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The Island Of Missing Trees

Run for the money. It’s part of the show. If he catches up, he won’t let go. Anya I’m in trouble—the kind that comes from a mobster and my irresponsible father. He killed himself and left me—and my underage sisters—holding the bag. Dmitri Ivanov wants half a million within two weeks, or he’s going to force us into the sex trade and keep my sweet little sister for himself. I’m desperate, so when I see the twisted reality TV show, “The Island,” I decide to compete. It’s only one weekend, and if the hunters don’t catch me, I get a million dollars. If they do, I still get paid—and extra for being a virgin. I just have to avoid getting trapped. But when I meet Spencer, maybe I don’t mind him catching and claiming me… Spencer My brother tricks me into coming with him for a weekend of hunting. I’m not into the outdoors and have never hunted an animal before. When I find out we’re supposed to hunt women instead, I’m ready to walk out. Until Anya walks in. One look at her, and I know she’s mine. I can’t fight the primal, possessive need to catch and claim her. There’s just one problem. If I have her for the weekend, how will I ever let her go? This is a contemporary romance with suspense and dark themes. While consensual, certain fantasy elements acted out between Spencer and Anya can be triggering to sensitive readers.

26 Chapters

The Island

Finding out you've been adopted is stressful enough but finding out that your father is the dead billionaire Benjamin Moore is mind-blowing in itself. Couple with the fact that you are part of a triplet separated at birth and with secrets and conspiracy emerging on your late father's private island, the final blow will take your breath away. NOTE: NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED. This story contains sexually explicit and graphic depiction of sex and a bit of incest. If this is not your cup of tea, please move on. My hope is that you readers enjoy my writing in its entirety and not base it on just its sexual nature.

95 Chapters

The Island of Astora

Being born on a remote island, princess Anatonia longs for adventure. Never been permitted past the castle walls what will happen when she meets two maids and two nights in training? And what will happen when strict parents meet the rebellious attitude of a teenager?

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13 Chapters

Island Kisses

Harper Thomas loves bad dates. She goes on hundreds of them a year, and then blogs about them online to make her living. When her sister signs her up for a new dating service, Harper's not expecting to find anything other more than ridiculous men. She certainly isn't planning to meet <i>him</i>... Gabe Honors is one of the billionaire owners of Kindling Dating. He also happens to be Miami's most eligible bachelor, but his search for love has never been successful. That is, until he decided to use his own dating service. The first time he meets Harper, he knew that she was the one. However, in order to make sure that it really was love, he kept his identity a secret. He soon finds out, secrets never mix well with love... Can a billionaire CEO finally stump this bad-date-blogger? Can Harper look past the money and find the man? Or will they only be left with memories of their island kisses?

32 Chapters

The Missing Luna

Through the years, Lauren's grandmother visited the basement every day. It is one place she was never allowed to visit because, according to her grandmother, a supernatural being lived there. One day, her grandmother instructed her to light the candles in the basement, and when she arrived there, she came face to face with the horrifying creature, a cursed werewolf named Alex that had been exiled in the dark for many years. Lauren's life will never be the same again after meeting Alex. She has no idea that falling in love with him comes with a heavy price. In the middle of the family gathering, everyone was shocked when Lauren attempted to kill Alex's grandfather, the previous Alpha King. She failed miserably with her evil intention, and her life went downhill. Will Alex continue honoring the mate bond with her or abandon her completely?

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116 Chapters

The Secret Island

Celine Pierce… a fashionista and an heiress to a leading clothing company. She is accustomed to getting her own way with her model good look, charming smile, and her papa’s five credit cards. She is never truly satisfied with life as everything comes too easy. Everything… boys, bags, grades, money… everything. Life in every party. The kind of girl girls admire. She gets everything easily. Except for his heart. He never tells her how he felt, the mysterious man she met on a small island in the Mediterranean Sea. She only knows his name, and the only things she has of him are memories during those two weeks together. The two weeks that changed her whole life.

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96 Chapters

What Awards Has 'The Island Of Missing Trees' Won?

3 answers2025-06-25 17:28:44

I've been following 'The Island of Missing Trees' since its release, and it's racked up some impressive accolades. The novel won the 2022 Costa Book Award for Novel, which is huge given how competitive that category is. It also snagged the RSL Ondaatje Prize, celebrating outstanding evocations of places. What's cool is how these awards highlight different strengths - the Costa recognizes its emotional depth, while the Ondaatje praises its vivid setting. The book was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction too, proving its broad appeal. For anyone who loves lyrical storytelling with historical weight, this is a must-read. I'd recommend checking out 'The Beekeeper of Aleppo' if you enjoyed this one - similar vibes of displacement and resilience.

Who Is The Central Protagonist In 'The Island Of Missing Trees'?

3 answers2025-06-25 02:03:32

In 'The Island of Missing Trees,' the central protagonist is a teenager named Ada Kazantzakis. She's a British-Cypriot girl wrestling with her identity after her parents' traumatic past in Cyprus. Ada's journey is raw and real—she's not some heroic archetype, just a kid trying to piece together family secrets while dealing with typical high school drama. The fig tree in her London backyard becomes her weirdest confidant, literally narrating parts of the story. What grabbed me is how Ada's confusion mirrors the divided history of Cyprus itself. She's got this quiet resilience that sneaks up on you, especially when she starts digging into why her mother won't talk about the island.

How Does 'The Island Of Missing Trees' Explore Themes Of Displacement?

3 answers2025-06-25 03:47:04

The novel 'The Island of Missing Trees' dives deep into displacement by weaving nature and human trauma together. The fig tree, uprooted from Cyprus and replanted in London, becomes a silent witness to generations of loss. Its survival mirrors the characters' struggles—forced to adapt to foreign soil while aching for home. The tree's perspective adds a raw, haunting layer to the immigrant experience, showing how roots can be torn yet still grow. Conflict isn't just political here; it's personal, carved into family histories through secrets and half-told stories. The book doesn't romanticize nostalgia—it shows displacement as a wound that shapes identity, whether you're a person or a plant.

How Does The Setting Shape The Story In 'The Island Of Missing Trees'?

3 answers2025-06-25 22:07:11

The setting in 'The Island of Missing Trees' isn't just a backdrop—it's a living, breathing character that shapes every twist in the story. That fig tree in the tavern? It becomes a silent witness to decades of love and war, its roots literally tangled with the characters' histories. The island itself mirrors the fractured relationships, with its political divides creating physical barriers between people who once loved each other. I love how the Mediterranean climate isn't just pretty scenery—the scorching summers heighten tensions, while the citrus groves hide secrets in their shadows. The tavern's decay over time visually mirrors how memories fade and distort. What really gets me is how the setting forces characters to confront their past—you can't escape history when it's embedded in the very soil you walk on. The blending of Cypriot and British landscapes later in the book shows how displacement changes how we see home.

What Is The Symbolic Meaning Of The Fig Tree In 'The Island Of Missing Trees'?

3 answers2025-06-25 06:20:44

The fig tree in 'The Island of Missing Trees' isn't just a plant—it's a silent witness to history. Its roots dig deep into the soil, mirroring how memories and trauma embed themselves in people's lives across generations. The tree stands resilient through wars and migrations, much like the characters who carry their pasts wherever they go. Its fruit, sweet yet fragile, symbolizes the bittersweet nature of love and loss in the story. What really strikes me is how the fig tree connects different timelines, showing that nature outlives human conflicts. It's not just background scenery; it's a living archive of everything that's happened on the island.

Is 'The Island Of Missing Trees' Based On A True Historical Event?

3 answers2025-06-25 10:26:17

I've been obsessed with 'The Island of Missing Trees' since its release. While it's not directly based on a single true historical event, it weaves together real historical threads into its narrative fabric. The novel draws heavily from the Cyprus conflict between Greek and Turkish communities during the 20th century, particularly focusing on the 1974 division of the island. Elif Shafak uses this turbulent period as a backdrop for her fictional love story between Kostas and Defne. The fig tree as narrator adds a magical realism layer to actual historical tensions. I found the way ordinary people's lives were torn apart by these events especially moving. The novel captures the essence of how political divisions affect personal relationships without being a strict historical account.

How Do Trees Nurture Their Young In 'The Hidden Life Of Trees'?

4 answers2025-06-28 12:24:44

In 'The Hidden Life of Trees', Peter Wohlleben reveals the astonishing ways trees care for their offspring. Mother trees detect their saplings through intricate root networks, delivering nutrients like a silent underground lifeline. They even shade younglings with their canopies, shielding them from harsh sunlight while allowing dappled light to fuel growth. If a sapling struggles, nearby trees—often kin—redirect resources through fungal networks, a phenomenon dubbed the "wood wide web."

But it’s not just about survival. Older trees slow their own growth to prioritize their young, a sacrifice akin to parents skipping meals for their children. When pests attack, mature trees release chemical signals to warn saplings, priming their defenses. This communal nurturing system ensures forests thrive collectively, not competitively. The book paints trees as silent, wise guardians, their love written in bark and leaf.

Does 'The Hidden Life Of Trees' Suggest Trees Have Memories?

4 answers2025-06-28 14:01:47

In 'The Hidden Life of Trees', Peter Wohlleben presents a fascinating argument that trees might possess something akin to memory. They react to past experiences—like droughts or insect attacks—by adjusting their growth patterns or chemical defenses. A tree scarred by fire grows thicker bark; one repeatedly browsed by deer produces bitter leaves. These aren’t conscious decisions, but they demonstrate a kind of biological 'remembering'.

What’s even wilder is how trees share these 'memories' through fungal networks, warning neighbors of threats. A beetle-infested tree can trigger nearby pines to pump out defensive resins. This isn’t memory as humans know it, but it’s a sophisticated adaptation system that blurs the line between instinct and learned response. The book’s strength lies in making complex science feel magical—trees might not reminisce, but they certainly don’t forget.

Where Is The Island In 'An Island To Oneself' Located?

3 answers2025-06-15 14:52:50

The island in 'An Island to Oneself' is based on Suwarrow, a real atoll in the Cook Islands. It's this tiny speck in the Pacific, about 1,000 miles from Tahiti, surrounded by nothing but ocean for days in every direction. The isolation is brutal—no fresh water, no permanent residents, just coconut crabs and seabirds. Tom Neale chose it specifically because it was so remote; he wanted to test if a man could live completely alone. The coral reef makes landing difficult, and storms can cut off supply routes for months. It’s the kind of place that either makes you or breaks you.

Why Is 'The People In The Trees' Controversial?

4 answers2025-06-25 21:51:10

Hanya Yanagihara's 'The People in the Trees' is controversial for its unflinching portrayal of a morally ambiguous protagonist, Dr. Norton Perina, a Nobel-winning scientist who exploits a fictional Micronesian tribe. The novel grapples with colonialism’s dark legacy—Perina’s 'discovery' of immortality in the tribe’s turtles becomes a metaphor for Western exploitation, stripping indigenous culture under the guise of progress. His later conviction for child abuse adds another layer of discomfort, forcing readers to reconcile his intellectual brilliance with monstrous acts.

The book’s ethical murkiness is deliberate, challenging audiences to sit with unease. Yanagihara doesn’t offer easy judgments, instead weaving a narrative that interrogates power, consent, and who gets to tell a culture’s stories. Some critics argue it sensationalizes trauma, while others praise its bravery in confronting uncomfortable truths. The controversy isn’t just about Perina’s crimes but how the story frames them—clinical yet vivid, leaving room for disturbingly empathetic readings.