But This Is Different

by Mary Walker Baron

BUT THIS IS DIFFERENT imaginatively solves one of the greatest mysteries of the Twentieth Century -- the disappearance of famed avatrix Amelia Earhart. The story begins at the dawn of a new year, 1978. On a tiny island in the South Pacific residents are celebrating. Leading the ceremony is a woman known as Mere. In the language of the island her name means Star of the Sea. Forty years ago, Mere came to their island from the sea. Outside the island, her existence is a closely guarded secret. Before her arrival, the islanders entered into a solemn pact to keep her presence hidden from the rest of the world. It's a promise they have kept. But all of that changes on the first day of 1978. In the crate full of gifts that always arrives with the New Year, on a very unusual boat, is a letter to Mere from the woman known to the islanders as Pilapan, the Mother Chief. In the letter, the woman tells Mere - All of my professional life I have insisted that death is a natural part of life but this is different. I am dying. The letter changes everything and plunges Mere into an exploration of commitments and promises. BUT THIS IS DIFFERENT takes us into a world that's familiar yet dramatically different. It will move you and it might even change you in the process.

Genres: Fiction

286 pages, Perfect Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

But This Is Different, by Mary Walker Baron, is a brilliantly told story, with every word carefully, lovingly crafted in a way that embraces each nuance of meaning. I was unable to put down this book, as each stage of the mystery, the adventure and the discoveries captivated both my mind and my imagination.

Following the journey taken by "Mere," away from her hidden existence on a South Pacific island for forty years, brings adventure coupled with despair, discovery fraught with challenge. New York City is not quite the same, in 1978, as when she left. Mere's connection to the earth, and humanity, is quickly mirrored by her new friends who sleep in a park in Brooklyn. As she cautiously, but also with great joy and purpose, goes to her longtime love to assist her with a most difficult journey, Mere explores the nature of commitment, loss, friendship and the meaning of change.

As serious as it all sounds, this book is like reading a melody; the language and writing are orchestrated as is a great symphony, punctuated with rest notes, pianissimo and moments of legato, with a crescendo and exquisite dissonance building to a literary climax. The story is written with great passion as well as compassion. A sharp wit is often woven into the characters, their relationships and their day to day experiences.

There are secrets to be revealed...but I won't reveal them here. This book is meant to be read. It is an important, powerful, wonderful, and beautifully written story and is not be be missed!! Two thumbs up...and more!

[Steve Blanchard · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are only a handful of books that I've ever read that stick with me on a regular basis, appearing in the recesses of my mind whenever a subject or person is brought up. "But This is Different" is one of those books.
I love historical fiction and like everyone else on the planet, I've always been fascinated and saddened by the story of Amelia Earhart. She was a pioneer, a rebel, a woman ahead of her time and a person who paved the way for so many in the world who are overlooked or deemed inappropriate or uneligible for greatness.
This fantasized take on Earheart having survived her plane wreck and living into an old age to hide a secret for which society was not yet prepared brought me so much joy. Following her on an adventure that extends beyond anything I could have imagined put her in a new light and really makes you think that anything can happen.
Years after reading this book I still reference it and suggest it, especially if the mystery of Earhart is brought up in conversation. It's written in a way that's enjoyable to read while offering a glimpse at history from a new and exciting perspective.
Definitely one of my favorite books and one I plan to reread over and over.

[BookOfCinz · Rating 3 out of 5]

In But This Is Different we meet Mere who for the last forty years was living on an unnamed island in the South Pacific. For forty years she shared the customs of the islanders and made a home there. Every year Mere receives a package with a letter from a mysterious friend. This time, the friend writes to Mere asking her to leave the island to visit her and so the adventure begins.

I was pleasantly surprised at how charming and utterly beautiful this book was. I loved Mere as a character and the mystery surrounding why she was on the island and which friend she was leaving to visit. I am a big fan of adventure reads and Mary Baron takes us on an adventure through Mere's journey to her friend.

A great read if you are looking adventure!

[Viviane Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine waiting forty years on an isolated Pacific island, waiting for a special someone to fulfill her part of an agreement made so long ago it's almost beyond memory. Such is the life Mere, our main character, is living. It's an existence filled with constant pain and mourning that hasn't lessened with the years. Mere's only comforts are an old, crippled man and watchful woman who cherish Mere as the "Star of the Sea" of this New Guinea island! Others serve Mere and gladly run at her beck and call as if she were the treasure she is perceived to be! The woman who brought her here is revered as a goddess, even in her strange mournful absence!

Every year a mysterious box of gifts arrives on the last day of the year. It's a ritual celebrated on Mere's island almost as a religious rite but one that increases the mystical point of view of the islanders who have guarded Mere's pact for secrecy all these years. They teach her that the highest appreciation of life is to simply and lovingly "be!"

But that other woman now sends a letter in which she states she is dying and wishes Mere to return to New York to be with her beloved in her last days. Here is the journey of an older, dedicated friend who is not always mentally fit but endears all whom she meets on the journey. Inadvertently, she will wind up living as a homeless person who is briefly committed to a mental institution before ending up with her former lover.

But This Is Different is a literate, uniquely crafted novel that is absolutely mesmerizing. Secrets abound and aren't quickly revealed until the reader absorbs the complete personality of the main character which is intellectual, spiritual, and most of all deeply and lovingly emotional. Inner pain is an aching world unto itself. Committment and promises carry a depth far beyond the original words spoken and literally change one's world! The revelation of these two characters is quite stunning!

What else can one say about this beautiful, exquisite novel? Buy it, read it, and love it as much as this reviewer is sure you will! Absolutely outstanding!!!

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting take on the Amelia Earhart mystery. Easy to read - hard to put down.

[Mary Walker Baron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote the book so I am biased but it is an amazing story which I invite you to read.