Enchanted Isle takes place in the 1950s in the lake district of England. Melanie Dobson is the author and personally invited me to review this book. I have read another of her novels and thoroughly enjoyed it. This novel is no exception, but it has a different tone and feel. Dobson is kind enough to include the facts upon which the story was formed and to let readers know which things she created in her own imagination.
The main characters are bogged down by events that occurred in the past and the characters are unable to move past them to achieve what they really want in life. Watching them change and grow and be able to stop defining themselves based on what others say is an interesting journey. It also draws the reader in emotionally. Readers will want to reach into the book and give characters hugs or smacks upside the head and sometimes both.
Melanie Dobson crafts a tale that allows readers to fall in love with her vision of England. It seems like such a picturesque setting, but there are things hidden underneath the beauty. The concept of the defunct amusement park holding secrets is unusual and interesting. Readers will find romance, mystery, and deception while accompanying the characters on a journey of maturation and understanding.
Review of a Digital Edition
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by the Author
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: None
Violence/Gore: Report of a man finding a bloody knife near a dead body, this is referenced many times; a dead body is recovered from a lake; a man ties a person up and threatens the person with a gun, shots are fired; a man falls to his death, but was not pushed.
Sex/Nudity: Non-married characters kiss, embrace, and hold hands.
Mature Subject Matter:
Death of parents, war, murder.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
A character recalls being drunk and desiring gin; report that a person used cocaine and it ultimately led to his death.