cruelty.
[There is no convenient place for my standard note on formal style, so I tuck it in here: there is some glitchiness, but not much. Hyphens look like en dashes. A couple malapropisms. Half-a-star worth? Maybe.]
I will be reading the last of the trilogy, Eluding Reality, in the coming days. Partly because I need it to be over; I need to know what becomes of this character who invades and occupies my thoughts. And partly because – like Rudy and for Rudy – I hope. My hope harkens back again to Gray – that ultimately, Rudy’s sweetness will not be wasted on the desert air.
For my random thoughts on writing, visit my blog on Goodreads.
March 8, 2014
It's not often that a sequel blows away its predecessor, but this one did. If I could give it more stars than I gave Escaping Barcelona, I would.
Damn.
It's been hours, and I'm still not fully back in the non-fiction world we live in. I walk toward the subway gate remembering how many times I have jumped over. Paying this time will not be an issue. As I approach the gate, I look back to see if Pietro is coming after me. He is not there. What do I care even if he is? There are several guards nearby. He can do nothing to me here without risk of going to jail. Still, the thought that he might have recognized me and could be coming makes me glad that I am getting on the subway and that this time, my stay in Barcelona is only minutes, rather than months. If my fate is a life without Dominica, I vow to never step foot in this wretched city again.
Oh, sorry. Slipped again. Struggling... to stay... in reality...
Damn.
It's been hours, and I'm still not fully back in the non-fiction world we live in. I walk toward the subway gate remembering how many times I have jumped over. Paying this time will not be an issue. As I approach the gate, I look back to see if Pietro is coming after me. He is not there. What do I care even if he is? There are several guards nearby. He can do nothing to me here without risk of going to jail. Still, the thought that he might have recognized me and could be coming makes me glad that I am getting on the subway and that this time, my stay in Barcelona is only minutes, rather than months. If my fate is a life without Dominica, I vow to never step foot in this wretched city again.
Oh, sorry. Slipped again. Struggling... to stay... in reality...
February 11, 2015
Disclosure: I purchased “Finding Eivissa” in November 2014. I do not know the author, but I have had communication with him on the Goodreads site. The comments that follow are my own personal opinion. I received NO compensation of any kind, or from anyone, to provide this review.
I enjoyed the Book 1 “Escaping Barcelona” in the “Mad Days of Me” series by Henry Martin. This book is a continuation of the first story. Rudy has escaped Barcelona and arrived on the island of Ibiza by mistake. At nineteen, he still has no money, only a couple street friends who escaped with him, and no way to communicate. This book takes you with Rudy as he attempts to survive on the slow moving resort island and find a way to rebuild his life.
In this book, Rudy matures to some degree. He connects with a young woman from the island and begins an affair. Thanks to this relationship, his health improves, he holds a decent job, and entertains the idea of falling in love. His musings are more reflective on his emotional state and the effect of love on his well being and reactions. His love interest has a very complicated life and Rudy has to decide if he can handle her numerous issues. The other characters in this book were interesting diverse friends, and the story included how they affected his life and his independence. Forced by circumstances, Rudy returns to Barcelona, alone. You will have to read the book to learn more about our young hero.
This writer has an excellent command of first person POV and his writing style and the story flowed quite well. The pace throughout the book was good. I found the ending to slow a bit more than I would have liked, as Rudy questions his love relationship. The book read well no obvious errors.
This book was enjoyable and again Rudy came through as a very likable character. This was Book 2 in the series Mad Days of Me. I’ve already started reading the third and final book in the series. I’m anxious to see how it all ends.
I enjoyed the Book 1 “Escaping Barcelona” in the “Mad Days of Me” series by Henry Martin. This book is a continuation of the first story. Rudy has escaped Barcelona and arrived on the island of Ibiza by mistake. At nineteen, he still has no money, only a couple street friends who escaped with him, and no way to communicate. This book takes you with Rudy as he attempts to survive on the slow moving resort island and find a way to rebuild his life.
In this book, Rudy matures to some degree. He connects with a young woman from the island and begins an affair. Thanks to this relationship, his health improves, he holds a decent job, and entertains the idea of falling in love. His musings are more reflective on his emotional state and the effect of love on his well being and reactions. His love interest has a very complicated life and Rudy has to decide if he can handle her numerous issues. The other characters in this book were interesting diverse friends, and the story included how they affected his life and his independence. Forced by circumstances, Rudy returns to Barcelona, alone. You will have to read the book to learn more about our young hero.
This writer has an excellent command of first person POV and his writing style and the story flowed quite well. The pace throughout the book was good. I found the ending to slow a bit more than I would have liked, as Rudy questions his love relationship. The book read well no obvious errors.
This book was enjoyable and again Rudy came through as a very likable character. This was Book 2 in the series Mad Days of Me. I’ve already started reading the third and final book in the series. I’m anxious to see how it all ends.
February 25, 2015
This is my second novel by this author. I am now a solid fan of Henry Martin, very excited to dive into the third book of the series.
Mr. Martin's writing is superb on all levels. It is fluid, captivating, rich with excellent imagery, thoughtful commentary, beautiful descriptions and splendid originality, yet comfortable and unpretentious, all making his characters and story extremely accessible. Reading Henry Martin is an immersion, a total involvement and escape into the world he has fashioned, where the written word seems to disappear and transform into a powerful, extremely visual narrative. This is the kind of reading I really enjoy, one where the author works his magic without my being conscious of the process, awed by too much cleverness, distracted by unnecessary flourishes. Everything here has its place, nothing is wasted, no necessity left out. It is a very economical and "real" style which requires the highly judicious work of a skilled master to pull off.
What truly stands out with this book is the story. It manages to defy categorization. We have here a travel adventure, a survival tale, an overview of the human condition, a love story. It spans a number of sub-genres, giving due attention to the multiple threads, somehow not shorting any of them. A remarkable creative fusion!
I should confess I had a special connection with this novel, having spent three very interesting weeks on Ibiza. Like the main character, I was not there to party, very much lived on the fringe, but still was able to enjoy the incredible natural beauty of the island. This novel brought back some great memories. I too was doing a great deal of soul-searching at the time. I left with more questions than I arrived with. But as with Rudy in the novel, they turned out to be better questions.
Mr. Martin's writing is superb on all levels. It is fluid, captivating, rich with excellent imagery, thoughtful commentary, beautiful descriptions and splendid originality, yet comfortable and unpretentious, all making his characters and story extremely accessible. Reading Henry Martin is an immersion, a total involvement and escape into the world he has fashioned, where the written word seems to disappear and transform into a powerful, extremely visual narrative. This is the kind of reading I really enjoy, one where the author works his magic without my being conscious of the process, awed by too much cleverness, distracted by unnecessary flourishes. Everything here has its place, nothing is wasted, no necessity left out. It is a very economical and "real" style which requires the highly judicious work of a skilled master to pull off.
What truly stands out with this book is the story. It manages to defy categorization. We have here a travel adventure, a survival tale, an overview of the human condition, a love story. It spans a number of sub-genres, giving due attention to the multiple threads, somehow not shorting any of them. A remarkable creative fusion!
I should confess I had a special connection with this novel, having spent three very interesting weeks on Ibiza. Like the main character, I was not there to party, very much lived on the fringe, but still was able to enjoy the incredible natural beauty of the island. This novel brought back some great memories. I too was doing a great deal of soul-searching at the time. I left with more questions than I arrived with. But as with Rudy in the novel, they turned out to be better questions.
June 1, 2013
I was fortunate enough to get my hands on an advanced copy of this book, and boy I was pleased that I did. I started reading this book expecting the same explosive first chapter as the previous book in the series. But that was not to be, what I got instead was a seamless narrative which allowed me to very quickly get back into the story. Finding Eivssa manages to be a completely different type of book than the first while managing to keep the narrative flowing. I found it very hard to fit this book into a genre and that for me is a good thing. What I got was a refreshing read that was driven along by realistic characters and realistic relationships.
I found myself just reading another couple of pages to find out what was going to happen next and this is a sure sign of a great read. The main character is someone that I want things to go well for, and my heart was in my mouth every time it looked like thing were going pear shaped. The truly amazing aspect to this book was the fact it had a romantic thread to it. Normally this would have me running to the hills screaming like a banshee but in this book it had the reverse effect. I found the relationship it revolved around compelling and it added an extra layer to the plot. I can't wait to see were the last book in this trilogy takes me. If it is like the first two it will be somewhere unexpected and refreshing.
I found myself just reading another couple of pages to find out what was going to happen next and this is a sure sign of a great read. The main character is someone that I want things to go well for, and my heart was in my mouth every time it looked like thing were going pear shaped. The truly amazing aspect to this book was the fact it had a romantic thread to it. Normally this would have me running to the hills screaming like a banshee but in this book it had the reverse effect. I found the relationship it revolved around compelling and it added an extra layer to the plot. I can't wait to see were the last book in this trilogy takes me. If it is like the first two it will be somewhere unexpected and refreshing.
February 26, 2015
good book. thick, intricate plot, makes you want to keep reading. good dialogue as well
July 9, 2013
I didn't read the first book but I will. I won this one at a giveaway which I am very grateful for and thank you Henry Martin and Goodreads. Rudy has complex relationships with other people. He is running from his past and creating new relationships with people and keeps busy as if he doesn't want to think about it. He looks for work finds it and also a very likeable character. He ends up traveling without the three other fellows he arrived with. He meets a woman who he falls in love with but she seems to be looking for an escape from he everyday life as she is under a lot of stress and has a lot of baggage in her past that is easily exposed while his past remains somewhat of a mystery.
He is head over heels for this girl and secretly wants children, a house, and has found a job. His new found girlfriend helps him learn Spanish. For the first time this man feels somewhat contented and has hopes for so much more.
Considering the circumstances his girl friend Dominica's mother does not care for him and he's been staying in her house while they are out of town. Dominica's estranged husband Suso decides to leave the island and ends up killing himself by overdosing on heroin. Dominica blames herself. While at the same time as Rudy is describing some of his past it doesn't sound like he deserves her at all. He can't stay at that house while her mother is in town and he's being somewhat selfish and not respecting her space. At the same time she appears to be using him.
It seems as if Rudy just has bad luck. He wanders aimlessly and I wonder why he doesn't go home to his family does he not have one?
Rudy runs into many obstacles that he has been able to overcome all alone. However love and a stable environment what he desires most. I think he's lonely and can overcome so much. I can't wait to read more by Henry Martin.
He is head over heels for this girl and secretly wants children, a house, and has found a job. His new found girlfriend helps him learn Spanish. For the first time this man feels somewhat contented and has hopes for so much more.
Considering the circumstances his girl friend Dominica's mother does not care for him and he's been staying in her house while they are out of town. Dominica's estranged husband Suso decides to leave the island and ends up killing himself by overdosing on heroin. Dominica blames herself. While at the same time as Rudy is describing some of his past it doesn't sound like he deserves her at all. He can't stay at that house while her mother is in town and he's being somewhat selfish and not respecting her space. At the same time she appears to be using him.
It seems as if Rudy just has bad luck. He wanders aimlessly and I wonder why he doesn't go home to his family does he not have one?
Rudy runs into many obstacles that he has been able to overcome all alone. However love and a stable environment what he desires most. I think he's lonely and can overcome so much. I can't wait to read more by Henry Martin.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2014
I enjoyed the relationship between "Our Guy", *RUDY*, and his love interest Dominica.
In the first book of MAD DAYS ---the story belonged to "OUR GUY" .....but in this book ---I felt this story also belonged to 'both' Rudy & Dominica.
Rudy is still driving this story --but Dominica has some complex issues in her life which fully engages the reader. Dominica's story seems to have caught the mood of our spiritually troubled times ---There's an aching feeling of realism that Dominica tells Rudy early into this novel. Her ex-husband is HIV-positive. Dominica had been deceived by this man.
And without giving the rest of the story away -- I found this 'part' of the story most interesting ---I could not 'shake- this story away. At first I was troubled with the language barriers. How could this woman, (Spanish being her first language) --communicate all this in English --for Rudy to understand --when just a few pages prior --it was said this couple had to stumble together with their communication between his English and her Spanish. --- (I had to let that go) ---and pretend --the language barrier disappeared. Because the story 'itself' is what was MOST important to tell!!!
No longer is "OUR GUY" starving to death ---(as in the first book) -- He's still struggling --but we begin to see his transition into adulthood --taking on more responsibility --(determined to get a job for example) -- He even notices more clearly how different he is from his friend, Karl. He, himself, knows his behavior has more integrity than his friend.
Dominica has a distinctive voice.. (eloquent woman)
Rudy has a distinctive voice...(reveals depths of his greatness)
Intimacy -compassion -and hope is created....through both of these main characters!
In the first book of MAD DAYS ---the story belonged to "OUR GUY" .....but in this book ---I felt this story also belonged to 'both' Rudy & Dominica.
Rudy is still driving this story --but Dominica has some complex issues in her life which fully engages the reader. Dominica's story seems to have caught the mood of our spiritually troubled times ---There's an aching feeling of realism that Dominica tells Rudy early into this novel. Her ex-husband is HIV-positive. Dominica had been deceived by this man.
And without giving the rest of the story away -- I found this 'part' of the story most interesting ---I could not 'shake- this story away. At first I was troubled with the language barriers. How could this woman, (Spanish being her first language) --communicate all this in English --for Rudy to understand --when just a few pages prior --it was said this couple had to stumble together with their communication between his English and her Spanish. --- (I had to let that go) ---and pretend --the language barrier disappeared. Because the story 'itself' is what was MOST important to tell!!!
No longer is "OUR GUY" starving to death ---(as in the first book) -- He's still struggling --but we begin to see his transition into adulthood --taking on more responsibility --(determined to get a job for example) -- He even notices more clearly how different he is from his friend, Karl. He, himself, knows his behavior has more integrity than his friend.
Dominica has a distinctive voice.. (eloquent woman)
Rudy has a distinctive voice...(reveals depths of his greatness)
Intimacy -compassion -and hope is created....through both of these main characters!
June 9, 2013
"Mad Days of Me: Finding Eivissa" by Henry Martin is a well written follow up to the first book and takes a pleasant and welcome new direction. In this second book of Henry Martin's trilogy our protagonist Rudy seems to finally make better choices in his life although he still drifts a little aimlessly and gets influenced by others, whether it be a the some dubious friends or the girl he meets. Now that he has escaped Barcelona he is searching and trying to find himself, or rather, he is looking for stability, but what he finds and whoever he meets, all seems to come with a price tag.
This book is better structured and clearer than the first and it really dragged me into the story and the complicated set up for Rudy with his new love interest Dominika.
This book has involved and captivated me, Rudy has become a much more likeable person and undergone great character development. After the escapism and the escape in book one this is a great move forward and a book I very much enjoyed.
This book is better structured and clearer than the first and it really dragged me into the story and the complicated set up for Rudy with his new love interest Dominika.
This book has involved and captivated me, Rudy has become a much more likeable person and undergone great character development. After the escapism and the escape in book one this is a great move forward and a book I very much enjoyed.
March 28, 2014
This food for thought second installment in the Mad Days of Me trilogy is hard to put down. Rudy, the main character, finds hope once again, despite his unfortunate circumstances. He becomes more likeable, and because of love, his faith in humanity is somewhat restored. However, it doesn't come easy and he still has many challenges to overcome. His yearning for "normalcy" and routine sees him accepting a bizarre situation, with a woman whose past continues to haunt her and threaten their new-found promising relationship. Rudy's narrative reads almost like a journal, where he rambles philosophically about his emotions, feelings and uncertainties. Vivid descriptions of the island of Ibiza also transport the reader to a utopic paradise, and the cliff-hanging ending leaves you longing for more. Literary fiction at its best.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews