Sam Taylor (1) (1970–)

I requested this book as I have previously read The Republic of Trees by the same author and absolutely loved that one. Therefore, I hoped for another terrific read with The Island at the End of the World. To my delight I wasn't disappointed at all. I enjoyed the way the tale is narrated in 3 voices and in particular the writing style of the young boy's thoughts is unique. The actual storyline is extremely deep and dark and drew me in from the opening pages. I loved the brilliant choice that show more Taylor made in giving the family just 3 books to read - fairy tales, the Bible and Shakespeare - they all add to the darkness that he has created with his tale. Sam Taylor is a gifted writer and he wastes not one word. The world he has created is pure genius, yet horrifying, and the family and their way of life and the `truths' that they believe in are beautifully written. This book is an extremely thought provoking, disturbing read, that I highly recommend. show less

Told in first-person narrative, we learn that the father, his two children and the family dog have taken shelter on a remote island after what appears to be an apocalyptic event.

I found this book compelling and a real page-turner, and could not rest until I had reached the final page. Some reviewers have commented on how they found the son's narration with its deliberate spelling mistakes offputting. Yes, some of the spellings are unconventional, but I am myself the mother of a 7-year-old show more displaying very imaginative spelling and as such recognise that they're clearly adding a distinctive voice. The same goes for the teenage daughter, sounding very stilted at first until you realise that the only literary influences in her life have been Grimm's Fairy Tales, the Bible and the collected works of Shakespeare. First-person narratives can be double-edged swords, but here the author makes masterful use of it, so that the final twist comes as a complete shock. Recommended. show less

At first glance, this is another of the flood (sorry) of children's post-environmental apocalypse novels reflecting the (justified) panic about what we've done to ourselves and the world.

Taylor's novel is a cut above all of them. It isn't plucky kids getting by: it takes in madness, obsession, sexuality, knowledge and culture. The writing is challenging, exciting and heavily Joycean. This isn't a novel you can consume and forget about - phrases and events will weigh heavily on your mind for show more weeks afterwards, and it repays rereading. show less

For some reason I had picked up 'The Island...' expecting it to be little more than a fable. It really isn't. This is a story of one family surviving an apocolyptic future with a twist, and is full of the fundaments of real life; violence, death, sex, swearing and deeply-felt religion. Taylor has managed to tell a very brutal and upsetting story with an underlying empathy and compassion to his writing which is very rare indeed. I somehow managed to feel anger, sympathy and frustration for show more all the characters in equal measure.

Through the very different voices of Finn and Alice, and of their father, both the day to day intricacies and the much larger picture of this little family's isolated life are drawn out and we see the children's maturation alongside the degeneration of their Pa.

My sole annoyance with 'The Island...' was the phonetic, unpunctuated language used by Taylor to portray the voice of Finn. Right from the start it seemed both superfluous and overdone and not at all reflective of the character's age and capacity for reading. The style was also not in any way replicated in the writing of Alice and simply left me wondering when exactly Finn would make his miraculous jump from primary school writing skills to the measured adult tone of his sister.

But this really was the only sour point of the book for me. I found very early on that I cared for all the characters (particularly and instinctively the carefree, lovable three year old, Daisy), I sat enraptured as the plot developed and very soon reached the back cover feeling that the whole thing was pertinent, sensitive and very well done. show less