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Rating: 
Summary: One Up for Whale Island--and Dan Hays
Review: A splendid boook splendidly written giving full voice to his misogony but managing, all the whlie, to expatiate on his love of wife and stepson and nature including its vicissitudes--especially its vicissitudes.
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Summary: The greatest get-away!
Review: After reading Mr. Hay's first book I thought that he couldn't possibly have another adventure up his sleeve worthy of a second tale. He proved me wrong, however, and has created a wonderfully poinant, entertaining tale of he and his family's adventures on this tiny spec in the Atlantic. In doing so he has once and for all proven that he is an acomplished storyteller, worth putting everything else on hold for. Bravo!
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Summary: A Nice Read
Review: Dan Hays captured the spirit of Whale Island very well. As someone who appreciates the nature writing genre, I was impressed by his graphic descriptions of the scenery and of events as they unfolded. Maybe the biggest compliment of all is that it rarely dawned on me that Dan Hays was working on the book each day, as the story unfolded; in other words, I became entirely engrossed in the story of a small family living their lives on an island off the Canadian coast.Dan Hays might also be recognized for his honesty. I appreciated the way -- both positive and negative -- that he let himself, his wife and his son come through. All this adds up, in my mind, to a very realistic and engaging story.
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Summary: Have you ever wished you could...?
Review: Ever wonder what it would be like to drop evertything and live on a wilderness island? Ever wish you could take a year off and emerse yourself in ocean storms, home baked rye bread, and family fun with trying to stay clean? How would you collect enough fresh water and stay warm? What would you do if you encountered a football field sized moss bog or a washed up whale? What would it be like to find yourself bathed in acid while using the ferocity of a mid-night gale to charge your power supply? Daniel Hays wanted to "live in the moment"; in a series of "nows". He shares every aspect of his experience with us and it is compelling reading. He has many insights and turns to his background in literature, psychology, spirituality, and adventure to find meaning. I looked forward to each day he described, laughed a lot, and got a glimpse of a way of life I would like to experience someday. Mr. Hays never meant to leave Whale Island...what would you do?
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Summary: Beautifully written, warm & witty story...
Review: Hays writes an engaging story but I don't think I'd want to know the guy. The book tends to pitch a back-to-nature lifestyle but that's not really what they experienced. It was more like a vacation. Although the effort to maintain shelter took plenty of time and energy, apparently most food and all the clothing came from the store. The vacation ended, like many do, when the money ran out. There's not enough economic activity ---hunting, fishing, farming, weaving, writing or whatever, to sustain the family. He's pretty much self-absorbed. Does he care about other people except as they impact him? I'm always a little offended when someone begins any statement with "A man believes, needs, thinks, etc." The world is full of people with ideas good and bad. Those opinions are not determined by gender nor is their validity.
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Summary: Beautifully written, warm & witty story...
Review: I LOVED this book! So few memoirists are able to write completely honestly, instead usually holding up some kind of complimentary or tidying prism on the experience with the effect of sanitizing and fictionalizing the end result ... not so here. I am actually surprised at a couple of the other reviewers' comments...misogynist? Just because he's honest enough to look at how he and his wife respond differently to the same situation? And anyone who lives with dogs will laugh out loud at Dan's detailed descriptions of some of the drawbacks of living in close quarters with them - and yes we love them but it can get disgusting. I think in a way it was as brave of Dan to choose to live in close quarters with his family on an island for a year - without the buffer of modern comforts - as it must have been to round Cape Horn in a sailboat. Anyway, anyone who likes to read about family, dogs or is interested in one person's examination of his attempt to get closer to an honest life experience by escaping the mainland should read this.
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Summary: Couldn't put it down.
Review: It was as if he was in the room with us. We listened to Daniel Hays read from On Whale Island and it mesmerized us! We smiled, we cried and nearly pee'd in our pants at the stories he told. Stories about his brave adventure on a deserted island with his small family. I personally loved it so much because they did what I always wanted to do. Throw off convention, wake up and go 'out there'.
Told with honesty, humor and tenderness. I did not want it to end!
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down.
Review: On Whale Island is my top pick of books read for the year. Neither my husband or I could put it down. Boldly honest and pee your pants funny, the book lived a fantasy that I've had in my heart for as long as I can remember. But beyond all the humor, the book raises the big questions about how we choose to live our lives. This book's a keeper and one to be reread.
Rating: 
Summary: Not so good
Review: The concept of living on a deserted island is a wonderful one. However the author describes the experience in language that only a teenage boy, full of sex hormones, could possibly enjoy. It is written by a Prozac deprived guy who lives for a year in close to filthy conditions, and describes the experience in way to graphic language. This book left a lot to be desired.
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