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Survival
What better way to ignite a romance than being on a tropical island? For a young man of seventeen, this would be a dream come true – under normal circumstances. But, these conditions are far from normal. Todd Barrington, a poor, shy lad, has been unable to speak with the one who has caught his eye – Crystal Blake a gal totally out of his league. Not only is she the prettiest girl in school, she is smart and wealthy to boot. But, she also has a secret, and no one must find out. As a strange turn of events, these two top students have been chosen to compete for a full four-year scholarship at the prestigious Cambridge University. In order to do so, they must travel to England. For Todd the cost of such a trip is a deal breaker, but just days before the deadline, a mysterious benefactor turns up. Now the trip is on and the two are destined to be together, on what is to become a fatal crash, on a tropical island in the middle of nowhere. The pilots are dead, the plane is in shreds, and only one resourceful young man is able to emerge from the debris. The only other passenger is found lying on the water soaked ground, her head partially covered in mud, strapped to her seat. Certain that Crystal is dead, Todd cried out above the raging storm. No one could possibly imagine the loneliness of such a tragic experience. But, he must act quickly for it suddenly becomes a matter of Survival.
277 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 10, 2010
22 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 6, 2021
Good But Could Have Been Very Good
I enjoy the deserted island trope.
I thought this book had a good concept for varying what is otherwise a difficult one to retell: You get stranded on an island, you learn to survive as aptly as possible, maybe a love connection, you (hopefully) are rescued. This version uses two — on the verge of — young adults who are top scholastic students. One the beautiful popular girl who is within the popular social circle, one is the poorer boy who lacks the confidence to believe he could get close to a beautiful, popular (and from a wealthy family) girl. When two people from differing circles are thrust together in an isolated and ‘struggle to survive’, the walls of social circles become a very distant memory.
Spoiler alerts from here:
Imho this book needed:
-just a bit more of the story from school/social circles and definitely more to the happy ending.
-they were growing close through the ordeal yet largely kept a firm distance even in close quarters. Maybe sex would be avoided(?) but the extremely limited affection (other than friends) just rings unreal given the circumstances. The lack of close human contact over this long a period with limited food etc would have mentally broken them down.
-he was just too good, too handy, too best behavior, too ‘expert survivalist’. While I saw realism in her character, he would have needed a very rural, mountain like, constantly out in the woods upbringing to be this good at 17 while also being a natural at math and English. I am good with a ‘man up’ situation to help save the day but this was Clark Kent carrying his geography homework.
-the use of “lad” didn’t seem appropriate given life and death survival as the back drop.
Despite the negatives I listed, I enjoyed the read overall. Big kudos to it bring from a self publishing author.
I enjoy the deserted island trope.
I thought this book had a good concept for varying what is otherwise a difficult one to retell: You get stranded on an island, you learn to survive as aptly as possible, maybe a love connection, you (hopefully) are rescued. This version uses two — on the verge of — young adults who are top scholastic students. One the beautiful popular girl who is within the popular social circle, one is the poorer boy who lacks the confidence to believe he could get close to a beautiful, popular (and from a wealthy family) girl. When two people from differing circles are thrust together in an isolated and ‘struggle to survive’, the walls of social circles become a very distant memory.
Spoiler alerts from here:
Imho this book needed:
-just a bit more of the story from school/social circles and definitely more to the happy ending.
-they were growing close through the ordeal yet largely kept a firm distance even in close quarters. Maybe sex would be avoided(?) but the extremely limited affection (other than friends) just rings unreal given the circumstances. The lack of close human contact over this long a period with limited food etc would have mentally broken them down.
-he was just too good, too handy, too best behavior, too ‘expert survivalist’. While I saw realism in her character, he would have needed a very rural, mountain like, constantly out in the woods upbringing to be this good at 17 while also being a natural at math and English. I am good with a ‘man up’ situation to help save the day but this was Clark Kent carrying his geography homework.
-the use of “lad” didn’t seem appropriate given life and death survival as the back drop.
Despite the negatives I listed, I enjoyed the read overall. Big kudos to it bring from a self publishing author.
April 17, 2024
get an EDITOR
It’s not enough to simply have a plot, there has to be an ability to tell the story with compelling prose. There are many writing courses available but even then, it takes a real editor to advise and revise your script. If you’re serious about writing, then you would be advised to begin again. Be prepared for many revisions and try not to take it personally, not if you intend to make writing your career.
It’s not enough to simply have a plot, there has to be an ability to tell the story with compelling prose. There are many writing courses available but even then, it takes a real editor to advise and revise your script. If you’re serious about writing, then you would be advised to begin again. Be prepared for many revisions and try not to take it personally, not if you intend to make writing your career.
Want to read
February 15, 2016276pgs, Todd, is a poor, shy lad. Crystal is the prettiest girl in school, smart and wealthy. But, she also has a secret. These two top students have been chosen to compete for a scholarship at the prestigious Cambridge University. In order to do so, they must travel to England. For Todd the cost of such a trip is a deal breaker, but just days before the deadline, a mysterious benefactor turns up. Now the trip is on and the two are destined to be together, on what is to become a fatal crash, on a tropical island in the middle of nowhere. Todd is able to emerge from the debris. Crystal is found lying on the water soaked ground, her head partially covered in mud, strapped to her seat. He must act quickly for it suddenly becomes a matter of Survival.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews