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"Floreana invents a dramatic explanation for the still-unsolved deaths and disappearances that occurred on this small island in the southern Galápagos in the 1930s … The mounting tension that engulfs the island is mirrored by that of the present-day research camp, where past liaisons and current secrets keep everyone on edge … what remains most convincing is Raymond’s vivid depiction of the island’s flora and fauna.”
"Based on the true events of the Floreana murders, this reimagining is immersive and supremely well done. The setting is spot on, down to the gentle shushing noises made by the salt-spitting iguanas. The complex relationships in both timelines speak of haunting loneliness that comes with age and marriage. Highly recommended.”
“In the 1930s, a set of murders straight out of Agatha Christie took place on Floreana Island. Raymond's novel toggles between this old story and a new one, proposing a plausible solution to this enduring mystery. Is this what really happened? Who cares! Raymond’s novel is riveting and revelatory, a murder mystery embedded in other mysteries — of love and regret, loss and redemption, and how we can manage to hold on to the parts of this beautiful world that were never ours in the first place.”
“Who knows what happened on Floreana Island in the Galápagos in the 1930s? In this suspenseful and immersive novel, Midge Raymond offers a possible series of events leading up to infamous awful fates of a few of the settlers, as well as telling an equally compelling contemporary story. Come for the disastrous love affairs, stay for the careful depiction of efforts being made toward penguin conservation. Much like the fantasy of desert island life, Floreana offers a rich bounty of attractions."
“This book is a triple hitter: it’s a great novel, beautiful structured and woven; it’s a compelling mystery; and it’s a striking lesson about ecology and the importance of keeping our world intact. All three join together in one powerful tornado of a book that not only broke my heart with its tragic revelation, but allowed me to learn at the same time. Midge’s style is so fluid and pitch perfect that I never saw several twists coming, and she knocked me breathless. Floreana is both devastating and full of hope, leaving the reader with a sense of grief but also great renewal. It’s a must read for those who expect an extraordinary delivery in their book choices. Reading Floreana was time magnificently spent.”
Floreana: A Novel
On the Galápagos Islands, the lives of two women―a century apart―converge in the most startling ways in a historical novel of desperate love, secrets, and deception by the author of My Last Continent.
After ten years away to build a family, Mallory returns to Floreana Island in the Galápagos, and to Gavin, the mentor with whom she had a long-ago affair. Their project is to build nests to revive the vulnerable penguin population. But Mallory doesn’t dare tell Gavin why she’s really come back. Then she discovers old journals hidden in a lava cave―confessions of another woman who needed to disappear.
In 1929, Dore Strauch left the life she knew to create a new one with the man she loved. On remote Floreana they’re beholden to no one but each other. Until the arrival of strangers, settlers in their paradise. Suddenly, Dore realizes that it’s no longer the refuge she imagined. And that amid the island’s fragile beauty, people can do the most terrible things.
A gripping reimagining of a true story, Floreana intertwines the emotional journeys of two women bound by dark secrets, the want of escape, and the lengths to which they’ll go to find their place in the world.
“Raymond imagines an exciting version of events that is gripping and intriguing, while creating a vivid scene of the wild, remote island in the 1930s. The book explores wildlife conservation, survival, the struggle for existence, animal welfare and the human condition … highly recommended.”
“An island sojourn proves less restorative than hoped for in this clever outing from Raymond, which centers on two women who visit the Galápagos Islands nearly a century apart … As Dore’s account sheds light on the mystery of the disappearances, Raymond reveals how both Mallory and Dore fail to escape their problems, even by crossing the globe. The result is an engrossing narrative of self-reckoning.”
"Floreana is a dual-timeline historical novel set in the Galápagos Islands for fans of State of Wonder by Ann Patchett and Euphoria by Lily King ... I loved learning about the history, science and culture of the Galápagos Islands. I also connected with Dore and Mallory, who, although separated by decades, share similar feelings and experiences as women searching for meaning.” ”
“Midge Raymond’s latest novel [is] a captivating tale of love, loss and murder with an environmental twist … Along with the central mysteries, there are keen psychological insights into Dore and Mallory. Their narratives are engagingly crafted, and readers will enjoy mentally tracing the parallels between Mallory’s experiences and Dore’s as each discover who she is and what she wants from life. Floreana is a mystery, but it is also a tale of the environment and animals … Raymond has cemented a place as writer of exotic locales, deep human feeling and compelling stories.”
“Floreana is a stunning and deeply layered murder mystery, historical novel, and environmental love letter all in one. Midge Raymond beautifully and seamlessly weaves the hidden lives of two women, a century apart, as they negotiate the fragile terrain of the Galápagos Islands along with their own troubled psyches…A haunting tale for our times.”
“Floreana is a beautiful, unexpected, and powerful novel about the fragility of life and love in its many forms — a book that is all at a once a riveting theory on an unsolved historical mystery, a close character exploration of love and loss [that] tackles the themes of motherhood and the innate desire to nurture and be nurtured, the pain of unfulfilled expectations, and the simple beauty and tenuousness of nature. A powerful and totally unique book. Not to be missed!”
“Floreana masterfully weaves together the tales of two women who escape to the same faraway island almost a century apart. Both storylines feature deeply buried secrets, yearning, questions about what people owe to those that surround them, and the profound need for connection and purpose. The echoes and reverberations in the two timelines—about new beginnings and love and families and conservation and hope—perfectly illustrate how human concerns are universal and timeless. Raymond’s beautiful and absorbing novel kept me turning the pages, eager to find out what and who would fail to thrive on Floreana Island and what might blossom there.”
“Advanced reviews of [Floreana] call it ‘riveting,’ ‘absorbing’ and ‘a compelling mystery.’ It was all of these and more, keeping me up until the wee hours of the morning.”
