The Islander    by John Allen Order:  USA  Can iUniverse, 2001 (2001) Paperback    Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth John Allen is the author of many books – autobiographical, fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, and a translation from the French. The Islander is purported to be the diary of a young woman who lived with her parents on a small deserted island. The diary is fiction, but reads as though Maximillienne Carpentier, the young lady in question, has written it. Jailed for stealing food to feed his family, Maximillienne's father escapes France and its nineteenth century political turmoil, taking his wife and small daughter to the island he claims to own. They live there peaceably for many years until Maximillienne's parents both die and she is left alone. The story never seemed to get off the ground in the first part of the book, which I found slow-moving and bland. It picks up as soon as other characters appear. Unfortunately, these individuals never really came alive for me. They were mean-spirited and cruel. Even so, I couldn't make them real. The events in The Islander are rather unbelievable. As you can surmise, I didn't care for the book, though other readers might react more enthusiastically to this diary and the light in which it is presented. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Historical books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews