Hippolyte's Island: An Illustrated Novel

I'm about halfway through the Kindle edition of Hippolyte's Island and enjoying it quite a bit. However, the limits of Kindle type devices is evident with this book in particular. It is chock-full of clever maps, illustrations, letters and marginalia, all of which are relevant to the story and few of which can be read on Kindle. I tried to increase the font size but that dld not work. So, for $3.99 it's quite a saving over the book version but loses a great deal of its cleverness due to its conversion to ebook. If you're going to read this one, choke up and purchase the book or get it at your library.

This is one of my favorite books. It ticks all the boxes for me. As always Barbara Hodgson creates books that are not just pages of text. This beautifully strange tale is interwoven with pages of illustrations and maps and drawings like a naturalist's journal. I took my time with it, savoring each page. The story is really beautiful. I love when the author leaves some questions unanswered. Not even mystery is explained. Terra incognita, one of the main themes of the book. OK, I think I just talked myself into reading this one again.

This author is so interesting. Her use of collage in illustration appeals to a sense of history and the personal lives living it. Thank you, Barbara Hodgeson and to the seller of this book for "condition as advertised."

The main character was odd and compelling. I bought this book because I was delighted to see an illustrated novel. As a nature lover and explorer, I was also interested in the idea. The execution did not disappoint. I would dare to call this literature, but not stuffy like much of the stuff I had to read in college and high school. My only complaint was that the kindle fire HD 7 inch did not allow me to view the beautiful illustrations. There was no way to zoom in on them, hence four stars instead of five.

I chose this book for my book club choice last month. It's an unusual story and generated great discussion. Many things are left unexplained or unfinished so if that type of story bothers you, keep that in mind. The author drew me into the story right off the bat and kept me turning the pages, curious to see how the story would unfold. I loved the illustrations that are found throughout the book. For me, it added to the adventure of Hippolyte's journey.

Good storyline. I gave four stars due to my not being able to read most of the illustrated letters and such. It caused me to lose the thread sometimes. I have the very first Kindle model..Maybe I need a new one. Let me see... Fathers day is soon..

Any book full of maps is a delight, and this one was exceptional; the pages are almost a course in scrapbooking. And the author skillfully leads the reader from finding the main character exasperating to finding him endearing. I'd buy anything by this author.

Fascinating premise. Intriguing plot line with finely drawn characters. Illustrated with lovely archival, real and faux, texts and drawings. Not displayed to best advantage in e book format.