Beginning before WWI and ending after WWII, this is the story of three families who try to make a living on an isolated island off the coast of California.
Inspired by actual people and events.

Boyle tells this story of two families living on San Miguel, one of the Channel Islands off coast of California at Santa Barbara. They are told through the eyes of women, reluctant adventurers in this lonely place during the 1880s and the 1930s.

As he did in his book The Women, Boyle uses real lives, journals and articles to create his fictional tale. But, I had an uneasy feeling this time. Marantha, the woman from an earlier time, is dying of TB, making the first part very grim. By contrast, Elise embraces her life on this remote island, seemingly happier than could be possible. Disappointing for me

Interesting descriptions of these women's different experiences living on an isolated island at different time periods. I kept expecting the stories to interweave in some way, but each story was isolated as well.

Two separate families' experiences on an island off the coast of California, each with aspects that drew my interest. However, I felt like I wanted to hear more about each story, and the segue between the time periods was not that smooth, so the time shift was a bit rough.