From Fear to Serenity: A Lombok Earthquake Survivor’s Tale (Backpacker's Travels) Paperback – 3 Oct. 2021

I have long awaited another book from the very talented, Jacky Donovan so you can imagine my delight at the release of her latest book. Backpackers Travel, book one, hopefully, there will be more to come. I was hooked from page one and read in one sitting.I joined Jacky in July 2018, in Indonesia for a nice relaxing break, or so I thought, the title is a big clue as to the devastation that is to come so I was prepared for a bumpy ride. On the idyllic island of Gili Air near Lombok, in a little wooden hut, the author is anticipating exploring this tiny island.Only hours into her holiday, Jacky finds herself in the midst of a major earthquake, one of Mother Nature's most damaging natural disasters, this must have been so terrifying. Local inhabitants, despite the many aftershocks and seemingly unworried, carried on with their normal way of life, working and carrying out everyday tasks, she was on high alert for further danger.Devastation lay all around her, injured inhabitants, crumbling buildings, her one aim is to get to safety and leave the island. Whilst shaking in fear, she remains calm helping as many as she can in the process of survival. People everywhere are scrambling to safer locations and survival, looking for transport off the island. The sounds, movements, desperation, and fear were all brilliantly captured in her words. All she wanted to do was survive, not a lot to ask but at times a seemingly onerous task that she was fearful of failing.This is well written and very descriptive, I could feel the sheer terror and desperation she feels and witnesses around her. Thank you Jacky for sharing this with us.

I really enjoyed this new travel memoir. The author is in Indonesia. A powerful start, describing the devastation and injuries.It's well-written, easy to read, with great description which captures the place perfectly. No one seemed too worried, there’d be just a few aftershocks, then all would be calm and serene again.......wouldn't it?Brilliantly described, it must have been so scary. It's raw; shocking. You get exactly what it was like from the writing. The devastation, and the desperation to escape the island.Nicely presented, with a fab cover. I love the musical chapter titles. Lots of musical refs-every chapter title is a song-all totally relevant, and help set the scene. I thought the timing was well done-I realise it’s probably how it happened, but it makes for an unpredictable read.This is a short travel memoir-I was hoping it wasn't going to be too short. It certainly wasn't. I know kindle page turnovers don't equate to page numbers as expressed on amazon-but I counted about 139? (on my Kindle app on phone) when flicking back through it to see how many, after I'd finished reading. So certainly substantial enough.Accompanying Photos can be seen on her website via a link in the book.More please!

I read this in one go, unable to put the book down, gripped by the drama that unfolded.Jacky just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time - an Indonesian island devastated by a major earthquake.I was carried along with her vivid descriptions, my heart racing with the fear and panic that was all around. The sights, sounds, smells, and emotions portrayed drew me right in alongside Jacky and made me feel a part of her experience.I enjoyed her private observations, obviously desperate to leave the scenes of devastation, yet unwilling to give in to emotions that wouldn’t help the situation. Travelling alone, you have no one to calm your fears or mop your tears.I look forward to reading more of Jacky’s travel adventures.

A short travel memoir with a shocking difference. Jacky's relaxing break in a beautiful remote island of Indonesia becomes anything but when the earthquakes strike.Not just one, but a series of tremors, that leave people racing to escape the catastrophe by any means available.A raw and honest account of the events in Lombok, written with candid reflection.Four star not five only because I felt I couldn't rave about a harrowing real life event.

This may only be a short read, but Wow! What an incredible amount is packed into this true-life earthquake story. When Jacky Donovan heads for a relaxing break on one of the secret Indonesian islands off Lombok, she never expects to end up in the middle of a terrifying natural disaster.Written with honesty and aplomb, Jacky comes across as the sort of person you’d want by your side in such a disaster. ‘There’s no point in crying. It would make me feel worse and I’d have to mop up my snivelling tears and snotty nose,’ she says truthfully, if with more sangfroid than I’d have managed given her circumstances.I’ve read other books by Jacky Donovan and know she is a good writer. In this tale, black humour abounds as Jacky tries to escape death and British foreign office incompetency in equal measure. Her vivid descriptions (the gecko stayed with me for a very long time) bring the reality of an earthquake on a remote island starkly home, whilst songs and references to current news items keep you living the year that was the Lombok earthquake disaster.I’m still not sure I’d know what to do in an earthquake, and I’ve no idea if I’d fare as well as Jacky did, but this book allowed me to live that disaster vicariously through a survivor’s eyes. And what an eye-opener it was!

Interesting but very short. I was annoyed that she said nothing about what happened to the people she was with at the time, and did not mention them again at all. Odd. Left you wondering what happened to them, if she did not know, she should have at least said so. Comes across as not a very pleasant person.