The Island of Mending Hearts

By Tim Ashley

Straight 40-something Michael plans to throw himself from a cruise ship, but instead procrastinates his suicide all the way to the gay mecca of Key West. Once onshore, he first finds a city with a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1902852478
• ISBN13: 9781902852478
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: GMP
• Length: 300 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.8" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

Moving, tender, beautifully crafted:

The Island of Mending Hearts caught and held me from first page to last. Tim Ashley writes with skill and sensitivity, creating a story that draws the reader in. Some reviews have compared Tim Ashley's work to that of Alan Hollinghurst, and indeed both write lyrically, giving a strong sense of place. However, Ashley's characters are more human, more believable and generally more likeable than those of Hollinghurst. The book focuses primarily on a voyage of confusion, absolution and discovery of self, experienced through the main character Michael through his quest for identity. We observe this journey against the backdrop of beautiful and evocatively described surroundings, and within the company of the novel's other characters, whose well-drawn personalities add weight and substance to the tale. The emotional tension, the ravishing surroundings, the sense of family interaction, (which forms a primary strand throughout, both in the form of Michael's blood relatives and his new "family"), and most of all his inner struggle with his realisation of being gay, all come together to make this one of the most intense yet ultimately uplifting books I've read in a long time.

Heartily Recommended

Tim Ashley's first novel is a warm, fuzzy quick read. Michael, a British heart surgeon coming off of a tragic loss and a disintegrated marriage, decides to take a fatal plunge from the Plaza Deck of a cruise ship. (Why a doctor can't figure out a better way to off himself is unexplained.) At the last minute he changes his mind and continues on to Key West where he meets a cast of locals who change his life and lifestyle. The best parts of this writing are the dialogue, especially how Ashley portrays the Penny character. What's lacking is a better description of Alex (less than one sentence) and a deeper explanation of why Alex would fall for Michael, eighteen years his senior. The author does a great job incorporating the local color of Key West, including having grits on the breakfast menu, but slips up occasionally with British vs. Americanisms. No American would go for a "spanner" or even know what it is. The less-than-safe sex shows how low Michael has sunk but is still disquieting. In the end, it is happily ever after and we are left to look forward to "Henry", Ashley's second novel. The heart pit-pats in contemplation.

Fantastic Book

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

wonderful, heart tugging love story

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.

An emotionally-rich story of healing

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.