JOAN DRUETT

Praise for Island of the Lost.

“A riveting study of the extremes of human nature and the effects of good (and bad) leadership.”
—FLORENCE WILLIAMS, New York Times

“Depicted with consistent brio, stormy seas become epic events.”
—Publishers Weekly

“The finest survival stories combine struggle and endurance with an intellectual puzzle. Cast onto a wild island, what would one do? … This is one of the finest survival stories I’ve read.”
—BRUCE RAMSEY, Seattle Times

“Druett’s well-researched account earns its place in any good collection of survival literature.”
—WOOK KIM, Entertainment Weekly

“Engrossing and breathtaking historical work.”
—MAE WOODS BELL, Rocky Mount Telegram, North Carolina

“Druett concludes this gripping tale with the future lives of the castaways … It’s a story to chill every sailor’s blood. Highly recommended.”
—ANN STINSON, Star Democrat, Maryland

“Survival stories from earlier ages remain favorite fare, as is underscored by this amazing saga by an award-winning New Zealand maritime historian.”
—JOHN MARSHALL, The Berkshire Eagle , Massachusetts

“Joan Druett has done a superb job of weaving together excellent research into a highly readable and fascinating account of survival and the sea … It is a fun read of an absorbing tale which, though a work of nonfiction, moves along at the pace of a good novel.”
—VICTOR SCHREFFLER, Good Old Boat

“How the survivors escaped from the island makes a gripping tale with profound moral implications for every human society.”
—ROBERT WILSON, Canberra Times

“Rarely do I get to review a book that was so easy and approachable … yet so intriguing, emotional, exciting and educational at the same time.”
—MICK LUDDEN, Wairarapa Times

“A riveting tale of shipwreck and survival.”
—ANN LAFARGE, Litchfield Enquirer, Connecticut

“Those yearning for a classic man vs. nature, get ready to set sail.”
—H. M. STARKEY, Paste Magazine

“Island of the Lost is a gripping tale, and a meditation on luck, fate, and the importance of companionship.”
—NOEL MURRAY, A. V. Club

“[Druett’s] writing style is clear and detached, her touch just right.”
—SCOTT MARTELLE, Los Angeles Times

“Druett again shows that she is a top-class storyteller, producing an absorbing account of a harrowing ordeal.”
—NICK WARD, Nelson Mail

“This is a gripping tale of incredible resourcefulness and the extremes of human nature.”
—MARY ANN ELLIOTT, Toowoomba Chronicle

“A riveting true drama of shipwreck, death and for some of the seamen, remarkable survival.”
—KERRY HENNIGAN, Travelbeat

“Island of the Lost is one of the greatest yarns I’ve ever read, surpassing even Shackleton and Robinson Crusoe.”
—BARBARA FARRELLY, South Coast Register

“Lost crews’ survival tales fascinate … a surprisingly gripping tale that will leave readers amazed.”
—KAREN ALGEO KRIZMAN, Rocky Mountain News

“Druett has constructed a vivid story with living, breathing characters under extreme physical and psychological stress.”
—PETER CORRIS, Australian

“A story of survival, determination, and great courage.”
—JULIAN BURGESS, Highlands Weekender

“[Druett] writes with a confidence and clarity that makes this account an exciting read and an important addition to our history.”
—IAIN DUFFY, Northern Advocate

“Fans of shipwreck stories will devour this book as will other adventure-story lovers.”
—ALICE F. STERN, Voya

“This amazing tale of survival, both gripping and horrifying, stands as a testament to what (some) humans can manage when the chips are down.”
—MARTIN GADFILL, The Wellington Guide

“A fascinating look at human endeavour.”
—FRANK CAMPBELL, The Star, Dunedin

“Joan Druett has managed to combine the virtues of a fact-filled account with the interest and excitement of an adventure story of survival under dreadful conditions … immensely readable, totally interesting.”
—ALISTAIR KERR, Waikato Times

“Druett keeps the drama high throughout the tale with stunningly detailed accounts of the castaways’ ordeal.”
—Boating New Zealand

“It is felicitous that Joan Druett should have found this story. She is one of our most readable historians. Her knowledge of maritime events is encyclopedic. And she can write: vividly, lucidly, accurately … Each of the plot’s two threads is absorbing in itself. Combined and contrasted, their motif … makes this book more powerful still.”
—DAVID HILL, Weekend New Zealand Herald

“A gripping saga of a shipwreck on one of the most forbidding islands on earth.”
—LUCIA WALINCHUS, The Post and Courier, Charleston

“It’s a true adventure story, a classic of its kind, masterfully put together by Druett so that you won’t be able to put it down.”
—MARY VERNON, Townsville Bulletin

“This is a great book by an award-winning author and historian that explores human nature when confronted with real adversity.”
—Gisborne Herald

“One of the most amazing tales of shipwreck survival ever put to paper.”
—ALISTAIR HALL, Wilderness Magazine

“Inspiring tale of survival … impossible to put down.”
—AARON WATSON, Capital Times, Wellington

“One of the most amazing stories I have read in a long time … Joan Druett is a superb historian, who makes every page come alive. One of the best stories of survival you will read this year.”
—Ask Alice

“Shipwrecks in New Zealand’s subantarctic islands have exercised a fascination far beyond the toll they exacted in life or in treasure ... Druett has drawn on these sources ably to pull together a fast-paced account of a story that reads like the best of fiction.”
—GAVIN MCLEAN, Otago Daily Times

“There’s only one thing wrong with this book.
“It ended.”
—Hawkes Bay Today

“Joan Druett’s stirring account reads like Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, the tropical palms replaced with black skies, howling seas and freezing temperatures.”
—TONY MANIATY, Weekend Australian

“A story of survival, determination and great courage.”
— JULIAN BURGESS, Central Midlands & Coastal Advocate

EDITOR’S CHOICE, New York Times, July 22, 2007