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Waking Up in Eden
In Pursuit of an Impassioned Life on an Imperiled Island

by Lucinda Fleeson

     

I have never had a real desire to vacation in Hawaii, but having read this memoir, subtitled "In Pursuit of an Impassioned Life on an Imperiled Island", I am now tempted to do so.

The author writes about the time in her life when she worked at the National Tropical Botanical Garden on the island of Kauai. A gifted writer, Fleeson captures the sensual atmosphere of the 100-acre estate where the garden is located and creates memorable pictures of the people she met on the island.

As much a story of the attempt to preserve native plants that are disappearing at an astonishing rate as it is a celebration of these halcyon days in her life, the author takes the reader into the rain forest on plant expeditions and shares moments of pure bliss on the secluded beaches nearer her simple home.

As you read this book you'll discover a Hawaii not found in the travel brochures or listed on most tourist itineraries. The strong sense of place that Fleeson captures in the first person narrative will utterly mesmerize the armchair adventurers who accompany her on this evocative journey to paradise.

The Book

Algonquin Books
June 2009
Hardcover
9781565124868
Memoir /travel /Hawaii / nature
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Excerpt
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The Reviewer

Robert Walch
Reviewed 2009
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© 2009 MyShelf.com