Ninety Years At The Isles Of Shoals

by Oscar Laighton

Book by Laighton, Oscar

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1930

Reviews

[May Ling]

I rounded up to 4 stars on this one. This is an account that dates back to 1929 of a guy whose family ran a B&B on the Isles of shoals. It reads like it could be today though. Really tells you, people are people.

I enjoyed the account so much I immediately looked at a map afterwards and read up on the recent stuff about the area. It was really interesting to hear the author's account of the changing landscape of the area, the trends for the types of people that vacationed there. I love thinking about real estate property. In this age of Airbnb, and "summering" outside of the city, it's just interesting to know that culture has existed for ages.

The interlacing of poetry through the account makes this a really lovely read if you're on the beach, going to an island or just vacationing in this area. It's a very nice writing style.

I rounded up from 3.5 stars because - for what it's trying to accomplish - it's done nicely.

[Maureen]

Given my connection to Star Island in the Isles of Shoals (35 conferences attended), it's not surprising that I would enjoy this book. It's rich with details, humor and a good look into eras that have passed. Like its author, the book is quirky. It's not divided into chapters and isn't always chronological. However, its embodiment of joie de vivre and clarity made me overlook what I'd usually think of as deficits.