The Island of Mending Hearts

Rating:
Summary: wonderful, heart tugging love story
Review: Enjoyed reading this book very much, looking forward to his next book. It is a warm, loving , romantic love story, just could not put this book down.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Book
Review: I thought this book was fantastic I coudln't put it down. I like how it devloped the relationship between Michael and Alex. The characters seemed so real and I could imagine everyone of them from the description in the book. I hope there will be a sequel to let us know about Michael and Alex's new relationship

Rating:
Summary: An emotionally-rich story of healing
Review: One of my favorite reads so far this year, "The Island of Mending Hearts" tells the emotional journey of Michael, a 40-something English heart surgeon who is devastated by the death of his son James, and subsequent end of his marriage. He decides to end his life by throwing himself overboard on the second leg of a US/Caribean ocean cruise he booked before this happened. However, he disenbarks at the first stop, Key West FL, finds a life he never knew existed, and never goes back.

Key West has the reputation of being an artist-oriented, liberal, live-and-let-live town with remarkably open and caring residents, most of whom were also once "outsiders" who found the city and fell in love with it. This impression is reinforced by this debut novel from a talented author, which makes one want to pack up and catch the next flight down to this southernmost point in Florida. From the Cuban influence, to the tourist industry, gay and lesbian residents mixed with heterosexual "swingers," old houses with fascinating histories, to a fine mix of colorful characters that eventually become a surrogate "second family" for Michael, in every sense of the word, it becomes more than obvious that Key West is the "medicine" to heal this doctor, who discovers talents he never even knew he had, and explores his homosexual leanings which he has kept repressed for many sad years. In the end, Michael becomes a bit of a "healer" (and I don't mean medically) himself, helping his new friends to achieve some of their own dreams.

A beautiful, emotionally-rich story, which I strongly recommend.