Okay, this isn't exactly going to be a book review since I haven't read the book yet, but my copy of An Island Away arrived today. So far, so good. The book has a dedication "For Charlie" and the first line of the first sentence of the first chapter reads, "Charlie lived in a place..." Needless to say, I'm enchanted by the prospects.

Now that I've gotten my ego back under control, I have to acknowledge that I know I am not the "Charlie" that the author is talking about. Actually, I've had a couple of private chats with the author and, of course, the "Charlie" in both references is the late Charlie Brouns, proprietor of Charlie's Bar up until his untimely death. But we're definitely off to a good start.

I've got over 400 pages to go (and I'm going to be on the road quite a bit over the next few days) so progress might be slow at first, but I'll let you guys know what I think as I proceed. Note to the author, I'm a harsh critic. There was another novel set on Aruba that was published a couple of years ago (entitled Crude). I bought and read it, too, and I was pretty severe in my criticisms of that one.

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Once in a while you can get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right.

good luck with your reading charlie. i look forward to updates.

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vote now!!!!

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/N...uba/index.html

I am now almost half-way through An Island Away and I must say that I am enjoying the book very much. As opposed to Crude, which I generally panned, this book is more of the action/adventure genre, which appeals to me a lot more the Harlequin romance stuff that was Crude.

Here's a word to the wise: An Island Away is not for children or those who are easily offended. There are some themes and topics going on here that are definitely for adults only. To put it bluntly, one of the central characters is a young woman who comes to Aruba from Colombia to work in the "zone of tolerance" in San Nicolas. It gets pretty graphic at times. But, since I'm neither a child nor easily offended, I am having no problems with the subject matter whatsoever.

In my opinion, with a book like this, that's how it has to be. This is not a travelogue about the beaches and activites on the western end of the island; this is a real, up-close and personal look at life on the other side of the bridge. And the characters are all extremely likeable, even with their flaws and human failings (another thing that distinguishes An Island Away from Crude). They are also all extremely believable. A lot of this stuff could have really happened (or might be happening right now, for all we know).

In summary - so far, so good. I'm not an avid reader by any stretch (at least, not an avid reader of fiction), but I am really enjoying this one.

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Once in a while you can get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right.

An update. I hadn't read any more of An Island Away since returning form my recent road trip a couple of weeks ago, but I picked it back up yesterday and got back into it. Although I am anything but an avid reader, I had a hard time putting it down. I reached the end of "Book One" and am well into "Book Two" at this point. I'm not going to give away any plot lines but there are several, all wrapping around a handful of central characters. With still over 200 pages to go (this is a long book), I can safely give it my recommendation.

As I said before, it's more of an action adventure than a romance novel but there is a strong element of romance in the plot that is really starting to develop at this point.

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Once in a while you can get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right.

Thanks Charlie. Can't wait to hear how you like the rest.

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Novelist, Pilot
http://www.bentpage.wordpress.com/

No telling too much since I just ordered it!!!

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Of course my thoughts immediately turned to you as I read. I think you will really like Luz.

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Once in a while you can get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right.

As soon as you began your "book report,"other than wanting to grade you, (old habits are hard to break) it hit close to home so I knew I had to read it!! Amazon's usually very quick delivery so I'll be reading it soon.

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Yes Elaine, you will LOVE Luz. I won't give away any of the plot, but there's something that happens near the end involving Luz, Marcela and Calenda. It's one of my favorite parts of the book. Had me cheering, in fact. Luz is such a well-drawn character. I was right there with her the whole way. It will be interesting to see what you think vs. charlierat. Female vs. Male perspective and all that :-)

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Paradise, But Not for Amateurs ... Are You Ready?
www.DanielPutkowski.com

I haven't finished the book yet but I am sure am motivated now!

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Once in a while you can get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right.

I'm sure I will, Trudie. Got an email from Amazon today that it's on its way!! And, I most certainly will share my feelings about the book..

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Dh will be reading his copy on the beach at the Tamarijn this time next week.

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Lisa
Aruba Bound!
www.hoosierkitties.com ~ www.bloggingtoaruba.com ~ www.our-cruises.com

I got the book today!

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are you finished yet?

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vote now!!!!

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/N...uba/index.html

I'm good, but not that good!! lol Truth be known, with the storms we had last night, and power going off and on, I didn't start it yet!

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Hi Elaine. MontCo always seems to get worse storms than down here in DelCo. for some reason. I was up near Conshohocken when the storms started to roll through last night. YIKES! Sky was all black. I high-tailed it outta there! Luckily our power didn't go out here in DelCo.

According to Daniel's latest newsletter, he's busy at work on the sequel to An Island Away ...

Right now I'm reading Jodi Picoult's Nineteen Minutes. It's very good. I have a stack of books ready to go with me when I head back to the island next month!

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Paradise, But Not for Amateurs ... Are You Ready?
www.DanielPutkowski.com

We got a bad one, Trudie. Lots of down trees.. We even get more snow then you do!! lol

Are you and Daniel friends from here or Aruba? What a good friend to "plug" his book like you did/do!!

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I've known Daniel forever. It's so strange to know someone who's written a book, particularly fiction. I imagine it starts one day with a blank Word page and a blinking cursor ... blink, blink, blink ... and then things get rolling and before you know it there are hundreds of pages there. The whole process is a mystery to me. I could probably crank out a decent short story, maybe 2-3 pages but then I'd run out of steam. I still don't know how he did it or how any of these novelists today do it. Look at Diana Gabaldon. Aren't her books like 800 pages? Geez, how do people do THAT???

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Paradise, But Not for Amateurs ... Are You Ready?
www.DanielPutkowski.com

My nephew who's an attorney wrote a wonderful book a couple years ago... fiction, about the mayor of Philly being arrested for murder. He hasn't had time to write anything else, but I truly couldn't put it down.

Unfortunately, I haven't begun Daniel's book yet because I have a bit of a drama going on in my family..... Soon that will be over, and I'll need to chill and just read.

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