Hippolyte's Island: An Illustrated Novel

By Barbara Hodgson

In search of a new adventure, Hippolyte Webb, quixotic spirit, modern-day explorer, and natural historian, sets his sights on the Auroras, a group of tiny islands in the middle of the South Atlantic. His destination wouldn't be so unusual, except that these islands were last spotted almost two hundred years ago. Equipped with a centuries-old map, an inadequate sailboat, and an advance payment for a book about his quest, Hippolyte embarks on an unforgettable voyage, not just through unfamiliar seas but through the uncharted territory of his own mind and heart. This new novel by the author of The Sensualist and The Tattooed Map—lavishly illustrated with over forty illustrations—is an enigmatic tale bridging the space that lies between what we believe and what we know.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chronicle Books Digital
• Release date: Jun 8, 2012
• ISBN: 9781452116297

Reviews for Hippolyte's Island

[swampygirl-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book, although I felt like the concept could have been taken a lot further.

[arubabookwoman · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Simply delightful story of Hippolyte, who never having sailed before, takes off from the Falkland Islands in search of the Auroras, and his subsequent battles with his down to earth editor to have the saga of his adventures published as a book.

[auntmarge64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Hippolyte Webb spends his life traveling, but only to out-of the-way, offbeat, and little-known places. He supports his lifestyle writing articles on his adventures, often in one of the numerous languages he’s picked up along the way. As the book begins, Hippolyte has been home in Vancouver only a short time but is being drawn to tales of lost islands, reported in the literature but no longer appearing on modern maps or even showing up on satellite imagery. Intrigued by the idea of rediscovering something lost, he decides to sail to the location reported to be the Auroras, three (more or less) islands halfway between the Falklands and South Georgia in the southern Atlantic. He spends weeks reading, going to museums, taking sailing lessons, and provisioning himself with all the necessities suggested by his treasured 1906 Royal Geographical Society "Hints to Travellers", and then he flies to the Falklands and sets off alone in a rented sailboat. What Hippolyte finds, and his difficulties making his editor believe him, form the core of the book. Hippolyte is larger than life and bowls over his editor, whom he’s never met, and his unconventional way of telling his story and presenting his evidence convinces her he’s lying. How each of them approaches this dilemma makes for a charming story. Interspersed throughout the book are Hippolyte’s photos, drawing and watercolors, along with maps, logbook entries, and journal notes. This is definitely a keeper for my small permanent library.

[laurierking · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For fans of the Griffin and Sabine books who have a longer attention span.

[nickelini · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a highly imaginative book and my favourite of Hodgson's so far.